worldpolitics2017-blog

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Forgetting Colonialism in the Colonies?

This is an interesting article that looks at acknowledging (or not acknowledging) the the legacy of colonialism in the colonies themselves. 

Hong Kong was a British colony for 156 years, yet there is not one museum that commemorates this time. The same applies in India. As both countries find their place in the modern world, their economic success is often touted as a direct outcome of their colonisation. Hong Kong, in particular, is often labelled as small fishing village that would be nothing today without the help of the British.  Ironically in India, British colonialism actually transformed the nation from one of the world's richest into one of the poorest. 

Yet, in the former colonies, we continue to romanticise the colonial past. Colonial buildings are protected and transformed into museums glamorising booming trade, conveniently forgetting that this trade was built on the backs of abused workers and every profit pocketed and promptly sent back to Britain. Country clubs where the colonisers could enjoy the comforts of home still thrive today, despite racist membership policies. Contrastingly, not a single memorial exists to recognise those who suffered under colonialism and who were truly responsible for creating the legacies people are proud of today. 

Hong Kong's politics today are defined by a search for national identity. The first generation to grow up free of colonial influence is coming of age. As they seek ways to protect Hong Kong's future as an independent state, the whole nation needs to be reminded that Britain did not build Hong Kong, they did. Now, more than ever, is the time to memorialise the true history of colonialism. 

http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2122508/hong-kong-india-needs-remember-truth-about-british-colonialism

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

More on the Kurds in Iraq

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/11/01/why-the-fight-for-fishkhabour-is-so-important-for-kurds-iraq-attack-fishkhabur-feyshkhabour/

As a follow-up to my previous post about Iraq wherein I mentioned the Kurdish issue, this article is a slightly deeper exploration of some of the issues facing the Kurds trying to protect their attempted state's economy from Iraqi interference.

Though the Iraqi government recaptured the oil-rich region of Kirkuk in October, Feyshkhabour offers the potential Kurdish state another oil territory and a pipeline through which the Kurds have been exporting billions of dollars of oil to Turkey and other neighbors per year. The Iraqi Constitution dictates that all oil must be exported out of Baghdad, which then splits up and dishes out the profits. Thus, the government could shut off the pipeline by force in an effort to improve their strategic positioning with Turkey and over their Kurdish minority.

However, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's rule has thus far been characterized by decentralization, coalition-building across ethnic lines, and attempting to re-unify Iraq and defeat the Peshmerga in the name of the Kurdish people's interests. If he were to then take a move that cripples the Kurdish economy and again leaves their government without money and vulnerable to ISIS fighters, that argument would be nullified.

These complexities and many more surround Iraq and the Kurds, one of the most prominent non-Western examples of national minorities and nation-state internal tensions as characterized by our study of the High Commissioner on National Minorities.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Erdogan, Turkey's president, was accused of making an oil and gold deal with Iran by formidable gold trader Reza Zarrab. According to a source, Erdogan justified such actions by stating in a closed meeting that “The world is not only about the U.S., we also have trade and energy relations with Iran." This shows the growing defiance of Turkey towards the U.S. as well as the degree of power of its president. Moreover, it questions the authority of the U.S. as a global power house and its ability to impose its policy on Turkey. With Turkey being a key player in Middle East as it borders Iran and Syria, will this also affect the U.S.'s policy in the region? It will be interesting how this plays out. 

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Minority Rights for Rohingya in Myanmar

The Rohingya are a persecuted Muslim minority living in Myanmar. There, they are constantly segregated, and their identity is not recognized by the Buddhist government. More than that, the government leads military operations seeking to cleanse Myanmar from Rohingya muslims. Just like the Ruritanians in Runkovia, Rohingya have little to no rights, and are "fake news" according to U Kyaw San Hla, an officer in the regional state security ministry. Most of them today are refugees, and so far the UN, the US or any big power have acted to solve this issue, despite 600,000 people being displaced already. 

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Is the Royal Engagement a step towards a multicultural Britian?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/world/europe/uk-royal-wedding-harry-meghan-markle.html

This article addresses the racial tensions that still exist in post-colonial Britain. While the new future royal Meghan Markle appears to be nonwhite and is biracial, some are happy about the symbolic implications of the royal engagement while others are not. The engagement of an American actress to royalty isn't something that hasn't happened before, but having a biracial actress marry into the British royal family is.

On another note, the article mentions how many school's curriculum fail to acknowledge Britain's imperial past from all angles - it seems that Britain may not be completely free of its imperial past.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

How post-colonial is Britain?

http://www.e-ir.info/2012/10/03/to-what-extent-is-britain-post-colonial/

An interesting analysis on the United Kingdom's continued influence over other countries - maybe not as direct but through other institutions such as IMF.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

It has only been a week since Egypt’s worst terror attack on its soil. The casualties at the Bir al-Abed mosque surpassed 300, leaving an everlasting mark on the town. Although there has been little news circulating about the Islamic State in recent months, making it seemingly feel as if they have been completely eradicated, they were the ones responsible for this atrocity. So, what motivated such cruel actions? According to the article, it was mostly revenge for the town’s strong allegiance to military. Furthermore, it has been interpreted as a way for the Islamic State to send a message to those who go against them about the consequences of such a choice. A quote from a mother who had survived shows just how effective that message really was: “The terrorists can have Al Rawda, Friday Prayer and everything else. We are staying home.” The question now is: will the international community get involved?   

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

After the 2008 financial crisis, interest rates seem at the lowest they have been, falling well below what economists call the 'natural rate.' This limits the ability of central banks to execute effective and noteworthy monetary policy as they have little to work with. The author begs the question: Is this the new normal? Consequently, some have argued that the line between fiscal and monetary policy has become blurred. With such a reality, it would be interesting, even daunting to see how the central banks would handle a financial crisis even remotely similar to that of the global financial crisis of 2008. In a world with such an interconnected economy, this is a scary thought. 

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Writing on the Wall: Decolonization for Morality's Sake or Smart Financial Accounting

Even the poorest citizen of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia had a significantly better standard of living than even the higher class Zimbabwean citizen (the successor state of Southern Rhodesia). The stark contrast between colonial subjects and citizens of arguably one of the most failed states in the world, shows the realities of post-colonialism. Colonialism involved a form of defense of the local population, largely on the grounds of the "White-man's burden." In the past, colonial administrations had at least a minute responsibility to their citizens, and therefore could not simply abandon them. They did exploit the land for resources, and build countries up to suit them based on their demands, but I would argue that decolonization was not in any way a moral response to these actions.

It was a decision by empires that having an obligation to the local population was no longer profitable. Trading resources was simply no longer bringing any benefit for the homeland. From the perspective of a country, why would you need to assume the staggering costs of maintaining a colonial militia and bureaucracy, when ultimately you could just trade for the exact same natural resources that you needed. Furthermore, leaving these countries to their own devices would often plunge them into disarray which would only make goods cheaper as poverty destroyed the nation. And even more controversially was the consideration that skilled people and human capital became suddenly infinitely times more useful than any of the natural resources in the world. The smart management of these countries was no longer necessary, and suddenly such abominations as Zimbabwe were formed. 

As John Galbraith argued, 

"The engine of economic well-being was now within and between the advanced industrial countries. Domestic economic growth — as now measured and much discussed — came to be seen as far more important than the erstwhile colonial trade.... The economic effect in the United States from the granting of independence to the Philippines was unnoticeable, partly due to the Bell Trade Act, which allowed American monopoly in the economy of the Philippines. The departure of India and Pakistan made small economic difference in the United Kingdom. Dutch economists calculated that the economic effect from the loss of the great Dutch empire in Indonesia was compensated for by a couple of years or so of domestic post-war economic growth. The end of the colonial era is celebrated in the history books as a triumph of national aspiration in the former colonies and of benign good sense on the part of the colonial powers. Lurking beneath, as so often happens, was a strong current of economic interest — or in this case, disinterest."

Source:  

A Journey Through Economic Times by John Kenneth Galbraith

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

A slightly old video (about a year), but still a very interesting analysis about Trump and NATO. It follows his approach to NATO as a business deal rather than an alliance and the implications of such an interpretation. 

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

North Korea and the 'New Cold War'

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/11/28/north-korea-launches-biggest-icbm-yet-despite-u-s-sanctions/

This article highlights North Korea's new ICBM development and testing despite sanctions from the West, showing that the anti-American resentment of the east remains strong and potentially catastrophic. North Korea was born in the Cold War of the last century, but many commentators observe that the state is part of the 'New Cold War' as well.

The idea of the 'New Cold War' that we debated in class is hotly debated in political circles as well. However, this twenty-first century conflict has only face-value similarities to the previous Cold War, and drawing analogous analytical lines between the two ages would be a subtle but important misinterpretation of modern history.

 Both situations are highlighted by nuclear arms races that, at least thus far, were kept on the sidelines as a defensive threat as proxy conflicts developed alongside conventional lines. In the twentieth century, these conflicts sprang up in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Cuba, and more, but they were centrally operating on a bipolar power structure represented by the United States and the Soviet Union. Though Communist China was obviously a force, especially in regional conflicts in Vietnam and Korea, they served a secondary role in the spread of Communism, much as Western Europe did behind the leading role of the US.

Today, factions are deeply splintered, and the bipolar power structure has been utterly gutted and replaced with sole American hegemony, now under severe pressure from numerous forces. The rise of China has been the biggest economic threat to the US, but many other pretenders to the throne also subvert American power. India's growth explosion, Russia's continued hostility in Syria, Ukraine, and election-meddling, and even the relatively smaller North Korea and ISIS have posed serious, existential questions to the system of preeminence.

Thus, it is not simply an opposing Communist ideology that must be defeated by the capitalist Americans through global containment. That level of black and white has gone. The 'New Cold War' is a more nuanced web of new conflicts and old resentments with greater nuclear threat and less obvious enemies.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Trump Withdraws from UN Migration Talks

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/12/02/trump-boycotts-u-n-migration-talks/

The Trump administration has recently pulled out of the Global Compact on Migration being held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico by the UN, with the President and his top advisers (namely Stephen Miller, chief of staff John Kelly, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions supporting and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley dissenting) believing that taking part would be a waste of time given the administration's stark contrasts with the UN in its migration policy.

This is a further sign of Trump's 'America First' foreign policy and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration through deportations and, supposedly, a border wall. The UN compact is meant to discuss ways to treat migrants more humanely, especially those being forced to move by poverty, climate change, and other factors not included under the current legal definition of a refugee.

While America's withdrawal from these talks is perhaps another sign of waning US influence in international affairs, whether through decline of empire or through intentional domestic focus, it is also a sign that the world is starting to understand the true volume of the global migrant crisis and that more than just the narrow lens of the current legal understanding of refugees will be necessary for security and development.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Development and National Minorities in Iraq

https://gt.foreignpolicy.com/2017/profile/haider-al-abadi?ce385a3ed8=

This David Kenner article on foreignpolicy.com is a very short piece but offers a brief overview of the shifting situation in one of the world's most embattled states; Iraq. Following the expansionism of Saddam Hussein and a series of Western interventions through the emergence of the twenty-first century, Iraq's previous two presidents had continued trying to rule with a stern, centralized hand. This article discusses some of the accomplishments and targets of the country's current Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, who has taken a markedly different strategy in trying to build up his country.

Iraq represents an amalgamation of many topics we have discussed throughout this semester; 'new war' in the form of battling ISIS, national minorities in the form of managing the Kurdish, the struggle of development, and postcolonial Western interventionism all balled into a single, struggling state.

Over the past year, Iraq and its allied anti-ISIS forces have helped retake Mosul in July and other stretches of the country's territory from the Islamic State, a potentially key victory in a country that has known war for decades. This cycle of political violence has seriously destabilized any Iraqi attempts to secure its borders and basic statehood, let alone economically develop the country.

In order to push his political and economic reform packages, al-Abadi has had to unify many highly partisan ethnic and religious communities across Iraq, but certainly the most difficult has been the Kurdish people. After the Kurdish referendum in October, the Prime Minister quickly retook Kirkurk from the Peshmerga, an oil-rich region, but has otherwise extended rights and recognition to the minority.

al-Abadi's mission has only just begun in remaking Iraq, but if he can continue to manage these multiple crises of international proportions to the level he has thus far, perhaps the state has a chance.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

The Competitive Advantage of Multiculturalism in a Multi-Polar World

Currently, the understanding of multiculturalism has been commonly skewed to represent the perspective of the elite and the colonizers of the past. This form of multiculturalism reflects “muscular liberalism” politics, which depends on a narrow perspective of history, often from the viewpoint of the elite, and a limited vision for the future. Furthermore, this view of multiculturalism enforces the idea of the state as a homogenous container in the efforts to increase cohesion within society. Paradoxically, this hard multiculturalism increases domestic tensions by integrating cultural groups in a way that not only ignores individuality, but also undermines the historical links between the colonizers and colonized. In effect, multiculturalism can be better understood as recognition of a nation state’s history in the global context of empire in order to take advantage of the power and opportunity vested in the historical links between countries. Furthermore, by acknowledging the shared history between cultures, nation-states would be better situated to understand the context behind the diversity of different cultural groups. In turn, this would increase mutual respect between cultures, creating a more functional and progressive society. As the world becomes increasingly multipolar, where power is no longer monopolized by a single nation-state, it is more critical than ever to fully recognize and understand the causes and effects of multiculturalism to reduce domestic tensions and maintain a position of power on the international stage.

Foreign-born residents, by place of birth, EU-28, 2011 (% of foreign-born population) - Graph reflects inherent multiculturalism in Europe

Domestic Purpose of Multiculturalism 

The current interethnic conflicts within Europe, triggered by the influx of migrants, underscore the severe consequences of implementing muscular liberalism politics over that of cultural pluralism. For example, Denmark, a country known for its commitment to progressive thinking, social security and sexual, religious, ethnic and counterculture tolerance, was surprisingly one of the first European countries to experience the debate over multiculturalism and Islam. Despite Denmark’s outward acceptance of liberal and western manufactured ideals, the nation has failed to develop a profound understanding of the minority migrants, which has caused an increase in violence and mistrust between cultural groups.  

In 2015, political cartoonists, who disgraced the Prophet Muhammad, were targeted in a shooting in Copenhagen. However, the ongoing controversy around satirical cartoons began all the way back in 2005 when the newspaper Jyllands-Postengained international notoriety by publishing a set of twelve controversial cartoons depicting Islam and Muhammad.

  Controversial cartoon depictions of Islam and Mohammad published in Jyllands-Posten newspaper

For the past 50 years, Denmark has received an influx of immigrants from Muslim countries, including Morocco, Somalia, and Turkey, whilst having its own population of Muslim Danes. However, both liberal and conservative Danish politicians have been calling multiculturalism a failure. Denmark presents a classic case of the enforcement of muscular liberalization, in which the notion of “openness” really only pertains to the promotion of western, liberal thought. The structure of Denmark’s liberal welfare-focused society relies on cohesion and civic participation, which has alienated anyone who finds it hard to conform.

Citizenship policies should evolve from conformity and assimilation, muscular liberalism, towards solutions that allow migrants to feel accepted by Danish culture, while allowing them to create and maintain connections with their place of origin. By embracing cultural pluralism, the minority groups to maintain their unique cultural identities in a wider society, as opposed to the promotion muscular liberalism, western European countries can mitigate the domestic conflicts caused by interethnic tensions.  

International Purpose of Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism not only has implications for the domestic relationships between cultural groups in a nation-state, but also for international relationships between nation-states themselves. As the world becomes increasingly multi-polar, it is important for nation-states to develop new political and strategic policies to maintain their position of power on the international stage. To do this, nation-states must understand and take advantage of multiculturalism. For instance, in the case of Britain, its present economic, social, and political standing cannot be understood apart from its imperial history. Furthermore, it is is especially critical to understand that the British empire was a joint venture between colonizer and colonized. While there was undoubtedly racial hierarchies and brutally established inequities of power, the creation and lasting legacy of the British empire was, inarguably, the result of the agency and labor of those on all sides of the imperial equation. In other words, the colonized did just as much as the colonizers to build the Britain we know today. Furthermore, Britain has also had lasting impact on historically colonized regions, such as in India where the legacy of imperialism can be seen in personal and family histories. This means Britain, previously one of the greatest empires in the world, shares an immense and intermixed history with a significant proportion of the world’s population.

  Map of British Empire at its height in the 20th century.

Even though today’s world population is no longer under complete imperial control, much of the world’s population is still shaped by the lasting impacts of imperialism. Instead of Britain shying away from this imperial history and embracing a narrow sense of British elite identity, Britain should use this as a means to activate a global British identity to take advantage of the potential and capabilities of its multicultural relationship with the rest of the world. Thus, Britain can and should use multiculturalism to globalize the nation by recognizing the realities and consequences of the empire, and by ensuring that the racial inequities of the past will never be reproduced again in the future. Only by embracing this notion of multiculturalism can Britain legitimize itself on the international stage and build strong global relationships with the rest of the world, especially with those countries that are woven into Britain’s imperial past.

Concluding Thoughts

Multiculturalism, in the sense of recognizing the individuality of differing cultures, while acknowledging the historical context between them, serves to promote the respect among cultural groups needed for a prosperous society. The domestic empowerment from and global reach of multiculturalism serve as competitive advantages in an increasingly multi-polar world. 

-Ally An and Jessica Zhang

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Oftentimes, economic development is viewed as a path to liberalization. This interpretation views economic growth as placing active pressure on governments to reform. Rich, illiberal countries therefore must struggle to maintain control of a wealthier populace. Contrary to this understanding, this Reuters investigative piece highlights how Kim Jong-Un has carefully cultivated economic growth as a tool to preserve power.

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

American Exceptionalism: Our Power Lies in Our Faith

I have frequently made the assertion that the faith of the parts that make up the whole, give the whole its ability to succeed. My logic is founded on Gestaltian theory, that states that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In the context of American exceptionalism, the US has many parts, or advantages so to speak. Its relative geographic isolation, lack of hostile or powerful neighbors, huge size and massive trove of natural resources and exceptional educational system makes it a serious force to be reckoned with, but its position is not so different from the empires of the past.

The Soviet Union was once the largest country in the world and boasted natural resources that could sustain itself for years. Its military size and reserves paralleled that of the United States, and although there has frequently been an argument for the US outspending the USSR, the reality showed that the USSR was not experiencing any shortages outside of the ordinary and its foreign reserves could sustain it without any growth or advancement for at least another decade. Assuming even stagnation, the USSR was an immense power and to the outside observer remained as stable as it was twenty years ago, in the days of Andropov and Brezhnev.

However, this is where my belief that the faith of the populace determines the trajectories of great powers in the scheme of international politics, rears its head. By the 1980s, Gorbachev initiated a major reform program with a focus on liberalisation of the economic system, but most importantly the political system. His desire to make Communism less repressive and more of a morally justified system did not take into account public sentiment. The acknowledgment of a moral death within a country in its zenith, raised a population irritated with brazen corruption, with repression as a means of discourse and obstacles in the way of one's basic function. 

As the 1980s were closing, faith in public institutions dwindled. Faith in the currency (which often became cigarettes which were seen as more valuable, mimicking that of a prison system), faith in the Red Army (as a defender of Communism's spread worldwide) and most importantly faith in the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) and the Soviet Union is a nationality died. The rule of the proletariat no longer believed that Communism's nuclear missiles will wipe the bourgeoisie from the Earth. Therefore, the sum of the parts became far less valuable than the parts considered individually. A society's basic endemic flaws caused it to rip itself asunder and various new nationalities to be formed (some such as Ukraine which had never before seen the light of day). 

Therefore, as Rawls postulated in his own works on political theory, a just and fair system must have the assent of the people and therefore cooperation of all actors. This is where empires tend to break down. It is when faith leaves their populace or a moral high ground is lost that societies falter. What we take for granted is the immense amount of collective beliefs that we put our trust into. We trust that people will take US dollars, we trust that the MTA will always arrive (maybe a couple minutes late) and we trust that our politicians represent our national interests rather than their own. 

The power of trust is immense, currently we can see it in the value of Bitcoin (which has sky-rocketed to over $10,000), but where critics predict bubbles (or essentially a build-up of misplaced trust), the United States has more than enough tangible power that there is no bubble, and rather our faith that we dole out in spades allow it to grow with our own belief in the system. America's preeminence and the collective belief that we inspire is as clearly visible in the American dream as it is in the Hollywood movies that are watched around the world.

Consider then that the pilgrims who first came to the US must have known something when they decreed this site to be a "city on the hill," a shining beacon of morality that will light the way for other countries to follow. In the 1980s, when Reagan himself referred to our enemies as an evil empire standing against the city on the hill, he rallied the faith of the people. Because, as long as we believe we are the city on the hill, there is no possible force that can stop our continued preeminence. 

-Shawn Shinder

[worldpolitics2017-blog]

Revolution and the Shaky Foundations of Society

http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/06/20/everything-you-think-you-know-about-the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union-is-wrong/

An amazing piece on the rationale behind revolutions. I highly recommend reading until the very end (or maybe just starting there ;)) Which is where the article draws parallels to the future and the world today. Perhaps more aptly we should be asking ourselves whether China is only a fading great power in its current form. 

Particularly insightful pieces from the articles:

“The Almighty provided us with such a powerful sense of dignity that we cannot tolerate the denial of our inalienable rights and freedoms, no matter what real or supposed benefits are provided by ‘stable’ authoritarian regimes,” the president of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva, wrote this March. “It is the magic of people, young and old, men and women of different religions and political beliefs, who come together in city squares and announce that enough is enough.”

“Dignity Before Bread!” was the slogan of the Tunisian revolution. The Tunisian economy had grown between 2 and 8 percent a year in the two decades preceding the revolt.