Should Canada Accept Trudeau’s Apology?

by with 3 Comments CultureFeaturedInternational

Blackface, brownface, any face other than your own is wildly offensive. Maybe we can take solace in the fact that nobody is doing it today (at least we hope not), and every time it comes up it’s an old photo or from someone’s high school yearbook. But, when you consider the photo or yearbook is fairly recent (2001 recent), and not from the early 1900s, you still have to pause. Most of these images appear to be at parties where, of course, none of the Black or Brown people being portrayed are present.

The most recent brownfacer is Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who decided to do it at a party at a private school… where he was teaching. Yeah. At the time, Trudeau was 29-years-old, not necessarily the high school kid in the Deep South who claimed not to know better. Similar to all who get exposed in this act, he followed the textbook response, whether genuine or not he immediately apologized. He also just began his re-election campaign which makes the timing of such news awful.

If you’re a person of color in Canada, if you’ve supported Trudeau in the past, do you continue to support him? Victims of racism, usually minorities with Black or Brown skin, have grown weary of Black and Brownface, as well as monkeys and other animals and caricatures used to mock them. Images often from the 21st century. Excusing such behavior, especially from adults like Trudeau, is unacceptable.

Will Trudeau be forced to pay a debt to society, will he be forced to reconcile his past other than a quick apology? Probably not, and therein lies the problem. Rarely are politicians or those in positions of power made to make amends for their racist behavior, and if society and global communities are ever going to improve, that has to change.

Similar Read: Press Play & Focus on the Future

Iran: What Comes Next?

by with One Comment FeaturedGen ZGlobalInternational

On May 8, President Donald Trump took perhaps the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency thus far and announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Despite the fact that Iran has verifiably been compliant with the terms of the agreement, President Trump has repeatedly characterized it as a “bad deal” and the promise to withdraw the United States from it was a central pillar of his campaign. Although it fulfills the President’s campaign promise, American withdrawal from the JCPOA is comprising international security, regional stability, and the United States’ role in the international arena.  

European allies including France and Germany had spent the past several months working to convince the administration to stay a part of the deal and have made their displeasure with this development clear, indicating that they will do what they can to save the deal without the United States. This is no small task and many European diplomats have admitted that it would be exceedingly difficult. The EU does have the option of imposing retaliatory sanctions to shield European businesses or having the European Central Bank invest directly in Iran, although given the strength and pervasiveness of the American financial system it is unlikely that this would be enough to maintain the deal’s benefits for Iran. Regardless a signal has been sent to our European partners that they cannot rely on the United States to display the international leadership they once did.

If and when it becomes clear that Iran will not achieve the economic benefits that the deal promised it is highly probable that they will resume their nuclear program. Hardliners within Iran will take this opportunity to make the case that diplomacy is futile and future agreements will become increasingly difficult. At the same time, the country’s more moderate President, Hassan Rouhani, will likely see his influence weakened. As the Iranian economy, which has already been suffering from unrelated US sanctions, continues to get worse, it is average Iranian citizens who will bear the brunt of the sanctions. This could lead to a degree of social unrest, although any protests are likely to get cracked down upon early and hard.

If Iran does reinstate its nuclear program it will be much harder to once again put together the international sanctions regime that brought Iran to the negotiating table to begin with. Sanctions against the Iranian regime were effective when the international community worked as a united front. Unilateral US sanctions are likely to have a substantially smaller impact on the regime’s actions. Many of the most effective US sanctions, known as “secondary sanctions” or sanctions, levied not on the Iranian regime directly but on parties doing business with Iran. The reimposition of these sanctions is likely to have the greatest impact as they will act as a significant deterrent to European businesses who were quick to begin doing business in the country after the sanctions were lifted. It will also impact American firms, such as Boeing which had a large deal in place to supply airplane parts to Iran’s civil airline.  

What will most likely happen?

The US sanctions will be enough to prevent Iran from getting the benefits of the nuclear deal, thereby causing the deal to fall apart, but not enough to curb its activities in the region.

Refusing to stick to the accords doesn’t just increase the likelihood that Iran will end up with a nuclear weapon in the near term, it also sets a bad precedent and undermines faith in the United States with regards to future international negotiations. This is especially pertinent considering the upcoming summit with North Korea. The deal that is reportedly being offered to Kim Jong-Un, economic relief in exchange for the cessation of the country’s nuclear program, is similar to the one that the Trump administration is now reneging on with Iran. If the US has proven itself unable to stick to a deal once agreed upon with Iran, why would the North Koreans expect to be treated any differently?

Regardless of what one thinks of the administration’s withdrawal from the deal, it happened. The question now is what’s next?

At the end of his speech announcing the American withdrawal, President Trump expressed a willingness to renegotiate the deal. There is however little indication of what the administration would hope to gain by doing so. In fact, the administration seems to have no clear strategy on the issue. The vague normative statements, half-truths, and political chest-thumping that have characterized the President’s comments on the issue are not enough. If regional and international security is to be maintained, it is essential that the administration has a clear strategy for how to handle Iran in both the near and long-term. 

Trump Succeeds Where Obama Did Not?

by with 4 Comments FeaturedInternationalPolitics

The North Korean state media hailed a meeting between its leader and South Korea’s president as a “new milestone.” Momentous decisions took place at this meeting, one of them is to end the Korean War formally, and another being to make the Korean peninsula nuclear-free. 

South Korean’s news agency Yonhap reported on Saturday that both Pyongyang and Seoul “affirm the common goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization.”

On the opposite side of the border, North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) also said that the summit would mark the way for “a new era of peace and prosperity.”

To cement these substantial declarations, the leaders of the two Koreas signed a joint statement after a historic summit that saw Kim Jong-un become the first North Korean leader to step into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

A day of choreographed talks and symbolic gestures gave way to some unscripted spontaneity when Kim asked his South Korean counterpart to reciprocate by briefly stepping into North Korea.

The signing of the declaration came after two rounds of discussions between the leaders, as well as a symbolic tree-planting ceremony to bring about peace and prosperity on the split peninsula.

What does this all mean?

North Korea and South Korea have had talks before, have made pledges before and have also committed to peace previously, and none of it lasted. What makes this time different?

Here is a brief look at the sanctions (see fig. 1) and the reasons behind them. This new agreement would help Kim Jong-un remove some if not most of these sanctions and benefit from if the deal between South Korea, United States, and China goes through. 

Sanctions Against North Korea 

Year Action Sanction
Dec – 1985 DPRK ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Jan – 2003 DPRK withdraws from NPT
Oct – 2006 UN Security Council (UNSC) passes resolution 1718 condemning the country’s first nuclear test and imposing sanctions on DPRK, including the supply of heavy weaponry, missile technology, material, and select luxury goods.
June – 2008 DPRK declares its nuclear programs to China and commits to shutting down parts of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities
June – 2009 UNSC adopts Resolution 1874, which strengthens against DPRK after it conducted its second nuclear explosion test.
Dec – 2011 North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies after seventeen years in power. His son Kim Jong-un takes over
Jan – 2013 UNSC passes Resolution 2087 condemning DPRK 2012 satellite launch and proliferation activities.
Mar – 2013 UNSC passes Resolution 2094 imposing harsher sanctions in response to DPRK’s third nuclear test in a month prior
March – 2016 UNSC adopts Resolution 2270 condemning DPRK’s fourth nuclear test and its 2015 submarine-launched missile test. Sanctions are enhanced, including banning states from supplying aviation fuel to DPRK.
Nov – 2016 UNSC passes Resolution 2321 expanding sanctions after DPRK’s fifth nuclear test, including a ban on mineral exports such as copper and nickel, and the selling of statues and helicopters.
Aug – 2017 UNSC adopts Resolution 2371 boosting sanctions after DPRK’s two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July, including a ban on coal and iron exports.
Sept – 2017 UNSC unanimously passes Resolution 2375 to ratchet up sanctions following DPRK’s sixth and largest nuclear test.
Dec – 2017 UNSC passes Resolution 2397 imposing new restrictions on oil imports, as well as metal, agricultural, and labor exports.

(Figure 1. Chronology of International action against the rogue state Eleanor A. (2018). What to know about the sanctions on North Korea. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-know-about-sanctions-north-korea.)

These sanctions have been crushing to the economic stability and prosperity of North Korea. So the reason to come to the table now and push to make these promises stick this time is actually quite simple. Kim Jong-un wants to improve North Korea, and mutually the leaders of both Korea’s realize that there is more strength in unity than there is to remain split apart and to have outside influences use the “divide and conquer strategy” to get what they want and foster distrust and hatred to continue the vicious cycle.

This summit is good news. Having a joint Korea (or something close to it), will help the North become stable and less aggressive to the world. It will also open up borders for trade and commerce to flow once again while allowing peace and security to reach all its neighbors without fear of turning back. For the South, it will allow families who have been split for decades to finally reunite and remove threats to their stability and growth.

All that remains now is to see how these talks will fare with Donald Trump when he meet’s with Kim later this year. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has suggested that Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize should the matters of their talks come to fruition. We have yet to see how all of these recent developments stand with our President, and if he wants to truly make a positive difference. One thing for sure, time will tell fast.

Denuclearization is a milestone worthy of applause… but who deserves the applause?

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Cape Town Water Crisis

by with 3 Comments InternationalNews

An entire country is about to run out of water, and no one’s talking about it.

Cape Town, South Africa, is predicted to run out of water on April 15th. The drought in South Africa began in 2015 and is now reaching a critical point, highlighting the severity of the water situation, as well as the lasting effects of the apartheid and the inequality resulting from it.

Cape Town, the nation’s tourist destination, is the most noted area affected because of the decrease in tourism and the clear divide in response between the rich and the poor. While the shortage will affect everyone in the city, the differences in approach are worth noting; the one million residents who live in the informal settlements only make up 4.5% of the water usage (USATODAY) and as water becomes increasingly scarce and restrictions tighten, these people make a tangible change to their consumption. While the notion of the suburban to high-income areas is “we’ll buy it.”

It’s important to note that the poorest group, the smallest group, who is using the least amount of water between Cape Town’s demographic groups, is also being blamed for worsening the shortage and wasting water, while 70% of water is used in formal homes- highlighting the divide. (USATODAY)

When the water runs out, the rich will not be able to “buy” more and blaming the poor will not bring it back. As South Africa prepares to run out of water, will they also prepare to come to grips with the influence inequality has had on their water supply? 

Change in the Air: The Protests in Iran

by with No Comment International

For a while now, the people of Iran have had two things to be angry about: the economy and the government.

Years of rising costs in real estate and the price of meat have put Iranians in an awkward position. Iranians expected more than what they got. Regional experts like to talk about how Iran is not as dangerous or oppressive as some of its neighbors, and the very fact that Iranians can complain proves this. But the country is still struggling, and if you lived there, you would feel it immediately.

Iran is a hard country, and the desire to separate the economic woes from the political mess might cause one to miss the point. Both issues are intertwined, more so when outcry is met with violent repression.

The protests you have been slowly hearing about started around Dec. 28. The Islamic Revolutionary guards corps and the clerical establishment under the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are the enforcers of the repression in Iran, as well as the beneficiaries of a system that has performed poorly for everyone else. This fact is not lost on the demonstrators who have vehemently objected to the new budget by calling for an end to the current regime.

The people who are currently protesting are from the lower classes and are motivated by the lack of economic fairness and opportunities in the country. The nuclear deal, with its promise to end the sanctions that never really happened, did not appease the longstanding unemployment crisis. The 2018 budget released last month, revealed in harsh terms the regime’s desire to spend on religious institutions and foreign adventures, even though there have been cuts in cash dispersals and an increase in fuel prices, the threat of drought in the provinces, environmental degradation, and embezzlement have repeatedly incited the public.

Maybe all these issues are growing pains of a country trying to redefine its presence in a globally-minded world, or perhaps it isn’t. The truth for many Iranians is that their country has resources that their family and friends never see.

As of now, the protesters know that they won’t be able to effectively make a change to the current establishment. But what they are hoping is that their cry for change will be picked up and echoed by more and more people in the country and around the world to build enough pressure for the government to make positive changes.

The latest protests have no leaders to imprison or publicly humiliate. These demonstrations aren’t pitting the elites against one another, but everyday people against the state. If there is anything you should know as you read this article, it’s how little we know as Americans about what is happening in Iran. The current regime and its desire to censor everything, made sure of this. So the battle is a two-pronged war. One part is our foreign policy on Iran, and the other is Iran’s need to push everything under the rug.

Iran Wracked by Waves of Protests

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZInternationalNews

Since December 28th tens of thousands of protesters have gathered all around Iran. The protests first began in the Northeastern city of Mashhad and constitute the largest outbreak of civil unrest in the country since the disputed 2009 presidential election and the wave of “Green Revolution” protests it caused. More than 20 people have died in the protests, which are still ongoing.

The demonstrations were initially sparked by concerns over the state of the country’s economy and the high prices of staple goods. After the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear deal, there was an expectation among Iranians that the economy would recover from its period of stunted growth, an outcome that has been slow to materialize. Youth unemploymenthas reached 40% and, not coincidentally, young people make up a large portion of the protesters. With all of these factors putting the country’s population on edge, the straw that broke the camel’s back and brought Iranians into the streets came in the form of a leaked draft budget which increased spending to the military and the clerical establishment while cutting subsidies for the poor.

Over the following week the protests developed from being focused on the state of the economy to being an open rebellion against the country’s repressive theocratic regime, with protesters chanting slogans such as “death to the dictator.” The country’s activist foreign policy has also become increasingly unpopular as many of its citizens struggle to make ends meet domestically. Iran has spent billions supporting proxies and allies in the region, such as the Syrian government, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to a lesser extent the Houthis in Yemen.

The Iranian government has accused the protesters of being sponsored by foreign governments to create social unrest in the country and has cracked down pretty heavily on the protesters, using tear gas, water cannons, and other means in an effort to forcibly disperse them. According to human rights groups thousands of protesters have been rounded up and detained. Those arrested could potentially face brutal prison conditions or the death penalty, in a recent declaration made by the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Court. The regime has throttled internet access and blocked social media and messaging apps that had been used by the protesters to organize. As a result, the information coming out of the country began to slow leading to rumors of the protests dying out, but these turned out to be untrue. The government was also able to mobilize pro-government counter protests.

As of right now it is still too early to determine what will come of these protests. Some analysts are predicting the end of the regime while others expect the protests to fizzle out and amount to nothing. The protests seem to have no well-defined leadership, so it is unclear who, if anyone, would be able to lead a regime change. President Rouhani’s position has definitely been weakened and it is likely that the country’s security apparatus, especially the Revolutionary Guards will have seen their influence expanded asa result of their role in dealing with the protests.

Meanwhile, the US government has expressed support for the Iranian protesters. The Trump administration, which has already been openly hostile towards Iran and the Iranian government, has suggested the possibility of more sanctions depending on Iran’s reaction to the protest. The President has tweeted several times in support of the protests including tweeting that Iranians are finally “getting wise”. The United States requested an emergency session of the United Nation’s Security Council on the subject of Iran. The session was held on Friday and US Ambassador Nikki Haley took the opportunity to put Iran “on notice” that the US would not tolerate any human rights abuses. Other countries such as France and Russia voiced their dismay that the US was bringing what they viewed as an internal Iranian affair to the Security Council.

President Rouhani responded by saying that Donald Trump had no right to criticize Iran after calling them terrorists and preventing Iranians from entering the United States. Iranians don’t really care for President Trump and it’s unlikely that his tweets will have any effect on the protests. American sanctions as well as the United State’s wavering position on the nuclear deal are at least partially responsible for the economic stagnation that spurred the protests.

Catalonia: Leaders Behind Bars [Update | Part VII]

by with No Comment International

As of Monday Morning [12/4/17], four Catalan politicians and activists remained in Spanish custody after a judge denied bail for the Catalan leaders. If this situation wasn’t already difficult enough for their leaders, the vice president of Catalonia, who is running for special elections on Dec. 21, has also been detained and will be campaigning from behind bars.

Six other separatists leaders have been released on bail, with the hefty sum of 100,00 euros ($118,00) each. Even with the release, the judge ordered the confiscation of their passports to prevent them from leaving the country.

The ousted president, Carles Puigdemont, is still stuck in exile in Belgium, along with four of his close allies. On Dec. 14 a judge will rule the possibility of extradition to Spain for all 5 of the leaders.

Imprisoning their leaders and attempting to push them into desperate situations began after Catalonia declared independence from Spain. Madrid responded with a crackdown on its leaders and the absolvement of the region’s limited freedoms as it is.

The outcome of this conflict between Catalonia and Spain is yet to be determined. As of now, Spain is still trying to control the scenario hoping to make this all disappear; but, with the growing discontent over the imprisonment of its leaders and journalists, Catalans once again have their emotions churning over why they need to separate from Spain.

Follow Catalonia’s fight for independence from the beginning (links below)…

Catalonia: The Rebel State

Catalonia: The Rebel State [Update | Part II]

Catalonia: Do Not Ignore Us [Update | Part III]

Catalonia: When Catalonia Wants Space And Spain Doesn’t Seem To “Get” It [Update | Part IV]

Catalonia: Birth of a Nation [Update | Part V]

Ex-Catalan Leader Faces Off With Spain [Update | Part VI]

by with No Comment International
Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont had an international arrest warrant issued for him by a spanish judge on Friday, which was overturned during the weekend and allowed Puigdemont to walk free on Monday, when a Brussels court deemed he could stay at liberty in Belgium until it had heard in detail Spain’s allegations of rebellion against Puigdemont.
On Friday [11/3/17] a spanish judge issued an international arrest warrant for Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont. However, it was overturned over the weekend and Puigdemont was allowed to walk free on Monday when a Brussels court deemed he could stay at liberty in Belgium until it had heard in detail Spain’s allegations of rebellion against him.
The court’s decision means that Puigdemont, who left Spain last month after Madrid dissolved the Catalan Government, is free to aggressively campaign for independence for Catalonia by Dec 21. 
The vote as of now is shaping up as a de facto independence referendum. Over the weekend, Puigdemont and another member of the secessionist party stated they might run on a combined ticket, but would need to make a decision on how to create any formal alliance, which at this time would include other parties as well before the deadline on Tuesday, Nov 7th.
Though this is not to say that alliances cannot also take shape after the election. 
The push for independence has dragged Spain through its worst political crisis since its return to democracy nearly four decades ago and has severely divided the country, lighting up anti-Spanish sentiments in Catalonia and charging up nationalist tendencies elsewhere. 
The ex-catalan president, as well as four of his ex-ministers, turned themselves into the Belgian police on Sunday [11/5/17] after Spain issued a European arrest warrant on charges of rebellion and alleged charges of public funds misuse.
As of now, all five members are not able to leave Belgium without a judge’s consent.
The next step in this situation is for the appearance of the five defendants before the Chambre du Conseil within the next 15 days.
Back home, Spain’s central government has taken control of Catalonia, which makes up a fifth of the national economy. Polls are pouring in with support for Puigdemont and his allies, eight of them to be exact who stayed behind in Spain are being detained on trumped up charges that Puigdemont has been slandered with.
The outcome for Catalonia and Puigdemont seem to be tied to one another and uncertain right now. With two months left in 2017 there is still plenty of time to see whether or not Catalonia will start 2018 off as a new nation, or one still under the heels of a fearful oppressed government. 
Follow Catalonia’s fight for independence from the beginning (links below)…
Catalonia: The Rebel State
Catalonia: The Rebel State [Update | Part II]
Catalonia: Do Not Ignore Us [Update | Part III]
Catalonia: When Catalonia Wants Space And Spain Doesn’t Seem To “Get” It [Update | Part IV]
Catalonia: Birth of a Nation [Update | Part V]

Catalonia: Birth of A New Nation [Update | Part V]

by with No Comment International
The impossible just happened a few days ago. Catalonia declared independence from Spain less than an hour before a vote in the Spanish senate would give Madrid the power to seize the region’s limited autonomous powers.
The vote in the parliament came after a dramatic week of tense last-minute negotiations between Madrid and Barcelona. Out of 135 Catalan deputies, 70 voted for independence, with 10 opposing the move and two blank ballot slips. This outcome had opposition lawmakers walk out of the chamber ahead of last Friday’s vote in protest.
Not surprisingly, the feelings about independence have been conflicting for the Catalans. The small region has many of its citizens who see the split of Catalonia as a new beginning for a bright future. Whereas a growing group of the Catalan people feels that without the support of the EU or the United States, who have both stated they will not recognize Catalonia as a country, this is the start of a very challenging and dangerous road for the small state.
Protests have already been sprouting up all over Spain calling for the indictment of Carles Puigdemont. In the coming weeks, we will see if Catalonia can defy the odds and stand up to Spain and the rest of the world, or crumble beneath the pressure of Madrid and be forced to get back in line.
Follow Catalonia’s fight for independence from the beginning (links below)…
Catalonia: The Rebel State
Catalonia: The Rebel State [Update | Part II]
Catalonia: Do Not Ignore Us [Update | Part III]
Catalonia: When Catalonia Wants Space And Spain Doesn’t Seem To “Get” It [Update | Part IV]

Catalonia: When Catalonia Wants Space And Spain Doesn’t Seem To “Get” It [Update | Part IV]

by with No Comment International
“As of now, Spain’s central government hopes to avoid further political and economic damage to the prominent northeastern region of Catalonia due to its bid to secede by imposing direct rule,” Prime minister Mariano Rajoy told parliament on Wednesday. 
In a hasty attempt to protect their business interests, more than a thousand firms have relocated their legal headquarters out of the Catalan region to avoid instability that has been brought on by the independence bid, according to the companies registry, and this level of uncertainty has pushed Madrid to cut economic forecasts.
Mr. Puigdemont had some scathing words to add to this treatment by Madrid by stating that the implementation of Article 155 of the country’s constitution, Mr. Rajoy has set out to “humiliate” Catalonia in an “attack on democracy.”
He said removing powers from the Catalan people to govern themselves was the “worst attack against the people of Catalonia since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.” He added that with this taking place, he wanted the parliament to meet in a session where the representatives of the citizens’ sovereignty would be able to decide on the region’s fate and how precisely the shift of control and power will be handed over.
Catalonia’s government currently runs its own policing, education, and healthcare, which if taken over by Madrid would leave the region without any say as to how its people are governed.
Today will bring more clarity to the situation when Mr. Puigdemont is expected to make a last effort to stall the decision of Article 155 and to bring back some measure of control to the Catalan people.
It’s difficult to say which way this is going to go again. The Catalan people are fiercely in support of their identity and independence, which makes the central government’s attempt to take power all the more damning in the eyes of those who value these guiding principles. The world is watching Spain, that should be something to mull on as time passes and this decision begins to stir up new resentment. 
Follow Catalonia’s fight for independence from the beginning (links below)…
Catalonia: The Rebel State
Catalonia: The Rebel State [Update | Part II]
Catalonia: Do Not Ignore Us [Update | Part III]