Month: October 2018

Freedom of Expression – Jamal Khashoggi

by Dave

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  First Amendment, 1789. 

Wow our first amendment is a blockbuster as in one sentence.  It  provides religious freedoms, free speech and freedom to assembly, all in one short sentence.

I consider free speech and the right to  assembly (protest in masses) to be at the core of our democracy.    From these rights, hopefully come an informed populace, who can  vote in the leaders they want, and get rid of those they don’t want.

The apparent murder of  Jamal Khashoggi shows just how far Saudi Arabia will go to silence journalists.    Jamal Khashoggi could have stayed in Saudi Arabia, and reported on how wonderful the  decisions made by the new crown prince,  Mohammed bin Salman.  But, Khashoggi couldn’t do that.  Of course, Salman lost, as other journalists will fill the void.

The Crown Prince was concentrating power.  Saudi Arabia was becoming more autocratic under Salman.  Khashoggi wrote commentary for the Washington Post. shortly before he was murdered entitled,  “What the Arab world needs most is free expression.”

A note from Karen Attiah, Global Opinions editor.  Washington Post. 

I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi’s translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.

What the Arab world needs most is free expression,  Jamal Khashoggi, October 17, 2018

I was recently online looking at the 2018 “Freedom in the World” report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realization. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as “free.” That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of “partly free.” The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as “not free.”

As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.

The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists, academics and the general population were brimming with expectations of a bright and free Arab society within their respective countries. They expected to be emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information. These expectations were quickly shattered; these societies either fell back to the old status quo or faced even harsher conditions than before.

My dear friend, the prominent Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi, wrote one of the most famous columns ever published in the Saudi press. He unfortunately is now serving an unwarranted five-year prison sentence for supposed comments contrary to the Saudi establishment. The Egyptian government’s seizure of the entire print run of a newspaper, al-Masry al Youm, did not enrage or provoke a reaction from colleagues. These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence.

As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the Internet. They have also arrested local reporters and pressured advertisers to harm the revenue of specific publications.

There are a few oases that continue to embody the spirit of the Arab Spring. Qatar’s government continues to support international news coverage, in contrast to its neighbors’ efforts to uphold the control of information to support the “old Arab order.” Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least “partly free,” the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab world’s crown jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah.

The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power. During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe, which grew over the years into a critical institution, played an important role in fostering and sustaining the hope of freedom. Arabs need something similar. In 1967, the New York Times and The Post took joint ownership of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, which went on to become a platform for voices from around the world.

My publication, The Post, has taken the initiative to translate many of my pieces and publish them in Arabic. For that, I am grateful. Arabs need to read in their own language so they can understand and discuss the various aspects and complications of democracy in the United States and the West. If an Egyptian reads an article exposing the actual cost of a construction project in Washington, then he or she would be able to better understand the implications of similar projects in his or her community.

The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.

I think the media is obsessed with the details of Khashoggi’s death and the ramifications with US-Saudi Arabia relationship.  It would be much better to pay some attention to why the Crown Prince wanted Khashoggi dead.   Basic civil liberties, free expression and assembly becomes the enemy to autocratic leaders. Khashoggi was exposing nearly the entire Arab world to the suppression of news.   Salman joined with  UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, demanding Qatar  shut down Al Jazeera  broadcast network,  because of its open editorial policy.

The Trump administration is unfortunately not helping the situation.   In fact, Trump’s offhand comments on the “disappearance” of Khashoggi,  were horrible –  values are good, but cash counts, and the Saudi’s have a lot of cash to buy military equipment, around 110 billion dollars in contracts.  This was a reference to Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding,  not real purchase agreements.  In the world of Trump, we should be mindful of the consequences if we “defriend”  Salman, by way of sanctions.    But our values should never be for sale.

The First Amendment is what gave Jamal Khashoggi, CNN,  Washington Post, and yes Fox News the absolute right to say what they believe.

I would suggest reading the 2018 Freedom of the World Report under the links.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

2018 Freedom of the World Report

Wikipedia:  Al Jazeera    (I really hope one day Al Jazeera America returns, as their news reporting was excellent)

My prior blogs commented on the blockade of Qatar by neighboring Arab countries and the demand to shut down Al Jazeera. Trump seemed to support this, on the basis that Qatar was supporting terrorism, and had a friendly relation with Iran.

Wikipedia:  Jamal Khashoggi 

 

 

 

Bolsonaro: International cooperative agreements (Part 1)

by Dave

I will provide both English and Portuguese versions of these two  blogs.    The translations were done by Google and likely contain errors.   I would strongly recommend the two links listed below.

In about 10 days,  Brazilians will go to the poll and elect either Jair Bolsonaro or  Fernando Haddad.   I fear Bolsonaro will follow down the same path of Donald Trump,  as a destroyer of international cooperative agreements.    I fear Brazilians do not fully understand the vital role their country plays in global warming and the absolute necessity for aggressive governmental policies to protect  the Amazon.

Because of Donald Trump’s terrible record on environmental protection, I hope my country can find a new leader in year 2020.   Donald Trump never apologizes for his misguided policies.  He lies constantly, and exaggerates their success.

The US in the last century endured starvation in the 1930’s during an economic depression  and then a horrific world war,  where 60 million people around the world died.   This was my parent’s world.  From the ashes of  war, came a new cooperative international spirit,   which is best exemplified by the creation of the United Nations.   Trump has weaken the UN.  Bolsonaro will follow Trump.

The UN was designed to settle disputes among nations.   One of the greatest achievements of the UN was the ratification of the Iran Nuclear Pact,  which subjected the country of Iran to thorough inspections of its facilities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.    The US will soon be in direct violation of this agreement.

The UN Paris Climate Accord was a major breakthrough in international recognition on global warming as a threat to our planet.    Brazil is a vital partner in halting the deforestation of the Amazon.   It shares this responsibility with Peru,  Columbia, Venezuela and Ecuador.

Jair Bolsonaro has little interest in building the bonds of cooperation, and working through the UN in this effort.  Per the New York  Times:

In the Amazon, illegal loggers, miners, land-grabbers, as well as large land owners have rallied to his banner. Here, they don’t expect Bolsonaro to enforce the law. On the contrary, the hope is that he fulfils his promise to obliterate nearly all environment and pro-indigenous legislation. He won massive support in rural central western states and all but one Amazonian state.

In August, Bolsonaro raised  concerns internationally when he pledged to join Trump’s US and withdraw Brazil from the Paris agreement. That means the country would no longer be committed to curb its emissions from the deforestation of the Amazon, which is here a bigger source of greenhouse gas than the burning of fossil fuels.

Brazil can of course still insist that the US auto emissions are to blame, or India’s burning of coal.  In the end,  global warming is disastrous for the entire planet, just as World War 2 was.    We are one planet.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/09/brazils-bolsonaro-would-unleash-a-war-on-the-environment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro: Acordos cooperativos internacionais (Parte 1)

by Dave

This is a translated version of Bolsonaro: International cooperative agreements into Portuguese.  It concerns the upcoming Brazilian elections. It is provided by Google and likely contains errors.

A tradução foi fornecida pelo Google e provavelmente contém erros.

Em cerca de 10 dias, os brasileiros irão à votação e elegerão Jair Bolsonaro ou Fernando Haddad. Temo que Bolsonaro siga o mesmo caminho de Donald Trump, como um destruidor de acordos cooperativos internacionais. Eu temo que os brasileiros não entendam completamente o papel vital que seu país desempenha no aquecimento global e a absoluta necessidade de políticas governamentais agressivas para proteger a Amazônia.

Por causa do terrível histórico de Donald Trump sobre proteção ambiental, espero que meu país possa encontrar um novo líder no ano 2020. Donald Trump nunca pede desculpas por suas políticas equivocadas. Ele mente constantemente e exagera seu sucesso.

Os EUA no século passado sofreram fome na década de 1930 durante uma depressão econômica e depois uma terrível guerra mundial, onde 60 milhões de pessoas morreram no mundo. Este era o mundo dos meus pais. Das cinzas da guerra, surgiu um novo espírito internacional cooperativo, que é melhor exemplificado pela criação das Nações Unidas. Trump enfraqueceu a ONU. Bolsonaro seguirá Trump.

A ONU foi projetada para resolver disputas entre as nações. Uma das maiores conquistas da ONU foi a ratificação do Pacto Nuclear do Irã, que sujeitou o país do Irã a inspeções completas de suas instalações em troca do levantamento das sanções. Os EUA em breve estarão em violação direta deste acordo.

O Acordo do Clima de Paris da ONU foi um grande avanço no reconhecimento internacional sobre o aquecimento global como uma ameaça ao nosso planeta. O Brasil é um parceiro vital para deter o desmatamento da Amazônia. Compartilha essa responsabilidade com o Peru, Colômbia, Venezuela e Equador.

Jair Bolsonaro tem pouco interesse em construir os laços de cooperação e trabalhar com a ONU nesse esforço. De acordo com o Guardian:

Na Amazônia, madeireiros ilegais, mineradores, grileiros e grandes proprietários de terras se uniram à sua bandeira. Aqui, eles não esperam que Bolsonaro cumpra a lei. Pelo contrário, a esperança é que ele cumpra sua promessa de obliterar quase toda a legislação ambiental e pró-indígena. Ele ganhou apoio maciço em estados rurais do centro-oeste e todos menos um estado da Amazônia.

Em agosto, Bolsonaro levantou preocupações internacionalmente quando prometeu ingressar nos Estados Unidos de Trump e retirar o Brasil do acordo de Paris. Isso significa que o país não estaria mais comprometido em conter suas emissões do desmatamento da Amazônia, que é aqui uma fonte maior de gás de efeito estufa do que a queima de combustíveis fósseis.

O Brasil pode, claro, ainda insistir que as emissões de automóveis dos EUA são as culpadas, ou a queima de carvão da Índia. No final, o aquecimento global é desastroso para todo o planeta, assim como a 2ª Guerra Mundial. Nós somos um planeta.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/09/brazils-bolsonaro-would-unleash-a-war-on-the-environment

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro

 

Bolsonaro: Direitos dos povos indígenas (Part 2)

by Dave

This is a Portuguese translation of the prior post on the Presidential elections in Brazil.   The right wing candidate is Jair Bolsonaro.   The election will be held on October 28, 2018.  The links as provided below provide more information on Bolsonaro.  The translation was done with Google and likely contains errors.

Minha família tem muitos imigrantes. Eu sou o filho de um imigrante. Fico magoado com o ódio e os absurdos exageros na imigração. Trump usa a ajuda externa como se fosse uma arma para coagir outros países a concordar com suas políticas. Ele vê um mundo competitivo e hostil.

Imigrantes são minorias. Eu vejo muito Trump em Bolsonaro, para os povos indígenas da Amazônia. Na verdade, Bolsonaro é pior.  Gardi

As políticas ambientais de Bolsonaro estão ligadas a atitudes racistas em relação às minorias e aos povos indígenas do Brasil. Em um discurso no ano passado, ele disse: “As minorias têm que se curvar à maioria … As minorias devem adaptar-se ou simplesmente desaparecer.”

Expressando uma visão comum aos círculos militares, ele afirmou, sem evidências, que os direitos territoriais indígenas são parte de uma trama ocidental para criar estados amazônicos separatistas apoiados pela ONU.

“Mais cedo ou mais tarde, teremos dezenas de países dentro do Brasil. Não teremos nenhuma interferência nesses países, o primeiro mundo explorará os índios e nada será deixado para nós ”, disse ele no ano passado.

Bolsonaro prometeu abrir terras indígenas para mineração e outras atividades econômicas. Cerca de 13% do território brasileiro é reconhecido como terras indígenas, a maioria delas na Amazônia. Eles são uma barreira importante para proteger a floresta, apenas 2% do desmatamento da floresta tropical ocorreu dentro do território indígena.

Meu conselho é que o brasileiro não deva se afastar radicalmente da cooperação internacional. Levará muito tempo para recuperar nossos títulos internacionais depois que Trump for embora. Fernando Haddad pode não ser perfeito, mas ele é uma escolha muito melhor do que Bolsonaro.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/09/brazils-bolsonaro-would-unleash-a-war-on-the-environment

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro

 

 

 

Bolsonaro: Rights of indigenous people (Part 2)

by Dave

My family has many immigrants.  I am the son of an immigrant.   I am hurt by the hatred and absurd exaggerations on immigration.   Trump uses foreign aid as if it was a weapon to coerce other countries in agreeing to his policies.   He  sees a competitive and hostile world.

Immigrants are minorities.  I see a lot of Trump in Bolsonaro, to the indigenous people of the Amazon.  Actually Bolsonaro is worse.  Per the Guardian (see link below):

Bolsonaro’s environment policies are tied to racist attitudes toward minorities and Brazil’s indigenous peoples. In a speech last year, he said: “Minorities have to bend down to the majority … The minorities [should] either adapt or simply vanish.”

Expressing a view common to military circles, he has claimed, without evidence, that indigenous land rights are part of a western plot to create separatist Amazonian states supported by the UN.

“Sooner or later, we will have dozens of countries inside [Brazil]. We won’t have any interference in these countries, the first world will exploit the Indians, and nothing will be left for us,” he said last year.

Bolsonaro has promised to open indigenous lands to mining and other economic activities. About 13% of Brazil’s territory is recognised indigenous lands, most of them in the Amazon. They are a major barrier to protect the forest, only 2% of rainforest deforestation has occurred inside indigenous territory.

My advice is that Brazilian should not take this radical move away from international cooperation.  It will take a very long time to recover our international bonds once Trump is gone.    Fernando Haddad may not be perfect but he is a far better choice than Bolsonaro.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/09/brazils-bolsonaro-would-unleash-a-war-on-the-environment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro

Weaker Apart

by Dave

Hillary Clinton’s campaign had a simple slogan, just like Trump’s campaign.  It was “Stronger Together”  and I’ve turned it to the negative, “Weaker Apart.”    I am referring to actions by the Trump administration to breach or terminate any multinational agreement which it perceives is not in the best interest of the US.   Trump likes to think of himself as this incredibly skilled negotiator who can be get better deals usually on a bilateral basis.

I don’t see a global approach to problems as an option, but rather as a necessity.   We don’t solve nuclear proliferation, climate change or fair trade (Trump’s biggest concern)  on our own.   Unilateral sanctions on countries whom we have disagreements (Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, to name a few)  are generally failures.

I commented before on how confused Trump’s policies were China, seeking their help in pressuring North Korea to denuclearize and simultaneously attacking them as a currency manipulator and promoting unfair trade practices. Secretary of State last visit to China, failed for exactly these reasons – see New York Times article.

Getting tough on Iran with new sanctions is also backfiring.  It has created a sort of odd unity between EU leaders and Iran, that desperately wants to keep the Iran accords alive as this provides constant monitoring of Iran’s uranium enrichment sites.   Meanwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif,  in an interview with CNN Fareed Zakaria,  is not following Trump’s game plan of high level meetings to work out a new accord.  He rightly says that the accord took years to reach, and was comprehensive covering uranium enrichment, reprocessing, monitoring and sanction relief.   The International Atomic Energy Agency was given full access to Iran’s nuclear facilities and confirmed Iran has been in compliance.   Zarif pointed out there is no sense in sitting down with the US to work out a new agreement, when they are presently in violation of the existing accord.   Having the two leaders meet at this point, would just be a PR “photo shoot.”

Perhaps there is no area that is so clearly a global problem and costly to the US than climate change.   The Paris Accords was,  to most environmentalists, a weak plan as each government could set their own goals to reducing carbon emissions.  But it was an incredible achievement, nevertheless to have each country acknowledge the need for positive action to reduce their carbon emissions.   The proposed rollback of car mileage standards, means more gas will be consumed in each car, and more carbon emissions.   Americans will foot the bill, not only paying more for gasoline but also in health related problems.  This impacts around 25 million asthma suffers.

I have provided a link below on likely battle which will ensue over the EPA rules change on  car emissions.  US car emission standards will be lowered below California’s emission standard, setting off another court challenge.   Republicans, who traditionally support the states in these issues, will suddenly now be on the side of Trump and his business friendly EPA.   See links.

Global warming does not create hot weather, every day of the week.   Instead, it makes extreme weather events more likely.  The hurricanes may not be more frequent with global warming, but they are likely to be more laden with water, and have time to intensity.  In time, storm surge will increase due to rising sea levels.   The result is more flooding,  the really destructive part of hurricanes in terms of human injury and death.

A comment from Christine Whitman, former EPA administrator under George W. Bush.

“There’s not an ideological push here, there’s just, ‘We’re going to do whatever industry wants, and if Obama did anything, it’s bad and we’ll undo it,’” Christine Todd Whitman, the EPA administrator under former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003, said in a phone interview. “I don’t think the president has thought through what used to be a basic principle of Republicans, and that’s states’ rights.”

Christine Whitman is a lifetime Republican,  who recognizes the need for clean air and water is not a political matter.

The efforts of the Trump administration are not making America Great, it is giving in to polluters, and rejecting the international cooperative effort.

So.  why are we weaker apart?   Increase inflation due to trade wars with China,  increase danger of a nuclear  arms in Iran, as a result of our breaking the Accord,  increase gas costs as we attempt to force Iran to the negotiating table, and sadly, more carbon emissions, which we will pay for with cars that get fewer miles to the gallon.

Not great,  In the long term  just dumb.  Regaining our leadership role in the world might have a change in 2020, with a new leader.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Kerry says Trump’s Iran strategy ‘very dangerous and ill-advised’

Iran Widens an Already Huge Rift Between Europe and U.S.

Trump’s Assault On Auto Pollution Rules Is The Latest Salvo In A War On States’ Rights

Trump Fuel Efficiency Proposal Is Attack on Global Climate and States’ Rights, Critics Say

Christine Todd Whitman

Global Warming and Hurricanes

Note:  I believe I’ve correctly summarized their findings.   The article is primarily on Atlantic hurricanes.   Typhoon Mangkhut was a terrible storm, and the death count (~80) will likely increase as recovery efforts are underway.   Many more people die after a typhoon or hurricane than during one.

How climate change could cause more mega-storms like Super Typhoon Mangkhut and Hurricane Florence