FROM this week’s news ON: politics & democracy, and international affairs [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

From thiis week’s news on politics & democracy, and international affairs (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), and noting the conflicts, listed here, for instance, and other global issues, such as those listed here, that may not have made it into this weeks news: 

• “Europe's major defence changes in the face of Vladimir Putin | SBS News”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/europes-major-defence-changes-in-the-face-of-vladimir-putin/wkorgwzqs       “Has New START Reached a Dead End?”   https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/has-new-start-reached-a-dead-end   “Russia’s New START violations have raised the risk of breaching its central limits. The political conflict underlying them could bring about the treaty’s end”  
  

• “UN report: Credible allegations Ukrainian POWs have been tortured by Russian forces”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148026   
  

• a terrible t________ attack has been committed in Moscow, Russia:   “Russia observes national day of mourning after Moscow concert hall massacre”   https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240324-russia-observes-national-day-of-mourning-after-moscow-concert-hall-massacre   “Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday as investigators said the death toll from Friday's massacre in a concert hall near Moscow had risen to at least 137, making it the deadliest attack in Europe to have been claimed by the _ group”      “Russia charges four men over Moscow concert hall attack”   https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240324-russia-charges-four-men-over-concert-hall-attack   and   “Russia concert hall attack suspects admit guilt”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/europe-news/2024/03/25/moscow-concert-hall-attack-guilty      “How Moscow Terror Attack fits _ Strategy to Widen Agenda against Perceived Enemies”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/03/strategy-against-perceived.html      Concerningly,   “Zelensky says Putin seeking to ‘shift the blame’ for Moscow attack onto Kyiv”   https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240322-gunmen-in-combat-fatigues-open-fire-at-moscow-concert-hall   which was predicted:   “Moscow Terror”   https://snyder.substack.com/p/moscow-terror   “A Chronology that Might Help Predict”   and admitted   “Putin says radical Islamists carried out Moscow attack but maintains suggestion of Ukraine role”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/25/russia-refuses-to-blame-is-for-concert-hall-attack-despite-growing-evidence   “Head of Russia's most powerful security agency blames West and Ukraine for Moscow attack”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-27/russian-security-official-blames-west-and-ukraine-for-moscow/103637546      Analysis/commentary/opinion includes:   “Putin’s lethally negligent failure can’t be covered up. The Moscow attack leaves him weaker than ever”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/25/putin-failure-moscow-attack-weaker-than-ever   “Is _ attack on Moscow Concert Blowback for Chechnya and Syria?”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/03/concert-blowback-chechnya.html   “T________ is inexcusable and horrific. It does not, however, occur in a vacuum. The attack likely came in revenge for two of Vladimir Putin’s most important projects.   ...   Ironically, Russian officials initially intimated that Ukraine was behind the attack. That shows a bad conscience over their indiscriminate bombing of civilians in that country, which is also terrorism.”   “Why would Islamic State attack Russia and what does this mean for the terrorism threat globally?”   https://theconversation.com/why-would-islamic-state-attack-russia-and-what-does-this-mean-for-the-terrorism-threat-globally-226464   “Friday night’s attack in Moscow was nightmarish, but sadly the horror is likely to be just the beginning.   ...   Friday’s attack is a clear reminder we should not look away and continue to wash our hands of any attempt to improve things in Afghanistan. There are no easy answers, but turning away and doing nothing will only make the situation worse.”   “Why Russia fears the emergence of Tajik terrorists”   https://theconversation.com/why-russia-fears-the-emergence-of-tajik-terrorists-226559         Elsewhere,   “France raises terror alert level after Moscow attack claimed by _”   https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240324-france-raises-terror-alert-level-after-moscow-attack-claimed-by-is-group   

• “Putin discusses security cooperation with West and Central African leaders”   https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-discusses-security-cooperation-with-west-central-african-leaders-2024-03-27/   but also   “Ukraine is making a big push to woo African governments”   https://www.semafor.com/article/03/26/2024/ukraine-zelenskyy-africa-support      “Russia veto ends UN monitoring of North Korea sanctions after arms transfer probe”   https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240329-s-korea-slams-russia-for-using-veto-to-end-un-monitoring-of-n-korea-sanctions   “Russia faced a mounting backlash Friday after using its veto power to effectively end official UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea amid a probe into alleged arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang”  
  

• “Why France is Actually Preparing for War With Russia”   https://youtu.be/fiD24uEvY1U?si=R4Rnw7AR9ZeLOhuC   24^th March, 2024   I’m not convinced (yet) that these problems will lead to war, but the video is worth viewing and thinking about - and, if direct and overt France-Russia conflict does occur in Africa, it would be a major risk of a wider war. Increasing Russian influence has been identified by others as a problem (especially for human rights and state capture [and Russia’s quest for money] - see links below), and the Caspian Report   https://www.youtube.com/@CaspianReport   has also done videos on France’s currency control (see “France secretly owns 14 countries”   https://youtu.be/_-u1Pjce4Lg?si=vtpUvlxpJeGCI1N2   “Using the #CFA franc system, #France controls the #monetary sovereignty of 14 nations, making up nearly 200 million people”   listed as posted “one year ago”) and language-based ambitions (“Is France the next superpower?”   https://youtu.be/k7Kph52MfRo?si=4MNXVWY6orEQboEi   “How President Macron plans to capture Africa's demographic wave by using the French language, with the ultimate goal to cement French hegemony worldwide”   listed as posted “4 years ago”).         Links on Russian influence/abuses in Africa:         “Russia in Africa”   https://africacenter.org/in-focus/russia-in-africa/   Accessed 24^th March, 2024         “Architects of Terror: The Wagner Group’s Blueprint for State Capture in the Central African Republic”   https://africacenter.org/security-article/architects-of-terror-the-wagner-groups-blueprint-for-state-capture-in-the-central-african-republic/   21^st November, 2023         “Central African Republic: Abuses by Russia-Linked Forces”   https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/03/central-african-republic-abuses-russia-linked-forces   3^rd May, 2022         “Russian mercenaries are Putin’s ‘coercive tool’ in Africa”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/23/russia-putin-wagner-group-mercenaries-africa   “Russia has deployed the Wagner Group in military operations across at least half a dozen African nations”   23^rd April, 2022         “What Is Russia’s Wagner Group Doing in Africa?”   https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/what-russias-wagner-group-doing-africa   23^rd May, 2023         “Russia’s Wagner Group in Africa: Influence, commercial concessions, rights violations, and counterinsurgency failure”   https://www.brookings.edu/articles/russias-wagner-group-in-africa-influence-commercial-concessions-rights-violations-and-counterinsurgency-failure/   8^th February, 2022         “Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: More than mercenaries”   https://www.dw.com/en/russias-wagner-group-in-africa-more-than-mercenaries/a-64822234   24^th June, 2023         “Russia secretly in war in Africa”   https://youtu.be/ydH39HjuFZs?si=SA8xRGpfJg_eJUvT   listed as posted “9 months ago”    

• “Climate Crisis could drive 200 million Africans to Extreme Hunger by 2050”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/03/climate-million-africans.html   

 

• “How US arms fuel deadly gang violence in Haiti”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/3/25/a-criminal-economy-how-us-arms-fuel-deadly-gang-violence-in-haiti       “As gang violence rages, UN expert says Haiti now needs 5,000 foreign police”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/as-gang-violence-rages-un-expert-says-haiti-now-needs-5000-foreign-police   The situation would, perhaps, have been better now had Kenya been able to get its police in place when first proposed - and agreed to by Haiti      “Bold action needed now to address ‘cataclysmic’ situation in Haiti”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148086  
  

• “What caused the civil war in Sudan and how has it become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises?”   https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/22/what-caused-the-civil-war-in-sudan-and-how-has-it-become-one-of-the-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crises   “South Sudan on the brink after oil exports derailed by Sudan’s civil war”   https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/3/26/south-sudan-on-the-brink-after-oil-exports-derailed-by-sudans-civil-war   “Experts say that a halt in oil production could escalate already acute levels of violence and insecurity in South Sudan”       “First Person: ‘We had to avoid stepping on the bodies in the streets’ in Darfur”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148051   “A former UN staff member who worked for a decade in Sudan’s Darfur region for the African Union-United Nations mission, UNAMID, has told UN News how she had to “avoid stepping on the bodies in the streets” as she fled for her life to neighbouring Chad”      “Sudanese military strikes RSF blocking aid in North Darfur”   https://sudantribune.com/article283817/  
  

• “DR Congo mission chief says humanitarian disaster ‘unfolding before our very eyes’”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148046   “Insecurity in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has worsened since the end of recent elections, UN Special Representative Bintou Keita told the Security Council   ...   More than seven million people in the country are displaced, particularly due to the operations of armed groups such as the M23 and the Allied Defense Forces (ADF) across the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri.   “As this Council has regularly reiterated, echoed by a recent statement of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, all foreign forces illegally operating on DRC’s territory need to withdraw, and national and foreign armed groups, such as the ADF and FDLR, need to be disarmed,” she said”   “Eastern DRC ‘at breaking point’ as security, humanitarian crises worsen”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/eastern-drc-at-breaking-point-as-security-humanitarian-crises-worsen  
  

• “Thousands Arrive in Gabon for Dialogue to End Military Transition”   https://www.voanews.com/a/thousands-arrive-in-gabon-for-dialogue-to-end-military-transition-/7545736.html   “... gathering in Libreville and Akanda for what the government calls an Inclusive National Dialogue, to be held April 2 to 30, aimed at bringing Gabon back to civilian rule.   Military ruler General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema previously said he would hand back power in August 2025.   ...   Gabon's state TV says the participants will include opposition and civil society members. But Gabon's opposition parties say a majority of the approximately 600 delegates are supporters of Nguema, and want him to stay in power.”   So ... if this is genuine, good ... if not, not so good ...   

• “Senegal’s president-elect pledges to fight corruption after a stunning victory for the 44-year-old”   https://apnews.com/article/senegal-elections-diomaye-faye-a1a83915d7af073134ca46d503d81ebf    This is also potentially good - the fact that a change has occurred is, in and of itself, good  
  

 

• “Combat training for election workers? Arizona braces for Trump-addled election deniers”   https://youtu.be/avzK9xZ8Weg?si=theJ4MLAnmXojsz_   We’re not that far off this either ...       “Maddow on the unlikely institution holding Trump’s coup plotters to account”   https://youtu.be/tGfpQAdGep8?si=cwZ-XcVB-CVvsSX-   This is the American Bar Association      “Trump EXPOSED Attacking FAKE ACCOUNT to Go After Judge”   https://youtu.be/5OVafhXNilU?si=A9JipYi47WD-lw9-   This is interesting for a few reasons - including use of the term “stochastic t_rr_r_sm ”  
  

• in an appalling leap backwards by Australia - away from international law, human rights, and decency,   “Immigrants could face jail if they refuse deportation”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2024/03/26/labor-rush-through-immigrant-detention-laws   “Labor’s ‘shame’: Race to pass tough new deportation laws sparks anger”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/race-to-pass-tough-new-deportation-laws-sparks-anger/dm46b5erj   “The federal government is racing to pass new laws ahead of a High Court decision on immigration detention, with its approach criticised as "botched" and “deeply undemocratic””   “Analysis: Andrew Giles, the former refugee lawyer, finds himself in a rush to bolster deportation powers”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-26/andrew-giles-immigration-legislation-rushed-high-court-iran/103634758   “Extraordinary powers to deport non-citizens may never be used, despite rush to legislate”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-27/extraordinary-powers-to-deport-non-citizens-may-never-be-used/103637168   Which, frankly, is not the point      “Labor’s deportation bill could be used to blacklist entire countries’ citizens from obtaining visas to Australia”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/28/labor-deportation-bill-blacklist-entire-countries-citizens-visas-australia-immigration   “Greens attack legislation, now the subject of a Senate inquiry, as a ‘Trump-style travel ban’”     “The consequences of the government’s new migration legislation could be dire – for individuals and for Australia”   https://theconversation.com/the-consequences-of-the-governments-new-migration-legislation-could-be-dire-for-individuals-and-for-australia-226713   “The Albanese government came to power with a promise to be “strong on borders without being weak on humanity”.   But there was little humanity in parliament yesterday as the government tried to force through some of the most draconian migration laws this country has seen in decades”  

 

• “Victorian government department quits _ X, saying it’s no longer safe or productive”   https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/28/victorian-government-department-quits-_-x-twitter-department-families-fairness-housing   “Department of Families, Fairness and Housing says ‘break up is overdue’ as more agencies expected to close accounts”   This is LONG overdue    

• an opinion that   “Analysis: Albanese vowed his government wouldn’t happen in secret — this week showed how far they've strayed from that promise”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-28/albanese-government-fallen-from-moral-high-ground/103643740      “View from the Hill: Albanese hit by unexpected wave as he tries to clear the decks”   https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-albanese-hit-by-unexpected-wave-as-he-tries-to-clear-the-decks-226727   “In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, managerial prime minister, busy attempting to reinforce the anchors of the ship of state and to clear its decks ahead of the May 14 budget. But this week, some rough weather hit the boat”  
  

 

• “Boosting our sense of belonging is key to protecting our communities and democracy”   https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/boosting-our-sense-of-belonging-is-key-to-protecting-our-communities-and-democracy/   This has to be for all minorities    

• “Henderson’s legacy: Revisiting universal basic income”   https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/henderson-s-legacy-revisiting-universal-basic-income   
  

• “Michael Pascoe: At last, some good news on the housing front”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2024/03/27/pascoe-housing-good-news   There are some excellent graphs in this showing the problem of what is, IMO, unrestrained greed  
  

• “Former Victorian Liberals director Sam McQuestin fined $40,000 over federal election ads”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/26/former-victoria-liberal-director-sam-mcquestin-fine-federal-election-newspaper-ads   What if these had changed the election result?  
  

 

• “Retirement is good for us. It's those who keep working that we should worry about | SBS News”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/retirement-is-good-for-us-its-those-who-keep-working-that-we-should-worry-about/dn1l0ki2h   

 

From the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (International IDEA)  Global State of Democracy (GSOD)’s democracy tracker initiative: 

The “Global State of Democracy” report on the year 2023 (GSoD23) was published, and showed continued contraction/decline of democracy, with human rights organizations and electoral management bodies, as well as civil society networks, popular movements and investigative journalists being significant in countering that. Nine recommendations in three areas, and nineteen regionally focused recommendations, were made. 

Also published was the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index  2024  report (BTI24), which found “The quality of democracy in developing and transformation countries has been in steady decline over the past 20 years. The latest findings of the Transformation Index of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, now in its tenth edition, show that out of 137 countries surveyed, only 63 remain democracies, while a majority are classified as autocracies. However, there is reason for hope. The examples of the transformation countries Brazil and Poland, where voters have rebuffed authoritarian trends, show the potential for reversing democratic erosion.”   The report found that civil society matters - which I consider aligns with the GSoD23 findings.  

for the month of  February, 2024  (note that this is a few weeks behind current events owing to the time required to collect and analyse data):  

improvements have occurred (last month) in (for details follow each hyperlink):   Australia (industrial reforms),   Bosnia and Herzegovina (reforms to counter t________ and money laundering),   France (right to abortion in constitution),   Greece (equal marriage legalised),   India (Supreme Court strikes down controversial Electoral Bonds Scheme),   Italy (Supreme Court rules sending migrants back to Libya is illegal),   Japan (Japanese court approves first gender change without surgery),   Panama (former President Martinelli sentenced to 10 years for money laundering),   Switzerland (European court upholds complaint of racial profiling by the police);  

declines have occurred (last month) in (for details follow each hyperlink):  Albania (Parliament approves controversial deal to detain migrants for Italy),   Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan holds snap presidential election, Presidential election less contested than usual),   Chad (opposition politician killed by security forces),   Ethiopia (civilians reportedly murdered in Amhara; State of Emergency extended),   Hungary (child abuse pardoning decision triggers public outcry [and resignations]),   Italy (Senate approves controversial detention deal with Albania),   Jordan (increased crackdown on activists and protestors),   Latvia (Constitutional Court upholds language requirements for Russian citizens),   Madagascar (High Constitutional Court upholds new law mandating castration of rapists),   Malawi (opposition party supporters attacked at parade),   North Macedonia (Parliament passes amendments allowing state funded ads in private media),   Papua New Guinea (historic deadly violence in Enda Province),   Paraguay (opposition senator is expelled from Congress),   Russian Federation (Alexei Navalny dies unexpectedly in prison at 47, crackdown on LGBTQIA+ movement spreads to private citizens),   Senegal (controversy over election date, Constitutional Council rules it must go forward),   Singapore (Singapore enacts indefinite detention and expands police powers),   Ukraine (mass surveillance scandal hits Ukrainian media),   USA (Homeland Security Secretary is impeached),   Venezuela (UN Human Rights Office is expelled from Venezuela),   Zimbabwe (ruling party wins by-elections after opposition candidates were excluded),   Belarus (elections reach new low in Belarus);  

From ACLED’s dashboard: 

For the week   9^th - 15^th  March  (note that this is several weeks behind current events owing to the time required to collect and analyse data):  

Large decrease in violence (this does NOT mean no violence is happening, only that it has decreased):   Sudan,   Somalia,   Iraq,   Nigeria,   Yemen,   Ethiopia,   Colombia,   Pakistan,   DRC,   Burkina Faso,   Haiti,   Cameroon,   Kenya,   Niger,   Venezuela,   South Sudan,   Burundi,   Puerto Rico,   Trinidad and Tobago,   Mozambique,   Indonesia,   Madagascar,   Benin,  

Moderate increase in violence:  Brazil,  

Large increase in violence:   Russia,   Jamaica,   Honduras,   Bangladesh,   South Africa,  

From the Early (mass atrocity) Warning Project   map:

Currently experiencing mass killing:  Nigeria,   DRC,   Sudan,   Ethiopia,   Somalia,   Syria,   Pakistan,   India,  

Highest risk:   Guinea,   Mali,   Burkina Faso,   Niger,   Nigeria,   Chad,   Sudan,   Egypt,   Ethiopia,   Somalia,   Yemen,   Republic of Congo,   DRC,   Angola,   Uganda,   Tanzania,   Mozambique,   South Africa,   Syria,   Iran,   Afghanistan,   Pakistan,   India,   Nepal,   Bangladesh,   China,   Thailand,   Laos,   Indonesia,  

Consistently high risk:  Sudan,   Ethiopia,   India,  

Increasing Risk:  Burkina Faso,   Tajikistan,  

From the International Crisis Group’s monthly Crisis Watch: 

The ICG’s March-August 2024 edition of “On the Horizon” considers Cameroon, South Sudan, Venezuela, and Western Sahara worth examination. See   https://www.crisisgroup.org/horizon-march-august-2024  

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal. Note: as with other mass murderers/serial killers/and the like, violent extremists and other evil people/groups crave publicity, so I refuse to give that to them - including not using their names (which is a policy adopted by good law enforcement and media for other mass murderers - as I can do as I am a secondary news source: the name(s) are in the primary sources if people wish to know them).

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/