The Winds of War

Posted on by admin

Armed Conflicts, Civil Society, Democracy, Global, Global Governance, Headlines, Human Rights, TerraViva United Nations

Opinion

The aftermath of a missile strike on the center of Kyiv. July 2024. Credit: UNICEF Ukraine

ATLANTA, Georgia, Jul 10 2024 (IPS) – Herman Wouk’s 1971 novel The Winds of War traced the romance, bravery, fear, and faith required for American youths to join the military, deploy to the war zones, and confront the mighty Axis threat in the lead-up to WW II. It later became a dramatic TV series.

Today multitudes around the world are increasingly affected by ongoing conflicts, or are living in societies so disordered that they might even welcome war as a solution to their problems.

The news on just one day in June 2024 was not reassuring: The US and NATO agreed to unleash Ukraine to attack Russia; Israel thumbed its nose at American demands to end its genocidal war in Gaza; Hezbollah bombarded northern Israel for the umpteenth time and Israel reciprocated.

Yemen exchanged missile attacks with US warships in the Red Sea; while Israel and Iran engaged in slinging hundreds of Intercontinental ballistic missiles at each other.

Meanwhile, China announced that any attempt to award sovereignty to Taiwan would receive a strong military response. Only a few days later on July 4 at Astana in Kazakhstan, Russia and China convened a bloc of their Eurasian allies for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to stake out a policy of resistance to Euro-American control of the world economy.

Equally sobering, Japan and the Philippines have just initiated a defense alliance that echoes Japan’s security zone posture in WW II. All these moves signify that the great powers are indeed readying for war.

Elsewhere major regional wars in Sudan and Congo are ongoing; Haiti is in bloody chaos, and the same is true of several countries in West Africa, namely Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which recently formed the Alliance of Sahel States to oppose the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Political destabilization within nations is in the balance everywhere, from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Europe and Latin America, with an astounding political division in the United States as well. What could possibly go wrong?

The real problem in America and the West is one of cultural fatigue, with a lack of clear focus on what course to follow, as we had in both World Wars and the Cold War. A “War to End Wars,” like the WW I rallying cry, would not fly today.

Neither would “Make the World Safe for Democracy” as both world wars aimed to do; or “Better Dead than Red,” the slogan of the Cold War. Instead, it’s “Ho-hum, another war.” Not very inspiring.

The Ostrich is famous for sticking its head in the sand when danger approaches. With wars simmering all around, Americans may be practicing that same tactic. There was a disquieting moment at the June 6 D-Day ceremony in Normandy commemorating the 80th anniversary of the allied assault on the Nazi defenses during WW II.

In her prayer, US Army Chaplain Karen Meeker gave thanks for those who sacrificed their lives and blessed the surviving heroes at the ceremony, but also used an ominous phrase: “As war clouds gather….”

Does she know something the rest of us don’t? Probably so, and it is disquieting. War clouds are indeed gathering. All we need to do is pay attention to the news, listen to the statements of key leaders of many of the great powers, and read the headlines. It is hard to miss the central theme: that the world is becoming more and more ungovernable.

At a conference in Tallinn, Estonia during May, Yale Historian Timothy Snyder suggested that the present time reminds him of Europe in 1938, just before the start of WW II. That should frighten everybody. His warning means that unless something extraordinary prevents it, an expanding, generalized conflict may lie ahead.

Among today’s most urgent problems are the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, the bloody and seemingly endless Russia-Ukraine War, and regional wars in Sudan, Congo, and Myanmar.

The growing East-West economic divide and the North-South poverty gap appear intractable. If these conflicts expand, global civilization is facing a world of hurt.

Maybe that’s why a tough guy image like that cultivated by our more pugnacious presidents like Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt remains so appealing today, along with a larger than life “John Wayne” type of fictional character. However, it’s never that simple, and there is always a price to be paid.

Roosevelt’s son Quentin died in the very war his father advocated so fiercely. The Greek historian Herodotus recorded the sage but painful observation that, “In times of peace, sons bury their fathers; in times of war, fathers bury their sons.”

What then is to be done? Perhaps the US could start by ending support for the blood-lust killing of so many defenseless civilians in Gaza. All it would take is for President Biden to have the guts to say no to an ally and mean it. On Taiwan vs. China and Iran vs. Israel and the US, why not sit and talk with our adversaries?

That simple tactic has worked before. Why not at least start a meaningful peace process in Sudan and Congo? It may take a long time, but peace is always better than war.

At the US Academics for Peace conferences we convened in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Sudan over the decades before and after the US invasion of Iraq, we advocated the principle that dialogue is essential or conflict is inevitable.

Why not try? It might work.

James E. Jennings, PhD is President of Conscience International and Executive Director of US Academics for Peace.

IPS UN Bureau

  Source

Commemorating 60 years of Malawi’s independence from British rule July 5, 2024

Posted on by emandowa

By Janet Karim

When Israel was in Egypt’s land, let my people go! … Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land, tell old Pharaoh to let my people go…” – part of an African American spiritual

Sixty years ago on July 6, 1964, the former protectorate of Nyasaland became independent from British rule, and changed its name to Malawi. Two years later in 1966 on the same date Malawi became a Republic with the then Prime Minister, Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda becoming President. Happy 60th anniversary to all Malawians. It has been a long and sometimes hard and bitter journey; I trust we are all proud to be Malawians. I am proud of my Malawi roots.

Today I came to tell you that I was in the room and as sad, upsetting and infuriating as recent events have been, there have been others in one party rule as well as multi party rule. More light will be shared on this.

Kamuzu BandaKamuzu Banda
Kamuzu Banda

1.      Kamuzu – black man to fight white leaders – From 1958 to 1964, a man called Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda landed in Malawi (on July 6, 1958), fighting the white colonial rulers. Many rallies were held; for some reason my mum and dad were very connected with this fearless person. My Dad was Kamuzu’s first interpreter; my Mom the hostess to the many political officials and friends that gathered for the rallies that were fighting the British. They formed a political party called the Nyasaland African Congress (NAF). I was in the Room of History here.

2.      In 1959, Kamuzu had caused so much trouble, the British government declared a State of emergency and Kamuzu was imprisoned. While he was still at the Chichiri Central Prisons, my dad and some members of the NAC surrendered themselves, declaring that they too were part of the trouble Kamuzu was causing that led him to be imprisoned. No problem here. The group was put in jail. The two groups were taken to Rhodesia but separated between Gwero and Khami. I was in the Room of History here.

3.      They were released in 1960; the British governors negotiated with the Home office to engage in talks with Banda. Being the eloquent talker, filled with knowledge of ancient, biblical and modern history, Banda convinced the colonial office to free Malawi from them. Malawi followed a group of other independent negotiators at Lancaster House: among these were Ghana, Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanganyika (united with Zanzibar to become Tanzania), Uganda, The Gambia, Botswana, Zambia, and Rhodesia (Ruled by Ian smith and later became Zimbabwe with Robert Mugabe as leader).

4.      After his release from prison and his successful negotiations that won Nyasalance freedom from the British, women, led by Mrs. Rose Chibambo, arranged women in Blantyre to perform traditional dances to celebrate Kamuzu. I was in the Room of History here. As a student of Blantyre’s leading girl’s school (also known as Blantyre Girls’ School), we went and danced for Kamuzu. I remember so many girls introducing great traditional songs they dance in their villages. These were turned into praise songs by the women. As a thank you to the women and girls, Kamuzu ordered a pair of Pata-Pata shoes for all the dancers. My very first pair and I wore them with pride. This was in 1963.

5.      I rewind to 1962 when the first two of so many other suspicious accidents took place in a spate of six months. The first was of Lewis Somanje Makata, a very jovial Ndirande icon. In March, the car he was driving collided with another car on the Mchinji Road as he was travelling on a mission Kamuzu had sent him. Six months later in September, Dunduzu Chisiza Sr.’s car was found with his mangled body under the Thondwe Bridge as he was coming to Blantyre. Even though I was a young girl, the talk by adults about these two deaths angers me to this day. As with many of such incidents, the people’s anger reaches fire-hot intensity because I, like many Malawians, never know to whom to direct the anger. I was in the Room of History here.

6.      In 1963 my dad, along with Bridger Katenga, Tim Mangwazu, Vincent Gondwe and David Rubadhri were sent to London School of Economics for training. While there, these became Malawi’s first ambassadors and high commissioners to various countries (Great Britain – later became the United Kingdom, US, UN, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Ghana). Their postings started in 1963 and families joined their fathers/husbands the following year. The first independence celebrations I spent was in the UK where dad was the High Commissioner. The biggest cultural shock was to see my mom and dad sitting next to the leaders (prime ministers and even the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh). As children we feared white people; their children called us monkeys and spat at us while riding on their horses in Ndirande. In faraway England, we were friends with the white people.

7.      My biggest moment in my three and half year stay in the UK was meeting Kamuzu, at close range for the first time. I was sickly and had swollen legs, joint pains; so I could not give the kugwada (courtesy) bit when greeting the Prime Minister. He asked if he could examine me (Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda was a medical doctor before he came into politics), and my mom and dad agreed. Within minutes. He diagnosed my ailment as Rheumatic fever; they were advised to take me to Dr. Sam Bhima, a Malawian doctor practicing in the UK.

8.      In 1965, Malawi had its first upheaval when a major part of Banda’s cabinet in misunderstandings, among them the introduction of a small charge for medical treatment, led to ministers regretting having called Dr. Banda from Ghana to help them in the fight for freedom. The first exodus of the truckload of ministers and many others known as the 1965 Cabinet Crisis shook the country. The Prime Minister recalled his ambassadors for consultations. Of the first five first ambassadors, three chose to remain in service Katenga, Mangwazu, and Mbekeani). This choice, as was for the other ministers that chose to remain in Malawi, did so on the understanding that they were to work with Kamuzu and make delivery on his vision for the country. While the cabinet ministers and others labeled the remaining officials as “stooges,” the massive development work both in Malawi and on the international platform, led to the transformation Malawi was privileged to be witness to. I was in the Room of History here.

9.      The years of 1966 to 1971 were the growth years whereby Kamuzu introduced and reiterated his Gwero dreams. There were three: The capital moved from Zomba to Lilongwe, University moved from Blantyre to Zomba, and the Lake Shore Road linking the south, centre and northern regions. Malawi also witnessed an agricultural revolution of sorts: the spreading of ADMARC in all the regions and districts, to buy farmers’ produce; establishment of feeder corporations such as cloth manufacturing industries (cotton farming, cotton ginnery, tailoring), rice farming. While some were managed under the Press Corporation, others were by Lonrho (London-Rhodesia – the giant corporation owned by Kamuzu’s friend Tiny Lowland). Kamuzu encouraged his ministers to buy and operate farms. On another level, the country, with help from Israel and Taiwan (known as the Republic of China until 1971).

10.  Many of the visions Kamuzu had were realized by establishing friendships with countries that were shunned by other African countries. Countries such as Apartheid South Africa – they helped in the move of the capital to Lilongwe; the Taiwanese helped in Malawi Young Pioneer training of youth and establishing irrigation schemes in the rural areas, and Israel (whom Malawi supported in the Israeli Egypt Six Day War). And the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – countries such as the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and others; these poured in millions of dollars in development aid, leading to the massive 30-year mushrooming of labor-intensive establishment of companies in Malawi. I was in the Room of History here. One main ingredient that is seldom mentioned: Banda hated communism and often ridiculed the notion of working hard in your field and what you gain from selling your produce, you give to the state to redistribute the others.  This anti-communism position won Banda the hearts of many capitalist countries. All he had to do was cough, and streams of monies came pouring in; much, much money sometimes fighting each other. This joyride existed until 1991; the year and others to follow were the years of a rude awakening and bitter separation.

Source

On this day: Events on July 6, from 1st Indian elected as UK MP in 1892 to opening of Sikkim’s Nathu La pass for public

Posted on by emandowa

On this day: Several key events held on July 6, continue to impact our lives and affect the present geopolitical, social and economic scenario. The day witnessed Dadabhai Naoroji becoming the first Indian to become a member of the UK Parliament in 1892. A century later, the day marked the reopening of Nathula Pass, a strategic route separating India and China in 2006. The trading post was closed since the India-China war of 1962. Take a look at the key events held on July 6 in the past. 

Dadabhai was first UK Parliamentarian

Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian to be elected to Parliament in Britain. Naoroji travelled to Britain in 1885 as a business partner if Cama and Cimpany. Later he began his career in academics in the UK and also founded journals like Rast Goftar in Bombay. During his stay in the UK, he became a staunch advocate of Indian rights regarding the ICS and trade. Naoroji was also a famous economist and the man behind ‘drain theory’.

He was also one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress in 1885 in Bombay. Dadabhai Naoroji contested UK elections from the seat of Central Finsbury, campaigning on Gladstone’s platform of Liberalism, and was successfully elected with a majority of five in 1892.

Reopening of Nathula Pass

Nathu La Pass connects Sikkim with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The route serves as a key link between India and Sikkim. The route was closed after Indo-China war, however, it reopened in 2006 for trade and other use. Nathu La is situated at an elevation of 4,310 meters (14,140 feet) above sea level. It is located on the Indo-China border, approximately 54 km east of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The pass forms part of the ancient Silk Road, linking India and China. It has been a strategic trade route for centuries.

Malawi independence in 1964

Malawi, a Southeast African country, gained independence from the British on July 6, 1964. The nation was part of a British-controlled federation called the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After the federation was dissolved, Naysaland gained independence and its name was changed to Malawi.

First African American woman to win Wimbledon

The day also marks a historic moment in the Wimbledon tennis tournament. On July 6, Althea Gibson claimed the women’s singles tennis title at Wimbledon and became the first African American to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

Source

It happened today – this day in history – July 6

Posted on by emandowa
YA ReporterYA Reporter
YA ReporterYA Reporter
Latest posts by YA Reporter (see all)

1189: Richard I is crowned King of England upon the death of King Henry II.

1249: Death of Alexander II, King of Scots, aged 50.

1483: Richard III is crowned King of England after deposing Edward V.

1484: Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.

1535: Sir Thomas More is beheaded for treason.

1553: Edward VI dies aged 15.

1560: England and Scotland sign the Treaty of Edinburgh.

1590: Admiral Francis Drake takes Portuguese Forts at Taag.

1673: French troops conquer Maastricht as part of the Franco-Dutch War.

1685: James II beats the Duke of Monmouth at the Battle of Sedgemoor.

1699: The pirate Captain William Kidd is captured in Boston, Mass.

1785: The US Congress unanimously resolves the name of US currency to the “dollar” and adopts decimal coinage.

1885: Louis Pasteur successfully administers an anti-rabies vaccine to 9-year-old Joseph Meister, saving his life.

1886: Horlick’s of Wisconsin offers the first malted milk to the public.

1887: Lottie Dod becomes youngest ever Wimbledon champion (15 years, 285 days) beating Blanche Bingley 6-2, 6-0.

1898: The US Senate agrees to annex Hawaii.

1907: Birth of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

1908: Robert Peary’s arctic expedition sails from New York for the north pole.

1912: The Olympic Games officially open Stockholm, Sweden even though events have been taking place since May 5.

1917: T E Lawrence captures the port of Aqaba from the Turks.

1919: The British R-34 lands in New York, becoming the first airship to cross the Atlantic.

1924: The first photo is sent experimentally across Atlantic from the US to England by radio.

1928: “Lights of New York”, the first all talking movie is shown in New York.

1931: Billy Burke wins the US Open.

1932: Death of author Kenneth Grahame aged 73.

1934: Britain’s Fred Perry beats Australian Jack Crawford 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 for the first of three straight Wimbledon titles.

1936: A major breach in the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet into the River Irwell.

1942: Anne Frank’s family goes into hiding in After House, Amsterdam.

1944: US General George Patton lands in France. On the same day, the world’s largest circus tent catches fire in Hartford, Connecticut, killing 168.

1949: A freak heatwave sends the central coast of Portugal to 158°F for two minutes.

1951: Max Faulkner wins the British Open at Portrush.

1952: After nearly a century, London trams are taken out of service.

Advertisement

1957: John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time at Woolton Church Parish Fete in Liverpool where The Quarry Men are appearing. Eager to impress the older teen, McCartney picks up a guitar and plays Twenty Flight Rock, but what seals it for Lennon is when the 15-year old youngster shows him how to tune his guitar. On the same day, Althea Gibson becomes the first black female athlete to win Wimbledon beating Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

1962: Rod Laver beats fellow Australian Martin Mulligan 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the Wimbledon Men’s singles final for the third leg of his first Grand Slam. On the same day, author William Faulkner dies aged 64.

1964: The Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night premieres at The Pavilion in London. On the same day, Malawi declares independence from the UK.

1967: Civil War erupts as Nigerian forces invade the secessionist state of Biafra.

1968: The Woburn Music Festival features Donovan. Fleetwood Mac, Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Family.

1971: Jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader, Louis Armstrong dies aged 69.

1972: David Bowie appear on BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops with the Spiders From Mars, performing the song Starman. It is a pivotal moment for many aspiring musicians who more than a decade later would cite it as a major influence.

1978: A blaze on the Penzance to Paddington sleeper train leaves 11 dead.

1979: Record producer/songwriter, Van McCoy dies from a heart attack. On the same day, an IRA bomb explodes in the British consulate in Antwerp.

1986: In the 100th Wimbledon Men’s Tennis final, Boris Becker defends his title, beating Ivan Lendl 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.

On TV (Sunday)

LWT
06.55 TV-am
08.30 Jonathan Dimbleby on Sunday
09.25 Wake Up London
09.35 Woody and Friends
09.45 Roger Ramjet
10.00 Morning Worship
11.00 Link
11.30 Live and Learn
12.00 Jobwatch
12.30 Take 30
13.00 Police 5
13.10 The Smurfs
13.30 Revelations
14.00 Survival of the Fittest
14.30 Film: Arabesque (1966)
Coedy thriller starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren.
16.30 The Campbells
17.00 Albion Market
18.00 Now You See It
18.30 ITN News
18.40 Appeal
by Julian Pettifer on behalf of LEPRA
18.45 Highway
19.15 Winner Takes All
19.45 Return to Eden
21.35 ITN News
21.50 The Real World
22.20 The Jimmy Young Television Programme
23.10 The Irish RM
CHANNEL 4
13.05 Irish Angle – Patterns
13.35 Model Magic
14.00 Kids’ Kafe
14.30 Film: Victoria the Great (1937)
starring Anna Neagle.
16.45 Durrell in Russia
17.15 News and weather
17.20 Wall of Light
18.15 Tour de France
Stage three – Levallois-Pettet to Lievin, a 200 kilometres leg that stretches from the west of Paris to the Belgium border.
19.15 The Arabs, A Living History
20.15 People to People: Caught in a Web
21.15 Picturing Women
22.20 Film: Saboteur (1942)
Chase thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
BBC ONE
06.45 Open University
08.55 Play School
09.15 Knock Knock
09.30 This is the Day
10.00 Asian Magazine
10.30 The Great Palace: The Story of Parliament
11.20 Cameo
11.30 Seabrook’s Year
12.00 Cartoon
12.10 See Hear!
12.35 Farming
13.00 News Headlines
13.05 Bonanza 1960s Western series
13.55 Bugs Bunny
14.00 EastEnders
15.00 Film: Tiara Tahiti (1962)
A pompous, self-made man, arrives in Tahiti to establish a luxury tourist hotel. There, to his horror, he discovers his old army and class enemy Brett Aimsley living an idyllic existence with a beautiful Tahitian girl. Stars James Mason.
16.35 Rolf Harris Cartoon Time
17.05 Great Railway Journeys of the World
18.05 Wild Britain
18.30 News
18.40 Home on Sunday
19.15 Film: A Deadly Puzzle (1983)
TV movie – When her husband is reported killed in a plane crash off the coast of France, Linda Dobbins finds herself unable to believe the official explanation.
20.50 News
21.05 That’s Life Presented by Esther Rantzen.
21.50 Wimbledon 86 Match of the Day.
Desmond Lynam introduces highlights of the afternoon’s finals,
22.50 Choices
23.30 Favourite Walks
23.55 Weather
BBC TWO
06.50 Open University
13.30 Pages from Ceefax
13.45 Sunday Grandstand
Wimbledon Men’s Final
18.50 Foley Square
19.15 The World About Us
20.05 Favourite Things
Jeffrey Archer in conversation with Richard Baker
20.35 Dancemakers
21.20 French Grand Prix
From the Paul Ricard circuit in Southern France.
21.50 The AFI Salute to John Huston
23.05 Film: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Classic film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sidney Grenstreeet

1987: Pakistan cricketer and future prime minister, Imran Khan, reaches his 300th Test wicket milestone during the third test vs England at Headingley.

1988: In the world’s worst offshore oil disaster, a fire on the Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea claims 167 lives.

1992: The French Government mobilises the army and police to remove lorries blocking the nation’s major roads in a protest over new driving licence laws.

1997: A robot buggy is released from the Mars Pathfinder probe and begins to explore the surface.

Singles chart:

  1. I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
  2. Ecuador – Sash! Ft Rodriguez
  3. The Journey – 911
  4. Free – Ultra Nate
  5. Something Goin’ On – Todd Terry
  6. Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve
  7. Mmm Bop – Hanson
  8. A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow
  9. I Wanna Be The Only One – Eternal ft Bebe Winans
  10. Just A Girl – No Doubt
1997: Radiohead – OK Computer

Album chart:

  1. The Fat Of The Land – The Prodigy
  2. OK Computer – Radiohead
  3. Heavy Soul – Paul Weller
  4. Spice – The Spice Girl
  5. Before The Rain – Eternal
  6. Some Other Sucker’s Parade – Del Amitri
  7. Guns In The Ghetto – UB40
  8. Destination Anywhere – Jon Bon Jovi
  9. Stoosh – Skunk Anansie
  10. Romanza – Andrea Bocelli

2000: Prime Minister Tony Blair’s eldest son, Euan, 16, is arrested for being drunk in Leicester Square. On the same day, West Ham United pay a record £1.8 million for late former skipper Bobby Moore’s collection of memorabilia including his 1966 World Cup winner’s medal.

2002: Serena Williams beats older sister Venus 7-6, 6-3 for her first Wimbledon singles title.

2003: Roger Federer beats Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 for his first Wimbledon Men’s title.

2004: Soul singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright dies aged 58 from bone cancer.

2005: The International Olympic Committee announces London will host the 2012 Olympic Games. On the same day, rapper Lil’ Kim is sentenced to a year in jail for lying to a grand jury to protect friends.

2008: Rafa Nadal ends Roger Federer’s five-year reign at Wimbledon 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7.

2012: Carol Hawkins, the former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton is jailed for seven years after embezzling 2.8m euros (£2.2m) of his money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

2013: 42 people are killed in an attack on a boarding school in Mamudo, Nigeria.

2014: An Israeli air strike kills seven Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

2015: Floyd Mayweather Jr is stripped of his WBO welterweight boxing title after failing to pay a $200k sanctioning fee and vacate his two junior middleweight titles.

2016: South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to six years in jail for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. On the same day, the Chilcot Report into Britain’s part in the Iraq War concludes prime minister Tony Blair overstated the case for war and was unprepared. Also, African American Alton Sterling is filmed being shot by Louisiana police in Baton Rouge, while being restrained on the ground and African American Philando Castile is shot by police in St Paul, Minnesota after being pulled over for a broken rear light.

2017: France announces it will ban petrol and diesel cars by 2040.

2020: Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Daniels dies aged 83 of a haemorrhagic stroke.

2022: More than 40 government ministers and aides withdraw their support for PM Boris Johnson and resign. On the same day, The heads of MI5 and the FBI appear together for the first time warning that China is the “biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security” and actor James Caan dies aged 82.

BIRTHDAYS: Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, 89; Vladimir Ashkenazy, concert pianist, 87; Lady Mary Peters, pentathlete, 85; Sylvester Stallone, actor/director/screenwriter, 78; George W Bush, former US president, 78; Geraldine James (Blatchley), actress, 74; Sir Jonathon Porritt, environmentalist, 73; Geoffrey Rush, actor, 73; Dame Hilary Mantel, author, 72; Jennifer Saunders, comedian/actress/screenwriter, 66; John Keeble, drummer (Spandau Ballet) 65; Georgi Kinkladze, footballer, 51; 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), rapper, 49; Rory Delap, footballer, 48; Tia Mowry (Hardrict), actress, 46; Tamera Mowry (Housle) actress, 46; Kevin Hart, comedian/actor, 45; Eva Green, actress, 44; Kate Nash, singer-songwriter/actor, 37.

Advertisement

Source

As Heat Soars in India, so Does Domestic Violence

Posted on by admin

Asia-Pacific, Civil Society, Crime & Justice, Featured, Gender, Gender Violence, Global, Headlines, IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse, TerraViva United Nations

Opinion

Members of a “Jugnu” club get trained by UN Women to support women who experience gender-based violence. Credit: UN Women

NEW DELHI, India, Jul 4 2024 (IPS) – As the temperature soars to new heights in India, so does domestic violence. It’s a well-established correlation that is largely left out of the climate change discussion, but the gap is glaring and needs to be bridged.

For the third summer in a row, temperatures in India are breaking historical records. The recent record high of 52.9° C (127.22° F), has resulted in loss of livelihood, water rationing, health impacts, and even death. The heat affects some more than others. As people are advised to shelter at home, those in lower economic strata contend with cramped living situations, lack of air conditioning, and power cuts.

Women bear the worst impacts. New Delhi’s Heat Action Plan (HAP) registers their greater vulnerability – noting, for example, that they’re more susceptible to falling sick from the heat compared to men, the heightened risks for pregnant people, and greater expectations of women to be caretakers. But it fails to note the increased threat of violence.¬¬¬¬¬

It is well-documented that temperature extremes lead to an increase in domestic violence cases, with low-income women bearing the brunt. In South Asia, for every degree that the temperature rises, domestic violence increases about 6%.

As India grapples with its large carbon footprint, rising temperatures, and growing population, intimate partner violence can be expected to increase drastically. P¬¬ar¬¬¬ticularly if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t regulated effectively, India could see a spike in domestic violence of more than 20% by the end of the century.

Extreme temperatures are associated with frustration, aggression, and disruptions in people’s daily routines. Researchers theorize this is the reason why heat has a such a strong influence on rates of intimate partner violence.

For low-income daily wage laborers in India, heat may result in loss of livelihood and income. Economic stress and resultant anxiety can significantly increase domestic violence risk.

In addition, women are expected to be caretakers for the family, which gives them little chance of escape from abusers and increases their vulnerability under extreme conditions. This phenomenon was prevalent during Covid-19 pandemic, when the “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence affected women across India.

The pandemic also revealed strong patterns of economic abuse of women due to unequal power dynamics within the family.

Despite research demonstrating this, the spike in domestic violence during heat waves remains hush-hush. New Delhi’s Heat Action Plan (HAP) does not mention gender-based violence even once across its 66 pages.

While it acknowledges women as a vulnerable group and deals with increased risk during pregnancy, other risks to women remain shrouded in the vagueness of “social norms” and “gender discrimination.” Failing to address the threat of intimate partner violence explicitly leaves out a key piece of the puzzle.

The omission has manifold impacts. It lets policymakers shy away from confronting the issue, creating a gap in policy at the highest level. It sets up government workers tasked with implementing the plans such as New Delhi’s HAP on the ground for failure.

With no guidance on how to deal with the predictable increase in domestic violence during extreme heat, government can offer little support for women who need it. Mahila Panchayats (“women’s councils”) and grassroots non-profits often help rural and low-income women find support and community, but extreme weather can cut them off from these resources.

Forced to stay indoors and unable to access help, women have little recourse or respite. In theory, India’s laws protect them. But in practice, implementation is spotty, and they remain vulnerable.

India’s climate policy must not leave women out in the cold. New Delhi’s Heat Action Plan and other policy initiatives must protect women and offer them accessible support. First responders and government workers must be given the tools they need to help support those at risk for domestic violence, not only during heat waves but year-round.

Finally, India’s problem with domestic violence might be exacerbated during the summers but is not unique to them. India needs a suite of policies and concrete actions to contend with rising intimate partner violence, starting at the grassroots level and prioritizing education, employment, economic stability, and family planning for all.

Heat waves and the stressors they bring might be unforeseeable in a sense, but rising temperatures and rising domestic violence are completely predictable effects of climate change. There’s no excuse for failing to redress them.

By leaving women vulnerable year after year, we are doing a disservice, both to women who need help and to the institutions that they place their trust in.

Umang Dhingra is a Duke University undergraduate and a Stanback Fellow at the Population Institute, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that supports reproductive health and rights.

IPS UN Bureau

  Source

Myanmar: International Action Urgently Needed

Posted on by admin

Armed Conflicts, Asia-Pacific, Civil Society, Crime & Justice, Featured, Headlines, Human Rights, Migration & Refugees, TerraViva United Nations

Opinion

Crerdit: STR/AFP via Getty Images

LONDON, Jul 3 2024 (IPS) – Myanmar’s army, at war with pro-democracy forces and ethnic militias, must know it’s nowhere near victory. It recently came close to losing control of Myawaddy, one of the country’s biggest cities, at a key location on the border with Thailand. Many areas are outside its control.

The army surely expected an easier ride when it ousted the elected government in a coup on 1 February 2021. It had ruled Myanmar for decades before democracy returned in 2015. But many democracy supporters took up arms, and in several parts of the country they’ve allied with militia groups from Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, with a long history of resisting military oppression.

Setbacks and violence

Army morale has collapsed. Thousands of soldiers are reported to have surrendered, including complete battalions – some out of moral objections to the junta’s violence and others because they saw defeat as inevitable. There have also been many defections, with defectors reporting they’d been ordered to kill unarmed civilians. Forces fighting the junta’s troops are encouraging defectors to join their ranks.

In response to reversals, in February the junta announced it would introduce compulsory conscription for young people, demanding up to five years of military service. An estimated 60,000 men are expected to be called up in the first round. The announcement prompted many young people to flee the country if they could, and if not, seek refuge in parts of Myanmar free from military control.

There have also been reports of army squads kidnapping people and forcing them to serve. Given minimal training, they’re cannon fodder and human shields. Rohingya people – an officially stateless Muslim minority – are among those reportedly being forcibly enlisted. They’re being pressed into service by the same military that committed genocide against them.

People who manage to cross into Thailand face hostility from Thai authorities and risk being returned against their will. Even after leaving Myanmar, refugees face the danger of transnational repression, as government intelligence agents reportedly operate in neighbouring countries and the authorities are freezing bank accounts, seizing assets and cancelling passports.

Conscription isn’t just about giving the junta more personnel to compensate for its losses – it’s also part of a sustained campaign of terror intended to subdue civilians and suppress activism. Neighbourhoods are being burned to the ground and hundreds have died in the flames. The air force is targeting unarmed towns and villages. The junta enjoys total impunity for these and many other vile acts.

The authorities hold thousands of political prisoners on fabricated charges and subject them to systematic torture. The UN independent fact-finding mission reports that at least 1,703 people have died in custody since the coup, likely an underestimate. Many have been convicted in secret military trials and some sentenced to death.

There’s also a growing humanitarian crisis, with many hospitals destroyed, acute food shortages in Rakhine state, where many Rohingya people live, and an estimated three million displaced. Voluntary groups are doing their best to help communities, but the situation is made much worse by the military obstructing access for aid workers.

International neglect

In March, UN human rights chief Volker Türk described the situation in Myanmar as ‘a never-ending nightmare’. It’s up to the international community to exert the pressure needed to end it.

It’s by no means certain the military will be defeated. Adversity could lead to infighting and the rise of even more vicious leaders. One thing that could make a decisive difference is disruption of the supply chain, particularly the jet fuel that enables lethal airstrikes on civilians. In April, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling on states to stop supplying the military with jet fuel. States should implement it.

Repressive states such as China, India and Russia have been happy enough to keep supplying the junta with weapons. But democratic states must take the lead and apply more concerted pressure. Some, including Australia, the UK and USA, have imposed new sanctions on junta members this year, but these have been slow in coming and fall short of the approach the Human Rights Council resolution demands.

But the worst response has come from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Ignoring reality and civil society’s proposals, ASEAN has stuck to a plan it developed in April 2021 that simply hasn’t worked. The junta takes advantage of ASEAN’s weakness. It announced compulsory conscription shortly after a visit by ASEAN’s Special Envoy for Myanmar.

ASEAN’s neglect has allowed human rights violations and, increasingly, transnational organised crime to flourish. The junta is involved in crimes such as drug trafficking, illegal gambling and online fraud. It uses the proceeds of these, often carried out with the help of Chinese gangs, to finance its war on its people. As a result, Myanmar now ranks number one on the Global Organized Crime Index. This is a regional problem, affecting people in Myanmar’s neighbouring countries as well.

ASEAN members also have an obligation to accept refugees from Myanmar, including those fleeing conscription. They should commit to protecting them and not forcing them back, particularly when they’re democracy and human rights activists whose lives would be at risk.

Forced conscription must be the tipping point for international action. This must include international justice, since there’s none in Myanmar. The junta has ignored an order from the International Court of Justice to protect Rohingya people and prevent actions that could violate the Genocide Convention, following a case brought by the government of The Gambia alleging genocide against the Rohingya. The UN Security Council should now use its power to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court so prosecutions of military leaders can begin.

China and Russia, which have so far refused to back calls for action, should end their block on Security Council action, in the interests of human rights and to prevent growing regional instability.

Andrew Firmin is CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

  Source