Comparative Politics

"Ethiopia, Yemen, the Sahel, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, Haiti, Colombia, and Myanmar."

"What Is Behind the Political Turmoil in Peru?"

Article from July 14th 2021.

"NPR journalists Mary Louise Kelly and Becky Sullivan and freelance photographer David Guttenfelder were among the some 150 foreign reporters who visited North Korea last month, at the invitation of the government, to cover celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Guttenfelder has taken nearly 40 reporting trips to the isolated country since 2000."

I have not seen much news coverage about this. TOP TV is Saudi Arabia's most used distributor of the world cup and it has been suspended by the Media Ministry of Saudi Arabia. There seems to be a pattern of censorship in a lot of the larger non democratic regimes.

This is really interesting, and I know a lot of Saudi Arabians are upset that they cannot watch the World Cup. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are in conflict since Saudi Arabia boycotted Qatar due to their support for political Islamists, ties with Iran, and funding of Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia is going to have to figure it out though or citizens will get increasingly upset.

Interesting find, Subby. Do you know if the clamp down by the Saudi government is persisting? And to Anika's clarifying of why there is so much tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. . . wow.

Qatar, which is non-democratic and run by monarchs, has been widely criticized for its many human rights violations and its exploitation of workers. However, this is being ignored by other governments in the world who seek to become allied with Qatar. Geopolitical goals are prioritized over human rights.

It's not really surprise considering Qatar's history surrounding human rights issues. I know that right now I believe the kafala system is still in place, which in principle deceives workers and gives a great amount of control to people over these workers. Basically increases cheap labor for migrants. Furthermore, though I the ILO keeping stressing that the workers welfare is being taken care of, it is clear that this is untrue seeing that there are plenty of injuries. Frankly, I don't think the ILO ever thought they could stop anything.

I'd love to know more about the "kafala system." What's "the ILO," Nicole? International Labor Organization? What is that? A UN body?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a major political which he is expected to address his increasingly tense relations with Washington and Seoul over the expansion of his nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has ramped up missile testing to a record pace this year, exploiting a divide in the United Nations Security Council by Russia's war on Ukraine. But Kim has also been struggling to improve a dysfunctional and heavily sanctioned economy made worse by pandemic border closures in recent years, an issue he may also address during the meeting at the years end.

"improve a dysfunctional and heavily sanctioned economy. . . "? we know so little about what goes on inside North Korea, but it seems pretty functionally totalitarian. See this article from 2018: https://www.npr.org/2018/10/01/652037944/photos-inside-a-north-korea-that-is-changing-but-at-its-own-pace

The state run public distribution system collapsed in North Korea in the 90s, forcing people to work in informal markets such as bribery. Right now, reporters asses that bribery (typically to state officials) seems to be the number one way that people are accessing their food, healthcare, shelter, and work. Due to the constant threat of possible arrest, some state officials are able to extort extra money and favors as well. Women are also being found to be more vulnerable to abuse, brokers, and traffickers.

I'm not surprised at the amount of corruption that has been uncovered. I'm mainly interested in how they are able to control the public image of the government so well. I'd like to know more about how the information about all of the North Korean government's shortcomings is kept under wraps.

See this article from 2018: "Inside A North Korea That Is Changing - But At Its Own Pace" NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/10/01/652037944/photos-inside-a-north-korea-that-is-changing-but-at-its-own-pace

Belarus is one of the last remaining authoritarian regimes in Europe, and have begun a crackdown on opposition movements in recent years. Freedom House ranks them very low for Political Rights and Civil Liberties, and recently, the main opposition leader was arrested and hospitalized from prison after suffering serious injuries.

Maria Kalesnikava. . . . what guts! "Kalesnikava was arrested last September and taken to the border, where she was told to leave the country. Instead, she reportedly ripped up her passport, risking prison rather than going into exile." She was charged with conspiracy to seize power, calling for action to damage national security, and calling for actions damaging national security using media and the internet. At the same court hearing, the lawyer Maxim Znak, another member of the opposition council's leadership, was given a 10-year prison sentence on similar charges. He had gone on hunger strike while awaiting trial to protest against the charges against him. "We demand the immediate release of Maria and Maksim, who aren't guilty of anything," wrote Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an opposition leader who ran for president against Lukashenko. She is based in Lithuania and cannot return to the country without facing arrest.

Just as Qatar basically bought this world cup, so too are they buying their fans. Qatar soccer culture is not enough to fill the stands and ensure that they have loud and enthusiastic fans (in the first match, almost half of the stadium was empty by the end). Not to say that these fans don't want to be there. Although they are supporting another country, to go to the world cup for free and support another arab country has a big attraction to many people.

This was a weird one. Thanks, Alec.

As social media blows up with new clips of protests and confrontations, China's social media platforms are taking up to a few days to delete content. Rather then simply recording, the population is starting to use filters or recording people's phone who are recording the protests, preventing AI from deleting videos. This forces actual people to have to go through and delete all clips.

I wonder how China will react to people getting around the filters and how they will punish people who post this stuff on social media. My guess would be an even greater crackdown by the government on social media.

Pretty brilliant and persistent on the protestors' behalf!

As many take to the streets in China to protest covid restrictions, the people's dissatisfaction with freedom of expression and democracy resurface. While the effort is valiant and Chinese politicians have made certain promises to satisfy protesters, it remains unclear whether these protest will have any long-term difference. Protests in Hong Kong in 2019 were seemingly larger and had a large impact in the moment, but after the movement was suppressed, the communist party silenced those behind them. Given this past, will these protests create any real change?

I don't any change will come. The government has all the resources needed to prevent the protests and could simply slowly deploy vaccines and lessen the restrictions to stop the protests. The protests haven't been advocating for much change in the structure of Chinese society, so the government still maintains all the power.

And now the Chinese government has softened a bit to accommodate the protestors' demands for vaccines--maybe even fewer lockdowns; but not for free speech. Let's see how that goes with the protestors; will they be appeased? See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/world/asia/china-covid-protests-restrictions.html

The current Kazakh president has not been both indecisive and self-interested shaping the nation's alliances. At the beginning of this year, Tokayev shut down the whole country due to protests, and gave the equivalent to the national guard shoot to kill orders. He invited Russian forces to intervene. Then, bizarrely, when the draft in Russia began, Kazakhstan accepted fleeing Russians without giving them problems, and had a falling out with the Kremlin. Now, Tokayev reaffirmed positive relations with Russia. This is probably a matter of money moving hands.

Three more bits from the article: 1. from Tokayev, the Kazakh leader: "For Kazakhstan, Russia is and has always been a strategic partner." 2. Putin told Tokayev that relations between Moscow and Astana have a "special character." 3. Speaking at a summit of the Moscow-led CSTO security bloc in Armenia last week, Tokayev called for a "joint collective search for a formula for peace." . . . "We must not allow the fraternal Russian and Ukrainian peoples to part ways for tens or hundreds of years with mutual unhealed grievances." Sounds like Tokayev has a tricky line to draw in his relationship with Russia. Really interesting, Slava!

"A near-total embargo on Russian oil comes into force on Dec. 5 in the European Union. E.U. insurers and tankers - which comprise half the global fleet - would no longer be allowed to offer their services to transport Russian oil. It would not apply to buyers of Russian oil, like China and India, if they ship and insure the cargoes with companies from countries outside of the group imposing the cap."

"The process could work on the gas at any concentrations, from power plant emissions to open air."

"Some democratic countries like Turkey, which has a growing relationship with China, were not invited to the gathering, while democracies with authoritarian tendencies like far-right Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil and Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi's India, which has antagonistic ties with Beijing, were included.  Turkey is both a NATO ally and the Middle East's most powerful democracy. But for Washington, it is not Turkey's democratic system but the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's more independent political mindset - which sees no problem acquiring Russian S-400s against Washington's protests due to Turkey's air defence needs - that is a problem. "

"More than a quarter of world's population now live in "democratically backsliding countries," says International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance." TRT World (Turkish)

"The agreement reached in September would have allowed workers to take time off up to three times each year for a routine medical appointment without risking disciplinary action, but many workers said that the concession was insufficient and that it did not address the deeper issue underlying their concerns: a business model that seeks to minimize labor costs and results in chronic understaffing."