Comparative Politics

Immigration has been a very important topic for Swedes in these past five years, and many Swedes have grown very resistant towards letting in any more refugees from the Middle East. The Nordics are touted as these examples of equality under capitalism, and yet these results reveal a perhaps uncomfortable truth: Swedes believe the homogeneity of their country, not their economic system, is the origin of their success; they will vote for a neonazi-adjacent faction over the very party that created their welfare system if they believe the ethnic unity of Sweden is threatened.

"Swedes believe the homogeneity of their country, not their economic system, is the origin of their success;" Isn't it both--the social democratic system and the homogeneous population, until the last two decades? How might we use this article as a mirror for the US in the sense that, even now, a certain percentage of white Americans think that the US was better when white (and male) people were the only ones worthy of consideration in this country's social and economic contract?

They held their second ministerial dialogue in Tokyo on September 8th. Since China has expanded its presence into the Indian ocean in recent years, both countries are pushing back by conducting navy drills in the bay of Bengal.

Are we seeing a realignment of major powers? Also, "India Business Times" is your source. . . good job finding non-US perspective.

I predicted that there would be a war of attrition along the Ukrainian front, and this is what it is shaping to be. The Russians are retreating because they have lost substantial amounts of manpower and supplies, which caused them to falter amid renewed Ukrainian counteroffensives. All they can hope to do is retreat and consolidate their power into the remaining territory, and hope that it is enough to hold out. Not that Russia is on the run, what will happen to the international community's committment to Ukraine's soverignty? Will the West provide the means to rebuild the nation and consolidate the liberated territory? Also, how will Russia respond in the end? During every conflict that has seen the loss of territory, particularly the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, The Soviet Union devoted itself to a scorched earth policy and razed entire cities to the ground to stop them from falling into the hands of the enemy. This could lead to a major humanitarian crisis, something that the West will need to help Ukraine recover from.

Queen Elizabeth II has died today (9/8) after her 7-decade rule as head of the British Monarchy. The crown now rests on the head or Charles III, the late queen's son.

Indeed! One thing, Charles is her son. Her husband was Phillip, he died last year. Charles is already 73, so maybe he will pass the crown down.

An article about Tunisian racism, where a recent poll showed that 80% of Tunisians believe racial discrimination is an issue in their country. Tunisia also passed a law that declared discrimination on the basis of race illegal, and punishable with up to 3 years in prison or a fine. However, the president just abolished parliament, and this development could make future civil rights projects much more difficult.

A quote from the end of the article: "The scope of Law 50 is not just about tackling isolated events of racism, but also about addressing a legacy of discrimination in Tunisia. Kamal Atig Zeiri, a taxi driver, said he has faced racism all his life and wants to drop the "Atig" in his surname because of the history of the word, describing it as "embarrassing". Atig means "freed by". His ancestors were among millions of black Africans sold as slaves throughout the Arab world over the centuries. Tunisia became the first Arab country to abolish this trade in 1846. "It worries me a lot and I won't rest until I delete it from my surname," Mr Atig Zeiri told the BBC. "This word has caused me a psychological problem," he continued. In theory, Law 50 should give Mr Atig Zeiri the freedom to change his name, however, he is still waiting for the courts to approve his request. His daughter, Lena, has been able to alter her surname."

There is no water and constant barrage for a city of a quarter-million residents. Mykolaiv had a population of almost half a million last year, of which tens of thousands have fled west.

Seeing the images of destroyed buildings and people waiting in line for drinking water. . . for month after month. I wonder what will happen this winter?

This is the first time shots have been fired during this most recent Taiwan-China conflict. Knowing the nature of both sides' militaries, who will know what happens after this.

I've always been reminded every now in then of the conflict between these two powers that are so close together, mostly on the internet and in school. I remember when I first learned about how Taiwan considers itself independent from China and how tension has been raising throughout the years. It's crazy to see that this tension could lead to fighting between the sides and how other world powers such as the US will respond. Especially with how big trading with China is for us.

Interesting observations, Subby, Will and Duncan! Let's also remember that Taiwan was the official stand-in for "China" in the United Nations for 26 years! (1950-1976), during which the US denied China's existence and Taiwan sat in the United Nations representing all of China). Getting Taiwan back in the communist fold would represent an important piece in President Xi's geopolitical ambitions, along with subjugating the Tibetans and the Uighurs, claiming territorial rights around the human-made islands in the South China Sea, and expanding the Belt and Road initiatives all over Asia. It's a LOT.

Conflict still wages between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine on the defensive side is still putting up a fight to reclaim parts of their stolen home against this current invasion. Kherson became the first major Ukrainian city to fall into Russian hands after troops advanced into the city from the Crimean Peninsula in the opening days of the war.

Still following this topic. . .

Biden's plan to provide $10,000 of relief towards student loans for people who make less than $125,000/year, and an additional $10,000 to those who received Pell Grants (a federal tuition grant which maxes out at a little under $7,000) sparked controversy. Critics say that the plan will put yet another burden on tax payers, and raise inflation, while supporters maintain that the restart of student loan payments (which have been paused since the start of the pandemic) will essentially counteract this potential risk.

Interesting topic, lots of money involved. Do you have a stance on whether the loans are a good idea or not?

Global climate crisis has led to an unprecedented monsoon season. 300,000 homes destroyed. Prime minister vows to provide housing for all who lost their homes.

Same as Will, I didn't hear about this until recently and also want to know more about how they are supporting so many evacuees. Are they receiving foreign aid from other countries? And, are the evacuees all still in Pakistan, or are they getting refugee status in other countries?

Let's discuss why so many people seem to lack news on the Pakistan flooding. Any thoughts?

Monsoons in Pakistan have killed thousands of lives this past summer, so multiple neighboring nations sent aid to help those stranded. Heavy rains may be caused by climate change, and the unprecedented monsoons have washed away infrastructure/homes.

Overall, there has not been as much news coverage of this flooding as many other events going on in the world. However, I noticed that emphasis on aid to this climate catastrophe has been covered even less. What does this say about news bias and possibly even censorship?

Good questions, Subby. I think that charitable donations are down, even as intense needs are rising. see https://afpglobal.org/covid-era-fundraising-stalls-donations-soften-and-donors-retention-rates-fall-first-quarter-2022

While Ukraine has been able to use social media to their advantage by spreading information, increasing awareness of the problems they face, and pressuring companies and governments to aid them, Russia has been fighting back with national and international and propaganda campaigns. This struggle has caused a different kind of war to rage on between them, a cyber-war.

Because of how strict much of Russia's information laws and restrictions have been even before the war, getting accurate information about the conflict from inside Russia is nearly impossible. Along with that, it is extremely easy for misinformation to spread across social media and news outlets.

Interesting observations, Subby, Juliana, Slava and Matteo. Add to this the fact that under Vladimir Putin's iron hand, censorship within Russia is intense. Opposition to Putin's government has been effectively silenced within Russia, and is being replaced by shows of strength and prosperity. Good article about this in Monday's NYT here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/world/europe/moscow-war-ukraine-mood.html

A referendum in Chile just rejected a draft of a new Constitution pushed by the new Chilean President Gabriel Boric and his extremely progressive coalition that would have replaced Augusto Pinochet's Constitution. The Constitution included the right to public health care, abortion, free speech, clean air and water, it would have given the federal government greater control over the Chilean economy, and would have officially recognized the sovereignty of Indigenous groups across the country, making it the third plurinational nation in South America. However, 61% of Chileans opposed the new Constitution, and a new assembly will have to be elected to redraft it. This rejection is interesting; does it highlight the overall mood in Latin American politics right now? Is this a rejection of liberal policies? What will the next few months have in store for Chile; bureaucratic breakdown, or unity around a new Constitution?

Really interesting article, Nick! Keep in mind that "liberal" in the international context means low government intervention and capitalism, so the correct way to phrase the question is "Is this a rejection of social democratic policies?" There was a wave of social democracy in Latin America in the 1990s and early 2000s, so I wonder if this is an effort to move that further, an effort which is contested. https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/chile-could-become-plurinational-what-does-that-mean/ As you know, there are many levels of inclusion and exclusion in different societies, and the indigenous rights movement in South America carries a dimension of racism held over from the colonial era, in addition to neocolonialism and extractive capitalism centered on banks and the owners of land.

Interesting how those who have the most resources can get better at their sport from a young age (club teams, private coaches, equipment), creating the best players, while those who do not have those resources are less likely to be able to excel.

Something to me that seems pretty ironic considering that the article argues that club and youth athletics are gatekept by the wealthy, is that sports used to be an opportunity for lower income youth to compete with other students for spots in good schools. It was seen in the past as a more financially viable option than hiring tutors, paying for an expensive private education, and having the resources to pay for school. That's why sports scholarships existed and persist to this day, in my opinion: the broad majority of those who receive sports scholarships are below the poverty line, even to this day.

I found it interesting and sad that wealth not only provides a significant boost in ability to excel in sports but also in the college process as a result, which doesn't seem like it been the case for an awfully long time. This made me wonder whether the ability to benefit of sports in the college process actually prompted this change.

China has the ability to blockade trade going in and out of Taiwan. Due to Taiwan's close proximity to mainland China and most of Taiwan's ports being on the island's west coast, China has the option not necessarily to invade the island of 23 million but slowly starve them. How will the US respond?

Poor communication encryption and organization has led to Russia's control of the Black Sea being slowly torn apart and led to Russia being on the back foot for the first time in the naval war.

This article from ThoughtCo does a good job of explaining the Mercator vs. Gall-Peters projections of world maps

Think Differently about future transportation; Author has a podcast about transportation as well.

Interesting how communication and getting the message outis almost as important as the science.