Katherine Butler’s picks for the 2nd week of November 2023

Editor’s picks

Portuguese PM António Costa resigns amid corruption inquiry German chancellor Olaf Scholz agrees ‘historic’ stricter migration policy Le Pen’s anti-Islamism and support of Israel seen as attempt to obscure antisemitic past Russian Jews fear Israel-Hamas war awakening sleeping antisemitism ‘Inestimable importance’: 500-year-old cache of pressed flowers reveals new secrets Dutch elections 2023: everything you need to know

Opinion and analysis

Ireland’s criticism of Israel has made it an outlier in the EU. What lies behind it? | Una Mullally With the far right on the rise, it’s a bad time to live in Germany – but a worse time to leave | Fatma Aydemir Germany’s bond with Israel has been admirable – but it is becoming a straitjacket | John Kampfner Climate fatigue isn’t a sign that Europeans are in denial – it’s a sign of their fear | Francesco Grillo How do you memorialise the horrors of war? In Ukraine, it happens quickly, and with love | Charlotte Higgins How did The Lord of the Rings become a secret weapon in Italy’s culture wars? | Jamie Mackay

Life

Fika, four-week holidays – and zero overtime: Sweden’s stunningly healthy work culture ‘Best of both sides’: Berlin’s Israeli-Palestinian restaurant that won’t give in to fear ‘The perpetrators were people like us’: the burden of history at Auschwitz What’s in a word? How less-gendered language is faring across Europe ‘Dogs should eat as well as humans’: high-end canine cucina opens in Rome How to make apple strudel – Felicity Cloake’s masterclass

Arts and culture

Hungary sacks museum chief for not enforcing under-18s ban at LGBTQ+ exhibition Unopened 18th-century love letters to French sailors read for first time Pyramid of Tirana review – from tyrant’s monument to joyful symbol of modern Albania Jean-Baptiste Andrea wins Prix Goncourt for novel set in fascist Italy God is a DJ: the Jesuit priest who runs avant garde electronica nights

In pictures

Female faces of photography: masterworks at Paris Photo

From the archive

1973 | ‘Two hours trying to siphon a prawn’: at home with Salvador Dalí

The biggest ground offensive in Europe since World War II

Russia started its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday February 24, 2022, with airstrikes on cities and military bases. Russian troops and tanks then entered the country on three sides and reached the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, on Friday, in the biggest ground offensive in Europe since World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned other countries not to come to Ukraine’s aid, reminding the world of Russia’s nuclear weapons stockpile and threatening “consequences you have never seen.” Ukrainian leaders said their military was fighting back, and that dozens of their soldiers and hundreds of Russian troops had been killed. They said Russian forces had seized control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant in an attack that could “cause another ecological disaster” at the site of the world’s worst nuclear meltdown. [The Associated Press, The Washington Post]

Thousands of people across Russia took to the streets but were silenced. Opposition activist Tatyana Usmanova called the invasion “a disgrace” and she asked for “forgiveness” from Ukrainians.

“We didn’t vote for those who unleashed the war,”

she said.

Despite hundreds of arrests daily, and nearly 3,000 total since the invasion began, demonstrators held signs and marched through the centres of cities from Moscow to Siberia, chanting “No to war!” in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia’s smaller neighbour.

It is good to hear how International businesses operating in Russia and Ukraine one after the other started closing offices and factories after Russia invaded Ukraine, all facing dark days for all of us.

Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruchtold shareholders at their annual meeting.

“The attack on Ukraine represents a turning point in Europe; a war was simply unthinkable for many people, especially the younger generations.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had agreed to send a Ukrainian delegation to negotiate with Russia near Ukraine’s border with Belarus. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to use Belarus as a staging ground for his invasion, arranged the meeting. But we could see yesterday that Russia did not keep to the agreement to have a corridor for the civilians to flee the terrorised cities. As soon they drove out of those cities they were shot at by the Russians, and as such were driven back to where they came from.

The European Union has shut down its airspace to commercial and private Russian airplanes and committed, along with several member countries (including non-NATO Sweden and Finland), to arming Ukraine. And perhaps most astonishing of all, Europe and the United States (joined even by perennially neutral Switzerland) have put together a package of economic sanctions far more severe than anything anticipated prior to the outbreak of hostilities. There’s now a very real possibility Russia could be plunged into a catastrophic economic tailspin.

Last Sunday Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was putting Russian nuclear deterrence forces on high alert due to what he called “aggressive statements” Western nations were making against Russia.  Yesterday he went a step further, calling all those who wanted to interfere with his peace mission, dangerous attackers of his state, to which he will not shrink from counterattacking. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen her call for promptly opening EU membership talks, Putin considers as a war declaration.

Elon Musk came to help Ukraine maintain internet access as it fights a Russian invasion. Musk’s private rocket company SpaceX has deployed thousands of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, establishing a network over the last three years to beam high-speed internet service to users from more than 100 miles up. The service can work in parts of the world with limited conventional internet infrastructure. Since Russia invaded, Ukraine has experienced internet disruptions, so Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, asked Musk to send Starlink terminals.

Russia’s central bank on Monday hiked a key interest rate from 9.5 percent to 20 percent to fight inflation and depreciation of the ruble, after the Russian currency fell by 30 percent to a record low against the dollar as Europe and the U.S. imposed harsh sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move came after the United States, European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom over the weekend announced plans to cut off some Russian banks from the SWIFT financial support network, a global payment system connecting international banks. The allies also said they would take steps to thwart the Russian central bank’s attempt to boost Russia’s economy with its more than $600 billion in reserves, part of an escalating push by the West for Moscow to negotiate peace.

Ukrainians are fleeing en masse to clogged borders of European neighbours, with the biggest share heading to Poland while smaller numbers try to reach Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, and Romania. More than 500,000 Ukrainians have left for Europe since Russian forces invaded on Thursday and Europe expects this going to grow to 1,5 million. Over previous weekend, one crossing into Poland had a line nearly nine miles long. The exodus has been the biggest Europe has seen in years, with some authorities bracing for a humanitarian crisis like the one that occurred in 2015 when more than a million refugees arrived from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. Many European nations were hostile to the refugees who arrived in 2015, but so far they have said they would welcome Ukrainians.

Big question for Europe is now how long it can stand at the sideline.

Switzerland has edged away from its long-standing tradition of neutrality. Finland is not comfortable with Putin’s aggressive expansionism, which may also have its eyes on several of Russia’s neighbouring countries. It is on the cusp of asking for admission into the NATO alliance after decades of standing to the side. Germany, after a nearly 80-year break from militarism, is suddenly beefing up its defence budget and sending arms to Ukraine.  Previously, neutrality for countries like Finland and Switzerland had benefits to those countries — and to the world at large, but in which way is a neutrality tenable?

 

Hungary’s unprecedented attack on LGBT & free press

Dear friends –

Earlier this year, my government rolled out an unprecedented attack on LGBT+ lives, like mine.

Hungary’s anti-LGBT+ legislation bans any content, from TV and movies to books or even flyers, that features queer characters and could be seen by minors.

The impact has been devastating. LGBT+ people like me are viewed not only as second-class citizens, but as people who should be ashamed, hidden away, silenced, and punished, just because of who we are.

But something positive also happened this year. And that’s YOU.

As soon as this hateful attack was launched, my organization, Budapest Pride, partnered with All Out on a global campaign urging the European Union to take action and require Hungary to change its course. So far, over 91,000 people have signed the petition.

But we can’t stop now. We’re gearing up for a huge continuation of this fight in 2022 when we will broaden our strategy against Hungary’s hateful laws.

 

Viki
Budapest Pride

STILL HERE, STILL FIGHTING BACK!

Imagine being thrown in jail, just for who you love. Or being tortured because people think you have a disease that needs “curing.” Every day, this is happening to LGBT+ people all over the world.

The good news is that together, we can stop it.

**

All Out is a global movement of ordinary people around the world coming together for a common cause: lifting up the dignity, freedom, and safety of LGBT+ people, Together, we are powerful.

All Out connects local to global and global to local. We place value on connecting hundreds of thousands of individual citizens to the frontline of the global struggle for LGBT+ rights. We enable strong ties of solidarity. We are accountable to our supporters for the time and money they invest. We are accountable to frontline activists to deliver campaigns transparently and based on their priorities.

A global backlash of bigotry is underway, attempting to reverse our human rights, erase our families and challenge our right to be who we want to be and love who we want to love.

All Out

A look at China wanting to be everywhere in the world

The last two decades we could see how china has more become a hyper capitalist state, it putting all interests in becoming the world-leader in all businesses no matter at what costs. Lots of people had to leave their house because they had to make a place for a great dam or for an immense stadium. Lots of people where put in small apartments with no garden because the government ordered them to move, making place for modern developments.

Nobody can ignore the neo-colonial expansion of China’s post-Mao economic model. The People’s Republic has become an economic superpower that has witnessed continued GDP growth while lifting millions out of poverty.

Xi Jinping, (°1953), Chinese politician and government official who served as vice president of the People’s Republic of China (2008–13), general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP; 2012– ), and president of China (2013– ).

China wanted to show the world that it is able to restore overland trade routes from China to Central Asia and Europe — the ancient “Silk Road.” In Indonesia, president Xi Jinping of China introduced the concept of a “maritime Silk road,” which is essentially the already well-traveled sea corridor South from China to the Middle East and Europe.  In seven years of implementation, the initiative has become quite controversial, especially in the West.  The controversy is fuelled by a lack of transparency that makes it difficult to get reliable information on the financing involved in the initiative, as well as the specific projects and their terms. There are a growing number of academic efforts, however, to collect and analyse data on ‘The Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), with a consistent set of findings.

The republic got a lot of African countries in its power by giving them loans and workforce, though many of those Chinese worker were forced to go to work in Africa, often in very bad conditions and months away from their family. At the same time China uses the same colonial tactics of getting as much treasures from those ‘colonies’ as possible, even worse than King Leopold II of Belgium did with the Belgian colonies or other colonial countries did. [Belgium controlled 3 colonies and 3 concessions during its history, the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962. It also had a small concession in China and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. ]

In a smart way the republic of China is gaining more control over several countries widely spread all over the world. By its technological and industrial espionage, it also managed to introduce its ‘own’ technological features in several capitalist countries, having created as such a good stable economic platform or insured economic outlet.

As the owings of developing countries to China have mushroomed debt sustainability is a mounting concern, exacerbated further by the impact of COVID-19 economic shut-downs.  China has given some short-term debt relief but it does not belong to the Paris Club of creditors, and sets its own rules and ethics. By now Beijing has those countries which can’t service their expensive loans in their clamps and power. Question might be if the loans will be converted into strategic extra-territorial acquisitions.

Sri Lanka, as a coveted geopolitical outpost of China, is a case in point. Since the end of the three-decade separatist war there, China’s role in the Indian Ocean has received much attention for its infamous debt-trap led extraterritorial approach. However, within Sri Lanka (and many African countries) the response is mixed – China is both the land grabber, the political influencer, the military supplier and the friendly brother capable of fuelling long-awaited economic growth.

The eyes of China are directed to countries often left aside by Europe and the United States of America, because too poor and of no economical interest because too dangerous or for being highly corrupt and conflict ridden zones. Counties who want some financial help from China may not have alliances with Taiwan or have to stop their relationship with them.

The narrative that China is engaging in problematic debt trap diplomacy has taken off since 2018. Coined the preceding year by an Indian pundit, the term implies that Beijing is purposely striking unsustainable debt-for-infrastructure deals with developing countries along the routes of its ubiquitous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, which a Chinese state-owned firm acquired via a ninety-nine-year lease in 2017 after the Sri Lankan government could not service its loans, has been cited repeatedly as evidence that the Chinese government is practicing debt trap diplomacy. Many countries which do not receive enough aid from Europe or the U.S. hope that China will help them. China does not show any interest in the conflicts those countries may have as long as their are enough goods to explore and to transport to China.

Certain countries are starting to see how China wants to integrate in as many countries as it can.

Poorly planned and badly executed energy and infrastructure deals involving China in Latin American countries like Venezuela and Ecuador have increasingly attracted critical headlines. Even in Europe, Beijing’s efforts to finance and build a railway between the capitals of Hungary and Serbia have run into obstacles and sparked backlash.

The colonial expansion of China is something we would have to watch with Argus eyes also investigating how they treat the people who work for their institutions of firms in that country where they so-called offer their help.

The Chinese government and the developing countries it partners with too often have failed to consult sufficiently with the people most directly affected by grandiose infrastructure projects.
The trending Chinese role model is that of an authoritarian goliath that can make its doctors and billionaires disappear while protecting favoured war-crime offenders and military regimes elsewhere, while meanwhile it exploits a lot of people and makes them work as slave labourers while the managers of the company rake in all the big money.

Refugees At The Border- A Blessing Or Burden?

We may wonder, why the ex-Communist Central European countries display such an intolerant, negative and rigid approach to the plight of the refugees. KTG was one of the first to question the ex communist EU states approach even though on the example the lack of solidarity of Eastern Europe towards Greece’s debt crisis.

For sure the fear of having an other culture taking over theirs is ungrounded when each of the asylum taker states is fierce in making it clear those coming into their country have to accept the values and way of life of the guest country.

Lots of fear in our regions is by not knowing enough of the other culture and not by understanding the real actual facts of the inhumane conditions that ISIS creates, against Koran teaching.

Revealing themselves to be intolerant, illiberal, xenophobic, and incapable of remembering the spirit of solidarity that carried them to freedom a quarter-century ago, the Eastern European countries should seriously reconsider their position they want to take in the European Union, which has to be one of democratic liberty and solidarity.

Europe is a mixture of different cultures, people and tiny states. It has to look for an consensus, finding a way so that all those different cultures, religions can live together without harming each other or standing in the way of the other.

Debates like the one in Belgium taking place know by the complaint of the commission of equality that burkina’s should be allowed in the swimming pools are not helping to the matter. When this would be allowed women’s right could be in danger again for Muslim women. The same nudist should then have the right to demand being able to swim naked in the public baths at any time.

All sorts of religious, philosophical and ethical groups should find a way to have everybody respecting other ones thoughts, but knowing that in the private sphere everybody should be able to do what they want, as long as they do not bring damage to each other, but that in public places all have to put water in their wine, allowing a way of life where the majority can find itself at ease.

Therefore no yelling from mosque towers at the rising or setting of the sun, and no bell ringing from Catholic or Protestant churches early in the morning.

On the examples of Hungary’s government “mistreatment of thousands refugees in front of the eye of the entire world” and Poland’s storm of comments full of hate towards the refugees, we should ask with urgency to those ex-communist countries:

“Have Eastern Europeans no sense of shame? For centuries, their ancestors emigrated in droves, seeking relief from material hardships and political persecution. And today their leaders’ heartless behaviour and callous rhetoric play to popular sentiment. “

Throughout millennia people have been hoovering all over the world to find liveable pastures, let those who claim to be Christians show the right Christian attitude worthy to be called after Jeshua, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who preached love and openness for each other.

*

To remember:

• flow of people from war torn regions of the world in particular Syria, North Africa & Afghanistan is continuing this week and is likely to continue over the next few weeks
• refugees will go to the region where they are likely to find employment and a better livelihood
• millions have moved within the middleast to Africa and to South America
• struggles within Europe = dominating the headlines
• Southern Europe has been seen to carry out harsh tactics against the suffering people > tear gas, blocking routes, laying down barb wire
• previous slogans of “open Europe” seems like a distant memory
• many European countries are squabbling with each other on how many and where the suffering people should go to
• Europe’s population is near the five hundred million mark, even if there was one million people entering Europe this would be only 0.02% of the population, hardly a huge increase in numbers.
• Europe’s economic output represents close to 25% of global output.
• reluctance is founded in a enshrined principle that the identity needs to be protected regardless
• arrival of the suffering people are seen as a threat to its identity
• the “defend your culture and identity by no interaction or leave your culture at the border policy” isn’t working
• allowing refugees in => interaction, discussion, exchanges of views and opinions => beneficial for everyone
• culture good for one group of people = good for all groups of people
• worry of compromising their culture and closing the borders = weak position
• world sees it as outdated and Europe needs to move on.

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Preceding articles

Poster: Please Help The Refugees

The World Wide Refugee and Migrant Crisis and a possible solution for it

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Additional articles of interest:

1. Sharing a common security and a common set of values
2. Cognizance at the doorstep or at the internet socket
3. Faith related boycotts
4. Mocking, Agitation and Religious Persecution
5. Economic crisis danger for the rise of political extremism
6. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe
7. Fitting the bill in the North and in the East
8. Continues Syrian conflict needing not only dialogue
9. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity?
10. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
11. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for
12. State of Europe 2015 – Addressing Europe’s crises
13. Schengen area and Freedom for Europeans being put to the test as never before
14. Europe’s refugees just follow the ancient routes for the peopling of Europe in the Neolithic
15. Why Russia backs Assad: a view from Russia’s anti-imperialist left
16. Meeting to focus on humanitarian issues for Syria
17. Propaganda war and ISIS

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