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Trump: States Should ‘Dominate’ Anti-Racism Protesters

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Protests against institutional racism in the United States, triggered by the death of George Floyd, are meeting state violence and media sensationalism. While US presidents commonly try to bring people together during such moments of national unrest, President Donald Trump used his May 2 speech to decry “an angry mob,” saying that the “biggest victims are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities.”

Trump promised to “fight to protect you, I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters,” before describing the anti-racism protesters as “professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters,” and “Antifa.” The US president blamed the death of two protesters on “dangerous thugs,” a racially charged term for black men.

Distorted narratives

US media networks have been busy building the narrative that racism and police brutality are bad, but that violence during protests is even worse. Governors, mayors, and public figures have urged people to stop protesting and “allow justice to be done.” But it appears to be exactly the absence of justice in so many cases of police brutality that are spurring protesters to continue.

Anyone that watches American television is left with the impression that the country is on fire. Images of burning buildings, violence, and the few instances of looting are played over and over while the mainly peaceful protests go under-reported. US media and politicians appear to have settled on a playbook of decrying George Floyd’s death with numerous superlatives, followed by highlighting cases of violence as justification to halt peaceful demonstrations.

Prominent US figures continue to caution of white supremacists infiltrating protests to instigate violence and escalate tensions.

Fanning the flames

As per usual, Donald Trump’s reactions are less subtle than most. He called for increased state violence and for governors to “dominate” those exercising their constitutional right to freedom of speech and addressing their grievances to the government. Trump announced he is “taking immediate action to stop the violence and restore security and safety in America.”

While Trump applauded the mainly-white protests against COVID-19 measures in April, the current protests will face the full mobilization of “all available federal resources, civilian and military.” Trump is now pressuring governors to deploy the National Guard, a branch of the military, against protesters in order to “dominate the streets.”

Police provoke confrontations

An increase in security forces is unlikely to deescalate protests, as police have often been the source of violence. US police forces are overwhelmingly treating protesters as “the enemy” due to years of a militarization of US law enforcement. Heavily armed police officers in riot gear have been wrongly trained to escalate situations and use violence, according to an analysis provided by The Conversation.

“There was a time when the playbook was much more straightforward. The police would meet with the organizers of the protest, and they would lay out ground rules together that would provide for an opportunity for protesters to do exactly what they have a right to do,” Ronal Serpas, a former police chief and professor of criminology told The Marshall Project.

Electoral ploy?

Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman called Trump’s strategy “weaponized racism” in a New York Times opinion piece on Monday as it appears Trump is pitching America’s white and Black populations against each other. The Boston Globe highlighted how Trump ignores racism and police brutality as he fuels unrest between different segments of US society.

Donald Trump appears to see the protests as an electoral winner. The unrest distracts from the 105,192 dead Americans due to COVID-19 and energizes racist elements in his base of support.

By filling his supporters’ minds with fear of racial unrest and burning businesses, he appears to want to trigger the anxiety and fear that too often drive some conservative voters.

With the current de-facto state of martial law featuring soldiers on the streets and political opponents labeled “terrorists,” Trump slowly appears more like the dictators he praises on a regular basis.

Turkey Issues Gulen-Linked Arrest Warrants for Military, Police Officers

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Government prosecutors in Turkey have issued warrants for the arrests of 118 individuals, primarily from its military and police forces. Ankara is accusing 42 members of the military and the national gendarmerie of cooperation with prominent cleric Fethullah Gulen.

The accusations are based on confessions from the interrogation of suspects arrested earlier, as well as “analyses of pay phone calls.” The arrests include 24 officers that were working on active duty up to the moment the state issued the warrants.

Military members

An additional 76 military, gendarmerie, and civilian individuals are targeted for allegedly using pay phones to contact members of Gulen’s organization. The issued warrants request the immediate arrest of members of the military, navy, and air force and include a colonel and three lieutenants.

The arrest warrants are similar to those issued in July 2016, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on alleged supporters of Gulen following a failed military coup. In 2016, Ankara suspended 150,000 civil servants, military personnel, and civilians, leading to them losing their jobs because the government considered them to be supporters of the exiled cleric.

Turkish state media Anadolu Agency reported that 72 suspects had been detained after an operation that involved simultaneous raids in 35 provinces across Turkey. Anadolu Agency called the arrests an “anti-terror” operation and reiterated the alleged connection to what the Turkish state calls the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization.”

State repression

The state has accused the arrested suspects of trying to overthrow the Turkish regime through the infiltration of the country’s security forces, military, and judiciary. But many experts accuse the Turkish state of a “dramatic erosion of its rule of law and democracy framework.”

Human rights NGO Human Rights Watch has stated that since the 2016 crackdown, Turkey is “experiencing a deepening human rights crisis.” The watchdog is expressing concerns over the misuse of terrorism charges used to jail opposition figures and dissenting voices in Turkish society.

Amnesty International fears the use of anti-terrorism laws are used “in the absence of evidence of any criminal wrongdoing, to silence real or perceived dissent.” Amnesty also highlights the increased censorship in Turkish media, including the new licensing laws and criminal prosecutions intended to silence social media criticism.

US Ambassador Praises UAE’s COVID-19 Response

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The United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates has praised the UAE’s national response and global aid efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the Gulf state continues to play a key role in virus aid delivery.  

In a recent video, the ambassador said multiple times how impressed he was by the UAE’s leadership in response to the novel coronavirus. 

“The UAE has been a leader in the world in how they are approaching this disease both inside the country and with the help they are giving to many, many countries around the world,” Rakolta said in the Abu Dhabi TV video. 

Rakolta applauded the UAE’s high testing numbers and pledged to treat all residents, be they UAE citizens or migrants, equally. He also expressed thanks for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ cooperation and responsiveness, adding, “Etihad and Emirates Airline have spared no cost whatsoever, no effort to help get Americans back to the United States of America.”

“The UAE and the leaders have really shown what leadership is all about, they have been incredibly charitable with their giving to other countries, including the United States which we thank them for immensely,” the US ambassador said.

On June 2, the UAE sent eight metric tons of medical supplies to the Chechen Republic in Russia to bolster its efforts against COVID-19. The Etihad plane landed in Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, carrying supplies that will support 8,000 local health workers in fighting the novel virus.

“The UAE stands by Russia in its campaign to overcome the COVID-19 crisis through international cooperation and assistance. Today’s delivery of aid represents the strong ties between our two nations, which have exerted all efforts to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our communities at every turn,” UAE Ambassador to Russia Maadhad Hareb Jaber Alkhayel said in response to the delivery.

To date, the UAE has sent $10 million worth of in-kind aid to the World Health Organization, provided aid to 98 different countries in recent weeks, and contributed to 80% of the total COVID-19 aid distributed worldwide, according to the UAE government’s dedicated COVID-19 aid Twitter account, “UAE Cares.”

Read also: New UAE Virtual Art Exhibition Privileges Gender Equality

UN: Libya Truce Talks Imminent

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A surprise statement by the UN late Monday has signaled that Libya’s warring parties have accepted a resumption of talks to establish a ceasefire. Both the Tripoli government (GNA) and the eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar (LNA) appear to have agreed to the draft agreement that the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) proposed on February 23.

Unexpected ceasefire

The talks will revolve around establishing a sustainable ceasefire agreement but also cover “associated security arrangements,” according to the June 1 statement from the UN mission in Libya.

“UNSMIL emphasizes that the resumption of dialogue constitutes a response by the parties to the desire and calls of the overwhelming majority of Libyans who long for a return to a safe and dignified life as quickly as possible” the statement said. But UNSMIL is remaining cautiously hopeful within Libya’s difficult context.

The statement made sure to emphasize that it “hopes that the response of the parties coincides with the cessation of hostilities and a reduction in the use of incitement and hate speech.” The UN also signaled directly to the foreign powers that continue to interfere in Libya’s conflict, saying “UNSMIL also hopes that all parties, Libyan and international alike, heed the desire of the Libyans to end the fighting.”

Truce amid escalation

The statement came as many expected Libya’s conflict to enter a new escalation as increased aerial firepower was being introduced to its theater of war. Turkish drones, Russian jet-fighters, and even US brigades in neighboring Tunisia were bound to change the nature of the already chaotic conflict.

The Libyan conflict has repeatedly seen both sides either call for or reject appeals for ceasefires depending on which side was “winning” at the time.

For Libyans the statement comes as a welcome surprise as the conflict has evolved from a civil war to a proxy war between several foreign powers who introduce new weaponry and mercenaries to the country, prolonging a war over which Libyans have long lost control.

Continuing talks

The current potential truce has been made possible by the UN peace process in Libya. Both parties had agreed on many points in the first two rounds of Joint Military Commission talks in February, and the UN now hopes to build on that in the next round of negotiations.

In order for the talks to produce a comprehensive and sustainable conclusion, the UN has asked both sides to empower their representatives and commit to respecting the earlier agreed-upon conclusions of the Berlin Conference in February and UN resolutions. One of the UN resolutions the local mission is most eager to emphasize is the arms embargo that both sides and their foreign backers have repeatedly breached.

The first rounds of talks were concluded in Geneva, but in the interest of time, the next round will be done via videoconference as air travel continues to be restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement concluded with the UN mission in Libya expressing hope for a “professional, serious and responsible spirit” to build on the first two rounds of negotiations and hopefully produce sustainable peace in Libya.

 

No Hajj for Indonesian Muslims in 2020

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Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs Fachrul Razi announced on Tuesday that in light of ongoing travel restrictions and COVID-19 fears, Indonesian Muslims will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage this year.  

“This was a very bitter and difficult decision,” Razi said during a televised press conference on June 2. “But we have a responsibility to protect our pilgrims and hajj workers.”

The religious affairs minister said the government had investigated three options: Continue with the hajj as normal, limit the hajj, or cancel it altogether. It decided to go with the latter option, noting Saudi Arabia is yet to grant hajj access to any country.

The hajj pilgrimage normally takes place at the end of June. Razi said there were only days left before final visa and flight arrangements had to be made, forcing the government to act quickly and make a decision which it believes will help preserve pilgrims’ health and safety.

“In accordance with the mandate of the law, besides being economically and physically capable, health, and safety of the pilgrims must be guaranteed and prioritized, from embarkation or disembarkation, throughout the journey, and also while in Saudi Arabia,” the minister explained.

The Saudi government has only partially reopened the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, while the Grand Mosque of Mecca remains closed to the public, and the umrah and hajj pilgrimages are suspended until further notice. 

Around 90% (198,900) of Indonesia’s 221,000 person hajj quota was already filled by Muslims ready to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the holy land, the religious affairs ministry said. 

Dewi, a Jakarta telecommunications worker, told Reuters she has waited six years to go on hajj but was at peace with the government’s decision.

“If that is the decision, I will accept it. After all, I believe that everything happens with God’s permission,” she said on June 2. 

For civil servant and hopeful 2020 pilgrim Ria Taurisnawati, the sadness and disappointment were still fresh. 

“I knew this was a possibility, but now that it’s official I can’t help but be heartbroken – I’ve been waiting for years,” the distraught 37-year-old civil told AFP.

“All my preparations were done, the clothes were ready and I got the necessary vaccination. But God has another plan,” she added, in tears. 

Every Muslim, if they are financially and physically able, are required to complete the pilgrimage once in their lifetime. For Indonesians, it takes on average 20 years for their name to come up in the national ballot, according to the Indonesian cabinet’s secretariat.

Read also: My Secular Ramadan

China Decouples GDP Growth, Success in Potential Global Paradigm Shift

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On May 22, the opening of the Chinese National People’s Congress featured a remarkable announcement from the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang. In the midst of a global economic crisis the Chinese government has decided to not set a GDP target for the coming year. The move will confuse many local and provincial politicians, as growth was the key metric on which China’s success has been measured since 1990.

Without a GDP target there will be no pressure on politicians to achieve GDP growth at any cost, which has been the strategy of China and most of the world’s countries for several decades.

The Chinese appear to have recognized that chasing growth causes damage to the environment and reduces living and working conditions if used as the sole metric for national success.

Growth

The Chinese are certainly not planning to stop growing, but by deprioritizing GDP growth, the government will have the space to focus on improving healthcare and education and reducing ecological damage.

China is set to reach its target of eradicating poverty in the country in 2020, and the shift away from growth could easily mean that Chinese citizens will see a renewed focus on improving living conditions.

GDP growth has been the key metric for success that most countries around the world aim to achieve. But the link with GDP growth and improving standards of living is dubious at best.

The London Economic’s Jack Peat argues polling data shows that “GDP growth fails to deliver enhanced life satisfaction, poverty alleviation and remains environmentally disruptive.”

Incentives

The eternal push for economic growth brings with it incentives that ensure businesses and countries can never reach a satisfactory level of success, but instead must always keep “growing.” In the current economic paradigm, the idea of “next year’s GDP growth” invites direct foreign investment in a country much more than living conditions, security, or the education level of the population ever will.

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed that in a crisis, the use of GDP as the most important metric meant few countries had adequately prepared their healthcare system for an abnormal crisis.

It also meant governments had to force companies to produce important medical equipment and protective gear.

There had been no incentive to produce these items before, even though it would have benefited the public, as there is no reward for much but GDP growth.

Perpetual growth

The most important reason to decouple growth from success is the fact that we live on a planet with finite resources. Trying to realize infinite growth on a planet that is clearly and visibly struggling from over-depletion of its finite resources is a recipe for disaster. Climate researchers have argued that many highly-developed countries would actually benefit from degrowth.

For countries like China, there are many parts of society that still need growth. Better healthcare, education, and working and living conditions will likely become the next focus of China’s government after having dragged its population out of abject poverty.

If China stops using GDP growth as a metric for success, it could have far-reaching effects on our global economics.

A few countries have already signaled they will not consider GDP growth their key metric, but success in China could be a guiding light for other economies that are buckling under the need to forever grow.

Aid to Yemen Evaporates as COVID-19 Outbreak Rages On

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The UN will partner with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a global pledging conference seeking $2.41 billion to fund COVID-19 food and health aid to Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The call for funds comes as the UN has been forced to cut approximately 75% of programs in the war-torn Yemen due to obstructions from Ansar Allah rebels, known as Houthis, and lack of funds.  

“Tragically, we do not have enough money to continue this work,” the heads of 17 organizations representing the international humanitarian community said in a statement issued on Thursday. 

“Of 41 major UN programmes in Yemen, more than 30 will close in the next few weeks if we cannot secure additional funds. This means many more people will die,” they warned.  

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) operations are at high risk and some have already been wound back, further reducing services for Yemen’s vulnerable women and children. 

“It’s almost impossible to look a family in the face, to look them in the eyes and say, ‘I’m sorry but the food that you need in order to survive we have to cut in half,’” Resident UN Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande told the Associated Press (AP News) on June 1. 

UNFPA has been forced to suspend reproductive health services in 140 of 180 health care centers, leaving only 40 in operation. The UNFPA says lives have already been lost since the agency wound back services in mid-May. 

A mother named Mariam receiving antenatal care through a UN-funded program died last week after suffering severe blood loss, with no doctor available to assist her. The incident shocked clinic workers who feel powerless now UNFPA support is no longer available.

“The most painful part is that now we are powerless and we cannot do anything about it,” said BaniShamakh center nurse Adel Shuja’a. 

“We are in this poor community that is exhausted from war. The suffering of poor families has increased, and we may lose many of our mothers and children,” he said, noting that the supply of crucial folic and iron supplements has now ceased. 

The Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen have complicated aid delivery, obstructing distribution and failing to allow UN oversight and monitoring aimed at ensuring support gets to the people who need it most. The US cut funding to programs in Houthi-controlled areas earlier this year citing rebel interference, and the UN has investigated its own locally-stationed personnel for corruption and fraud in the past. 

The UN considers Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and in addition to the ongoing war, the country’s minimal and failing public health system is now being stretched to cope with COVID-19. As of June 1, 327 cases and 50 COVID-19 were recorded in the conflict-ravaged nation, but due to lack of testing facilities the numbers could be much higher. 

Read also: Yemen Crisis Escalates as Former Allies Clash Amid Health Crisis 

 

Emirates Predicts Tough Recovery as Airlines Struggle

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“I think probably by the year 2022/23, 2023/24 we will see things coming back to some degree of normality,” Tim Clark, Emirates Airlines’ departing president said in an interview with John Strickland. The Dubai-based airline is going through its most difficult time in its 35-year history, according to the airline itself as it faces painful cuts in staff amid evaporated demand.

Airlines crash

An effective and widely distributed vaccine remains the only hope for Emirates as it faces the same issues as airlines worldwide. Enforcing social distancing on airplanes would be economically impossible according to Clark, which leaves only the mandating of masks and gloves for all passengers as feasible COVID-19 preventive measures.

Emirates is facing the same turbulent market as its competitors as passenger numbers have fallen drastically. Current US flights account for only 9.7% of the usual passenger numbers and most international flights globally are limited to repatriation journeys. The airline industry faces historic insecurity as much still remains unclear about the near future.

Mass layoffs

All airlines have made drastic cuts to their staff numbers. In the US, the airline industry’s multi-billion dollar bailout package barred layoffs. On October 1 the ban will expire and US airlines are expected to cut one third of all jobs in the sector.

“We have a lot of cash today, but we burned through about almost a billion dollars in the month of April as an example,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told CNN. “So you do the math in your head and you just can’t survive that way.”

Prices of planes drop

Before the crisis the world’s two airplane manufacturers enjoyed the fruits of their de-facto monopoly. Long waiting lists and outstanding orders meant that even Boeing’s 737 Max scandal posed little risk to the two industry giants.

But in the midst of a severe slump in passenger demand, airlines are no longer clambering for new aircraft which is causing lower prices for planes and a waning of the dominance that Airbus and Boeing have exerted over their customers for decades.

Long-haul plans

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the industry, many airlines were experimenting with extreme long-haul flights. Australian airline Qantas in November tested a 19-hour flight from London to Sydney in an effort to bypass transit hubs such as Dubai or Doha. Airlines had seen the plans as the “last frontier,” according to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

But the plans have now been shelved. Joyce announced in May that Qantas postponed the plans indefinitely. “The time is not right now,” the CEO told reporters. For transit hubs that function as a link between shorter flights, like those in the UAE and Qatar, the shift in trends could mean their flagship airports continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future.

The industry has put its hopes in a rapidly developed vaccine. Emirates CEO Tim Clark is counting on some recovery in 2021 on the back of a “widely available vaccine,” although he claimed that Emirates does not expect to return to “some degree of normality” until the year of 2022/23 or 2023/24. If or when a vaccine becomes a reality, Emirates could see a quick recovery, but that hope depends on a yet non-existing solution over which the airline industry has no control.

Bahrain Arrests COVID-19 Conspiracy Theorist as Cases Continue to Grow

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Bahrain continues to struggle with its local COVID-19 epidemic. The small island nation that is home to 1.6 million people is still seeing its caseload grow as officials have now confirmed 11,398 total cases. The country is outperforming its neighbors Qatar (56,910 cases) and Saudi Arabia (85,261 cases) but appears to struggle to limit new infections.

The Bahrain Health Ministry has performed over 300,000 tests and has limited travel, screened entry points, and banned social gatherings. However, Bahrain’s non-native population continues to be a source of new infections as low-income foreign workers make up the majority of new cases. With 4,914 active cases remaining, the kingdom is ensuring all citizens take the crisis seriously.

Coronavirus hoaxer

A tip from the General Administration for Combating Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security led prosecutors to a citizen accused of spreading false information about the virus online. The resident had used social media to claim the virus was a global hoax intended to deprive people of money.

Bahrain’s Chief Prosecutor Nawaf Al Awadi told Gulf News that the suspect had belittled Bahraini containment measures and, in effect, discouraged citizens from adhering to the protocols. Bahrain is treating the case as an effort to undermine national efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Al Awadi reported that the conspiracy theorist had claimed that “COVID-19 does not exist in reality and is just a lie for ripping off people’s money.” Bahraini officials are taking failures to comply with measures or the undermining of such efforts very seriously.

Breaches of Bahraini public health law are punishable with a sentence of up to three months and a possible fine that can range between $2,645 and $26,500.

Cases climb

Citizens of Bahrain had hoped for good news following the easing of restrictions that coincided with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the following Eid al Fitr celebrations, but local health professionals continue to report new cases.

Three-hundred new cases emerged on Friday, May 29, Saturday ushered in 29 new infections, and Sunday saw the country’s 19th COVID-19-related death.

The country’s Achilles heel appears to be its foreign workers who often face poor living conditions. The mainly Asian low-income workers are often housed in crowded labor camps where the virus can freely spread. In order to limit infections of foreign workers, the government has moved 8,011 away from these crowded facilities to be housed by the companies that employ them.

“Many employers were quick to implement precautionary measures necessary to combat this pandemic by providing additional accommodation to reduce congestion and through those efforts 8,011 laborers were relocated,” Labor and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan told Gulf Daily News.

A new normal

Meanwhile, the Bahraini public and private sector are preparing for a “new normal” as they move much of their services online. Gulf Daily News has reported that costs of services and products in the country will likely increase by as much as 35%, partly because physical businesses can only serve a limited amount of customers at once.

In response, the Al Salam Bank of Bahrain has announced it will be launching a virtual branch to provide banking services amid COVID-19 restrictions. The Labor Ministry of Bahrain has similarly moved much of its facilities for job seekers online.

The ministry told Gulf News that it will use the digital system to comply with new public health measures as well as to provide more fair and transparent employment opportunities to citizens. The ministry has set up a hotline for older workers who could potentially struggle with the shift to digital.

World Bank: Palestinian Economy Could Retract 11%

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The World Bank released a statement Monday predicting Palestine’s economy will contract by at least 7.6% and up to 11% in 2020, depending on the speed of the country’s recovery post-COVID-19. It also forecasts that unemployment, which is already high, could hit 64% in Gaza, while the poverty rate could double.

World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza Kanthan Shankar praised the strict lockdown that ended last week, and helped prevent a major virus outbreak in the occupied Palestinian territories. The World Bank official warned that structural problems such as an already low growth rate and regional tensions could slow the economic recovery. 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic in its third month, the crisis is affecting Palestinian lives and livelihoods. The Palestinian Authority has acted early and decisively to save lives,” Shankar said in a June 1 press release.

“However, several years of declining donor support and the limited economic instruments available have turned the ability of the government to protect livelihoods into a monumental task. Hence, external support will be critical to help grow the economy during this unprecedented period,” he warned. 

The World Bank is also predicting a dramatic increase in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) government debt from $800 million in 2019 to over $1.5 billion in 2020 off the back of  substantial increases in public health and social security spending, and declining revenues and donor funds. 

Developing the digital economy is one way the World Bank suggests the West Bank and Gaza could accelerate their recovery from COVID-19 and overcome the movement restrictions on people and goods that hamper Palestine’s development. A major obstacle however, is the lack of infrastructure to build a digital future for Palestine with the West Bank still operating on 3G and Gaza 2G while much of the Middle East is rolling out 4G or 5G.  

“The digital economy can overcome geographic obstacles, foster economic growth and create better job opportunities for Palestinians. With its tech-savvy young population, the potential is huge. However, Palestinians should be able to access resources similar to those of their neighbors’, and they should be able to rapidly develop their digital infrastructure as well,” Shankar added.

The report will be considered by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) on June 2. The AHLC is chaired by Norway, co-sponsored by the US and EU, and seeks to promote dialogue between donors, the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli government.

Read also: Church of the Nativity Reopens, Boosting Spirits, Palestine’s Tourism