22 September 2018
Questions to the Prime Minister
The British Prime Minister answers oral questions put to her by
fellow Members of Parliament, and especially by the Leader of the
Opposition, once a week on Wednesdays. (Other members of the Government
answer questions put to them by other MPs -- and especially by the
members of the "shadow Cabinet" -- on other days of the week).
Historically, aspiring British politicians have been judged by other
MPs and by the public on how well they conduct themselves in the
give-and-take of "Question Time."
Jeremy Corbyn, the current Leader of the Opposition Labour Party, has eschewed what he describes as the "theatricality" of most exchanges during Question Time. Instead, Corbyn has often posed questions sent to him by members of the public. While Corbyn may have succeeded in raising the concerns of ordinary people in Parliamentary debate, British journalists and politicians alike have noted that Corbyn's approach to Question Time has allowed both Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, and former British Prime Minister David Cameron (also a Conservative), to escape unscathed from his questions.
Here's an example of a 2017 exchange between Corbyn and May:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5LAmpQxjcE
Jeremy Corbyn, the current Leader of the Opposition Labour Party, has eschewed what he describes as the "theatricality" of most exchanges during Question Time. Instead, Corbyn has often posed questions sent to him by members of the public. While Corbyn may have succeeded in raising the concerns of ordinary people in Parliamentary debate, British journalists and politicians alike have noted that Corbyn's approach to Question Time has allowed both Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, and former British Prime Minister David Cameron (also a Conservative), to escape unscathed from his questions.
Here's an example of a 2017 exchange between Corbyn and May:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5LAmpQxjcE
Mexico at the Crossroads
According to one supporter, the prospective inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as President of Mexico will constitute "a change of régime, not just of government." But will AMLO's presidency really effect such a radical departure from the flawed democratic political system and inegalitarian neo-liberal economy that Mexico has established over the past thirty years? The Economist predicts that, in office, López Obrador "will be economically moderate, socially bold and politically centralising -- but not necessarily democratic."
"Mexico’s New President Sets out to Change His Country’s Course." The Economist, 20 Sept. 2018, p. 30. https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/09/22/mexicos-new-president-sets-out-to-change-his-countrys-course. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
"Mexico’s New President Sets out to Change His Country’s Course." The Economist, 20 Sept. 2018, p. 30. https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/09/22/mexicos-new-president-sets-out-to-change-his-countrys-course. Accessed 22 Sept. 2018.
Deadly Terrorist Attack in Iran
Four gunmen opened fire today on a military parade in Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran, killing at least 25 people. Two terrorist groups claimed responsibility for the attack: Islamic State and Ahvaz National Resistance, a separatist organization. Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan, an Iranian province adjacent to Iraq; the region includes a variety of ethnic groups. Some Arabic-speaking Khuzestanis have long militated for independence.
The Iranian government blamed the United States, Israel, and American allies in the Persian Gulf for the attack:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45613866
The Iranian government blamed the United States, Israel, and American allies in the Persian Gulf for the attack:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45613866
16 September 2018
Hong Kong Moves to Ban Independence Party
The government of Hong Kong, apparently under pressure from Chinese government officials, is moving to ban a small political party that advocates independence from China. Such a move would violate the agreement the Chinese government made with the British government that restored the territory to Chinese sovereignty, as well as the commitments that the Chinese government made to the people of Hong Kong in 1997, when the territory returned to Chinese control. Hong Kong residents increasingly think of themselves as Hongkongers rather than as Chinese:
https://www.economist.com/china/2018/09/15/a-political-party-in-hong-kong-may-soon-make-history-by-being-banned
https://www.economist.com/china/2018/09/15/a-political-party-in-hong-kong-may-soon-make-history-by-being-banned
13 September 2018
One Day in the Life of Abdusalam Muhemet
The Chinese Government has detained as many as 1 million Uyghur residents in re-education camps in the country's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The purpose of the reeducation program is to end separatist agitation and religious extremism in the Uyghur population. However, the incarceration of a large portion of the Uyghur population, the persecution of Uyghurs who show any outward sign of devotion to Islam, the separation of young children from their parents, and the near-constant surveillance of Xinjiang's Uyghurs seems more likely to promote separatist agitation and terrorist activity than to reduce it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-detention-camp.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-detention-camp.html
08 September 2018
With Election Five Months Away, Nigeria's Presidential Campaign Begins in Earnest
Nigeria's next presidential election will be held in February; both houses of the National Assembly will be chosen in the same election. The incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, has announced that he intends to run for reelection. But Buhari, widely seen as vulnerable, is drawing challengers:
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/09/08/the-race-to-be-president-of-nigeria-has-begun
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/09/08/the-race-to-be-president-of-nigeria-has-begun
May Accuses Putin of Approving Nerve Agent Attack on Former Russian Intelligence Agent
The British government has named two GRU (Russian military intelligence) agents as responsible for the March 2018 attack on Sergei Skripal. Skripal, a former GRU agent living in Britain, and his daughter Yulia were nearly killed when a toxic nerve agent developed by the Soviet military was sprayed on the front door of their home in Salisbury, England. The device the killers used to transport the agent -- a perfume bottle -- was carelessly discarded and found later by a local couple, resulting in the death of a 44 year-old woman and the hospitalization of her partner and a police officer.
In a statement to the British House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May alleged that the attack on Skripal was "almost certainly approved ... at a senior level of the Russian state," an apparent reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin:
https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/09/06/britain-identifies-two-russians-as-suspects-in-the-skripal-poisoning
In a statement to the British House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May alleged that the attack on Skripal was "almost certainly approved ... at a senior level of the Russian state," an apparent reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin:
https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/09/06/britain-identifies-two-russians-as-suspects-in-the-skripal-poisoning
03 September 2018
The Growing Danger of a No-Deal Brexit
In July, the British Cabinet met at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country residence, and developed a proposal that the British government then made to the other current members of the European Union regarding Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the EU. The proposal drew criticism from the opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, who viewed it as unworkable, and from anti-EU hardliners within Prime Minister Theresa May's ruling Conservative Party, who claimed that the proposal gave too much away to the EU. Indeed, several members of the British Cabinet resigned their Cabinet posts because they could not support the proposal.
Yesterday, the EU's lead Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said publicly that he objects to key provisions of the proposal, contending that it represents an attempt by the British government to retain most of the benefits of EU membership without continuing to shoulder many of membership's costs:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45389610
While British and EU negotiators are continuing to meet, time is running short. Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019; this means that the terms of an agreement between Britain and the EU should be finalized by the end of October, to allow time for all 28 current EU members to ratify the agreement. There is, therefore, a growing possibility that Britain may leave the EU without any sort of agreement on its future trading relationship with the EU's remaining members. Most economists believe that the ensuing chaos would result in an economic downturn in Britain and in EU countries (such as Ireland) that are closely integrated economically with the UK; it would also reduce growth in EU countries, such as Germany, that export a lot of goods to Britain.
Yesterday, the EU's lead Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said publicly that he objects to key provisions of the proposal, contending that it represents an attempt by the British government to retain most of the benefits of EU membership without continuing to shoulder many of membership's costs:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45389610
While British and EU negotiators are continuing to meet, time is running short. Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019; this means that the terms of an agreement between Britain and the EU should be finalized by the end of October, to allow time for all 28 current EU members to ratify the agreement. There is, therefore, a growing possibility that Britain may leave the EU without any sort of agreement on its future trading relationship with the EU's remaining members. Most economists believe that the ensuing chaos would result in an economic downturn in Britain and in EU countries (such as Ireland) that are closely integrated economically with the UK; it would also reduce growth in EU countries, such as Germany, that export a lot of goods to Britain.
Faced with Economic Woes, Iran's Majles Impeaches Finance Minister and Censures President
Last week, Iran's Majles (parliament)
voted to censure President Hassan Rouhani after grilling him on television over the country’s economic problems. Two days earlier parliament sacked the finance minister. Iran is suffering from a collapsing currency and surging inflation, in part the result of America reimposing sanctions after pulling out of an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme earlier this year."Politics This Week." The Economist, 1 Sept. 2018, p. 7.
