Author

Elizabeth Onibokun

Africa Asia China Economics Featured Globalization The International Economy

Jamaica and China: Finding The Balance

Introduction

China’s rising influence around the world has been a subject of concern, particularly for the United States, who continue to fear China’s spreading power over different regions around the world. China’s extensive presence on the continent of Africa is proof of this but in recent years their neocolonialism has slowly made its way to the Caribbean, specifically in Jamaica. Neocolonialism refers to the use of economic and cultural forces in order to exert control over an independent country that used to be a colony. The “neo” in neocolonialism is key due to the fact that it highlights that even in a post-colonial world there are still processes in place that perpetuate these older colonial systems. Unfortunately, in our world, older does not equate to defunct but rather, colonialism has managed to remodel itself into a different form which is extremely insidious and subtle. Instead of using methods like imposing direct military control, neocolonialism utilizes economics as its main source of power. In Jamaica, it is paramount that they try to find a secure balance while being in the midst of a great power struggle between the United States and China.

Belt and Road Initiative

In 2019, Jamaica joined China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which is a focal point of the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign policy. It’s a massive global undertaking which pledges investments aimed at developing infrastructure in countries around the world. The BRI has many Western opponents, with countries like the United States, Australia, and Japan forming a counter project which has a similar global infrastructure strategy called the Blue Dot Network. One of the main criticisms of the Belt and Road Initiative is its direct path to “debt-trap diplomacy”. It’s a recently coined term that has been fervently denied by the Chinese but refers to a powerful country purposefully seeking to entrap a borrowing country in debt so they can exert their will over them. It goes hand-in-hand with neocolonialism and unfortunately some critics have claimed that this phenomenon has been seen in major institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF.

Despite Western hesitance, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, was a strong proponent for the BRI and believed it to be the perfect step forward for Jamaica. “Such connectivity and the potential it holds can serve as a catalyst for bringing Jamaica closer to [the] attainment of our economic growth and sustainable development goals,” Johnson Smith observed. Jamaica was the tenth country in the Caribbean to join the Belt and Road Initiative following the likes of Trinidad, Suriname, Guyana, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. The amount of Caribbean countries who are signing on to the BRI is a worrying trend for the United States, in large part due to the proximity of the Caribbean to the US. The strategic location of many Caribbean countries seems to be one of the major reasons why China has chosen to invest in the region. Frankly, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between the Cold War of the 20th century and the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. In response to encroachment by the USSR in the Caribbean (which was extremely geopolitically important even then), President Ronald Reagan and his administration launched the Caribbean Basin Initiative in 1983 which opened up US markets to Caribbean markets and provided several trade benefits. It was deemed successful and stimulated the economy of many Caribbean countries. The Hill states that “with an average annual GDP growth of 4 percent per year, development in the Caribbean has significantly outpaced the rest of Latin America since 2002.” Now, nearly 40 years later, China aims to do what the United States managed to accomplish in the 1980’s.

Jamaica at the Center

Jamaica has received more loans from the Chinese government than any other Caribbean nation. Since 2005, the amount has amassed to about $2.1 billion dollars. Jamaica has also received direct investments from China which has accrued more than $3 million into bauxite mining projects and sugar production. Perhaps in a bid to avoid “debt-trap diplomacy” Jamaica has announced that it would stop negotiating new loans from China but that doesn’t mean they’ll end their relationship with them.

This decision to hold on borrowing from China is novel to many countries China has been funneling money into. According to Jevon Minto, a China-Latin American scholar from The Inter American Dialogue, many African countries should follow in their footsteps. The primary motivation for the Jamaican government to freeze on borrowing is so that they can reduce the level of debt the government owes China. It appears to be largely strategic and places Jamaica at the forefront. Unwilling to be threatened by warnings from Washington about Chinese influence, the Jamaican government has made it clear they know exactly what they are doing and the relationships they are intentionally cultivating. After all, the decision to hold on to any new loans was announced in conjunction with several bilateral agreements made between Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. This signifies that this new Jamaican approach is not made because of any malice or repudiation towards the Chinese but rather an interest in changing the nature of the relationship into something more progressive. Minto states that, “Instead of borrowing new loans every year, the government is working with Chinese policy banks to fund multi-year infrastructure projects.” It’s remarkable how much of a consensus there is within the Jamaican government about developing relations with China and not succumbing to the wishes of the United States. High-ranking officials like PM Holness, the aforementioned Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith and the Jamaican Labour Party as a whole are all in agreement about exercising the sovereignty they have. Even Jamaica’s former ambassador to the US, Richard Bernal, said he is cautiously optimistic about Jamaica’s involvement with the Belt and Road Initiative. Jevan Minto said it best, “When you’re a middle-income country like Jamaica, with so many domestic challenges yet you are not getting access to concessional finances, at 2-3% interest rates as provided by Chinese banks, you find that Washington warnings are scoffed at.”

China is also employing “mask diplomacy” which refers to personal protective equipment (PPE) that China has sent to many countries around the world, especially during the onset of the pandemic when obtaining PPE was extremely difficult. In July 2020, the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi pledged to extend $1 billion in vaccines to both the Caribbean and Latin America. Whether this was an act of goodwill on the part of China or another attempt to extend their influence, there is no denying that many will be aided by this.

The current Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, leader of the Jamaica Labour party, managed to establish a strategic framework for an economic partnership with China during a nine day visit in Beijing and Shanghai in November 2019. Here, we can observe how Jamaica is working to reverse the trend of overexploited countries being taken advantage of. Through these meetings, PM Holness was able to lay the groundwork for educational support from China in technology training and building a school’s infrastructure. Also, climate action was another important item on the agenda. China sharing their technology on renewable energy, water security, and environmental management systems would largely help Jamaica advance in the technological realm and establish themselves as political actors within their own right. There have been some criticisms, primarily from local Jamaicans, on how this partnership is playing out. Even with the new construction of highways, most of them remain largely empty. The North South highway was constructed in 2016 and was one of the first major projects completed in Jamaica by a Chinese state-owned company. With the highway comes a pricey toll which makes it extremely inconvenient for daily use. Another problem that has been brought up is the loss of job opportunities for those in industries on the small island nation. Many of the construction projects that have been funded by the Chinese employ a limited number of residents which has been a significant hit against many Jamaican construction industries who have been suffering against the new competition. “The Chinese do not engage Jamaican engineers and Jamaican management on the construction job, they only engage labour,” said Carvel Stewart, a civil engineer and former president of the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica. One of the main selling points of aid from China was the supposed boost to the economy. And yet, many locals are complaining about their sharp decrease in profits and jobs which runs counter to what was supposed to be prosperity and more wealth.

Why Jamaica?

If China has a presence in the entire Caribbean, then why is there a focus on Jamaica? There are a couple of reasons. Part of the motivation behind the BRI is China’s need for natural resources. Bauxite is a sedimentary rock that is common in tropical regions. It is the world’s main source of aluminum and bauxite mining happens to be the second largest industry in Jamaica. The hunt for natural resources isn’t a new thing and is commonly associated with colonialism and exploitation. A previously closed mining facility for bauxite had been closed in Jamaica since 2009 but was purchased in 2016 by the Chinese state-owned Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO). Along with it came environmental concerns from locals because dust from bauxite mining can poison drinking water and cause damage to internal organs. JISCO eventually chose to close the mines but they plan to only do so for two years which is quite concerning. Former ambassador to the US, Richard Bernal made sure to highlight that “the residue from bauxite plants have been here since they were established 50 years ago by Canadians and American firms.” Unfortunately, this is yet another harmful colonial legacy.

Location is another important factor in China’s close ties with Jamaica. Not only is Jamaica in close proximity to the United States but it is not too far off from the Panama Canal. The Canal’s shipping importance is extremely key for trade in both the Americas and Asia. Being able to have a base close to such a significant route is highly strategic and China has already attempted to establish a presence. There were originally plans to build a port off of Goat Island (which is off the coast of Jamaica and directly above Panama) where state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company would have led the project. However, building the port would have meant that the island would have to be both levelled and dredged, leaving residents more vulnerable to hurricanes which can be quite destructive in the area. The project was eventually cancelled after mobilization and research from the Conservation Strategy Fund was submitted to the Jamaican government. Let’s hope that the decision sticks.

Conclusion

The relationship between Jamaica and China is a delicate situation because on the one hand you have a country that wants to advance and cement themselves on equal footing with other nations in the world. This is hard to do without aid of some type, and most developed nations in this world would not have flourished without help. The Marshall Plan was a US effort to grant billions of dollars of aid to Western Europe in the disastrous aftermath of WWII and it was immensely successful in building up their economy. If the US is unwilling to do that for Caribbean nations, namely Jamaica, where else are they to turn if they require a boost but China? A country that is projected to become the largest economy in the world. On the other hand however, neocolonialism is just as serious a problem as its predecessor. Just because it evades harsher tactics used in centuries preceding it, does not mean it carries less harm. Trying to slyly entrap former colonies under rule by way of economic means is a harsh cycle that will continue to allow for the subjugation and quelling of their own national agendas. This is not to single out the Chinese and paint them as the villain, but rather meant to highlight that this is the same formula with different actors. How many times throughout history have we seen powerful states using any means necessary to quash the opposition in order to stay on top? My primary concern is the locals who reside on such a diverse and rich land and who are in danger of becoming game pieces on the chessboard of great power competition. My hope is that Jamaica and other countries in the Caribbean continue to make choices that are best for them and cultivate the right relationships that will bring them success and security.

June 8, 2021 0 comment

Internet Interview Racism Society and Culture Technology

UN Special Rapporteur Tendayi Achiume on Racial Discrimination in Emerging Digital Technologies: Annabelle Werner and Elizabeth Onibokun

written by Elizabeth Onibokun

E. Tendayi Achiume is a Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at University of California, Los Angeles. She serves as the United Nations special rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

As we enter into the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned just how much of our society can be conducted in virtual landscapes. We keep up with our friends through endless scrolling on international social media platforms, we coordinate “zoom” calls with our colleagues across different time zones, and our children log into their classrooms from behind a screen: our virtual society is essentially intrinsic to our physical one. Yet, one could argue that the relationship between society and digital technology has always been heavily intertwined since the latter’s development, and in fact, the societal problems we see in our physical world are also manifested in and perpetuated by our online one.

In our interview with UN Special Rapeturer Tendayi Achiume, we were able to discuss such relationships between societal inequality and technology in covered in her 2020 thematic report on “Racial discrimination and emerging digital technologies: a human rights analysis”. Ultimately, we learned how different forms of racial discriminination appear “in the design and use of ‘‘ digital tools. In our brief interview, we not only gained an appreciation of the urgency and timeliness of Professor Achiume’s findings, but also began to understand the gravity of our virtual situation: not even our most advanced, “objective”, digital inventions can overcome historical legacies of social injustice.

Definitions and Examples of Techno-chauvinism and Technological Determinism

When discussing how societal problems are manifested in technology, Professor Achiume argues that we must be cognizant of the ills of techno-chauvinism. Techno-chauvinism is the idea that technology is the solution to everything, when in reality, some forms of digital technology can create more (or simply different) problems than before. If we make presumptions that technology will blanketly fix the issues that we cannot, Achiume claims that we will fail to critically investigate the ways that technology “reproduces human biases and perpetuates structural inequalities”. After all, the structures, designs, and functions of social media platforms and AI algorithms are shaped by the beliefs of those who create them.

The UN special rapporteur found that emerging digital technologies can directly perpetuate racial discrimintion. In the report, she discusses “digital redlining”, or “the creation and maintenance of technology practices that further entrench discriminatory practices against already marginalized groups’”. In Section III B 32, Achiume describes how Facebook used to have a function that would allow one to “narrow audiences” by providing the ability to filter Facebook users by “ethnic affinities” under a demographics category of its ad-targeting tool. Facebook by itself controls about a quarter of the market share for digital advertisements in the U.S., so this tool had a significant impact and resulted in the prevention of Black people from viewing housing advertisements. If we were to accept principles of techno-chauvinism and assume that technological tools will be ubiquitously advantageous, we would fail to see how problems of racial bias were created by this new tool. Techno-chauvinism shields digitals tools from critique and blinds us from seeing how racial discrimiantion can be ingrained in the structures of our social, political, and economic interactions online, including how these virtual inequalities can be actualized into very real harm in our physical lives.

It is also important to discuss the spaces in which these global networks are created. Digital technologies and social media platforms are mainly produced in a few, concentrated environments in the Global North, which directly or indirectly affect the product. Sillicon Valley, for example, is experiencing what has been called a “diversity crisis” and has had “a history of problems of discrimination, exclusion, and sexual harassment”. These findings prompt the question: Who is creating AI technology? And who is it being created for?

In an investigation of the effects of this lack of diversity, Achiume includes a 2019 study that reviewed 99 developers from around the world. It found that, “‘many of these algorithms were 10 to 100 times more likely to inaccurately identify a photograph of a black or East Asian face, compared with a white one. In searching a database to find a given face, most of them picked incorrect images among black women at significantly higher rates than they did among other demographics’”.

We can see how even the seemingly “neutral” AI systems are shaped by the lack of representation in the environments that they are created. The inequalities at various intersections of our social identities, such as race and gender, are then present in the technologies we produce. Thus, we cannot simply code away racial bias because technology can never be a completely “neutral” instrument: it is ultimately influenced by what it’s creators perceive, or rather, what they do not perceive. In fact, this problematic assumption that technology is objectively neutral, is codified in the term “technological determinism”.

Technological determinism, defined and discussed by Achiume, is the assumption that technology is somehow isolated and not influenced by social, political, or economic structures. This perspective is false. Our digital landscapes determine “everyday outcomes in employment, education, health care and criminal justice”, and will continue to facilitate harm unless we are able to isolate how society’s injustice manifests itself in our digital tools; a process that is only possible through the rejection of technological determinism.

Limitations of “Colorblindness”

The term “colorblind” is sprinkled liberally throughout texts, articles, and journals and while it traditionally had a positive connotation, Professor Achiume cautions against its use. She highlights the insidious effects of “colorblindness,” particularly when dealing with a world increasingly defined by technology and its perceived objectiveness. Achiume recognizes the fact that the idea of a colorblind world seems appealing. Who wouldn’t want to live in a world where a person is not judged by something as inconsequential as skin color?

But, the sad fact is that, “we live in a society which has been constructed on a racial basis.” Approaching issues such as racial discrimination in technology and AI programs without acknowledging the inherit systemic obstacles in this world does no one any favors. Achiume brings up the current COVID-19 pandemic and how black and brown communities have been disproportionately affected, in part, due to factors such as exclusion from healthcare systems and the overrepresentation of people of color in the social services. By stating that “the colorblind approach is not enough” she is calling for approaches that examine the racial and ethnic impact of policymaking that appear to be neutral. She asserts that it should not be about a blindness to difference but rather an engagement with how differences makes certain communities more vulnerable to exploitation, discrimination, and exclusion. In fact, she insightfully states that we don’t yet live in a world where taking a colorblind approach can lead us to justice but that it often sustains systems of injustice.

Importance of Public Awareness

To further expand on this theme of objectivity, Achiume coined the brilliant term “the veneer of neutrality” and this applies especially to the current design and use of emerging digital technologies. There is the widely-held belief that technology is completely impartial but it is in everyone’s best interests to shed these notions. There are people behind the creation of these programs who, whether consciously or subconsciously, perpetuate harmful stereotypes or prejudices.

One of the most terrifying manifestations of this is predictive policing, a phenomena seen around the world and contributes directly to over-policing of black and brown communities. Achiume highlights the transnational nature of these programs and that is not an issue seen only in the United States. For example, in the United Kingdom there is a predictive policing database intended to create profiles of those most likely to commit crime. A staggering number of 78% of black youth is represented despite the fact that when looking at the actual rates of violence, black youth are implicated only 20% of the time. She insists that one of the most urgent courses of action is public awareness, especially in terms of surveillance and predictive policing that exists around the world.

Even in Los Angeles, where many of us call home, the extent to which police surveillance exists is incredibly high. Professor Achiume spotlights the coalition Stop LAPD Spying whose name perfectly reflects their mission statement. They work hard to release reports that reflect the high levels of racialized surveillance of the LA Police Department. The large gap of awareness in the public is a huge wall to climb and Achiume believes this is why the devastating murder of George Floyd ignited the world in the way it did. Public awareness is truly the first step towards seeing action and one of the goals of her report is to raise the all-important point that this issue needs to be on national agendas. In a perfectly worded conclusion she declares that “you don’t get change if you have societies that are unaware of the depth and the nature of a problem. These new forms of surveillance disproportionately affect black and brown communities, whom are more subject to over-policing and discrimination than their white counterparts which is reflected in the makeup of prison populations that unfairly represent minorities to an absurd degree. Relating back to Professor Achiume, the LAPD’s police surveillance tactics are said to be completely objective but as discussed with the aforementioned veneer of neutrality, technology can never be truly “neutral”. Hence the need for caution, awareness, and action.

Reflection

As the world continues to grow more globalized, criticizing the unintended consequences of emerging technology can lead to the implementation of systems that are actually effective and useful. We must recognize how the location of the center of development for digital technologies in the Global North has resulted in both direct and indirect perpetuations of racial bias on the design and use of the tools produced. Unabated trust in our new virtual world, with no caution to how it could reflect racial bias in our physical one, will simply perpetuate such harm.

Dismantling principles such as techno-chauvinism, technological determinism, and colorblindness will help us understand how these tools discriminate along racial and gendered lines, such as heightened surveillance of certain communities. The growth of technology can be a wonderful thing but it also has the potential to be incredibly dangerous. In an increasingly interconnected world, nothing is truly as isolated as it seems. An innovation in Silicon Valley can have reverberations throughout the world. It is best that with the knowledge provided we work hard to create digital technologies that don’t perpetuate the problems and prejudices we face in the real world.

March 11, 2021 0 comment

Africa Human Rights Print Article

Tunisia: Influencer of Change

written by Elizabeth Onibokun

Inspired by the attempted January 6th insurrection in Washington, D.C., “Changing of the Guard” is a series of reflections on transitions of power — the peaceful, the violent, and the era-defining.

Tunisia has managed to establish itself with impressive feats such as being the only country in North Africa labelled as “Free” by Freedom House and one of the only Arab countries to be regarded as democratic by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index. It is also the country that largely influenced the 2011 Arab Uprisings which swept through the Arab world and caused large-scale protests and demonstrations in countries such as Syria, Egypt, and Yemen. In Tunisia’s case, they were able to gain democratic freedoms the people had fought hard for but unfortunately the same had not happened for other countries that had followed their example. That being said, Tunisia’s history is one largely characterized by rapid transitions of power and coups. The big question is whether Tunisia has moved on from these instabilities or is there risk of future instability in the region? Were the rights gained in the Tunisian Revolution truly worth it or is there another political leader on the horizon just waiting for the right moment to strike?

Habib Bourguiba: The Revolutionary

The first major transition of power occurred in 20th century Tunisia with Habib Bourguiba who was one of the most central figures in shaping Tunisia into what it is today. Bourguiba started from humble beginnings and by his thirties was largely involved in the anti-colonial movement that was rapidly gaining traction. He went on to co-found the Neo Destour Party which ended up leading the Tunisian Independence Movement. After decades of struggle, Tunisia finally gained its independence from France in 1956 with Bourguiba appointed Prime Minister by King Muhammad VIII al-Amin. The freedom of shedding a colonial identity can never be overstated. It seems counterintuitive to have to fight for independence seeing as freedom should be a given. Unfortunately, the history of this world has proven this to be false and so the decolonization that swept through African countries during the 50s and 60s is truly a triumphant shift in power.

The same day that the Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy, Tunisia was declared a republic. Bourguiba would go on to become the first president of Tunisia’s history. He would go on to have a 30-year reign and even boldly declared in 1975 that he would be “president for life”. It would take a bloodless coup in 1987 to oust him from power and this was carried out largely because of the fear that Bourguiba was no longer acting rationally. However, in his prolonged time in office Bourguiba carried out many reforms that are largely why Tunisia is seen as so democratic today. His contributions to women’s rights are especially noteworthy. His passage of the Code of Personal Status (CPS) represented his commitment towards codifying necessary rights for women such as legalizing divorce and abolishing child marriage. It isn’t a perfect document and there are still issues of gender equality that need to be addressed such as unequal inheritance laws between men and women. These reforms are accurately held as incredibly influential and demonstrated Bourguiba’s willingness to move towards greater equality between men and women. He was seen as a revolutionary for his relentless pursuit of independence and his commitment towards making laws aimed at modernizing Tunisia. The contradiction is clear, his democratic reforms were lauded for being ahead of its time but he was still an authoritarian ruler who didn’t believe his people were ready for political pluralism and ensured that Neo Destour would be the only legally permitted party in 1963. His successor Ben Ali would represent yet another transition in power in Tunisia’s history.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali: Deposed by the People

In the bloodless coup in 1987, Habib Bourguiba was replaced by his recently appointed prime minister Ben Ali, who invoked Article 57 of the Tunisian constitution in order to gain power. Ali listed Boruguiba’s failing health as an inability to effectively lead and take control. Ali stated his intent to be more democratic than Bourguiba but by 1989 it soon became clear that this wouldn’t be the case. After all, power and influence are two very potent and dangerous drugs. During his 23-year reign, the press was subjected to harsh censorship, political opponents were largely disenfranchised, and Ali continued to win elections with improbable amounts of votes. There were other major issues in the country such as large amounts of unemployment which greatly angered people who felt ignored and unsupported. Furthermore, not only was freedom of the press largely restricted but there was little to no freedom of speech. All of these came to a head in 2011 when massive protests demanded Ben Ali’s immediate resignation. These protests were greatly fomented by the 2010 self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi which gained international renown. It is hard to imagine the level of repression Bouazizi and others like him faced which drove him to set himself on fire. His actions are credited with being the catalyst for the 2011 Tunisian Revolution (also called the Jasmine Revolution) which in turn influenced the Arab Uprisings. The widespread protests in Tunisia ultimately succeeded in overthrowing Ben Ali. Ousting Ben Ali meant that Tunisia could begin a transition to a truly democractic form of governance uninhibited by an autocrat. In the aftermath of the Jasmine Revolution, Tunisia was able to host free multiparty parliamentary elections. A presidential election then followed where Moncef Marzouki (a former dissident) was elected. To this day Tunisia is categorized as a democratic republic and the revolution was able to grant citizens civil liberties such as greater freedom of speech. In countries like Yemen and Syria, intense civil conflict erupted as a result of the Arab Uprisings but Tunisia largely emerged stable. With new political liberties granted to citizens, many saw Tunisia as one of the few success stories of the Arab Uprisings. For once a transition of power was demanded by the masses and achieved. And unlike countries like Yemen and Syria which erupted into civil war, Tunisia did not experience such a phenomenon. However, 10 years later, there are now those who wonder if it was even worth it in the first place.

Looking Forward

“The only positive thing we got out of the revolution was the freedom to say anything we wanted…Maybe we understood freedom wrong, because we’ve made no progress in the last 10 years,” said Ayman Fahri, 24, to the New York Times, a trade student who said he wanted to leave Tunis, maybe for Turkey, because of the lack of opportunities at home. A lot of the problems faced by the country which led to the protests in the first place, such as unemployment, are still an issue today. There is also deadlock in the parliament which stems from wealthy elites facing off against each other. This has rightfully caused tremendous frustration amongst the people which has also translated into lower voter turnout (from a high of 68 percent in the 2014 parliamentary elections to 42 percent in 2019). While there is a shared sentiment that the freedom of speech gained from the revolution is invaluable there is still great disillusionment across Tunisia that all the fight was for nought. Since January 2021 there has also been a rise in protests and riots in the country by young people and civil society groups who are highly dissatisfied with the current situation. Citing reasons such as police brutality, corruption, and severe problems as a result of the pandemic, many have taken to the streets to protest the government and their ineptitude in solving these major issues. Unless major and radical change occurs it is hard to envision a peaceful resolution for these protests where over 1,400 people have already been arrested and countless more are willing to risk their lives to fight for what’s right. This is a precarious situation and one that can be easily taken advantage of.

A figure that has grown in prominence and distinction in recent years is Abir Moussi, a former official of Ben Ali’s party. Moussi represents a populist, anti-revolution movement that continues to gain more and more popularity. While she denies any accusations that she is in a bid to gain power, it is wise to approach these words with great caution. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time in the country’s history that a charismatic leader has managed to gain vast amounts of support and gain power. At this point, one can wonder why a country who fought so hard to escape authoritarianism would fall back into it but it’s important to recognize that in other areas of the world, authoritarian regimes are not always seen as bad. It is a very Western-oriented frame of mind to believe that democracies are what should always be instated. If a regime manages to offer stability, prosperity, and security to its citizens then what more could someone ask for. Human rights abuses are commonly touted as a reason why authoritarian regimes should not be allowed full reign and I completely agree with this argument. This is why moving forward, I hope Tunisia remains vigilant and works hard to ensure that leaders who wish to cause harm are not able to come to power. Tunisia has proven time and time again that it is not to be underestimated. It is truly an influencer of change and with luck, it will manage to find a way to ensure stability and bring reprieve to its citizens.

March 10, 2021 0 comment

China Geopolitics Human Rights National Security Religion Terrorism

Uighurs In China: Suffering in Silence?

written by Elizabeth Onibokun

One of the foremost philosophical questions asked in many history and political science classes seems to be, “If you were alive back then, what would you have done during the Holocaust?” It’s easy to pipe up and boldly declare how you would have fought back but in reality one can never truly know how they would act in that situation. However, when examining the devastating reality in Xinjiang, China, perhaps that question is no longer as “outdated” as one previously believed.

Uighur Persecution

The Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim Turkic minority ethnic group who reside in what is present-day Xinjiang, but many Uighurs still refer to it as East Turkmenistan, its original name before annexation by China in 1949. There are Uighur communities in neighboring regions such as Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan but a majority, numbering up to 11 million, reside in Xinjiang. As with most cases involving large-scale oppression and discrimination against a group, things escalated incrementally so as to eliminate the shock of such treatment over time. As early as 2011, Amnesty International released a report detailing the Chinese government’s “crackdown” on Uighur groups who revealed their suffering at the hands of the government after the unrest of protests carried out in the so-called autonomous region of Xinjiang. Some of these abuses included, “Hundreds of people [being] detained and prosecuted following the riots, with several dozen sentenced to death or executed and many of these sentenced to long prison terms.” In 2014, China continued with the suppression of Uighur communities and went so far as to ban Xinjiang government officials from fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer and reflection.

In explanation of these measures and the continued smothering of the Uighur community, the Chinese government points to the attacks carried out by Xinjiang separatist groups, incidents that include but are not limited to attacks on the police station and government offices in Yarkant, an Urumqi railway station, and most notably a car bursting its way into Tiananmen Square. While there is no excuse for terrorist attacks carried out by groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Chinese government specifically used a PR strategy of highlighting these attacks to excuse their disproportional actions against the Uighur community. The construction and continued operation of what China claims are “re-education camps” are closer to concentration camps.

~~“Re-Education”~~

The camps which reports show being used since 2017 are a grim reality which Uighurs are forced to face. The numbers of those detained vary based on the source, but it is at least 1 million, a number that requires a moment of thought and reflection as to the sheer amount of lives that have been forever changed. BBC reported that, “in 2017, President Xi Jinping issued a directive that “religions in China must be Chinese in orientation” and “adapt themselves to socialist society.” To this day, China denies that it is operating concentration camps and, when viewing things from a strategic standpoint, the government makes sure to draw parallels between Uighur separatist groups and al-Qaeda, surely wanting to appeal to the U.S’s continued War Against Terror. In fact, the controversial Guantanamo Bay at one time held 22 Uighur detainees at China’s urging despite there being no evidence of anti-American sentiment or participation in the 9/11 attacks. Testimonies of those who have managed to survive these camps reveal the fact that this is not about education but rather brainwashing, indoctrination, and punishment. With more than 85 identified camps and first hand accounts of those who suffered first hand it bears the question why hasn’t anything been done? Even more importantly, why is it still something many refuse to believe?

International Response

Despite the fact that the human rights abuses against the Uighur community had been mounting for years and the camps’ existence known from 2017, it wasn’t until July 2019 that a statement was released by 22 countries (with the United States as a notable exception) to the United Nations castigating China for their treatment of the Uighur population. Even more puzzling, merely four days after that statement, a staggering amount of 37 Muslim-majority countries released their own statement praising China for their “human rights achievements.” It’s frustrating that instead of coming out in support of their fellow Muslims in China, countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia chose to defend China but that just speaks to the power politics at play on an international scale. China is a large and powerful country and has cemented itself as a great power in this world. Their economic power is substantial and is the reason why they have so much influence, especially with the successful Belt Road Initiative. The BRI was a method for China to utilize trade infrastructure projects to strengthen relationships and invest in emerging markets. It was launched in 2013 and has many countries in the Middle East not only involved but indebted to China through the massive loans extended as part of the BRI initiative. Money continues to be a driving force in this world and is perhaps the main reason why many countries won’t speak out about China’s oppression of the Uighur people 一fear of harsh retribution.

Conclusion

When concerning huge global topics and relations between countries, it’s too easy to forget those on the ground who are personally affected by the ever-changing policies and nature of the world. In order to help Uighurs, we as people and we as a country are not helpless. Sanctions have always been an effective method of deterrence and a non-violent way of garnering an outcome. In order to rally public support against Uighur mass detentions, awareness is key. Continued education and spreading information helps battle the lies, knowledge is power, and through that we can extend a helping hand to Uighurs fighting for their freedom and lives. The time for philosophical questions and words are over, now is the time for action and taking that initiative.

November 12, 2020 0 comment