Aung San Suu Kyi's imprisonment Location Unknown

 

The military dictatorship announced that Aung San Suu Kyi was relocated. Suu Kyi was in  prison, but was moved to the status of being under house arrest. Her location has not been made public.  The justification was that a heatwave could threaten the health of elderly prisoners. While it is dubious the military regime is concerned about human rights, other factors were considered. If Aung San Suu Kyi were to get ill the regime would be blamed. The condition of the prison and the medical staff are not documented. Reports of Aung San Suu Kyi's health suggest she is suffering from a number of conditions. What little information has been released is that she was dealing with  vomiting, dizziness, and possible gum disease. The 78 year old politician and activist has been denied medical treatment. If Aung San Suu Kyi dies in detention, the military will have made a martyr. This will only cause resistance to grow against the regime. The civil war the Myanmar is facing could intensify. Based on her current prison sentence, Suu Kyi's prison sentence is 27 years, when means that she would be more than 100 years old when released. The junta intends to have her perish in detention. The other possible plan is to keep her imprisoned until her political influence wanes. Aung San Suu Kyi is not the only one imprisoned. Citizens and political figures are being incarcerated for rejecting the military dictatorship. Aung San Suu Kyi's treatment reveals that Myanmar is transforming into an authoritarian police state. 

O.J. Simpson Verdict (1995)

 

The O.J. Simpson trial captivated the American public. Media sensationalism prior and after the trial reached fanatic heights. O.J. Simpson was accused of the murder of Nicole Brown. His second wife was a victim of domestic violence. The athlete, actor, and sports broadcaster became infamous with the trial. This highlighted racial divisions in the United States. The Los Angeles Police Department's racism interfered with the murder case. That was used to discredit the prosecution. The media's racism depicted O.J. as an animal, who terrorized an innocent white woman. This racist trope was common in Reconstruction era America, but got a late 20th century update. So much focus on Nicole Brown, the media seemed to forget that Ron Goldman was murdered. The prosecution could not prove that O.J. Simpson murdered them and he was found not guilty. While most could deduce that O.J. was the culprit, the arguments were not persuasive enough to convince a jury. The verdict in many ways was vengeance for the Rodney King incident in 1992. King was beaten by a group of police officers and they were not charged. Criminal justice in America has either been biased or used to impose a racial caste system. The O.J. Simpson verdict demonstrated the favoritism that the famous and powerful get in a court of law. White rage about the verdict was a projection of racial animosity, rather than a concern about criminal justice. America lives in the illusion of a fair legal system. The O.J. Simpson trial will remain of interest to scholars of  jurisprudence and criminology.    

Iran Strikes Israel

 

When Israel attacked the Iranian embassy in Syria, this induced a military strike. Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel. The fear is that a wider regional war will take place. Israel's war on Gaza has generated much anger in the Middle East. To a degree Israel was in a state of war with Iran since the early 2000s. Israel has assassinated a number of Iranians. The targets tend to be scientists and generals. The most recent assassination was of General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. A possible Israel-Iran War would certainly draw in major world powers. If left unchecked the US-EU bloc would come to Israel's aid to oppose Iran. That would trigger a response from Russia and China. The trepidation present in foreign policy circles is a third World War. Conditions at the moment are not so dire that mass global conflict could occur. If support for Israel's expansion continues it will make a global war possible. The strike by Iran did not devastate Israel. What it did was to show that Israel is not invincible. Israel is at war with Syria, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, Hamas, and Iran. Israel's disregard for civilian life can no longer be hidden. The attack of the Iranian consulate in Damascus left 13 people dead. Iran's military strike was designed to be an act of retaliation. Israel has been doing drone strikes and raid on Iran since 2018. Iran has not attacked Israel on its own soil. Asymmetric warfare through Lebanon and Syria was a method of fight a powerful IDF.As long as the conflict continues in Gaza, Israel will be come isolated. Zionism and Islamism are dividing West Asia. Both Iran and Israel are theocratic states. Israel just has the structures of liberal democracy, but in practice has morphed into an ethnostate. Israel wants to eliminate Iran to remove a regional competitor. This explains why Israel does not want to see Iran with nuclear weapons. Israel would not enjoy being the most powerful country in West Asia. Overtime, Iran will do more strikes in response to Israeli aggression.     

Zimbabwe's New Currency

 

Zimbabwe has introduced a new currency. The Zimbabwe Gold was introduced on April 5th. The motivation is to stop inflation and move away from the US dollar. This also is a way to circumvent sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States of America. Zimbabwe's condition would improve if there were no attempts at economic warfare. The ZiG as it is known was not the first attempt at a new currency. Six attempts have been made since 2008. The gold currency might have a better chance of survival. Gold is still valuable and having a currency backed by it could  generate trust in the public. The majority of transactions continue to be done in US dollars. The difference now is that Zimbabwe according to its central bank has 2,1 tons of gold. Zimbabwe also contains diamonds. Natural resources are the key to economic stability and development. Getting membership to the New Development Bank could provide further solutions to economic challenges. Further changes have to be made if the multi-currency system is to be discarded. The 2019 ban on foreign currencies as legal tender was designed to challenge foreign influence in Zimbabwe's economic policy. Global market inflation forced Zimbabwe to reverse the policy in 2022. Zimbabwe has been under US sanctions since 2003. The European Council has renewed restrictive measures against Zimbabwe. the claim is that it is a mere arms embargo, but most EU countries do not want to do business with Zimbabwe. The direct development cooperation ceased and that directly effects the people of Zimbabwe. When a country is blacklisted by sanctions this makes other countries hesitant to invest. They fear retaliation from other powers. The world is gradually moving into an era of de-dollarization and Zimbabwe sees this as an opportunity. If the Zimbabwe Gold is successful other African nations might try to replicate a similar economy policy. 

The Attempts To Ban Tik Tok

 

Governments are attempting to ban Tik Tok . The popular social media platform has been accused of disinformation and being a national security risk. These claims are being made based on anti-China sentiment. A number of countries are attempting to ban the application based on a xenophobic nationalism. The European Union has made a ban on Tik Tok to apply to staff devices. This applies to the European Parliament, European Commission, and and EU Council. The measure is unnecessary considering the only application that should be used in offices are for work , not entertainment. France, Canada, Belgium, Pakistan, Nepal, and Australia have adopted similar policies. The US motivation for the ban is because it does not want Chinese competition in the technology sector and wants censorship. Video sharing applications expose concerns that are not discussed by the mainstream media or government. While it is used mostly for frivolous purposes, videos show abuses. Israel's human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza have been exposed on various platforms. The Tik Tok ban is a test to introduce censorship on multiple platforms. The public would never accept this, so false justifications are made. Disinformation, preventing public disturbance, and national security are the common arguments. Intelligence agencies and law enforcement have a good amount of resources to deal with matters of espionage. This is not about protect, rather undermining press and free speech. Afghanistan also imposed a ban on Tik Tok on the basis it was protecting the youth. Governments both authoritarian and democratic want to prevent the public from having independent thought. More social media platforms and video sharing sites could be a target of censorship.     

Niger Seeks To Remove Foreign Military Bases

 

Niger is taking a different path in regards to its foreign and domestic policy. The military government wants to remove foreign military bases from the country.  The government has ordered the US and France to move its soldiers out of the country. France was the main country that has maintained influence in Niger since its independence in 1960. France maintained an estimated 1,500 troops in Niger. The United States of America has a total 1,100. This means that 2,600 foreign soldiers are active in Niger. Italy and the European Union have a smaller force in the Sahel nation. the justification for this is to provide support to Niger fighting terrorist organizations active in the region. The European presence is not reducing terrorism, rather it escalates violence. The ineffective methods of drones and targeted bombings extends warfare. Africa does not need assistance fighting wars. African nations have experience fighting insurgencies, civil wars, and insurrections. Algeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad,  Nigeria, Burundi, and Rwanda have fought conflicts like this. Uganda overtime was able to limit the Lord's Resistance Army's ability to conduct military operations. It remains unknown what military leader Abdourahamane Tchiani will do to remove terrorist organizations or deal with the fallout from destabilization in North Africa. Either the military  junta will seek an anti-neocolonial position or be another authoritarian regime. The military dictatorships of the past were products of Cold War foreign policy. Support for them was as a means of France and the UK to maintain control of their former colonies. Niger is undergoing a major foreign policy shift away from France and the US.   

Togo Prepares To Get A New Constitution

 

Togo is set to get another constitution. The 1992 constitution has been in place with revisions made in 2007. The controversy about a new constitution is that it might expand the powers of the presidency. It also empowers the parliament to elect the president directly. The political opposition claims this is an attempt to extend President Faure Gnassingbe's rule. Many African heads of state have used new constitutions to either extend term limits or abolish them completely. Lawmakers in Togo passed this measure and President Gnassingbe will give approval to it. What the government looks like is one in transition to a parliamentary system . That would mean Faure Gnassingbe would be more of a prime minister. The actual motivation is to make him president for life. The term limits are extended to six years. Under these conditions, Gnassingbe would be in power to 2031. His father passed away in office and Faure will not simply retire from Togolese politics. Modern dynasties are found in Syria, North Korea, Azerbaijan, and formerly Gabon. These governments are not hereditary monarchies, but the office of head of state is inherited. The Bongos of Gabon fell because the population could no longer tolerate their rule. Ultimately, it was the military that ended their regime. President Faure Gnassingbe was cognizant of the possible desire to have is administration removed. Under the new constitution it would allow him to undermine opposition and further expand the powers of the executive branch. As long as the Union for the Republic Party has most of the seats in the National Assembly, the president will have no serious threat. Togo with the new constitution indirectly encourages rule of decree.