Documentary: "The Crisis of Civilization"

Based on the 2010 book "A User's Guide on the Crisis of Civilization and How to Save It", from Nafeez Mossadeq Ahmed, this dark and instructive documentary attempts to explain the different problems happening at the same time in our world nowadays. 

As a starting point, Ahmed introduces two important figures in the international relations arena - Samuel Huntington and Francis Fukuyama. The first wrote, in 1990, "The Clash of Civilizations" and the latter, wrote in 1992, "The End of History and The Last Man". These two pieces of work have given different forecasts for the future in our society. Today, when we see the direction our world has taken, we see how Huntington's predictions were correct. 

But what went wrong? How did we get here? How can we revert this system?

Climate change, energy, food scarcity and security, free-market economy, terrorism and foreign policy are compromising our future. According to the author, traditional policy responses towards the escalation of these crisis have been inefficient and insufficient because they are largely viewed as separate process rather than an interconnected big bubble.

Terrorism: Why do We Have to Live With It?

Article published in Cafebabel

    Brussels is mourning the victims of the attacks.© Inês Araújo Reis

Brussels, the most recent target

"What we feared has happened,'' Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said at a press conference on Tuesday after the attacks in Brussels.

At 8h30 local hour, multiple explosions in the departure hall at the Zaventem Airport killed at least 10 people and injured over 100.  Later on in full rush hour at 9h, a strong blast in Maelbeek metro station, close to the EU institutions, killed at least 20 people and more than 100 were hurt.  The latest aftermath reports an updated death tool of 35 dead and over 250 wounded, some of them in critical state or seriously injured.

As a consequence, the threat level increased to its maximum of 4 and the security increased with the deployment of (more) military and police throughout the city. The borders were closed and the public transports were partially paralysed – including the airport. People were advised to remain inside. Gradually, the city of Brussels is getting back to normality, but the apprehension remains. 

Belgian authorities identified three alleged suspects in a recorded image from the airport’s surveillance cameras. Two of them – suspected of being the suicide bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui - were dressed in black, including a black glove on their left hands, what may lead to the existence of a hidden wire connection to an explosive. Najim Laachraoui was also sought in connection with the Paris attacks in November. The third man, wearing white and a black hat was identified as Fayçal Cheffou. Cheffou was arrested after being identified by the taxi driver who drop the attackers off at the Brussels airport and was already released for lack of evidence by the Belgian the authorities.

After the recent arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the wanted man following the Paris attacks, many voices were linking the explosions in Brussels to the November tragedy in Paris. By now, both Financial Times and POLITICO have already confirmed the existence of detonators in an apartment linked to Abdeslam, even though Abdeslam's lawyer claims that his client "was not aware" of the eminence  of the attacks in Brussels. This bloody puzzle is still far away from being entirely completed as some of the men involved are still yet to be identified.

Suis Je Bruxelles?

All of a sudden, Belgium stopped being the victim to become part of the problem. The reason was a  statement from Turkish president's office, where Turkey claims to have deported one of the Brussels' attacks perpetrators in June 2014, from Turkey to The Netherlands. The man, who was apparently able to travel freely within the EU with no control at all, was identified as Ibrahim El Bakraoui. 

The big question here remains: after such increased security following Charlie Hebdo and the Paris attacks (which have extended into a manhunt in Molenbeek, in Brussels), what is the explanation of Belgian authorities not to track this hawkish down? The Israeli Haaretz went further blaming Belgium of ignoring such an important warning.

This recognition of mea culpa came after both Belgian Interior and Justice Ministers, Jan Jambon and Koen Gees presented their resignation, therefore accusing crucial mistakes with regards to the investigation of this terrorist network. However, PM Charles Michel has not accepted it. 

“I offered my resignation. Mister Geens too. They were refused. We continue,” Jambon told Le Soir. “There are two sorts of errors: At the level of justice and the level of the liaison officer in Turkey, which impacts the departments of interior and justice. But now, we continue to do our jobs.”

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said that there is an "urgent" need for Europe to better share intelligence between countries. Interviewed for the Portuguese national channel RTP, Commissioner Carlos Moedas said that we are living in a “war of information” and that “part of the information is not shared.”  Moedas made the point towards more transparency in the way intelligence is shared.  

Terrorism expert at the Egmont Institute, Thomas Renard, said there had clearly been a "major failure" in Belgium's security services.  As for Edward Snowden, speaking at the University of Arizona under the theme of "A Conversation on Privacy", has argued that the attacks in Brussels were fully preventable. 

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has called on a SecurityUnion for the whole EU. But what does this mean in practical terms - considering the failure of surveillance measures just during the past year? French PM Manuel Valls advanced that “the future of Schengen… is at stake." Moreover, Valls has also focused on the necessity of sharing intelligence amongst countries as a main substructure to keep the EU alive.

                                   March 22th, the day Brussels will never forget. Dr Les (Leszek - Leslie) Sachs © Flickr

Terrorism knocking at our doors

The terror attacks in Brussels struck Europe once again, after four months of the horrific carnage in Paris, as in a way of telling the Western people "we are alive". London, Oslo, Boston, Madrid, Sydney, Ottawa, Paris, and now Brussels. What is it going to be next? The EU is now confronted with the fear of the next attack and preparing its armoury for a possible future surprise. But one thing is certain, terrorism is unpredictable and on the other hand 100% security is simply not possible. Unless, of course, we are living in some kind of authoritarian society. 

Since terrorists attacked the premises of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, in January 2015, it would be automatically expected an increase in security throughout the EU, but that alarming attack was not enough, we still had Paris, we still had Brussels. Now, European leaders consider the total end of Schengen, one of the basic pillars of the EU, as a way of tackling terrorism. 

Important also to note, is the existence of different kinds of terrorism, amongst them, the separatist terrorism, such as IRA, ETA, the Chechen terrorist in Chechnya, the PKK in Turkey, and religious terrorism, such as all the activities of al-Qaeda and also the so-called Islamic State, the attacks in Charlie Hebdo, Paris, Brussels and very recently Lahore, in Pakistan. What we witness today in Europe is a clear religious terrorism in which the attackers consider us, the western people, as faithless and corrupted. The seriousness of this particular dimension of terrorism is the fanaticism of those who practice it and their readiness to explode themselves for the cause they believe.

Why in the first place are they killing innocent civilians in the West? As this question seems to be illogic to many people, the answer dates back to some years ago. While during the past week I have seen many debates on TV, be it Belgian, Portuguese, British or French channels, I find that the mainstream media does not focus the real root of the problem. As Felicity Arbuthnot blatantly put on her recent article "Iraq Invasion- the Anniversary of the Biggest Terrorist Attack in History", all this anger and fury we are witnessing today against us is a consequence of "legit" (bypassing the UN Security Council) terrorist attacks perpetrated by former Western leaders, namely George W. Bush and Tony Blair, with a hand from some other western countries. Afghanistan, Libya, Syria are the sequels of this horrific slaughter in the Middle East...

We as Western citizens do not have to pay for the errors committed by our leaders - leaders whom many of us haven't even voted for - we as Western citizens must not be afraid of going to work in the morning or going to a concert at night. We mourn the pain of our brothers and sisters in the West as much as we mourn for our fellow human beings in the Middle East.

Documentary: "How Capitalism is Killing Itself"

In this short documentary released early in 2016, Professor Richard D. Wolff, Marxist economist and Professor Emeritus of Economics at University of Massachusetts, gives a concise and captivating overview over the origins of our capitalist society and its impact in the world.  North America, western Europe and Japan were the center of capitalism where industries and factories were concentrated and high wages were paid to its employees. But while growth was getting bigger, workers demanded rising standards of living. As a result, by the 1970's developing countries seemed very attractive for production, as the return on investment would soar given the cheap work force in countries like China, India or Brazil. 

Nonetheless, the Professor interprets the strong support for socialist Bernie Sanders, Democrat candidate to the White House, as a sign of rejection to the capitalism system that is said to have been part of the origins of the financial crisis.

Wolff argues that we should reorganise society instead of dealing individually with problems such as homelessness and inequalities. "The society as a whole should own the means of production, the factories so that its production is distributed roughly equally," he argues defending a collective system of ownership. 

An accurate image of life?

"School is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need the society as it is" .... Ivan Illich...

EU and Turkey: friends or foes?

Article published in Cafebabel

 Erdogan and Jean-Claude Junker at the European Commission.Google ©

Brussels was the stage for yet another Summit with a focus on Turkey and the current refugee ‘crisis’. Amongst the outcomes of the controversial deal, the Byzantine country requested an extra €3 billion from the European Union amidst Western criticisms over Turkish authorities seizing an opposition news agency. 

Another Summit 

Nothing has really evolved since the last Summit, in November 2015, when Turkey agreed to cooperate with the EU in exchange for facilitated mobility within the Union, a pre-requisite for a gradual full membership. Early in February 2016, the Member States decided on an agreement on how to finance the €3 billion EU refugee facility for Turkey; thereby, the EU is set to disburse €1 billion, and the Member States another €2 billion. The contributions from the Member States are based on their gross national income (GNI) and you can see here how much each Member States will pay out. 

At the last EU-Turkey Summit (March 7th), Turkey demanded an extra €3 billion to handle the flux of refugees wedged in the country. Also part of the arguable deal is to withdraw “irregular migrants”, including Syrians, crossing from Turkey to Greece, and for each Syrian sent back, a Syrian in Turkey would be resettled in the EU, as well as the creation of safety zones in Syria. EU leaders are considering the Turkish proposal amidst a chorus of voices calling on protection and dignity for the migrants. Next week, yet another Summit will decide the fate of the migrants and refugees. 

Nonetheless, the relocation plan introduced in May 2015 was originally intended to send 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other Member States. Later on, in September, the number rose to 160,000 relocations. Until the present moment, only 660 migrants have been placed in Italy and Greece. In Portugal, due to receive 2,883 migrants but so far only with 63, many social institutions are fully prepared to receive migrants but they seem not to arrive. Why is the EU being so sluggish rolling on from Summit to Summit? 

The Unspoken Voices of Refugees and Migrants 

After the plan had been formally announced, a rain of critics fell over the decision-makers. “Refugees should not be used as bargaining chips. The integrity of the EU’s asylum system, indeed the integrity of European values, is at stake,” said Bill Frelick, Refugees’ Director in Human Rights Watch. 

Iverna McGowan, Head of Amnesty International in Europe, claimed “ the idea of bartering refugees for refugees is not only dangerously dehumanizing, but also offers no sustainable long term solution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.” 

After closing its borders with Syria, Turkish guards are allegedly shooting at Syrian refugees drifting near the borders. This perturbing disclosure was recently announced by RT, where Andrew Gardner, researcher on Turkey for Amnesty International, asserted that Turkish guards regularly shoot refugees stuck at the border with Syria. “Now, the information we received via Syria doctors is that there are reports of two or three people being shot every day trying to cross the border irregularly,” he said.

Green MEP Ska Keller has not hidden her indignation concerning this delicate situation. “Turkey is a country that uses its army against its own people, it is a country where reportedly border guards have shot at refugees, it is a country where press freedom is under attack and the European Commission wants to declare it a safe third country? Does the European Commission really believe this?” As for the Parliament’ President Martin Schulz, “for the benefit of refugees, we need to cooperate with Turkey,” he said. 

“The commission – which had no problem telling Greeks which way to vote in July 2015 – would surely have no problem supporting democratic parties against repressive ones in Turkey,” wrote Paul Mason in The Guardian. 

Freedom of Expression in Turkey 

The Turks, under Erdogan’s administration, are suffering a violent curb on their civil liberties and freedom of expression. On March 4th, Zaman, the largest opposition newspaper in Turkey, was seized. While the team was waiting for a police raid on their offices, the network channel CNN Turk was running a story on an earthquake in Japan. 

Zaman’s team is deeply concerned with the future of freedom of expression in Turkey.  Segvi Akarçesme © Twitter 

On March 8th, Cihan news agency was yet another victim from the Turkish government, which will now appoint administrators to run the newspaper. Both Cihan and Zaman are part of the Feza Gazetecilik media company. In late November 2015, Tahir Elci, a Turkish human rights lawyer was killed in cold blood, in the middle of the street in southeast Turkey, while doing declarations to the press. Elsi had faced a criminal charge for supporting Kurdish rebels. Is death remains unclear. 

On November 22th 2015, the co-president of left party HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), Selahattin Demirtaş, escaped an assassination attempt while he was inside of his armored car. The HDP is a secular opposition party, which supports and defends the existence of the Kurdish people. After the general elections in June 2015, the HDP managed to assemble 13,12% of the electorate, becoming the fourth political force in Turkey. According to Index Censorship, 7 journalists were killed in Turkey since 2014, and 2 were killed so far in 2016. 

Conclusions 

The EU is between a rock and a hard place. Facing itself with thousands of migrants and refugees at its doors, Europe needs external support to be able to control and manage the process of integration – especially from Turkey, the country with the power to control the flow of migrants into Europe. In turn, Turkey insists in becoming member of the EU, asking for free-visas before the ends of the year. At the same time, Erdogan seeks an ally in the EU, after relations with the US became worse following alleged American support for Syrian Kurds. Nonetheless, the sealed deal between the EU and Turkey seems to go beyond the comprehension of democratic minds. 

To begin with, scrutinising migrants into “regular” and “irregular” should be considered a Human Rights’ violation, especially considering that many of them are currently paperless, doomed to become statelessness. Second, the creation of safety zones in Syria? Seriously? Third, according to the Copenhagen criteria defined in 1993 by the Council, any Nation that wish to become a member state must comply with a number of principles, including the guarantee of democracy, the rule of law, the respect for human rights and the protection of minorities. Do I need to wonder whether Turkey fits the criteria? Will the EU close its eyes and continue shaking hands with a non-democratic leader in exchange of facilities?