Canadian Femicide (Angelina)

Course themes:

How did imperialism and the process of decolonization help shape the history of the 20th and 21st centuries?

Settler colonialism in Canada has targeted its Indigenous population since the beginning of Canadian colonization. The nation has a long history of killing or culturally suppressing its Indigenous population, and this discrimination still has not ended. Indigenous women in Canada have faced inordinately high rates of violence and prejudice for decades, and still do today.

Despite only making up about 2 percent of Canada’s population, Indigenous women account for over 20 percent of reported homicides in Canada. They are over four times as likely to face violence from a partner than non-Indigenous women, and yet a national inquiry launched by the Canadian government reported that the police force and criminal justice system are statistically less likely to bring those who commit violence against Indigenous women to justice. In response to these grim statistics, many have called for a national action plan to be made to investigate the murders or disappearances of many Indigenous women more thoroughly, as an alarming number have been reported missing over the past year.

Discussion questions:

How does the legacy of colonialism and systemic oppression still affect minorities in Western countries today?

Why is understanding intersectionality important?

South Sudan Civil War (Josh & Angelina)

 Course themes:

Why were many nation-states organized on the basis of ethnic identity? Did this do more to solve conflicts or cause conflicts?

What conditions are necessary to end armed conflict and build a sustainable peace?

How did imperialism and the process of decolonization help shape the history of the 21st century?

In December of 2013, civil war broke out in South Sudan with President Salva Kiir dismissed his vice president Riek Machar from office after accusing him of attempting a coup. Tension between the Dinka (36% of the population) and Nuer (16%) tribes of South Sudan has long plagued the country. President Kiir is Dinka while his vice president is Nuer, and Kiir appointed Machar in an attempt to symbolically heal the tribal divide between their two ethnic groups. However, by dismissing Machar from office, Kiir enraged the Nuer in his nation and sparked widespread rebellions from the SPLM-IO (a rebel faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement mostly comprised of Nuer and other South Sudanese ethnic minorities). 

While the conflict mainly started because of tensions between the Dinka and the Nuer, many other ethnic groups in South Sudan have joined the Nuer rebels in fighting against President Kiir’s mostly Dinka administration. During Turkish-Egyptian and British colonial rule of the Sudanese region in the 19th and 20th centuries, the tribal groups in southern Sudan remained largely unconnected and underdeveloped. In addition, British colonizers played on the tribal tensions in South Sudan in order to consolidate power. Today, Nuer rebels have fled into territory inhabited primarily by non-Dinka tribes, leading the Dinka government to mistake them for Nuer rebels and persecute them as well. Because of this, rebellions and conflict with the government has spiraled far beyond the scope of just Dinka and Nuer people.

Due to the South Sudanese Civil War, South Sudan’s government has focused inordinate amounts of its funding on the military rather than important humanitarian causes within its nation. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and up to four million civilians have been displaced.Famine and food shortages have wracked the nation as different tribes fight over agricultural land and about 70% (over 8 million people) of the nation’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the severity of the situation as refugee camps have become superspreader locations for the virus. Although a cease-fire was reached in February 2020, conflict has not died down and UN officials fear the agreement will soon be broken. 

Discussion Questions:

Why can decolonization processes that fail to take ethnicity into account be harmful?

Does diversity (specifically in regards to religion, race and ethnicity) benefit a country, or does it cause tension and hinder political progress?

Deforestation in Brazil - Anna Yee

 

Course Themes:

• The influence of political ideologies and ideas on human history and contemporary affairs 

• The relationship between the West/USA and the rest of the world

In the current fight against climate change, Brazil promises to end illegal deforestation in their country. However the Brazillian President, Jair Bolsonaro, and his minister of the environment, Ricardo Salles, do not seem so dedicated to the cause, in fact, many speculate they are working against it. In the past, the Brazilian government has undermined environmental protection acts and in doing so, let the deforestation rate in their country rise to the highest it had ever been within the last 100 years. 

What makes this interesting is that within his presidential campaign, Joe Biden had stated he would raise 20 billion dollars in order to save the amazon. Now that Biden is president, Bolsonaro has called in this check, asking for money, claiming he will use it to pay for conservation projects. The Brazillian president continues to ask for funds however there seems to be little to no progress taking place in Brazil (nor much concrete intentions to). Many other international leaders are warning others not to fund Bolsonaro because he already has access to hundreds of millions of dollars to put towards forest conservation and it makes no sense why he would need outside funding. 

Many organizations within Brazil are also discouraging funds to the government because they do not trust Bolsonaro, Salles, and the Brazillian government in general. Brazillian budget plans have revealed that the government has decreased the budget for environmental conservation further implying that there is no real progress being made. Illegal deforestation benefits cattle farmers, loggers, and illegal mining companies. The Brazillian government has been seen backing bills and initiatives that make it easier for this kind of illegal work to proceed and grow. 

Discussion Questions: 

• What do you think is a possible move in order to pressure the Brazillian government to lead environmental changes?

• Why is it so hard to choose between economical gain and the welfare of the earth?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/world/americas/bolsonaro-climate-amazon.html

Australia March 4 Justice: Thousands March Against Sexual Assault

 

Australia March 4 Justice: Thousands March Against Sexual Assault

Course Connections: 

How has the changing nature of media as a platform for human interaction from print/TV internet/social media affect politics, economic, and social affairs?

    The #March4Justice marches were held in more than 40 Australian cities, the biggest rally was in Canberra which is the capital of Australia. Women are marching, protesting against sexual abuse and harassment that is happening in the country: in Canberra, most of the protesters gathered around parliament. Brittany Higgers,who is a former politician aide, said that she was raped in the Parliamentary House in 2019 by one of her colleagues. Brittany Higgers states that “if it can happen in the Parliament House, then it can truly happen anywhere”, indicating that if sexual assault happened to her then it can surely happen to other people inside and outside the Australian Parliament. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison declined to join the protest, and instead invited a group of organizers to meet with him in the office. The organizers refused saying that “we have already come up to the front door, now it's up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us. We will not be meeting behind the doors'' in which the prime minister responded saying that “we must not let our frustration with the failure to achieve so many of the results we would hope for undermine the unity needed to continue our shared progress”.  His response has been criticized by many people. As time is moving on many women have stopped supporting the center-right Liberal Party in which Scott Morrison is leader. This is due to the many assaults that have been happening in parliament which he is aware of but has not taken action towards this problem. The opposing leader Anthony Albanese, has accused the prime minister of ignoring the rail calls. Australia's next federal elections are going to be held in May 2022, the protests that are happening in Australia show that women are tired of being assaulted and are willing to stand up and speak. This issue happening in Australia connects to the course theme “how has the changing nature of media as a platform for human interaction from print/TV internet/social media affect politics, economic, and social affairs?”. The course theme connects to the protests happening in Australia because many people in Australia are using their social media as well as the rallies to protest against the parliament for their actions against women. The social media’s help raise more awareness in this issue and help people understand what is happening in the Australian parliament. Along with this people are starting to not support the Liberal Party because more people are raising their voices through social media along with the protest. 

Discussion Questions: 

How do you think the Liberal Party is being impacted by the protest? 

What is the downside and upside of peaceful protest? Why do you think so? 

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56406043 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/world/australia/australia-women-marches.html 

https://www.dw.com/en/australia-women-protest-against-sexual-violence-and-inequality/a-56872497 

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210315-australian-women-protest-against-sexual-violence-and-inequality 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/15/scott-morrison-declares-it-a-triumph-that-march-4-justice-rallies-not-met-with-bullets 

The Mexican Drug Cartel War - Mariangel Sandoval, Jada Chang, and Ashley Cheng

Mexican Drug Cartel War Presentation

Course Themes 

1. The relationship between the West/USA and the rest of the world
2. The influence of political ideologies and ideas on human history and contemporary affairs 

    For over a decade, Mexican authorities have been fighting a harsh battle against the drug cartels. Due to this never-ending conflict, thousands of Mexicans lives have been sacrificed. This whole situation has been backed by the United States who are supporting the Mexican government in their struggle against the cartels by providing them with the resources they need in order to fight back. Through this, the US also desires to end the source of illegal drugs being supplied to their citizens, as these drugs are supplied through illegal sources from places like the black market.

    After the arrest of the first Mexican drug cartel leader, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, in 1989, the leaders in the alliance that he formed broke off and each formed their own cartel that still fights for territory today. One of which became the Sinaloa cartel which in 2020, was considered Mexico’s most dominant drug cartel.  Since the start of the 2000s, violence and the influence of the drug cartels have only increased and as of 2020, more than 61,000 people have been forcibly disappeared since 2006 when the president at the time, Felipe Calderon first began cracking down on drug cartels.  Later, in 2008, the US announced financial sanctions on Mexican drug cartels, and then in 2009,  Hillary Clinton, who was the Secretary of State at the time, states that the Mexican drug trade was fueled by “America’s insatiable demand for illegal drugs” and that due to this, America shares responsibility for the violence occurring in Mexico. Since then, Mexico and the US have worked together to fight against Mexico’s violent drug cartel war even until today.

    In an attack made by the Jalisco cartel, there were around three dozen men all armed with weapons. With over 400 shots fired at the police chief, the other three in his armored car died and he came out the sole survivor. This cartel group was at the top of the fentanyl and meth trade into Mexico. After this attack, the whole Jalisco Cartel group ran off to the U.S. of the Sinaloa leader Chapo Guzman. This caused the tensions between the two groups to rise, and with that, the homicides did too. Even after seeing the clearly malicious intent and power that the cartels hold, President Obrador seems unfazed, continuing to insist that his plan of non-confrontation is the best plan. The members of this cartel were even able to get their hands on military-grade weapons, making them even more of a threat. These events have been met with much criticism as what President Obrador and his administration are doing is not any different from what the previous presidents have done. None of the steps they are taking and very ineffective policies against the cartels are not having any effect and the situation continues to worsen with homicides becoming more and more frequent.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think were some factors that led to the cartels’ growth?
2. How have economic ties between the US and Mexico shaped the Mexican Drug Cartel War? 
3. How has the drug war affected both countries?

French Muslim Discrimination - By Jacob Berenstein, Angelo Bounthapanya, & Sami Lehman

French Muslims Discrimination Presentation

 Course Themes

         1. What helps explain radicalization of individuals, political movements, and government institutions?

         2. How do social allegiances like nationalism and religion motivate political activism and change? 

         Back in the 1900s, imperialism was all the rage. European countries raced to "colonize" Africa, and introduced segregation and discrimination into their cultures. European imperialist, such as France, made sure that the people in the homelands they conquered knew who was in charge. This created animosity between the rulers and the ruled, as well as a divide between the European and foreign cultures. This divide as noticeably demonstrated during the 2005 French riots, where what started out as protests against police brutality against minorities and minors ended in minorities, such as Muslims, being blamed for the 200 million euros worth of property damage. The Muslim community specifically was the target of public officials, especially because of Islamic extremist organizations, such as ISIL or Al-Qaeda causing many terrorist attacks on French soil. This Islamophobia has continued to increase, and has lead to the current French Muslim crisis today.

         At first, it sounds unbelievable to hear that France is dealing with a crisis revolving around anti-Muslim hate, since France holds the most Muslims in the western world at around 5 million claiming to be Muslim. However, the data released from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) reveal a 53% increase in hate crimes, a majority of which are directed at Muslims. But how did this happen? Why is there a sudden rise in radical nationalism that is clashing against coexistence? For starters, the recent hate was not a sudden rise- it did not just appear out of the blue. As demonstrated by the blame being directed at the Muslims in the 2005 riots, this has been in the making for decades. What is happening is a positive feedback loop between government responses and the rise in extreme French nationalism. 

         Emmanuel Macron, the French President, influences a new wave of French nationalism every time he makes a new statement or passes a new law regarding what he dubbed the Radical Islamic "Crisis". His actions normalize hate and violence towards Muslims to the eyes of French majorities, influencing many to act under what they believe is for the safety of their beloved nation. For example, the recent ban on Hijabs, a staple of French-Muslim tradition, sparked outrage amongst the Muslim community, as they feel that the government is trying to strip away their culture, and assimilate the Muslim community. Because of the protests against Islamophobia, Emmanuel Macron has scheduled a meeting with the French Muslim Counsel in hopes of setting ground rules and better understanding each other. 

         It is imperative that progress is made between the government and the counsel, because the situation can continue to get worse over time. Discrimination towards Muslim culture is present in many other places throughout Europe, such as in Turkey, where Hijabs and other headwear are already banned, as well as in other places throughout the world. This discrimination can also spread to other minorities, such as African Americans or Hispanics, which will promote the radicalizations of individuals, political movements, and government institutions around the world.

Discussion Questions

          1. What similarities do France and the US share regarding controversial issues and government response? What are some differences?

          2. What are the difficulties with integrating a foreign culture into a new society?

Additional Sources

AP News - French Muslims, stigmatized by attacks, feel under pressure

Washington Post - Instead of fighting systemic racism, France wants to ‘reform Islam’

BBC News - France Islam: Muslims under pressure to sign French values charter