8 December 2017
Slate: Visions of Fire
So what’s the problem in highlighting the combustible nature of such a seemingly reckless and shortsighted move? Surely such warnings are warranted given both the history of Palestinian resistance and current regional dynamics. But focusing so insistently on a potential Arab backlash elides the actual illegality of this move. United Nations Resolution 478, passed in 1980, deemed Israel’s claim that Jerusalem is the “complete and united” capital of Israel to be in violation of international law and urged member states to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city. Jerusalem is a contested city, at the heart of the dilemma over the two-state solution, and as some of the commentary has in fairness pointed out, this move is likely to prove an enormous obstacle to peace and good faith between Palestinians, Israelis, and the United States. Furthermore, Jerusalem’s eastern half has been under illegal occupation by the Israeli government since 1967. The construction of illegal settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes continues unabated and has even seen an uptick in recent years. To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel legitimizes these illegal actions. These factors should be at the forefront of any opposition to Trump’s policy rather than fear of backlash.
Focusing on the potential mobs of angry Arabs reacting to the decision further reinforces stereotypes about, well … angry Arabs. In an era of divisive rhetoric, often directed particularly toward Arab and Muslim communities—much of it stoked by this president—employing the fear of rioting Arabs as a reason for opposing particular policies is, forgive me the metaphor, playing with fire. Opponents of this policy should not be using the same fear of Muslim violence used to justify the Muslim ban, no-fly lists, and other discriminatory policies.
There is also a more insidious message being sent by warnings about the potential for a “third intifada” in response to President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, one that has long haunted, not just the conflict over Palestine and Israel but also other instances where human rights, civil rights, and sovereignty are violated. When we focus on violence as the only preventive force against unjust policies, we reinforce the notion that violence is the only effective means of resistance. Perhaps more often than not, these assessments prove to be accurate, but it’s a dangerous game and only aids those who see no point in working toward peace at all.
Quartz: In Gujarat, a moment of reckoning for Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi
Now, Gujarat is set to vote again in a two-phase election on Dec. 09 and Dec. 14, with the results for all the 182 seats to be declared on Dec. 18. But the going’s gotten tougher for Modi’s BJP, which has ruled the state for 22 straight years now. Gandhi, meanwhile, has managed to make his presence felt, though nobody’s counting on this necessarily translating into electoral gains. [...]
Gujarat is India’s third-most industrialised and fourth-most urbanised state. It accounts for 7.6% of India’s GDP and has consistently grown at a faster rate than the country itself. But most importantly, it is Modi’s home state and its economic development has for long been his calling card. [...]
Meanwhile, for the battered and bruised Congress, this could be the last chance at regaining some respectability. If it wins—a humongous “if,” that is—redemption could be instant (and recent polls do underscore this possibility). In fact, even if the party loses but considerably improves its tally from the last time (60 out of 182), it would be a shot in the arm. [...]
The Dalit anger may not effectively translate into electoral trends considering that they form less than 8% of Gujarat’s population—and that, too, mostly scattered across the state. However, some of them may be looking to join hands with other agitated communities to make a mark. [...]
“Modi is today inaugurating projects that he first inaugurated in 2002, then in 2007, and yet again in 2012. People are asking why projects are not being completed? Even his showpiece monument, the big Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue (slated to be the world’s largest statue), is being built in China. So what happened to Make in India? This is a joke,” said Lalji Desai, general secretary of the Congress party in Gujarat. “No wonder there is anger in almost every section of the Gujarat society.”
Quartz: The Louvre Abu Dhabi acquires Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi'
While the buyer may curiously be described as “a little known Saudi Prince” with no history as an art collector, the painting’s new home will thankfully be public to all. The Louvre Abu Dhabi announced on Twitter that“Salvator Mundi” will hang on its walls—a da Vinci in the Gulf to rival the “Mona Lisa” back at the Louvre’s Paris home base. The painting’s acquisition fits nicely with Abu Dhabi’s larger attempt to assert itself as a cultural hotspot for international tourists. What’s more, it’s helping prove that there are far more reasons to visit the UAE than luxury shopping malls and the skyscrapers of Dubai.
In addition to the Louvre franchise—which opened in November in and already features an impressive permanent collection of over 600 pieces—Abu Dhabi also has an outpost of New York University and plans to open a branch of New York’s venerable Guggenheim Museum. The UAE’s national museum, The Zayed National Museum, is also slated to open in the city (though it is fraught with delays and a recent falling out with the British Museum, who was meant to co-curate its collection). All three museums feature serious architectural bona fides: The Louvre was designed by master French architect Jean Nouvel; Frank Gehry is behind the Guggenheim; and Norman Foster is the name behind the Zayad Museum. [...]
It’s no secret that the UAE is embroiled in a simmering geopolitical conflict, having recently cut ties with neighboring Qatar as part of a plan to isolate the gas-rich nation in partnership with other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt. While this instability may not necessarily affect daily life for Emiratis, studies show that regional instability can impact tourism numbers—particularly if tensions (or headlines about those tensions) peak during a prime booking season. According to 2015 data from the WTTC, political instability can take the largest hit on a nation’s tourism arrivals, with an average recovery time of 26.7 months, compared to just 13 months for terrorism, 21.3 months for disease outbreak, and 23.8 months for environmental disaster.
openDemocracy: Brexit, Ireland, and the revenge of history
The reality is that Theresa May now has two choices. She can either risk the collapse of her own government. Or she can pave the way for a ‘hard Brexit’ – that’s Britain crashing out of the EU in April 2019 without a trade deal, and all the disastrous consequences that follow. [...]
Earlier this year, openDemocracy revealed that the DUP received £435,000 from a mystery donor to campaign for Brexit. The secret donation – three times as much as the DUP has ever spent on an electoral campaign in its history – attracted particular controversy because almost none of the cash was spent in Northern Ireland. Yet a little-known law which applies to Northern Ireland, and not the rest of the UK, allowed the donors(s) to remain anonymous. Clearly, this was a flagrant abuse of the outdated ‘security’ reasons for donor secrecy in Northern Ireland. The upshot? Theresa May’s government is being propped up, as it negotiates Brexit, by a party funded by secret Brexit donors. [...]
It is not only May’s government that comes out of this looking weak and, frankly, stupid. Throughout the EU referendum campaign, the question of what would happen to Ireland’s enormous, open border was barely addressed. It was clear that leading Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson, now the UK’s gaffe-prone Foreign Secretary, had given it not a moment’s thought. But neither, it seemed, had the Remain camp. As part of ex-PM David Cameron’s ill-fated ‘Project Fear’, British voters were served a daily diet of warnings about economic armageddon and little else. The British press, for the most part, did little to probe the question of Ireland further either – perhaps most unforgivable of all, given the supposed role of the fourth estate.
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