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Our 42nd year of publishing The International Observer online

VIEWING THE WORLD

War is deepening the divide between autocracies and democracies among 29 nations in the region stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia is the warning raised by Freedom House of Washington DC. In its 25th edition of the annual Nations in Transit report it points clearly at the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as the further cause of overall decline in democratic governance for the region. For the 19th consecutive year, democratic governance in the Nations in Transit region suffered an overall decline. Democracy scores declined in 11 out of the 29 countries. Seven countries earned improvements, however, as civic activists and democratic leaders continued to strive for better governance across the diverse region.

May 2023 

 

Bipartisan efforts in the United States of America to protect institutions and support of democracy and correct shortcomings of the economy, social aid, and rights of women and minorities are constantly undercut by the white, racist, bigoted wing of the Republican Party, the US Congress, and a number of state legislatures. While the Administration is eager to improve infrastructure at home and support Ukraine against Russian aggression, the Republican wing in the House of Representatives is investigating alleged or perceived failures and violations by the president, and members of his family and of the Administration.

April 2023

Relations between China and the United States of America are unbalanced. While there is a strong incentive to remain peaceful when their leaders are continuing profitable economic dealings, both governments are also pursuing political aims that undercut the positive balance. There was a recent show of unity by China and Russia when their leaders met while Russia is at a war with Ukraine and China expressed support for the Kremlin. China’s leader and the ruling party are sticking to Xi Jinping’s vision to become the preeminent power in East Asia and to pursue aggressively becoming a major world power. The US is sanctioning some Chinese companies, pushing back against Chinese moves in Africa and Latin America, and strengthening not only strategic ties with India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines but boosting Australian naval power and visibly supporting Taiwan as demonstrated by the island leader’s visit to Washington.

March 2023

During recent years, the president of Türkiye has perseveringly amassed power. Likewise, he has increasingly become more intolerant of dissent as well as any criticism of him which he is quick to take before a court, charging personal insult. The latest blow against democracy was delivered on 13 October when the Grand National Assembly in which his Justice and Development (AKP) party and allies passed a disinformation law by 344 of 600 votes. The president signed it into law on 18 October. It criminalises what the authorities call disinformation and spreading “fake news,” without clearly defining it. Journalists, social media users and others are subject to imprisonment up to three years if found guilty. By the end of January, international media have increasingly condemned the residential authoritarianism. Turkey remains  rated ‘not free’ by Freedom House of New York NY.

 February 2023

Good news at the start of 2023 was the quadrennial report on the 1987 Montreal Protocol that the Earth’s ozone layer, weakened by higher than normal levels of ozone-depleting chemicals from China in 2018, is expected to recover within the next four decades, according to the the Ozone Secretariat of the  United Nations (UN) Environment Program (UNEP) on 10 January. The report was prepared by scientists of a UN-backed panel.  

The traumatic election of a United States Speaker of the House of Representatives is casting an unfortunate shadow on the next two years of acrimonious and probably self-defeating politics. After 15 rounds of voting over our days, the Californian Congressman of the Republican Party was finally elected on 6 January, not before being forced to make numerous concessions to the party’s far-right blocks. Following immediately were appointments of bloc members to new investigative committees to look into alledged misconduct of the government and steps to resist raising the public debt limit, lowering spending on safety net programs, and lowering taxes on business and millionaires.

January 2023

 

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