international

Clinging on to sanity

“The implications of all this are profound.

First, our understanding of political risk has to change. We are no longer dealing with actors who are constrained by norms, expectations, or even basic human decency.

Second, the institutional safeguards that we assumed would provide protection look increasingly fragile. If those in power are willing to ignore them, their effectiveness is limited. They have, quite literally, thrown the international rules-based order aside. So far, there is nothing to replace it.

Third, the psychological impact is real. Living with the possibility of extreme events, including those we once thought impossible, alters how people think, act, and relate to one another.

And fourth, inequality and exploitation are likely to deepen. When crises are used as opportunities for enrichment, the costs are borne by the many, while the gains accrue to the few.”

Relieved that genocide had not happened in Iran, @richardjmurphy@mas.to regards opposition to the promotion of fear and hate as the only means by which we can hold on to our sanity and prevent political failure.

www.taxresearch.org.uk

AI and the corporate capture of knowledge

“A society cannot meaningfully debate policy, science or justice if information is locked away behind paywalls or controlled by proprietary algorithms. If we allow AI companies to profit from mass appropriation while claiming immunity, we are choosing a future in which access to knowledge is governed by corporate power rather than democratic values.” Bruce Schneier warns of a future in which access to knowledge is subordinate to corporate interests.

www.schneier.com

Der Plan von der Abschaffung des Asyls

“Das Asylrecht setzt voraus, dass wir das Leid anderer als rechtlich relevant anerkennen. Wenn Empathie politisch diskreditiert wird, verliert das Recht seine Basis. Die Asylpolitik der Gegenwart lebt von dieser Empathieverweigerung. Sie setzt auf Distanz, auf administrative Neutralisierung. Wer Zuständigkeits- und Zulässigkeitsregeln so ausbaut, dass bereits die Möglichkeit der Antragstellung zur Odyssee wird, stiehlt sich aus der menschenrechtlichen Verantwortung. Insofern ist die deutsche und europäische Entwicklung der Abschaffung des Asyls nicht nur ein juristischer, sondern ein anthropologischer Vorgang. Die Diskussion soll unser Bild der asylsuchenden Personen verändern. Sie werden als gefährliche Regelbrecher gelabelt und ihr Schutzbedarf dadurch unsichtbar gemacht. Diese Entwicklung ist gefährlicher als jede Verfassungsänderung.” Constantin Hruschka beschreibt den Rechtsbruch als Beweis der staatlichen Souveränität mit den sich daraus ergebenden Folgen für unsere Demokratie.

verfassungsblog.de

Was Griechenland wusste: das tödliche Geschäft des Abu Sultan

“Eine monatelange Untersuchung unter der Leitung des griechischen Investigativmediums Solomon und des Netzwerks Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism in Zusammenarbeit mit El País und der taz ergab, dass die griechischen Behörden schon früh wussten, dass die ‘Pylos 9’ unschuldig waren, sie aber fast ein ganzes Jahr in Untersuchungshaft behielten.” Griechenland kriminalisiert systematisch die Opfer eines der schwersten Schiffsunglücke im Mittelmeer, um von den Versäumnissen der eigenen Behörden abzulenken.

taz.de

European Comission gives EU-US data transfers third round at CJEU

“This third attempt to pass largely the same unlawful decision also raises questions as to the larger role of the European Commission being the guardian of the EU treaties. Instead of upholding the ‘rule of law’ the Commission simply passes an invalid decision over and over again, despite clear rulings by the CJEU.” By agreeing the Data Privacy Framework with the US, the European Commission likely prioritised diplomatic and business interests over the rights of Europeans.

noyb.eu

What the Prisoner’s Dilemma reveals about life, the universe, and everything

This game theory problem will change the way you see the world

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“Okay, so now you’ve got this alternating thing, which will remind you of some of the politics of the world today, where we have to do something to you because of what you did to us.”

Steven Strogatz

With thanks to @avidamoeba@lemmy.ca.

Frohe Weihnachten, Steffi!

Western values? They enthroned the monster who is shelling Ukrainians today

“None of this is to defend Putin’s brutality. When 55 Ukrainian children are made refugees every minute and pregnant women in hospital are shelled mid-labour, there is nothing to defend. But to frame our condemnations as a binary clash of rival value systems is to absolve ourselves of our own alleged war crimes, committed as recently as this century in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is to pretend ‘our’ wars are just and only theirs are evil, to make out that Afghan boys seeking asylum from the Taliban are inevitably liars and cheats while Ukrainian kids fleeing Russian bombs are genuine refugees. It is a giant and morally repugnant lie and yet elements of it already taint our front pages and rolling-news coverage.” Aditya Chakrabortty explains why, in the search for solutions, Western values should be regarded as a problem.

www.theguardian.com

Europe has rediscovered compassion for refugees – but only if they’re white

“There will be those who imagine that open arms for Ukrainians and fortress Europe for black and brown refugees can and should co-exist. They are wrong, and not only on an obvious moral level. Too many commentators in Europe have already fallen into the trap of separating deserving and undeserving refugees. Their rightful praise for Ukrainians has been laced with references to supposed exceptional qualities such as pluck and fighting spirit. These are insults that are heard and understood by Syrians, Afghans and others, who have been recently received with brutality at some of the same borders and, in the case of Syria, after fighting the same aggressor.” Daniel Howden highlights Europe’s political choices, many of which are based on lies. As a European, I feel a sense of personal embarassment at the double standards that have traditionally been deployed to shield us from having to confront our responisbilities.