Year in Review

While I have a couple of posts on different topics in the works (or just in my head), for my last post of the year, I've decided to do as so many media sources do at this time of year and take a brief look back at the events of the past 12 months. Aside from noting key events, I'll also look back to my first post of the year, which talked about several developments happening around the world at that time.

The most dramatic event of the year was of course the Arab Spring, as the series of revolts and protests in West Asia and North Africa have come to be referred to, and it is still to early to say what will ultimately come out of that. At least three dictators have been overthrown, and two are under threat (in Yemen, Saleh is theoretically on his way out already, but given his past record it would be unwise to count on his following through). In other countries protests have at least shaken the establishment and in a few cases forced at least a few reforms. But while the situation in Tunisia looks reasonably good at this point, it remains to be seen whether the changes elsewhere will really result in better societies. In Egypt, the religious problems I mentioned in my first post of the year remain, and the military has engaged in behavior just as bad as the Mubarak regime. One of the most egregious examples came just the other day, when they raided the offices of various foreign non-governmental organizations that promote democracy and human rights. The US government rightly condemned the raids, which went beyond anything even Mubarak did, but they should go further and start moving to dramatically reduce the US$1.3 billion the Egyptian military receives from the US annually unless immediate changes are made in the military's behavior and rhetoric (the Egyptian generals may in return threaten to abrogate the peace treaty with Israel, but this is unlikely to be in their interest, especially since the US could in return threaten to end aid entirely). Events like these, and the relative success of the radical Islamists in the recent elections, do not bode well for Egypt, nor does the continuing instability in Libya look good. But there is still reason to hope that the Arab Spring will ultimately result in a Middle East that is an improvement on what existed before this year.

The death of Osama bin Laden was also significant, though in the grand scheme of things it probably had less impact than many other events (certainly less than, say, the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi. The continuing problems in Pakistan, the country where bin Laden was killed, are worrisome. The religious extremism that I talked about in my first post of the year is still an issue, and is not only a threat to the country's Christians, but also to minority Muslim sects. It remains an open question whether secular, liberal values have much hope of winning out over the strong current of religious extremism there. Religious conflict is also a problem in Nigeria, where the sides are more equal and thus more equally to blame (it's true that much of the recent violence has been instigated by a radical Islamic group, but Christians have also committed violence against innocent Muslims).

Some issues I talked about early in the year did resolve more or less satisfactorily, such as the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, where Laurent Gbagbo was finally forced out, though not without bloodshed and atrocities committed by both sides (I have not heard how much effort the new president Alassane Ouattara has put into investigating these). Others continue pretty much as before, such as China's oppression of its colonial possessions Tibet and East Turkestan, though in Tibet we have seen some dramatic and tragic protests against Chinese rule in the form of self-immolation by a number of monks and nuns. In Russia, another country whose steps against free speech I noted in the beginning of the year, recent protests following the country's legislative elections, which despite possible ballot-stuffing still did not go that well for the ruling party. show that more Russians are getting fed up with Putin's autocratic rule, though whether he will respond by moderating his ruling style or just becoming more authoritarian in his methods remains to be seen. As for the other problematic case I mentioned, the Indian government's imprisonment of human rights activist Binayak Sen on questionable charges, that seems to remain in limbo at the moment, though hopefully activists are continuing to put pressure on the Indian government.

In the US, things continue to look fairly bleak as extreme views run rampant among the Republicans, though on the plus side it has been amusing to watch an endless series of candidates rise to the top of the polls and then implode. Still, while absurd, downright disturbing views exist on both sides of the political spectrum (something I hope to get around to addressing further in the future), it is particularly disturbing to see how mainstream such views have become on the right, to the extent that many politicians who hold fairly conservative views (including a few Democrats) are now called "moderates". From the failure of the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others at the beginning of the year to generate any meaningful gun control legislation to the endless efforts of the GOP to gut social spending in favor of maintaining tax breaks for the wealthy, little of what has happened in the US political scene has been good, though there have been a few minor positives. One can only hope the electorate will realize where to place most of the blame (hint: despite his obvious failings, not with Barack Obama) in time for the elections late next year.

Here in Taiwan, the elections are fast approaching. With President Ma Ying-jeou's decline in the polls and the perennial also-ran James Soong's entry into the race, DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen's chance are looking reasonably good, though with Ma's advantage of incumbency I'd call it a pretty even race at this point. Just as important will be the legislative elections. I would especially like to see some of the worst legislators (from both major parties, though with the KMT's large majority and its overall corrupt nature, it has by far the most) voted out, and some of the better new candidates voted in. It would be particularly nice to see the Green Party get into the legislature (though considering the record of the voters from the last election, their ability to look beyond the big parties to small ones who never get any media attention is questionable). I'd also like to see the Pangcah (Amis) documentary filmmaker and activist Mayaw Biho, who I have met several times myself and is being supported by many of my friends, be voted into one of the aboriginal seats as an independent.

In conclusion, whether it's been a good year or not is difficult to say, especially since the answer depends greatly on your perspective and your main concerns. But without doubt it has been an eventful one.

An "Invented" People?

Not long ago, the latest in the long line of "anti-Romney" Republican presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich, caused a controversy when he said the Palestinians were an "invented" people. That Gingrich would say something like that came as little surprise; he's made all sorts of outrageous comments in the past, and now that he's trying to win over the lunatic fringe that makes up the biggest block of Republican primary voters, he's got to compete with a field of other candidates who are constantly trying to outdo each other in taking extreme positions on various issues (it's a scary sign when ol' weather vane himself Mitt Romney ends up sounding like a voice of reason -- I'd mention Jon Huntsman, who is certainly the best of a bad bunch, but he's got about as much chance of winning the Republican nomination as Barack Obama would of winning a "best president" poll at a convention of teabaggers). But it's worth examining more closely what is wrong with Gingrich's assertion.

The problem is not so much the factual accuracy of the statement; in certain ways, one could indeed argue that the Palestinians are an invented people. The problem is that by the same standards, many of the world's ethnic groups and nationalities are also "invented" and in some ways all peoples are invented peoples. Yes, Palestinians are Arabs who in many ways are indistinguishable from other Arabs in the region and historically they never had their own independent state. But having had a independent state is not a necessary qualification for existing as a separate people. Many other peoples have never had their own state; in the same part of the world, the Kurds are a good example. As for being similar to other Arabs, the main thing that distinguishes Palestinians from other Arabs is their historical experience as residents of Palestine, a history that is quite distinct from that of Arabs living elsewhere. Many other nationalities and ethnic groups exist as separate peoples due to similar accidents of geography and history. If the Palestinians are not a "genuine" people, then what of the Austrians? Are they just Germans? Are Australians and New Zealanders distinct peoples? How about Americans and Canadians?

All existing ethnic groups and nationalities developed distinct identities over periods of time, often based on quite small differences. Some such differences include religion (the main difference between Serbs and Croats is that one group is Orthodox while the other is Catholic) and geography (as with the groups mentioned in the previous paragraph). I doubt Newt Gingrich would call the Americans an "invented" people, but they are as much one as the Palestinians. Until they revolted from Britain in the 18th century, they were considered British by most people, even themselves.

I personally think people make far too much of ethnicity and nationality, since the differences between different peoples are far less than the variations within each group, and ultimately we all have the same ancestors. I would be quite happy if all people could learn to ignore things such as ethnicity, except as something that adds more color to each individual. But there is no denying the power that a common identity has for most groups, whatever the conditions under which it arose. It has been said, for instance, that the distinction between Tutsis and Hutus in nations such as Rwanda was largely a creation of European colonialists and their ignorant racial theories. But the distinction is nevertheless real now, even if both groups would be much better off if they could forget about it. Claiming that the Palestinians are an "invented" people is about as useful for solving the real problems of the Middle East as saying the same thing about the Israelis would be.

On an unrelated note, I would also like to note the regrettable death of Vaclav Havel, who was one of the most outstanding leaders in Eastern Europe in the past century. Far less regrettable, but perhaps of more immediate consequence, is the death of Kim Jong-il, the ruler of the bizarrely warped nation of North Korea. It seems his even more enigmatic son will succeed him, though what that will mean for the region remains to be seen, assuming he is indeed able to consolidate power. Few nations are as dangerously screwed up as North Korea, and it's hard to know what to hope for, as its continued existence is a menace to all its neighbors as well as a torment to the majority of its poor, half-starved, brainwashed people, but a collapse would be a humanitarian disaster. We'll just have to wait and see.

My blog on music

After procrastinating for a long time, I've finally launched a blog on music. You can read my introduction to it here. I'll be making my first real post to it in the next day or two. As for this blog, I will certainly try to keep up with it as well (I have a couple of things I want to write for it, when I can find the time).