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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Jeremy Orloff, Matt Varvaro MANAGING EDITOR Alex Clearfield ASSISTANT EDITORS Julia Allen Colette Andrei Ari Schaffer LAYOUT EDITOR Victoria Scordato
HEAD WRITER Rachel Cohen STAFF WRITERS Megan Augustine, Akshai Bhatnagar, Michael Bodner, Henry Chen, Virgil Doyle, Chris Dunnett, Cary Glynn, Peter Lee, Daniel Roettger, Chris Winer FACULTY ADVISOR Steven R. David
The views expressed within this publication reflect the personal opinions of each article’s author and are not necessarily endorsed by JHU Politik or the Johns Hopkins University.
VOLUME XII, ISSUE VII OCTOBER 29th, 2012
Volume XII, Issue VII
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POLITIK PRESS
OCTOBER 29th, 2012
WEEK IN REVIEW by Victoria Scordato ‘14, Layout Editor Berlusconi Threatens to Challenge Government After Tax Fraud Convinction Last Friday, Silvio Berlusconi, the highly controversial former Prime Minister of Italy, was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to four years in jail. On Saturday, Berlusconi held a press conference in which he angrily condemned the verdict and announced that he would appeal. He also accused interim Prime Minister Mario Monti, who was appointed by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after Berlusconi resigned last November, of conspiring to remove him from office and threatened to initiate a vote of no confidence against his government. Berlusconi’s party, the People of Liberty (PdL), is the biggest in Parliament and withdrawal of their support would almost certainly cause a dissolution of the current government. A dissolution would necessitate early elections to replace the current government, which was appointed to hold office until the next popular election in 2013. Moreover, despite Berlusconi’s announcement earlier this week that he would not seek a fourth term as prime minister, there would be very little time to find a candidate to replace him as the PdL nominee if elections are held. While no one - not even members of his own party, many of whom were shocked by the announcement - can seem to predict what Berlusconi will do next, his conviction and subsequent announcement have thrown Italian politics into a state of uncertainty and chaos.
Eid Celebrations Marred by Violence Throughout Middle East Celebrations marking Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim holiday honoring Abraham’s sacrifice of his first-born son to God, have been marred by violence in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq this past week. The holiday, which began October 26th and goes through the 29th, is one of the holiest times of the Islamic year and is often celebrated with feasts and prayer. The holiday prompted the U.N. to broker a four-day ceasefire in Syria, but the agreement was almost immediately broken when a car bomb exploded in Damascus, the country’s capital, killing three only a few hours after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect. Violence continued throughout the weekend in Syria, with military airstrikes and rebel retaliation killing 114 on Saturday and at least 23 more on Sunday. About half of the deaths have been civilian, with the other 50% split about equally between Syrian soldiers and rebels. In Afghanistan, a Taliban suicide bomber killed 41 worshippers in a mosque during Eid prayers on Friday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack as an affront to both “Islam and humanity.” On Sunday, 13 were killed and 28 wounded in Iraq after a car bomb exploded in al-Arouba square, a Shiite area northwest of Baghdad, during the third day of Eid celebrations. Dozens of others were killed by a half dozen roadside car bombs that went off throughout the country over the course of the weekend.
East Coast Braces for Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy made landfall earlier this week, killing 65 in the Caribbean, including 51 in Haiti and 11 in Cuba. People up and down the East Coast are preparing for winds of up to 75 mph, coupled with torrential downpour, as Sandy is projected to reach the mid-atlantic early Monday morning and move up through the tri-state area and into New England by Tuesday night. Many school systems and universities, including Hopkins, have canceled Monday classes. Flights in and out of both Dulles and Reagan have been canceled, while Amtrak plans to halt all service from Washington to New York on Monday. The storm has even impacted the presidential election, prompting President Obama to leave Washington early to avoid missing campaign events in Florida and Ohio, and Romney to cancel three fundraising events in Virginia so that he could get to Ohio before the storm hit. Public safety officials are warning residents not to underestimate the danger Sandy poses, noting that the storm will have a radius of almost 450 miles, reaching much farther inland than most hurricanes. PP
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A RESPONSE TO PETER NATOV’S ARTICLE ON NETANYAHU by Ari Schaffer ‘14, Associate Editor
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n the October 15th issue of this publication, Peter Natov wrote an opinion piece discussing the “red line,” and Israel’s policy for Iran. Beginning by directing several troubling accusations at Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, Natov continues to lay out an argument that both demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of politics, and is so extreme that almost no politician in the western hemisphere agrees with him. Almost every point made in his article has repeatedly been contradicted by both the Obama and Romney campaigns. Those that have not are either contradicted by common sense or even by Natov’s own statements. What is left is a fringe opinion that is misleading and shows sympathy for the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, Iran. Natov’s main argument, which is also the largest hole in his argument, concerns Netanyahu’s focus on the “red line.” Instead of establishing a coherent challenge to this policy, Natov demonstrates that he does not understand what the purpose of drawing a red line is or how it works. Natov falsely claims that Netanyahu only supports drawing a red line because he wants war with Iran. Firstly, Israel’s goal is to stop Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, and when diplomacy fails, as it has until now, the only step left is to issue a credible threat of force. By drawing a red line, Netanyahu hopes to end the Iranian nuclear program without ever using that force. Secondly, it is clear from Netanyahu’s speech that he wants peace. He said that, “there is only one way to peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs. That’s by placing a clear red line on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.” The red line is a strategy for peacefully halting Iran’s nuclear program, an alternative to the current policy which President Obama himself described as “negotiations that lead nowhere.” Natov’s argument breaks down even further when he admits that Netanyahu simply wants peace. In his concluding paragraph, Natov refers to “the red line which Mr. Netanyahu so ardently believes will keep peace in
the Middle East.” This is an odd statement considering that the reader was, to this point, led to believe that Netanyahu was looking for war. The facts, and Natov’s own admission, clearly indicate that a peaceful resolution is Netanyahu’s ideal outcome, not war. Another point that Natov attempts to make is that diplomacy is the best option. However, diplomacy has so far proven ineffectual, and even crippling economic sanctions have not deterred the Iranian government in their quest for nuclear weapons. Both Obama and Romney recognized this in the final presidential debate. Why have sanctions and diplomacy failed until now? Natov, once again, supplies an answer that counters his own argument. He writes: “Iran hopes that it can potentially use the possession of nuclear weapons as leverage to persuade the international community into lifting the economic sanctions hurting Iranian society, and as a means of earning more respect and influence in the international community.” Why would Iran cave in to diplomatic demands when it can achieve all its goals through the acquisition of nuclear weapons? It is odd that Natov focuses so heavily on simple diplomacy when he himself understands why it will not work. Sadly, there are more problems in Natov’s article than space in this article to address them. It is filled with internal contradictions, faulty reasoning, and a basic misunderstanding of international strategy. However, the most telling point within Natov’s article is where he outright sympathizes with the Iranian government which he claims may be “put in an unfair and vulnerable position” by Netanyahu’s policies. Even though Natov contradicts himself several times, the low point of his article is when he chooses to throw Israel to the dogs in favor of Iran. Natov comes out of left field and actually supports a totalitarian theocracy that supports terrorism over America’s only stable democratic ally in the Middle East. Drawing a “red line” is the best, and perhaps the only, way to end Iran’s nuclear program peacefully. Understanding the strategy is just the first step. PP
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FOXCONN RIOTS IN CHINA AND GLOBAL MISCALCULATION by Vicky Plestis ‘14, Contributing Writer
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ayhem surged outside one of Foxconn’s Chinese factories last month. In front of one of the world’s largest electronics manufactures, a riot broke out which was so bad that 5,000 policemen were needed to bring workers back under control. In the aftermath, with 10 killed and 40 people injured, there has been a growing fear of the discontentment bubbling up in China and the dangers it may pose. Never mind the country’s soaring GDP or the sheer number of iPhones it has been able to produce for the global market every day. Being an economic powerhouse and an international envy apparently isn’t good enough anymore. This is because China’s jaw-dropping economic growth has also clawed apart the nation’s social fabric. Gone are the long-lasting employment opportunities and safety nets which included not just subsidized food, or housing, or health care, or child care, or pensions… but even a job guarantee for employees’ children. Of course, there were a lot of things wrong in China before its rapid rise in economic power. But, as the economist Richard Easterlin has pointed out, life satisfaction around 1990 in that country was on par with that of the developed world. Now, after throwing in some free-market economics into the picture, China has got soaring GDP growth and a per-capita consumption rate four times higher than it was only two decades ago. However, it also has unemployment, and the kind of racking job insecurity that’ll turn your stomach over. It has deteriorating health services. It has shockingly inadequate working conditions. And it has seen a sharp decline in life satisfaction. Somehow, though, all anyone seems to notice is its economic growth. When talking about China—or when talking about any country, for that matter—everyone, from our journalists to our policymakers, seems wrapped up in the value of GDP. Economists frantically chart growth rates, and pundits blazon these trends on headlines across every news channel. GDP has become our most prominent buzzword, our key gauge of progress.
But when did GDP—or more broadly even, economic growth—become the be-all, end-all of our well being? Even Simon Kuznets, the economist who pioneered the GDP indicator, knew better than that. When asked, he said, “The welfare of a nation can scarcely be inferred from a measurement of national income.” China is the case par excellence of this fact. At the end of the day, no matter what country we are in, our lives are richer and fuller than GDP. Our well being includes our safety and our environment, the quality of our jobs and the quality of our air. It includes our education, our nutrition, and our health. Looking only at economic growth, then, is a gross simplification of a colossal question. And it’s dangerous, too. The more factories that are built in China that utilize low wages and long workdays, the more China will produce, the more its GDP will climb, and the more enviable China’s situation will seem. The same phenomenon occurs here in the United States. Every time we build a prison, that production registers as an increase in our GDP. The same goes for the money we spend on healthcare or on college tuition or on fighting wars. All these things get blindly labeled as progress. Making economic growth the marker of progress brings decision-making down to a matter of dollar figures. It glorifies an unsustainable and destructive set of values that puts rampant production and a profitsby-any-means-possible mentality at the center of our system. Little consideration is given to equity, justice, moderation, or to societal costs. That is why we have seen riots and protests break out not just in China, but also in India, Chile, South Africa, and, yes, even the almighty USA. What we need is a paradigm shift, a reevaluation of what is important. It’s not enough to talk about education or inequality or the environment as isolated phenomena. Instead, we need to start back at the baseline—our values—so we can move beyond the peripheral manifestations of the problem and consider why our world looks the way it does. PP
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Volume XII, Issue VII
OCTOBER 29th, 2012
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR LEBANON? by Christopher Dunnett ‘13, Contributing Writer
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car bomb in cosmopolitan East Beirut killed Wissam Al-Hassan, a top Lebanese security official, and seven other people last Friday. AlHassan was a vocal critic of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and was affiliated with the March 14th movement that has opposed the current Hezbollahaligned Lebanese government since 2005. Friday’s assassination is reminiscent of past targeted killings in Lebanon, particularly of anti-Syrian politicians. In 2005, the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri—who was critical of the long-standing Syrian military occupation of Lebanon—was killed by a car bomb in West Beirut. Al-Hassan led the investigation of Mr. Hariri’s assassination that pinpointed Hezbollah, a pro-Syrian militant group, in conjunction with Syrian authorities, for being responsible for the killing. The assassination inspired the popular protest movement called the Cedar Revolution, which resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country. Since the Syrian military withdrawal, periodic attacks have killed several vocal critics of Syrian interference in Lebanese politics. Recently, Al-Hassan uncovered Syrian plots to destabilize Lebanon through terrorist attacks.
own in Lebanon, taking more than 30 Syrians hostage and demanding the safe return of their relatives. Al-Hassan’s assassination has elicited an angry outcry from his supporters and the opponents of Hezbollah and Al-Assad, who are convinced of Syrian complicity. Protests flared throughout the capital, and some protesters burned tires or shot firearms into the air. The opposition March 14 movement called for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati. On Sunday, AlHassan’s funeral procession triggered angry protests in the downtown district, and police fended off protestors as they moved towards government buildings. Is Lebanon the next hot spot in the Arab Spring? The small, cosmopolitan country has served as a playground for regional powers since the 19th century. Beirut, once known as the Paris of the Middle East, suffered terribly during the sectarian Lebanese civil war from 1975 to 1990. Israel and Syria have both occupied parts of Lebanon, with their proxies battling it out during the civil war. The Syrian civil war threatens to reopen sectarian wounds that have barely had time to heal nearly 25 years later.
The murder of Al-Hassan, who is a prominent Sunni Muslim, has worsened already deteriorating sectarian relations in Lebanon as the Syrian civil war rages on next door. Syrian politics have always wielded a heavy hand in tiny Lebanon, and the civil war has already caused divisions between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian Lebanese, often forming along sectarian lines. Shi’a political forces are generally supportive of the Syrian government, whereas Sunni groups mostly back the Syrian opposition.
A cataclysmic event, such as the collapse of the Syrian regime, could very well spin the Lebanese situation out of hand. As the Syrian regime gets more desperate, AlAssad and his cronies are all the more likely to sow unrest in the region and silence their critics in Lebanon. Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian factions have thus far tried to distance themselves from the Syrian dictator. But, if Syria starts to crumble, more attacks, not less, are likely to be carried out as Al-Assad puts pressure on his Lebanese allies by reopening the wounds of sectarian strife.
The East Beirut bombing is just the latest tragedy that has re-ignited instability in Lebanon. Sporadic clashes between Sunnis and Alawites have occurred in northern Lebanon since the start of the civil war in Syria, and similar clashes between rival groups have even spread into Beirut in recent months. In May, eleven Lebanese Shiite Muslims travelling through Syria were kidnapped, apparently at the hands of a Sunni militia affiliated with the rebels. In August, the families of the victims started a kidnapping spree of their
For all of these reasons, we need to monitor the situation carefully in Lebanon. Last Friday’s bombing could serve as a turning point, and events in Lebanon over the next few weeks are pivotal to determining the path that the country will take in the near future. Thus far, Lebanese factions have skillfully played off one another and have been able to prevent escalation. Unfortunately, religious diversity, a traumatic past, and old scores left unsettled all add up to be a volatile mix in this Mediterranean country, and Lebanon could very easily become the next hot spot in the Middle East. PP
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OCTOBER 29th, 2012
WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS by Daniel Ramos ‘13, Contributing Writer
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inders full of women. Even the most apolitical of us has laughed at the social media parody accounts and memes that sprang up as soon as those words left Governor Romney’s mouth. Lost in the comedic mental images this phrase invokes is the fact that what Governor Romney did in his administration is the definition of affirmative action.
and services to their customers. Diverse backgrounds and opinions lead to diverse ideas, which is at the heart of America’s greatest innovations. Diversity policies in universities are about bringing together a diverse campus and workplace in order to expose student bodies and staffs alike to a variety of opinions. A little known secret is that Penn State actively recruits white males to their faculty. They do not do this because they need to make up for a history of discrimination against white men. They do this because they serve their students best by providing them a variety of points of views.
Governor Romney actively recruited an underrepresented minority in order to foster diversity in his cabinet. These policies have stood for more than 40 years and are now being questioned in the Fisher v. University of Texas case in the Supreme Court of the United States. We are not yet at the point where diversity policies no longer have a place in our society. I look forward to the I stood before the steps of the Supreme Court and lis- day when Governor Romney does not need a binder tened to Reverend Al Sharpton preach to the crowd to find qualified women for his staff. I welcome the about how affirmative action policies have helped mi- world Martin Luther King envisioned when he stood nority communities. Something struck me. Diversity on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial giving his “I have policies are not about the past. They are not about a Dream” speech. I pray to see the country that Sandra Abigail Fisher, making up for Jim Crow, or America’s Day O’Connor envisioned when she penned the majorhistory of slavery; they are about our country’s future. ity decision in the last Supreme Court affirmative acDiversity policies are about creating a diverse envi- tion case: one where diversity policies are no longer reronment to help everyone succeed. quired. I hope for a world in which my race no longer matters. Littered among the dozens of amicus briefs in the case were 50 S&P Fortune 100 companies. Corporations I dream of the day where I do not have to wonder such as General Mills, Pepsi, Starbucks, Walmart, and whether my achievements are truly my own, or beDell have all lent their names in support of the Uni- cause of some policy. But that day is not today. It will versity of Texas’s diversity policy. These are not com- not be tomorrow, and I do not know when that day panies that have any vested interest in trying to make will come. But I do know that ending diversity policies up for America’s history of racism; these are compa- pushes that day farther and farther away. nies that understand that having a diverse staff gives them a competitive edge. I have hope though. I have hope because the leaders of Corporate America understand that diversity is The companies that support the University of Texas not just important; it is imperative. It is imperative to understand that they must have a staff that reflects keep America’s economy growing, and it is imperative their customers. They understand that their custom- to make us as a country more tolerant of not just one ers are not homogenous; they come from hundreds another, but of people all across the world. Whether of cultures that speak hundreds of languages and, Governor Romney brings his binder full women to the therefore, their staffs must reflect that. It is this di- White House or not, it is more imperative than ever versity that allows them to best tailor their products that we keep fostering diversity through policy. PP
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Volume XII, Issue VII
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OCTOBER 29th, 2012
THE PLIGHT OF CHAVISMO? DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM CONTINUES IN VENEZUELA by Rosellen Grant ‘16, Contributing Writer
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ust three weeks ago, a beaming Hugo Chavez bellowed into a microphone from the Miraflores presidential palace balcony, “More than 8 million compatriots voted for the revolution. They voted for socialism. They voted for independence. They voted for the greatness of Venezuela.”
available on the World Bank website), it appears only logical to re-elect the man responsible for such success, regardless of his political label. However, a second perspective yields a gloomier image, partially because of the complicated character that is Hugo Chavez. The man in the bright red zipup has been cited for a lack of transparency, practically bribing citizens for their support, packing the Supreme Court, censorship and a peachy relationship with Iran, among other offenses. In addition, while there was no evidence of fraud in the election, the New York Times quoted a woman terrified to vote against Chavez for fear of losing her job. His aggressive personality and intense, occasionally offensive rhetoric do not help.
It was the typical post-election scene; Chavez, hands aggressively punching the air and face flushed the color of his bright red sweater, energetically addressed the crowd of equivalently exuberant citizens. Camera flashes and waving Venezuelan flags decorated the sea of supporters. However, in the opposite hemisphere, what appeared to be a majority of Americans wondered how he could have possibly pulled it off. Not to mention, it seems illogical to equate socialism with the greatness of, well, anything. Economic policy provides an additional perspective. Socialism, while fairly similar to liberalism in its welTo be entirely honest, I am perhaps not as informed fare policies, completely rejects capitalism, instead about the political situation in Latin America as I promoting more government control over the econoought to be. When I first encountered the headlines, my. Venezuela is one of the forefront oil exporters in I was decisively clouded by my Western view. To me, the world with its wealth mainly coming from a glut socialism is little more than a reference to the USSR, an of petro-dollars. With the price of oil soaring and insult towards certain presidents of the United States seemingly unlimited supply of crude oil within reach, and, according to Marx, the breather before full blown Chavez is able to foot the new-welfare-programs bill communism. When Obama chided Romney this past with ease while saving a hefty slice for his own use. week (“The 1980s called. They want their foreign policy back”), I felt my political opinions were somewhat Even acknowledging this blatant corruption and abuse of antiquated as well. If socialism were as horrendous as the nation’s wealth, socialism could still be the lesser of its Western portrayal, why did 54% of a developed, ed- two evils. Liberalism in Venezuela has been messy and unucated, OPEC nation voluntarily select it? successful overall, partially because of the United States. If socialist economic policies are improving the quality of life The answer to that question, like many issues of inter- for Venezuelan citizens, it is unlikely they will be convinced national affairs, has multiple perspectives. The first to reject it. It is therefore unfair to blame modern socialview is undeniable: Since he was first elected in 1999, ism for Venezuela’s problems, and perhaps not a stretch to Chavez’s administration has improved the life of the credit it with many of Venezuela’s improvements. average Venezuelan citizen. Funding towards health care - and arguably quality as well - has increased Regardless, were Venezuela a country with a different along with support of education, unemployment history and different circumstances, liberalism would benefits and loan programs. Overall employment has have the potential to serve its economy even better than steadily increased, poverty has drastically declined socialism does now. However, the root of the issue lies and even life expectancy is on the ascent. That is not with Chavez himself and his perpetual corruption. While to say Venezuelans are living well, but their lives are he remains in office, Venezuelan citizens are settling for a getting better. Citing these rosy indicators (readily society resigned to fall short of its own potential. PP
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The Politik Press, originally founded in 2008 as JHU Politik, is a weekly publication of political opinion pieces. We believe that progress comes from conversation and that every voice deserves to be heard. Our staff is made up of students with majors that range from political science to bio-molecular engineering. We seek out the best political writers on campus and regularly interview professors and graduate students. In many ways, the Homewood campus is a microcosm of the American political landscape. We find ourselves at a crossroads defined by students from across the country, professors with disparate political theories, and a city constantly confronting racial violence, political corruption and systemic economic problems. While we publish the Politik Press weekly, we work simultaneously on our special issues. These magazines confront a single topic from multiple angles. In 2011, with the Arab Spring fully underway, we interviewed five Hopkins professors whose expertise ranged from Archeology to US-Israeli relations, in order to provide some clarity on an immensely complex and constantly shifting situation. In 2012 we focused on the political issues of Baltimore, conducting interviews with professors and local politicians in order to shed light on the complexities of our school’s relationship to our city. Possible topics for our next special issue include the politics of financial aid and student debt.
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