Clash // Cohesion

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Sebastian Knowing Your Enemy Hardy A Civil Divorce John OPEC Adèle Sahara Occidental Clayton Transparency & Privacy Le Zadig Board Flag-gate Johanna Par une nuit du 1 3 Anonymous Sun, Sea, Depression Ryan "You've gotta be shitting me!" Omar A Leak in Civilization Laura Breakaholics Anonymous Kaz The Damn Doodle

CLASH

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COHESION

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CLASH // COHESION 1 7 October 201 6

World Sebastian Torero Knowing Your Enemy

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Hardy Hewson A Civil Divorce

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John Vincent OPEC Nations Agree to Cut Oil Supply

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Adèle Maudeux Sahara Occidental, une diplomate sans ambassade

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Clayton Becker Is Political Transparency Worth the Cost of Privacy

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Menton Le Zadig Feature Le Zadig Editorial Board Flag-gate

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Johanna Villégas Par une nuit du 1 3

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Anonymous Sun, Sea, and Depression

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Ryan Zohar "You've Gotta be Shitting Me!"

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Omar Kamel A Leak in Civilization

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Laura Rose-Brown Breakaholics Anonymous

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Kaz Tomozawa The Damn Doodle

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LE ZADIG · 1 7 October

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Editorial

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perhaps the most contentious issue on campus in the past few weeks: Flag-gate.

In this doubly-themed edition of Le Zadig, students offer their own take on the dichotomy between clash and cohesion and often do so in unique ways. While the European Union, Brexit, terrorism and other global events are represented in this issue, micro-clashes and cohesions in Menton play an equally important role. We all experience our own clashes everyday whether in our studies, our living in Menton, or with regard to our collective mental health. This edition will explore all of those topics, as well as

In light of greater globalization and the inevitable reaction to it, individuals are establishing themselves as proponents and opponents in this debate along cultural, political, or economic lines. The feelings on either side of this demarcation are valid and must be seen as such if we are to work towards a united future. Never before has our campus’ role in world affairs been so important.

any of us have studied Samuel Huntington’s seminal work, The Clash of Civilizations. In this edition of Le Zadig, the first of the 201 6-201 7 academic year, we wanted to take Huntington’s thesis and put a question mark at the end of it. Is there a culture clash? Or is cohesion the more pre-eminent force driving current events? There is plenty of evidence for both cases. Works such as Thomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree and Benjamin Barber’s Jihad vs. McWorld are a testament to the existence of these opposing forces. Friedman even went as far as to propose a grand thesis to encapsulate this vision: “No two countries that both have a McDonald's have ever fought a war against each other. ” While globalization plays an increasingly important role on the world stage, we also see that new fissures are appearing as a result of nationalism, tribalism, regionalism, and xenophobia.

Indeed, one need not look far in order to see the debate over whether there is indeed a clash of civilizations. The Bastille Day attacks in Nice this summer were emotional for many of us. And they, indeed changed the way we thought of our little corner of France. While our region evolves with the changing climate, we remain resilient in our love for notre petit coin de la Côte d’Azur.

The attacks in Nice have undoubtedly reshaped the political climate of France. The debate on the Burkini was just one more clash we have seen in recent months. It may seem, that evidence is mounting for proponents of the “clash” vision. Yet, at the same time, there is this incredible cohesion in the world. There is a culturally conscious population in our world that refuses to see divisions where they do not exist.

Ryan Zohar & Berke Alikaşifoğlu, on behalfofLe Zadig Editorial Board

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Knowing Your Enemy Sebastian Torero Credits: Reuters

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he old adage goes, “Keep your unfamiliar forms that the country has failed friends close and your enemies to adapt to. closer.” It’s not entirely clear what this means, but it can be interpreted that the When the War on Terror began, even if it ultimate way to defeat an enemy is to was a war on an idea, there was an incarnate understand it even better than your allies. In of that idea. That was al Qaeda, the group order to triumph over those who threaten that had plotted and carried out the you, who may be out to destroy you, first terrorist attacks on New York City and you have to grasp who they are in essence. In Washington D.C. on September 1 1 th, 2001 . the United States, we have let our friends The war effort was complicated by the fact grow disenchanted with us, and have failed that al Qaeda was a foreign non-state actor, to understand who are Whatever antagonist America and fighting such an enemies are in this longest organization was not seeks to overcome, it of wars, the War on Terror. the United approaches the task with a something States was well equipped militant mindset.

The United States is in a to do. So the war began in perpetual state of war. A War on Drugs, a a conventional manner that did not coincide War on Crime, a War on Poverty; whatever with the unique nature of the conflict. The antagonist America seeks to overcome, it United States and its NATO allies swiftly approaches the task with a militant mindset. removed the Taliban from power in Terrorism is no different, only this is real Afghanistan, banishing them to the war, with prisoners taken and lives lost. Not mountainous tribal regions of that graveyard only that, but counterterrorism has taken of empires and neighboring Pakistan. From center stage in American security policy. This there, they have survived to continue the terror is the great menace of our day. fight for over a decade.

But if anything is clear from this election cycle, it is that many Americans, both in the public and in positions of leadership, are unaware of the reality of the threat. They have let the enemy slip from their hands and minds, as it has morphed and taken on

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Following the devastating attacks of September 1 1 th, the United States has not seen anything even relatively close to a terrorist act of that scale. That being said, terror attacks have occurred on American soil since that day in 2001 . In 2009, 1 3 6

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people were killed and 32 wounded when a U.S. army psychiatrist and major went on a shooting rampage on the military base Fort Hood in Texas. On April 1 5, 201 3, three were killed and over 260 wounded when two pressure cooker bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. On December 2, 201 5, a couple killed 1 4 people in San Bernardino, California. On June 1 2, 201 6, 49 patrons of a gay nightclub in Orlando were killed by a madman with an assault weapon.

And most recently, on September 25, 201 6, bombs exploded across New York City and New Jersey, killing none but injuring 29 innocent Credits:people.

Nesma Merhoum.

What can we note about these attacks?

Firstly, they were all tragedies. Human beings were murdered and maimed at the hands of evil attackers. This must be stated, and must be absorbed. These attacks were horrible events, and the fact that such attacks do happen is one of the reasons the existence of a national security apparatus is necessary.

Those up for election can talk for days about those coming in and threatening our country, but this does not reflect the reality of the threat.

What does this mean for America? It means that the war has come full circle; the enemy abroad has become the enemy at home. It also means the enemy is far less vicious than we assumed. Terrorism cannot hide its modus operandi. It’s clear from the name.

The goal of terrorism is not to kill each and every American; it is to frighten us so much that we lose our heads, that we declare we are at war with radical Islam, that we call to ban Muslims, monitor their places of worship and neighborhoods, that we topple governments and occupy foreign nations, that we fire missiles from pilotless drones onto tribal villages, unaware and uncaring of the civilian death toll, that we go deeper down the rabbit hole of us versus them until we find ourselves alone, doomed, at the bottom, with little sense of how we got there in the first place.

They didnot train in camps in the Middle East. Instead, they grew angry at the country they were living in, andfoundan outlet anda methodto violently express this anger. Those up for election can talk for days about those coming in andthreatening our country, but this does not reflect the reality ofthe threat.

The second thing to note about these attacks is that, in the span of 7 years, from 2009 to 201 6, there are only five of them.

This makes major terrorist attacks on American soil an extremely rare occurrence.

The third thing to note is that all of these attacks were carried out by so-called “homegrown jihadis”. Organizations and radical thinkers from afar may have inspired these attackers, but they gained access to the words and ideas of these organizations and thinkers in the comfort of their homes.

They did not train in camps in the Middle East. Instead, they grew angry at the country they were living in, and found an outlet and a method to violently express this anger.

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When it comes to dealing with terrorism, for America, keeping our enemy close means, first and foremost, understanding who and what we are meant to keep close. We need to recognize the location of our enemy has changed from foreign to domestic, and that our enemy produces an ominous shadow that does not reflect its true size. Both these things must be understood in order for America to readjust its policies and its position on the world stage. If America cannot keep its enemies close, it’s friends will continue to drift further and further away.

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A Civil Divorce: London, the United Kingdom, and a Sovereign State Along the M25

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Hardy Hewson

erennially damp and usually overcrowded, the London Orbital Motorway (or M25) encircles a total area of over 1 ,572km2 and approximately 8.5 million residents. With the exception of the memorably named North Ockendon, the M25 circumscribes the entirety of the Greater London region of the UK, and can claim the prestigious title of Europe’s second largest orbital road after the Berliner Ring (Bundesautobahn 1 0). That is at least until March 201 7, the date by which Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to invoke the now infamous Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, thereby officially initiating Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Credit: Hardy Hewson

an open and global trading nation.

It is no wonder therefore then, that the result of the referendum on Britain’s A result of the divisive referendum on EU membership of the European Union taken membership on June 23rd, Mrs. May’s from London votes alone would have commitment to ‘Brexit’ is precisely what yielded an emphatic 60% vote in favour of the majority of Greater London’s 8.5 remaining. Indeed, the success of the million residents voted against. Beyond remain campaign was foretold by the the dreary sight of the M25, London is a majority of financial agents operating on vibrant and vivacious the eve of the election, metropolis—the largest in as the FTSE 1 00 closed at the EU—that plays host to Londoners slept soundly in the the highest point for two a diverse range of peoples beliefthat the nation hadfelt months on June 23rd. and over 300 spoken the benefits London’s global Londoners slept soundly languages. Financially, the importance, andthat no-one in the belief that the couldbe as ignorant as to city has the fifth highest nation had felt the GDP of any metropolitan threaten it. How wrong they benefits London’s global were. areas in the world, importance, and that nopossessing the highest one could be as ignorant proportion of ultra-highas to threaten it. How net-worth residents in the world. Owed in wrong they were. large part to the influx of immigration and foreign investment that helped it rebuild In many ways, the referendum vote from the rubble of the Second World War, was a protest against the aloofness of London’s development to such a London to the rest of the UK. On the ballot metropolis has come to represent so many sheet that day, many people of of the strengths of the British economy as Sunderland, Great Yarmouth, and the 263 LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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(of 382) other localities voting to leave saw with £1 0 per capita within the M25. In not only a chance to leave a European demographic terms, approximately oneproject ignorant of their hardships, but to third of Londoners were born outside of wake the heaving capital from its successthe UK, many of whom constitute a part of induced slumber. In ticking the Brexit box, the youthful and educated electorate that they saw not the productive hub of the UKIP councillor Suzanne Evans cited as the nation, but the reason for lack of I hadno idea how shallow my playground of the support for her party in musical knowledge was. rich—of the bankers who the city. In this light, the felt too little of the capital is resolutely repercussions of the financial crisis, the distinct from the rest of the country. foreign gazillionaires, and tax-dodging It was with these factors in mind, waking companies, that the glistening capital up to the news of Brexit on June 24th, that hosts. To those looking on, the boundary TechDigest editor James O’Malley demarcated by that circling trail of tarmac petitioned the new Mayor of London Sadiq around London is indicative of the rising Khan to “Declare London independent inequality between capital and country from the UK and apply to join the EU.” First that has developed on my levels. and foremost a Londoner, he wrote the following description: This boundary is mostly economic. At a “London is an international city, and time when investment is in high demand, we want to remain at the heart of Europe.

London is the world’s leading destination Let's face it — the rest of the country of private ventures. As cries for funding in disagrees. So rather than passive an age of austerity sound around Britain, aggressively vote against each other at London appears inundated with new every election, let's make the divorce projects, from riverside super-structures official and move in with our friends on the and a housing bubble that keeps floating continent. #londependence” higher to London-based ‘fintech' companies. As stated in a report by Tim It should be stated that O’Malley’s Oliver, Dahrendorf Fellow at LSE IDEAS, #londependence is no new concept. Either “Economically, London as 22.9 per cent of with a goal of greater autonomy for the the UK economy matters more to the urban region, or in pursuit of the final aim single market and political union that is the of a fully-fledged independent state, the United Kingdom than the 20.9 per cent question of London’s status within an everthat Germany is to the economy of the splintering union has been discussed since European Union.” At such as high the 1 990s. A flight of fancy then, the proportion of the national economy, the failure of the remain campaign in June has case for inequality is not difficult to reinvigorated the debate, evidenced by believe, let alone to argue. each of the 1 79,578 signatures O’Malley’s petition received, and the doubling of However, the unequal nature of life within opinion poll results in favour of a city-state and without the capital is not simply type solution to London’s growing economic. In a recent report by The inequality. With Brexit around the corner, Economist, students eligible for free we may find that the junction for school meals were twice as likely to ‘Londependence’ is fast approaching, and achieve eight or more GCSEs with grades what better natural border than an eight of A* to B at London schools than schools lane wall of slow-moving traffic! Just as elsewhere in the country. Culturally the rest of the UK is frustrated by the London appears advantaged as well, with apparent aloofness of London, so too are 70p per capita spent by the government on Londoners tired of their own form of the arts outside of the capital compared warped injustice. On October 7th, Bagehot LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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reported in his weekly column of The Economist that, “The citizens of London pay more in work taxes than do those of the next 36 cities combined.” The benefits of an independent London are clear for most Londoners themselves, especially in the event of Brexit. Following the referendum, Peter John, the Labour leader of Borough of Southwark claimed that independence and EU membership are imperative to London holding its position as a world city. His case was not unfounded: “London would be the 1 5th largest EU state, bigger than Austria, Denmark and Ireland and our values are in line with Europe – outward looking, confident of our place in the world, enriched by our diversity and stronger working together with our friends and neighbours than we are alone.” A referendum question would surely give expression to frustrations of ‘propping-up’ the rest of the country’s economy, a justifiable, although wholly selfish, frustration to have.

“By way of comparison, if the USA had a capital city that dominated it like London does the UK then it would be a city of 42.8 million people (bigger than any single state) with an economy equal to that of California and Texas combined. Within it you would find the political, diplomatic, cultural, economic, university, IT, media and communication concentrations found in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Atlanta.”

Nobody would suggest succession as a feasible resolution to such an imbalanced issue. Instead of independence, the political elites of London should pressure the Conservative government responsible for the future of our relationship with Europe to protect the interests of London as a vital provider for the UK economy. In return, Londoners must do their best to acknowledge the frightening disparities between their capital and their country, and support efforts to ameliorate them. A civil divorce of the kind proposed by O’Malley’s petition is still possible, but if you are willing to spend the money on lawyers, why not opt for the marriage counsellors first.

The fact of the matter is that London is simply too important to the nation’s economy to entertain the whims of statebuilding Londoners. As a Londoner myself, I recognise the futility of such a project.

London constitutes 1 2.5% of the UK population, and remains historically, culturally, and most importantly, economically linked to its surroundings.

This link is not simply a fact, but the remainder of the mutually beneficial relationship between the urban and rural.

London could no more have developed into the world city that it is without the support of its surroundings than the UK could have developed without its ties to Europe. To suggest otherwise is to submit oneself to the same warped narratives that the Brexit campaign proffered in the months before the referendum in June.

Tim Oliver put this best in his essay on London’s independence prospects when applied London’s development to the United States: LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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OPEC Nations Agree to Cut Oil Supply in Attempt to End Supply Glut John Vincent

Credit: AlgĂŠrie Presse Service

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heavy oil counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

n Wednesday September 28th, OPEC countries meeting in Algeria struck a deal to reduce worldwide oil production. According to most sources, this reduction is set to be in the range of 750,000-800,000 barrels less per day.

The significance of this deal and its potential long-term ramifications should not be understated, and those following developments in the Middle East should hold an interest in this deal as well. Lowering production so significantly will in fact raise oil prices for the rest of us, which from a consumer perspective has its obvious short-term downsides. But for the oil industry as a whole this is excellent news. It means that the pricing out of Saudi and Iraqi oil competitors will be lessened, and in the medium-to-long run this could mean a lower equilibrium oil price in the future.

OPEC countries are of course aware of this, and thus (one would imagine) they will view these long-term considerations with caution. Hopefully

The deal comes in the midst of a downturn in oil prices, with barrels having been valued at well under USD$50 for quite some time and with the prospect of reaching USD$70 levels nowhere near on the horizon.

This huge price drop from previous levels of USD$1 00 per barrel has really hit oil extraction firms outside of the OPEC countries hard since they have effectively been priced out of competition. The US shale industry, for example, has had an especially difficult time keeping up with its LE ZADIG ¡ 1 7 October 201 6

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though, OPEC maintains a stance of keeping supply limited.

One final point of interest from the OPEC deal was the rare agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran ranks third in terms of oil production amongst OPEC countries (behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia), and so any major OPEC deal usually requires Iranian consent.

The headwinds to this deal however are the notable countries not included in the deal: Nigeria and Libya.

However, these OPEC countries are far down the list when it comes to world oil production, so the bet is essentially that their unregulated production will not offset the planned barrel reduction.

This is rarely achieved, especially on deals of this magnitude. Saudi Arabia and Iran are A serious non-OEC Lowering production so significantly regional rivals: variable to consider is will in fact raise oil prices for the rest both have conflicting oil that of Russia. Russia ofus, which from a consumer does not seem poised perspective has its obvious short-term agendas and to cap oil production downsides. But for the oil industry as a there are any time soon because whole this is excellent news. It means enormous its oil industries are that the pricing out ofSaudi andIraqi cultural and benefiting enormously oil competitors will be lessened, andin religious feuds from the low price of the medium-to-long run this could that exist crude. Russian cost of mean a lower equilibrium oil price in between the two countries. oil production has the future.

The fact that been estimated they have according to some successfully come to an agreement sources to be as low as USD$20, which will hopefully lead to future can nearly rival Saudi costs of cooperation between the two oil production. This could become a thorn titans. in the side of OPEC efforts to lower global oil supply.

In the meantime, the effects of the OPEC deal should be felt in the Another longer-term consideration is coming months, and the market that Venezuela, whose geopolitical (which came in with very low situation prevents it from being a expectations for the meeting) will major player alongside the other have plenty of time to react to the OPEC countries, has enormous proven agreement. One can only hope Mr. oil reserves. In the long-term, Market sees the deal for what it is and however, the Venezuelan caveat could smiles at the long-term prospects. raise oil supply and lower prices in a major way if circumstances permit extraction of the country’s vast proven oil reserves.

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Sahara Occidental, une diplomate sans ambassade

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Adèle Maudeux

abat, juillet 201 6. Mes pas m’ont guidé aux pieds du Palais Royal. Un homme en bleu est assis à l’ombre d’un arbre. Je m’approche… Il est venu ici à pieds, depuis le Sahara occidental : il me dit en riant qu’il a fait la Marche Verte à rebrousse-chemin. Mehdi rédige des lettres de plainte contre le Royaume et veut abandonner la nationalité marocaine même s’il doit devenir apatride. Il me livre l’histoire Credit: France 3 de sa vie… Son village brûlé sur ordre du discours officiel, on essaye de donner une gouvernement… Le vol de ses terres voix à notre peuple là où il n’est pas reconnu d’origines par le Royaume du Maroc en ! Comme le peuple palestinien, nous 1 975… Exactement l’inverse de tout ce que sommes envahis par des colons et le Maroc j’ai entendu ici, jusqu’alors ! Est-il exploite illégalement les ressources de complètement notre territoire. Celui-ci est schizophrène ? Le Maroc se Le travail de diplomate est coupé en deux par un mur livre-t-il à une propagande de sable construit par le avant tout un travail de digne du négationnisme ?

Maroc. A l’ouest, les militant. territoires occupés, et à Limoges, août 201 6. Pour l’est les territoires libres tenter de résister à l’insupportable flou qui où se trouvent les camps de réfugiés dans règne autour du Sahara Occidental… Je lesquels nous vivons. Je vais au Sahara rencontre Sdiga Dauger, l’une des deux Occidental deux à trois fois par an, dans la représentants officiels de la RASD zone libre. Cela me permet d’entretenir un (République arabe sahraouie démocratique) contact direct avec le peuple sahraoui. C’est en France. Elle partage sa vie entre Paris et lui que j’ai pour mission de représenter, et le Limousin, où elle a développé une pas seulement le gouvernement du Front Association de Soutien au peuple sahraoui.

Polisario qui est à sa tête. Les diplomates Propos d’une diplomate d’un pays sans sahraouis de tous les pays se retrouvent ambassade. dans les campements pour une réunion annuelle. Mais avec internet les ____________________________________ informations circulent vite ! Je suis toujours joignable quand quelqu’un a un message à Vous êtes diplomate sahraouie en France, faire passer depuis le Sahara, dès qu’il y a un pays qui ne reconnaît pas la RASD. Vous quelque chose de fait, quelque chose à faire. portez le discours officiel de la RASD ?

Je suis au courant tout de suite et j’essaye Comment ce discours officiel est-il établi ? d’en parler : j’organise des conférences ou Y a-t-il des rapports envoyés à tous les des projections de film par exemple. diplomates, une ligne directrice ? Comment La bonne figure diplomatique du Maroc en est-on diplomate d’un pays sans France rend la cause sahraouie très sensible, ambassade ? et ce n’est pas évident d’en parler au gouvernement et au peuple français ! » « Le travail de diplomate est avant tout un Barack Obama - from Official Presidential Portrait from travail de militant. Avant de porter un White House

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Vers qui faites-vous porter la voix du peuple sahraoui ? Vers l’Etat, vers l’opinion publique ?

autonome et proposent un référendum depuis 1 991 . C’est la seule solution aujourd’hui… Ils proposent l’indépendance immédiate, le rattachement au Maroc en « On s’adresse à ceux qui veulent bien nous tant que territoire autonome, ou un entendre ! On essaye de Le Sahara Occidental est une processus de 5 ans toucher avant tout à d’autonomie pour aller société matriarcale !

Les l’opinion publique vers l’indépendance. Il y a française, car il nous femmes sont reconnues comme deux options en réalité : ou semble très important le pilier de la structure sociale. on est marocain, ou on qu’elle soit informée de la position politique n’est pas marocain. Et ceux qui doivent de son gouvernement. Si le gouvernement répondre à cette question sont les voulait nous écouter, il l’aurait fait depuis un sahraouis, pas le régime marocain. » bon moment… Son alliance avec le Maroc le lui interdit. Et d’une manière ou d’une autre, Où sont les documents historiques ? Le ce tabou diplomatique a des impacts sur Maroc soutient que le S était marocain l’opinion publique, qui mentionne très peu avant l’occupation espagnole ? Comment se le Sahara Occidental ! » fait-il que l’accès aux documents, à la

vérité soit sidifficile ?

Le gouvernement marocain a proposé un plan d’autonomie au Sahara Occidental, qui fait concurrence au référendum proposant l’indépendance prévu par la MINURSO (Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au Sahara Occidental). Le Maroc ne met pas en avant ses intérêts économiques dans la zone occupée ; selon lui, le Sahara Occidental a toujours été marocain et sa présence y est donc naturelle. Quelle est votre réaction face à ce projet d’autonomie ? Qu’est-ce qui pousse les sahraouis à vouloir aller plus loin que l’autonomie ?

« Il y a des documents historiques, mais le Maroc ne veut pas les reconnaître, c’est tout. La cour internationale de la justice de la Haye, en 1 976, a rendu un avis : le Sahara n’a aucun lien d’allégeance avec le Maroc et c’est un territoire qui a toujours appartenu aux tribus sahraouies. Les seuls liens historiques entre le Maroc et les sahraouis sont commerciaux. Evidemment, les sahraouis sont un peuple nomade commerçant, ils commerçaient avec le Maroc, l’Algérie, la Mauritanie, le Sénégal, le Mali… Le Maroc interprète ces liens commerciaux comme liens d’allégeance pour légitimer son occupation, malgré la clarté de la Haye. »

« Il n’est pas question d’autonomie, c’est un projet irréalisable puisque nous n’avons jamais fait partie du territoire ni de l’identité marocains ! Le Maroc prétend que nous Que dit-on de l’histoire dans les écoles sommes séparatistes, alors sahraouies ?

Le pacifisme est ancré dans que nous sommes un notre culture. peuple à part entière qui « On apprend l’histoire du revendique le droit à ses Sahara Occidental bien sûr territoires. Selon le Maroc, c’est donc une ! Par contre, dans les écoles marocaines des faveur de nous proposer l’autonomie… territoires occupés, les petits sahraouis ne C’est une occasion de forger sa bonne connaissent leur propre histoire qu’à travers réputation diplomatique. Les Nations-Unies un point de vue marocain... Comment nous reconnaissant comme territoire non peuvent-ils développer leur libre-arbitre ?

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Les familles subissent des représailles si leurs enfants scolarisés ne connaissent pas par cœur le cours d’histoire sur la Marche Verte. Les sahraouis de la zone occupée sont cantonnés dans certains quartiers, et ont des conditions de vie différentes de celles des colons marocains. L’implantation de colons servira le jour du référendum, où ce sera en grande partie des marocains qui voteront… »

le Maroc et que la population fuyait, les femmes ont construit les campements de A à Z ! Elles ont construit les écoles et l’organisation des institutions… Tout a été fait par les femmes ! Leurs ONG sont très importantes dans les campements. Pendant que les hommes se battaient, elles allaient de congrès en congrès, à travers le monde, informer et défendre la cause sahraouie…

La diplomatie sahraouie a été introduite par des femmes, et le Polisario aujourd’hui encourage les femmes à participer à la politique ! »

Qui peuple le SO ? Qui est le peuple sahraoui?

Qu’est-ce qui a mené à la création des campements ?

« Le peuple sahraoui est un peuple nomade, maure, musulman, arabe. C’est un peuple très libre, très indépendant : on dit qu’il est guidé par les nuages ! Les nuages indiquent les pâturages que cherche un peuple nomade. Le Sahara Occidental est peuplé par différentes tribus, mais complémentaires et unies, surtout face à l’extérieur. Depuis la guerre de 1 975, le tribalisme a disparu de la population sahraouie, tout le monde habite ensemble.

La religion n’y est pas politisée et on dit que c’est l’affaire de chacun. Et puis le Sahara Occidental est une société matriarcale ! Les femmes sont reconnues comme le pilier de la structure sociale. Dans un peuple nomade, c’est elles qui s’occupaient de la tente et de l’éducation des enfants. Et aujourd’hui elles ne sont pas lésées par les changements de la société, au contraire ! Presque la moitié du Parlement est composée de femmes ! Il y a une égalité et une mixité absolues entre hommes et femmes. On dit que ce sont deux faces d’une même main qui ne peuvent se séparer ! On dit aussi qu’une assemblée nonmixte n’a pas de goût. »

« Les sahraouis ont dû s’exiler pour rester en vie ! Le Maroc prétend que la Marche verte de 1 975 a été pacifique. Il veut faire oublier les chars et les blindés qui sont entrés au Sahara la veille de cette marche... Le lendemain, c’était 350 000 hommes avec le Coran dans la main qui débarquaient ! On a subi l’invasion dans notre propre chaire. Du Sud, on était aussi attaqués par la Mauritanie, on a été obligés de fuir. Il ne restait que cette petite porte vers l’Algérie, en plein désert, et c’est là que nous nous sommes réfugiés. C’était le mois de novembre, il faisait froid, il y avait une invasion de sauterelles dans le désert, et il fallait dresser des tentes. L’Algérie a fait appel à des ONG, notamment OXFAM pour l’aider. Puis ils ont appelé les autres ONG humanitaires pour nous accueillir, des milliers fuyant la guerre. C’est comme ça qu’ont commencé les campements de réfugiés, puis c’est l’UNHCR qui a pris en charge ces campements et nous a fourni les tentes sous lesquelles on vit, aujourd’hui encore. »

Quel est le rôle des femmes dans la lutte pour la reconnaissance de la RASD ?

Le front Polisario est-il un mouvement de libération nationale qui porte une idéologie particulière ? Quelle est sa ligne politique aujourd’hui?

« Avec la révolution, leur rôle social a pris tout son sens. En 1 975, pendant que les hommes soutenaient la lutte armée contre

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situation. C’est dans cette démarche que chaque été, quand il fait 50 degrés à l’ombre et qu’il n’y a pas d’infrastructures pour les enfants, on les envoie deux mois à l’étranger ! C’est primordial pour que les enfants voient qu’il n’y a pas que la guerre, il n’y a pas que les campements, il n’y a pas que le manque d’eau et la chaleur. Ce n’est pas réservé qu’à des élites ! Tous les enfants ont droit à trois ou quatre sorties pour que chacun puisse en profiter. Des familles en France accueillent entre 1 00 et 1 20 enfants chaque été… Alors que 8000 à 1 0 000 enfants sont accueillis en Espagne ! Au Sahara Occidental, on parle arabe et espagnol, mais des cours de français ont été mis en place pour les enfants qui sont accueillis en France. »

« Le Polisario est né en 1 973, d’un mouvement qui a été initié en 1 970 contre l’occupation espagnole. Il demandait simplement le droit du peuple sahraoui à disposer de lui-même. On ne peut pas parler d’un mouvement communiste, bien que nous ayons été soutenus par les pays de l’Est et par Cuba. Au sein du Polisario il y a toutes les sensibilités, du nationalisme jusqu’à l’extrême gauche. Il y a au parlement des libéraux, des socialistes, des communistes… »

Comment est gérée la zone libre aujourd’hui? « C’est une vraie démocratie, il y a un gouvernement élu au suffrage universel, en plus de quoi chacun a son mot à dire ! Les portes du président sont ouvertes à tout le monde, et si quelqu’un a un problème il va frapper au ministère concerné directement.

On ne peut pas parler d’une classe politique comme en France. Un sahraoui, c’est quelqu’un de simple dans l’âme, et on partage tous plus ou moins la même situation dans les campements. »

Ces dernières années, on a parlé d’actions de résistance pacifique, comme des grèves de la faim ou des sit-ins, et on a parallèlement évoqué une « intifada sahraouie » armée de pierres. Comment se vit la lutte du peuple au quotidien ? « On a été obligés de s’armer en 1 975 puisque le Maroc et la Mauritanie nous attaquaient. Mais depuis 1 991 , on a réussi à imposer la voie pacifiste et diplomatique.

Dans notre lutte nous n’avons jamais connu un acte terroriste ! Les actions les plus violentes qu’il y ait eues sont des projections de pierre, dont la répression marocaine a causé des morts du côté sahraoui... Ces actions sont restées marginales. Le pacifisme est ancré dans notre culture. Dans les territoires occupés, les sahraouis font des sit-ins. Ils sont dispersés violemment par les Marocains mais vont retourner, le lendemain, s’asseoir ailleurs dans la ville. »

En plus de votre rôle de porte-parole du peuple sahraoui, vous organisez des voyages pour les enfants sahraouis en France. Quelle est la place de l’éducation dans la société sahraouie ? « Les fondateurs du Polisario étaient des étudiants… C’est toujours ceux qui sont conscients qui luttent. Le Polisario a toujours été conscient qu’il faut une société sahraouie éduquée, et sa priorité, depuis la création des campements en 1 975, est l’école pour les enfants et les jeunes. Il faut avoir son librearbitre, et on l’acquiert en lisant, en multipliant les réflexions… Pendant la guerre, on envoyait les enfants dans des internats en pays étranger pour qu’ils comprennent la

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Credit: African Vernacular Architecture

World

Is Political Transparency Worth the Cost of Privacy?

Clayton Becker

Credits: The New York Times

T

his year, the presidential election in intelligence services (I’m looking at you the United States has been Russia) are romanticized on social media as dominated by a series of leaks. First, crusaders for increased civilian access to the Democratic National Committee was government, keeping the big guns hacked (likely by Russia) and thousands of accountable to the rest of us. To a certain internal memos were released. Next, former extent we should indeed expect this Secretary of State Colin Powell had his transparency from our government and our personal correspondence shared with the corporate citizens, but these extrajudicial entire world. Then, three pages of Donald measures carried out by people to whom Trump’s 1995 tax return due process is not were sent to a New even a suggestion are To a certain extent we shouldindeed York Times reporter by not the way to go expect this transparency from our about getting it. an anonymous source government andour corporate inside of Trump’s However, we are citizens, but these extrajudicial organization. increasingly on a path towards that reality. measures carriedout by people to These are no longer After each new round whom due process is not even a simply isolated cases of email leaks, we only suggestion are not the way to go or even a series of ever focus on the about getting it. isolated events; this is content of the hack. a pattern of violation The argument which and dissemination. justifies this is Even more distressing, generally twofold. it is becoming a pattern that we increasingly First that the content is simply too seem to believe we deserve. After all, each inflammatory to ignore and second that it is of these leaks provided very valuable the fault of the person who was hacked for information that really should have been having written such incriminating things in part of political discussion from the outset. the first place.

Hacktivist groups like WikiLeaks, The first of these reasons is perhaps more Anonymous, and even other nations’ understandable than the second. Would we

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World Source : Wikimedia Commons

have ignored Watergate if the scandal were uncovered through extralegal means? Of course not, and nor should we have been expected to. However, there is a fundamental difference between the Watergate Scandal and the modern form of hacking to which we have been becoming more and more accustomed. Watergate entailed legitimately criminal actions for which anyone should have been held accountable. Indeed, some responsibility does fall on political actors to be more transparent in the first place; the secrecy with which political processes are guarded in today’s day and age is not at all conducive to political participation and is a chief cause of the growing distrust in government.

However, none of the recent high profile email hacks have revealed anything anywhere close to the level of unprecedented criminality revealed in the course of the Watergate hearings.

Regardless of your political beliefs or your personal disdain for any given person, no one deserves to have their personal information and correspondence shared with the whole world. While the goal of increased political transparency is admirable, we should all be very careful about allowing the right to privacy to be whittled away in the pursuit of that goal. We cannot oppose the NSA’s surveillance, Meta data collection, and the Yes Man of the FISA court while simultaneously trying to justify every new release of emails.

The second of these reasons is decidedly more problematic. The argument that it is the fault of those who were hacked for ever having written the emails in the first place is just as absurd as claiming that victims of nude photos leaks are to blame for taking the photos, just as ridiculous as asserting that victims of sexual assault and harassment are to blame for wearing “provocative” clothing, just as preposterous as the idea that victims burglary are to blame for buying things people would want to steal. We all have skeletons in our closet and no matter how innocuous we may have believed our text messages—detailing exactly how much we hate so and so, how LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

incompetent we think our boss is, or how we called in sick and then went out with friends, etc.—to be when we sent them, any one of those messages could have dire consequences if they were ever seen by someone for whom they were not intended.

It is tempting to assert that the people who have been the victims of these high profile hacks occupy such a drastically different position in life, have so much more responsibility than your average person, that their right to privacy is outweighed by the country’s right to know what their government is doing. This is precisely the way to completely Credits: Associated Press miss the point.

Citizens do not lose their inalienable rights simply because of the job they choose. The ultimate measure of a society’s commitment to justice, civil rights, and fundamental freedoms is not Source how it behaves Commons. when things are easy or when the: Wikimedia people whose rights are concerned are completely free of suspicion. The ultimate measure of our society’s commitment to those foundational principles is how it behaves when things are hard and when the people whose rights are concerned are tied to even the most grave of crimes.

Political transparency and accountability are important, make no mistake. But protecting basic rights and ensuring that no citizen has to experience the ruination of having their life broadcast to the world are even more so. We all want our rights to be protected, but we have no right to expect, and no right to justify the invasion of privacy that has become so pervasive in the pursuit of more transparency.

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Fla g -g a te

T ue s day,

Se

S ummary o f the e ve n ts

Menton

pte mbe r 2 f l a gs i n 8 th : An I t h e S t u de s rae l i fl n t S pace a a g wa s p u gr o u p o f n t u p a mo n d s t u de n t s . wa s s u b s e gs t o t he r q A ue ntl y ta Fa c e b o o k s t u de n t s k e n do w n de b a t e e n t o ga u ge by ano t he s ue s and opi ni ons r a pol l i s r e g a r di n g cre ate d b t he pre s e Mo nday, S y n c e o f t he e pte mbe r f l a g.

I s rae l i 2 6 th : Af t s t u de n t s e r a we e k a n d mu l t i o f Fa c e b o p l e c o mp l Di r e c t o r o k de b a t i ai nts be i E l Gh o u l n g b e t we e n g ma d e t de c i de d t n o t h e a dm o ban al l i ni s trati t he f l a gs wi t h t h e on, fro m t he f o l l o wi n g S t u de n t S e - ma i l : C he r( e ) s pace é t u di a n t ( e) s , S ui te à l ' i n c i de n t qu i s ' e s t é t u di a n t pas s é l a d u c a mp u s s e ma i n e d , j e vo u s i d é s o r ma i s e rni è re d n f o r me q u i n t e r di t s ans l ' E s p e tous l e au s e i n d i n d é t e r mi ace s dr a p e a u x e ce l i eu n é e / Fl a s ont , et ce p gs a r e n o our une p t a l l o we d é r i o de i n t he S t P e n da n t c u d e n t Ar e e t e mp s , a a n y mo r e . j e vo u s i l ' Ac a d é mi n vi t e à m c i e n Ami n é d iter les Ma a l o u f : parol e s d e " A l ' è re d e l a mo n di a l i s a t i ve r t i g i n e o n , a ve c u x , qu i n ce bras s a o u s e n ve l l ' i de n t i t ge a c c é l é o ppe tous , é s ' i mp o s ré , u n e n o u ve e - d' u r g d ' i mp o s e r l l e conce e n c e ! No a u x mi l l i p t i o n de us ne pou a r ds d' h u l ' a f f i r ma vo n s n o u s ma i n s d é s ti on outr c o nte nte r e mp a r é s l anci è re d i de n t i t é , e c ho i x e e l e ur i d e ntre l ' i n t e r n e tité et l n t é g r i s me c e l a qu ' i a pe rte d e t l a dé s mp l i q u e l e t i oute a n t é gr a t i o conce pti o nos conte n. Or, c' n qu i p r é mp o r a i n s e s t bi e n va u t e n c o ne s ont p apparte na r e da n s c as e ncour n c e s mu l t e a gé s à a s s d o ma i n e . i pl e s , s ' d' i de n t i t u me r l e u r Si i l s ne pe é a ve c u n s u v e nt conci e o u ve r t u di f f é r e n t l i e r l e ur re franch es , s ' ils e e t dé c o be s oi n s e s e nte n d e s o i - mê mp l e x é e a t contrai me e t l a u x cul ture s n t s de c h n é ga t i o n de s l é g i o oi s i r e nt de l ' a u t r n s de f o u r e e , nous s e l a n é ga t i s s a n gu i n Ma a l o u f , rons e n t on a i r e s , de L e s i de n t r a s i n l i t é s me u r é g i o n s d' d e f o r me r tri è re s . é ga r é s . " Ami n C o r di a l e m e nt,

Le Zadig Editorial Board

Be rnard E l Gh o u l

Credits: Ryan Zohar LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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F

rom attracting early morning crowds of coffee-seekers around the vending machines to hosting occasional bake sales, the student space has occupied an unassuming but essential part of our everyday routine. That’s why the absence of the colorful spread of flags previously displayed within escaped no one’s attention. This sudden change and the events leading to it provoked a lively and ongoing debate from all angles. Le Zadig covers the story.

Anna

Q

u’est-ce qu’un drapeau ? Ou plutôt, qu’est-ce qu’un drapeau signifie ?

Pour certains, il représente la patrie et doit toujours flotter au vent. Pour d’autres, ce n’est qu’un morceau de tissu.

Afin d’avoir un débat sur le drapeau, il faut d’abord définir le drapeau. Néanmoins, ça ne parait pas facile, surtout dans ce climat politique où le symbolisme prend de plus en plus de place.

Pourtant, ça ne veut pas dire qu’on ne peut pas en parler, par-dessus tout dans notre campus qui accueillit des étudiants venant de diverses réalités –tout en restant respectueux et constructif.

Par ailleurs, j’aurais préféré que le débat reste entre les étudiants et que l’administration ne soit pas aussi intrusif dans un espace nous appartenant, sans attendre l’éventuel consensus qui serait sorti du questionnaire de Facebook –qui est d’ailleurs sorti de notre questionnaire: la présence de tous les deux drapeaux. Alors, oui, nous souhaitons que l’on remette les drapeaux... .

Berke

T

he freedoms of expression and speech are important values to uphold in any free society.

Universities, which are meant to be communities of learning, debate, and growth, should take special care to protect these principles. That being said, the university also has an obligation to protect the physical safety of its students. There were students who were uncomfortable with the presence of an Israeli flag, but there was a poll taken and a briefdiscussion on the matter, and the consensus that arose from this was that the flag would stay. If student’s felt uncomfortable, they had a way to voice this opinion, but the students had come to a decision amongst themselves that the flag would remain. But I was made aware that students allegedly physically threatened other students over the matter.

This put the administration in a bit ofa bind, because they want to uphold free expression but can’t have students physically harming one another. In the end, I believe that students don’t have all the facts, and that the situation is more ambiguous than some make it out to be.

OUR THOUGHTS

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Sebastián

e ne suis pas d’accord avec ce que vous dites, mais je me battrai jusqu’à la mort pour que vous ayez le droit de le dire. Cette citation attribuée à Voltaire – à tort ou à raison, c’est un autre débat – résume assez clairement ma position vis-àvis de l’Affaire.

Même si le débat initié sur Facebook a légèrement dérapé, il devait avoir lieu. La question palestinienne et israélienne doit être évoquée, discutée, analysée. Nous sommes à Sciences Po et si nous, ici, évitons le débat et la polémique, alors l’esprit de Sciences Po, basé sur la confrontation des idées, serait mort. Heureusement, tout le

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monde a pu constater sa vitalité.

Mais cette citation s’applique également à la présence même des drapeaux dans l’espace étudiant. En effet, même si je ne supporte absolument pas la politique menée par l’État d’Israël et et même si l’existence même de cet Etat est contesté et contestable, chaque peuple a le droit d’être représenté. Nos opinions sont une chose, ce principe en est une autre. Si le drapeau palestinien est accroché dans l’EE, alors le drapeau israélien doit l’être aussi. Et ces deux drapeaux devraient être présents. D’une part, ils sont au cœur de la complexité de la région que nous étudions.

D’autre part, voir les drapeaux palestiniens et israéliens côte à côte serait un symbole fort.

Un symbole de paix dont le monde a grand besoin.

Zélie

about the presence of the Israeli flag was immature in certain moments, it was still overall a discussion that needed to be had and was extremely interesting to follow due to the variety of thoughts and opinions. I think the involvement of the administration took away the student’s body right to discuss and decide on matters relevant to student life on their own. By intervening, the administration abruptly ended the discussion and prevented us from continuing to reflect on the question and the statements that we had put out there.

They therefore shifted the conversation away from Palestine and Israel to a question of our rights as students.

Sara

H

ow do we want to use our public spaces on campus? The contention of the flags raises this issue, and brings to light the complexity of our individual loyalties as they interact. It shows us that symbols can be powerful, bringing volatility or fertility to our discussions. The key lesson is this: How do we take the volatile- the confrontational, polarizing or alienating- and make it into fertile grounds for constructive and inclusive discussions? The difference between these two outcomes depends on the level ofmaturity and mutual respect we have.

When the administration removed the flags, they were responding to what they viewed as a volatile situation in the hope of protecting the ease of our coexistence. But I can’t help but questioning ifwe came here just to coexist in the easiest way.

T

he saddest aspect, for me, of this situation is that the focus of the students is mainly on the fact that the administration took down that flags and whether or not “El Ghoul” (a vague term that either refers to the collective body of the administration or to the director) should be allowed to make a decision over the student space. What disappoints me in particular is that the focus on the administration takes away from the sort of reflections we as students should make: how could we have acted in a different way? Could we have been more considerate in our comments or statements, being sure to voice our opinions without antagonizing difference of opinion or intimidating others into silence? Because many students comment solely on the decisions taken by the administration, the conversation ends up being about what another group is allowed or not allowed to do rather than focusing on what we can do to make our campus more open to differences of opinion.

Kaz

Arguably, we came here not to carry a comfortable, static set ofviews but to learn andevolve. I propose an experiment with our common spaces that might help us do this. I think we can use the flag event as a jumpingoffpoint for learning respectful debate. Flags provoke controversy, but why stay within national constraints? Why not use other symbols, sharing art, philosophy, or photography on the walls ofour student rooms? Why not make our common areas into a public sphere through which we can grow?

This wouldbe a courageous test ofour ability

S

tudents at university should have the ability to express their thoughts and opinions on issues that are important to them, no matter how controversial. I believe that although the discussion on facebook

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to have authentic dialogue underpinnedby mutual respect.

I

Anna

was always under the impression that the flags in the Student Space served a dual-purpose: to highlight the diversity of the region we study, and to showcase the diversity of the student body. As such, I was disappointed to see that only the flags of“certain nations ofthe region” needed to be put to a referendum for students. However, I understand why some students disagreed with the presence of the Israeli flag on campus. The Israeli government has done atrocious things and many undoubtedly associate the flags with such actions. But, as someone with Israeli ancestry, it is hard for me to see the flag the same way. For me, the flag represents a people. When I see the Israeli flag, I think of my family and many of my childhood experiences. I understand why people would see the flag in a different light, and why they might see any ofthe flags in the student space in a negative light. I believe this line of thinking is just as valid as my own. For me, personally, it is possible to separate a people from a government.

I believe that ultimately this point hit home for some andso the debate on the Facebook group was, though with some immature moments, eventually resolved. So, I was indeedsurprisedto read the email from El Ghoul banning the flags. Given the opinion he seemedto offer via the Amin Maaloufquote. I was indeedsurprisedto see him not take a stance, choosing insteadto ban all of the flags which needless to say playedan important role in the Student Space.

Ryan

I

n my humble opinion, the moment that one begins to question the presence ofa single flag in the student space based on the actions ofthe government it represents, it opens a pandora’s box to questioning every flag in the student space. To a certain extent, then, students can arguably have most of the flags removed due to any contentious action performed by the governments ofthose countries. The debate could go on forever. Therefore, we cannot have halfmeasures; it’s either we have all the flags ofour students’countries, or we have none.

In this regard, the admin has optedfor the secondoption, which is an option that ends the flag conflict by muffling it. It may have been quick andeffective, however it endedthe problem by creating another one: shouldthe administration interfere in how the students decorate the ‘student’space? Shouldwe have been consulted? Yes, the at-times nasty debate about flags was ended, but shouldn’t Sciences Po students be exposedto situations ofconflict in which we rely solely on our wits to extricate ourselves from situation? The real worldandthe Middle East are hostile environments, andprotecting us from such debate might not be the best preparation.

However, it isn’t a tragic solution either, students can now shift towards more constructive debate, andsurely there are other ways to decorate. We must also remember that a lot goes into decisions made by the administration that we do not know about, putting ourselves in their shoes, we see that it is a very delicate situation.

Elias

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#FLAGATE What is your position regarding the presence of the Israeli flag in EE? // Quelle est votre position par rapport à la présence du drapeau israélien dans l’EE ?

"Au regarddes études sur ce campus, omettre Israël serait une erreur et c'est oublier une clé de voûte de cette région."

"I am against the state ofIsrael, but I think having the flag was okay as some students wantedit andhada heritage relatedto Israel. Also, there are many flags there ofstates who regularly commit/committedatrocities andthere was no outrage, so I findit slightly suspicious anddisproportional that people reactedlike this."

"The negative reaction to the Israeli flag is bizarre considering there are plenty/hadbeen plenty offlags up previously that "represented"cultures andgovernments that are authoritarian. We can hang the Saudi flag anddisassociate it from its government (or at least understandthat its presence in the student space DOES NOTimply that Sciences Po supports Saudi policies), but not the Israeli? To me this is an issue ofanti-semitism, not antiIsraeli politics."

"Je refuse de me lever tous les matins et d'avoir à supporter dans mon université la vision d'un drapeau représentant une entité assassine et meurtrière, un État fondé dans la violence, violence qu'il n'a cessé d'exercer jusqu'aujourd'hui et qu'il continuera d'exercer.

Personnellement, je trouve que ce sujet est grave. Et j'en ai marre de ces débats stériles et des gens dont le seul but est de faire le show sans mesurer la portée émotionnelle de ce sujet et incapables de comprendre les avis différents des leurs."

YOUR THOUGHTS

What is your position regarding the presence of the Palestinian flag in EE? // Quelle est votre position par rapport à la présence du drapeau palestinien dans l’EE ?

"I support the Palestinian flag in the EE because Palestine is crucial to the Middle Eastern campus-but I'm seeing my hypocrisy here. " "We need the Palestinian flag in order to support the weak. With the latest development (Israeli setting new settlements closer to Jordan than to Israel), Palestine will soon not even exist anymore..."

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Are there any flags that you don’t want to see in the EE? // Y-a-t-il des drapeaux que vous ne voulez pas voir dans l’EE? - Daesh -Nazi -Any non- Middle Eastern Flag isn't really necessary. Postmodern States should be over Nationalism by now.

-Israel Your opinion on the decision made by Mr El Ghoul: Should he have done that? // Votre opinion sur la décision prise par M El Ghoul : Devait-il prendre cette mesure ?

"La mesure peut paraître forte, mais d'un "These flags should be standing, autre côté, les étudiants sont allés trop loins especially since we found a democratic dans leur propos et c'est bien fait pour eux. solution to this issue with the two flags Certes El Ghoul ne devrait pas avoir à intervenir sur des choses qui concernent l'EE, side by side." mais à partir du moment où on n'est pas assez mature pour gérer le problème nous même, il a le droit d'intervenir. Bien fait pour nous."

Did you change your perspective regarding the flag debate after Mr El Ghoul’s decision? // Avez-vous changé votre perspective par rapport au débat de drapeau après la décision de Mr El Ghoul ?

"Why would I change my opinion because of an email I can't read from El Ghoul?"

"Taking

away

the

flags

does

not

erase

the

issue."

Should there be more open dialogue between the administration and the student body on decisions that directly impact campus life? (Other than CVC) // Faudrait-il avoir plus de dialogue entre l’administration et les étudiants sur des sujets qui ont un impact sur la vie de campus ? (outre que le CVC ?)

"I think that there should be more dialogue simply because there was none at all."

"L'administration est totalement déconnectée de la vie du campus, ne s'en mêle que lorsque quelque chose ne lui plaît pas. Les étudiants devraient être plus soutenus et l'administration s'intéresser un peu plus à eux."

"We pay thousands ofeuros in tuition. Ifwe are unhappy, the administration better listen to us before we get really "disappointed" and call for a change in the governing body of our campus' administration."

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Par une nuit du 1 3 Johanna Villégas

L

Credits: Wikimedia Commons

e 1 3 octobre, José ne s’est pas couché tôt : des clashs agrémentés d’un soupçon de cohésion ont envahi le petit amphithéâtre de Sciences Po Menton.

En effet, le campus a vu ses portes se fermer à 23h en raison du premier débat organisé par l’association politique Les Jeunes avec Juppé, juste avant de retransmettre le débat de la primaire de la droite et du centre.

Economie, fichés S…les étudiants ont eu l’occasion de discuter de tous ces thèmes avec plus ou moins d’apaisement.

groupes selon leur croissance économique en partant du constat que les politiques de la BCE n’étaient pas adaptées aux situations économiques disparates des pays membres.

Néanmoins, malgré ces clashs apparents, deux idées ont permis une certaine cohésion au sein de cet auditoire du 1 3 au soir : l’échec de la création d’une identité culturelle commune – « Tu te sens culturellement proche d’un slave toi ? » - et la volonté de changer la situation actuelle.

Parmi les sujets ayant suscité le plus de passions : l’Union Européenne. « Tu te sens européen toi ? », telles sont les questions que nous avons pu entendre. Le Brexit (et peut-être l’Italexit ?), le déficit d’identification des citoyens européens en leurs institutions et le défi sécuritaire ont permis aux nombreux clashs de jaillir au sein de l’amphithéâtre, d’habitude si paisible. Certains ont parlé d’une Europe des Nations avec un nombre plus restreint de pays, d’autres ont parlé de séparer les pays en deux LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

Ce 1 3 au soir, peut-être José aura-t-il dormi d’une meilleure oreille. Ses étudiants préférés ont choisi de concentrer leurs désaccords et leur cohésion sur des questions européennes plus locales, et beaucoup moins sensibles que d’autres. Reste à espérer, que la question du drapeau européen ne se pose pas !

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Sun, Sea, and Depression

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Anonymous

e talk a lot on this campus, about a lot of topics.

However, I feel like there are some topics we don’t talk nearly enough about – one of them is mental health. Besides getting the regular email about the psychiatrist on campus on Fridays, and joking about “November depression”, we seem to overlook this topic entirely or limit our conversations about it for comfort and politeness. On the other hand, from what I have observed and from the conversations I have had with friends and almost-strangers, I can safely say that a good number of people on campus are struggling – albeit in a functional way.

have said this to my face upon finding out – I would never have guessed! – code for “You don’t look like it.” I have never been anywhere near skinny in the more than 5 years I have struggled with disordered eating – I have always been back and forth between average Credits: www.ajanshaber.com and overweight. In fact, more than half of people with eating disorders do not look like it – BMI (which is not an accurate measure of anything) is only a diagnosis criterion for anorexia nervosa – and most people are diagnosed with EDNOS/OSFED (eating disorder not otherwise specified or otherwise specified eating or feeding disorder). Secondly, secrecy is a part of the disorder itself.

Usually, the person is in denial about A reason for this is the fact that the disorder to an extent. It took me a mental illness is not visible in most year to admit that this was an Actual cases – or it is easy to disguise.

Problem and not some kind of hobby, Everyone is tired, everyone is it was a shock to my 1 4-year-old self stressed, and most to notice that I fit people can disguise "The way we define normal and every criteria, and it is their unhealthy pathological are not solidor still a struggle for my situation in this God-given, andwe needto be somewhat-grown-up atmosphere of aware ofour own feelings and self to talk about this normalized issue or even admit experiences, andtrust our overexertion and this – one of the intuition." fashionable youthful reasons why this article nihilism. It is entirely is anonymous. possible that one may not even be aware of their condition, let alone It would also be very difficult for others’, until it gets to a point where it anyone to notice any other mental is unmanageable and professional health problem I or another may be help is necessary. experiencing – I cannot name anything I partially speak out of experience – it because I am not officially diagnosed would be almost impossible for any of due to a complicated set of reasons – my friends on campus (even very close but mental illness is very easy to friends) to notice that I am disguise as a natural consequence of (sometimes/partially/recoveringour work rhythm, physical illness, or ly/whatever) bulimic, unless I told simply sleep deprivation (which them or allowed them to notice. actually may be the case – but perhaps arising from an underlying problem First of all, I do not look like it. People like anxiety or depression). Even the

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physical symptoms – perhaps because I did not “look like it”, no doctor could explain my constant headaches and dizziness arising from a combination of hunger, overexertion and electrolyte imbalance.

health? What are my priorities? We need to take care of ourselves – as unrealistic as it may be in this environment of competition and pressure. Maybe this is a sign that the environment itself is not healthy.

My point is – we often overlook our problems and those of our friends because we consider it normal to be tired often, to be stressed constantly or to not have energy. It is really hard to distinguish at what point it becomes unhealthy, or at what point it starts having detrimental effects on one’s life. We even glorify this selfsacrifice sometimes, or we consider it necessary. This is an esteemed institution, and it is considered normal for students to work hard.I believe that the student profile that would choose to apply to, and be admitted into this kind of institution would be functional under stress, would be able to overlook mental or physical health concerns until they got the job done.

But then, there is another assignment, and another, and then exams and then a paper and then an internship and so on – but until when can we put off taking a much needed break or seeking help? Hopefully not until a breakdown.

Another thing related to the way we define mental health and mental illness is the way we define its solution. Although there is a biochemical component to mental illnesses, it is not fully known why they occur, why some people are more prone to it than others, and how our social lives affect our brain. The reasons behind mental illness change from person to person – it is known, for example, that trauma modifies the way our brain works, and this may directly be one of the reasons behind disorders such as borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. Trauma can even be passed on through generations. It is also known that social isolation and pressure – the pressure to be successful, for example – or financial stress, the experience of racial discrimination or being a woman or being LGBT, are causes or risk factors for mental health problems.

Since there are a variety of biological, personal and social factors behind mental illness, and the way we (and mental health professionals, the psychiatric system, etc) define it is largely constructed, there should be a variety of solutions, individually defined. For some people, full recovery is not an option and focusing on managing the symptoms would be more helpful. For some people, it can take time but it is a realistic goal.

Some people improve greatly with medication and need to, or choose to take it. Some people do not. Some people choose to get professional help, some people cannot do that. For some people, things like yoga,

As I said, it is hard to distinguish between a mental illness and normal, natural feelings one gets through life.

We should keep in mind that mental illnesses and diagnostic criteria are also defined by people and change over time. The illnesses get recategorized, the criteria are modified, new illnesses are defined or two diagnoses are merged under one name. The way we define normal and pathological are not solid or Godgiven, and we need to be aware of our own feelings and experiences, and trust our intuition. Do I need a break?

Am I putting too much stress onto myself? Is this detrimental to my LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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meditation, exercise or eating in a healthier way helps a lot, and for some people it would not be helpful at all.

of everyone involved, so that an unhealthy dynamic is not created. Still, we should normalize asking for help, normalize asking for distraction instead of normalizing functioning despite everything, strict individualism and overworking oneself.

We should not think in strict terms of “ill” and “well” – mental illness is like a sliding scale with many factors influencing whether a person is “ill” or not. It is not a black and white issue – there is no magical threshold one crosses and suddenly becomes mentally ill. You cannot go and cure your friend, but you can make it easier for them and they can make it easier for you. I am not trying to make a point about ending stigma around mental illness – which is also important – but I am calling you to reconsider mental health and priorities, take care of yourself and connect rather than compartmentalize things. Life does not exist in neat boxes of “school”, “friends”, “health” and so on, aspects of our lives are all interrelated, we are not meant to live in vacuums or live around sharp lines, and everything is complicated – not in a bad way.

I am going to speak from experience again. When I try to speak to people about my struggle with, let’s say, mood swings or depressive episodes, unregulated emotions or whatever, I almost always get the response, “Have you seen a doctor about this?”. The thing is – I can’t. There are a set of practical and personal reasons making it impossible for me to seek professional help. One thing I can do is talk to people I trust, though. For example, when I am having a crisis, let’s say when I was crying in my bed last evening around 7 pm, after my mood dropped with the blink of an eye, the only thing I could think was, “I need someone, I need to hug someone and talk to them” – it is the only thing that would make me feel better until it passed. I realized that although I had close and trusted friends, I could not open up to anyone and ask for this. The feeling of loneliness made it even worse.

I think that should be a thing we do for each other, not immediately suggesting that one sees a doctor but asking if we can do anything, regularly checking on each other, making it clear that we care. Of course, it is very important that one prioritizes oneself and sets clear boundaries, for the sake

Credits: Inès Shiri

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Menton

“You've gotta be shitting me!”

Ryan Zohar

Credits: The Huffington Post

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I find it ironic that a city whose largest hen I arrived at Sciences Po, I economic sector is the tourism knew there would be points industry has such poorly kept roads. throughout from being a the course of my Ifanimals go to the bathroom Aside health hazard, studies that would be to mark their territory, then public animal feces extremely stressful. I quite frankly, they have claimed the complicate life in other imagined I would often our whole block. ways. Each day, as I utter the hallmark walk the ten minutes from my phrase cried out by thousands of apartment to campus, I feel as though university students in France before I am in an obstacle course. “Watch on me: “Je suis dans la merde!” This your left!” my roommate will yell to phrase in Menton, however, has taken me just before I ruin my new shoes. on a different context for me. There is “Careful of the car!” I will call back an old adage in the United States that seeing that he has wandered off the early 20th century immigrants to sidewalk in an effort to avoid the gift America dreamed of the streets being a large greyhound has left on our “paved with gold.” The streets of daily commute. If animals go to the Menton, on the other hand, often bathroom to mark their territory, then seem to be paved with the excrement of dogs, cats, and birds. quite frankly, they have claimed our whole block.

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middle of the roads of Menton is undoubtedly a breach of the city’s hygiene regulations. As such, residents should be fined in the event of the breach of the regulations so that the fine can serve as a deterrent against future inappropriate behavior.

In fact, Menton even has a Brigade de l’Environnement in order to fight against such actions. The city’s statement on the brigade states that the brigade should specifically work to prevent the presence of animal excrement in the streets.

While the municipality seems quite concerned with governing the swimwear of women on the beaches, it seems to ignore its roads. Residents have praised Mayor Jean-Claude Guibal for taking a stand to “maintain a certain quality of life in Menton,” but many of these same residents let their pets ruin the streets we walk down each day.

Nothing wrong you say? The comments of our region’s residents on the Facebook page of Nice-Matin often echo the same retort about the Burkini ban in the region. “Respect our culture and our laws or leave the country!” they exclaim. I implore these residents to respect the law as well. As per the website of la Ville de Menton: “L’article r610-5 du Code pénal prévoit une amende forfaitaire de 38 euros en cas de non-respect des règles d’hygiène. ” The article in question states: “La violation des interdictions ou le manquement aux obligations édictées par les décrets et arrêtés de police sont punis de l'amende prévue pour les contraventions de la 1re classe. ”

“Quatre agents de terrain, placés sous la responsabilité du chefde subdivision, et une secrétaire sont donc chargés d’identifier les dépôts sauvages (encombrants, gravats, végétaux…) et de verbaliser les contrevenants quand la pédagogie ne suffit plus, de contrôler le comportement des chiens et autres animaux sur la voie publique (y compris la lutte contre les déjections), de faire procéder à l’enlèvement des épaves (200 en 2011), d’identifier et de verbaliser l’affichage sauvage sur la commune. ” A lofty task, for sure, judging by the amount of shit we see each day.

Allowing pets to defecate in the

Credit: Jilly Bennett Photography LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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Menton

A Leak in Civilization Omar Kamel

T

he maelstrom of acid liquid intensifies, a quiet storm churning within you, an insurmountable pressure pleading and begging for momentary relief.

You are in dire need of, as the French would call it, a “Oui Oui”.

Deliverance is near. Your chances at remaining a decent human being in the eyes of your friends are safe. In trepidating anticipation, you maintain your composure for a few extra instants and throw yourself in ecstasy at the disease-ridden steel gate – only to find it sealed shut.

The flashing red 50¢ button grins at you in playful, mocking glee and your hopes at respectable alleviation are crushed. Your heart gives a convincing impression of a cardiac-arrest as your trembling fingers optimistically ravage through your coinscarce pockets. The frustration is tangible.

In a show of defiance at your inability to practice what most would consider a basic human right, you unleash the raging hurricane of pent-up anger, pain and sadness at the rusty metal turnstile. A display of engaging water-works that would put the Dubai choreographed fountain show to shame; you let loose a flow of torrential rains that could threaten entire village sewage systems in India.

The relief is palpable, though short-lived.

The moment of ephemeral ecstasy is soon replaced by a mix of shame and disgust at the collateral damage inflicted on your shoes.

One would think that outlets for the exercise of one of our main bodily functions,

You are at a clear disadvantage, devoid of a decent outlet to let loose the tempest rumbling inside you. In a last-ditch effort to preserve what shreds of dignity you might have left, you scramble about in a quest to find the closest channel to set forth a torrent of your own creation.

This is the apex of your childhood ambitions.

You can master the elements, manipulate the rivers and part the waters like a modernday Moses. Your reserves are aplenty, the jet stream cocked and loaded; timing is crucial.

It’s a considerable struggle of might that many underestimate, but few have the presence of mind to achieve. As the last seconds dawn and the remnants of your social life flash before you, a miracle in the shape and form of a public restroom stall materializes itself in the corner of your eyes.

You brain lets forth cries of internal joy at the wondrous sight and your prostate all but backflips in hysteria.

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the practice of which is arguably universally recognized as a fundamental right for all humans alike, would be widely provided to the masses in modern civilizations. It seems, however, that these freedoms have now been priced at a rough scattering of small change and lower denominations of local currency probably found under your couch.

of luck, you happen to be in a position in which you have the liberty to take such sweeping decisions (say for instance, quite randomly, that you are the mayor of a coastal town on the south of France); please stop. It’s beyond ridiculous.

You are, quite literally, taking a piss.

For this, we can thank the concerned authorities, who seem to have decided that taxing every citizen for the evacuation of their bowel movements is definitely a productive process for all the obvious reasons.

If, dear reader, by some convenient stroke

Credits: Kimball Stock

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Menton

Breakaholics Anonymous Laura Rose Brown

A

Credits: www.a2ua.com attempt to once again salvage what is left of s I stare at the clock on the far right this ever growing shorter evening. And hand side of my trusty Macbook Air, 1 8:44 chimes in. I’m technically in the suddenly, there won’t be enough time to middle of preparing an exposé, but it’s the complete the piece of work that will take same exposé I seem to have lost my whole one hour and fifteen minutes, because by weekend to…and funnily enough I’ve only the time I’ve cooked enough to feed three added one slide over that whole time. But small families, washed my hair eight times 1 8:44 just says one thing to me, I’m obliged because why not, learnt another foreign to wait 1 6 minutes language (which until I can start work This article isn’t about my love for unfortunately isn’t again, because it Arabic) and face timed roundnumbers, even though I’m makes sense to start every friend I’ve made working again at a certainly one to wince when the car in the last four and round number, and stereo is left at volume 39, it’s about half years, I’ll only whilst 1 8.50 is only six all the little oddnumbers ofminutes have an hour left. So minutes away, what that I quite spectacularly seem to lose why start? in a day, on the premise that I’m harm can waiting an waiting to start. extra ten minutes to It’s a vicious circle complete the backlog when a perpetual break taker gets into the of work I’m saving for myself, for all the mindset that there’s no point in starting time I know I won’t actually have in the near because finishing isn’t feasible. future.

Now it’s 1 9:01 and by some sort of cruel twist of fate, I missed the satisfaction of seeing 1 9:00 on the clock, and so now the wait begins, just nine minutes until I can

LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

I recently deployed a new tactic, to break out of the double edged sword scenario of living life on a study break. Studying with friends. Sounds like a fantastic idea, what 40 better than two brains, one room and

shared notes? Well it turns out that comedians on youtube, snapchat bunny filters, discussing the various campus instagrams and complaining about our lack of time, all seem better, at the time.

at the age of sixteen, when exams felt like the weight of the world. But breaks can be problematic, especially when you are a chronic break taker like myself. It’s the moment when you reflect on the day behind you, and the realisation that one hour of work took five, and it’s the heart wrenching feeling you get on a sunday evening, because you’re aware you just had 48 hours of complete freedom from the gated community of Sciences Po Menton, but that if you had to quantify what you did in that time, the easiest way would be to look at the four online shopping baskets open on Google Chrome and your Netflix recent history.

It turns out, after all this, I realise I have a lot of time on my hands, and now that we are adults it’s down to us, as adults, to manage it. I manage it, by waiting for round numbers. But this also means I manage my time by waiting for time to pass, which suddenly seems much less healthy.

This article isn’t about my love for round numbers, even though I’m certainly one to wince when the car stereo is left at volume 39, it’s about all the little odd numbers of minutes that I quite spectacularly seem to lose in a day, on the premise that I’m waiting to start. Breaks are good for us, or at least that’s how Mothers classically consoled us,

They say the first step towards recovery is accepting you have a problem. Well, my name is Laura Rose Brown, and I am a breakaholic.

Salvador Dalí LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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The Damn Doodle Kaz Tomozawa

Credit: University of Minnesota timeslots for respondents and collects all the responses, showing how many people have said they are free during certain times in green and where they have said they are not free in red. Once a certain number of people have responded, it becomes pretty easy to see where the consensus lies and where you should probably highlight that you’re available. If, for example, fourteen out of fifteen respondents have answered that Friday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM doesn’t work for them, you wouldn’t want to click that you’re available during that time because it’s essentially useless. Conversely, if those fourteen people have voted that the meeting be held on Friday from 8:00 PM until 9:00 PM, even if you’re sooooort of free at that time but you don’t want to give away your Friday evening, you still might feel that you should vote yes, simply to reach a consensus.

T

he start of any new school year is characterized by a jump from summertime sluggishness filled with nothing but Netflix or late morning naps to the chaotic calendar full of classes, homework, association meetings, group project meetings, and social outings that leaves you wondering if and when you’ll have time to breathe. Personally, I love the rush of having “something to do,” but I wish it wasn’t so damn complicated.

The end of every association meeting is plagued by the question, “When is our next meeting?” The room becomes silent. Should we meet on Monday? No, first year English Trackers have seven hours ofhistory lecture that day! What about Tuesday? I have a TedX meeting that I CAN’Tmiss! Wednesday?

Secondyears have classes from 8 AM until 8 PM! Thursday…? I’m not sure, I know I have a meeting that day, but I’m not sure when it is… can I get back to you guys?

Friday/Saturday/Sunday? Well, let’s not go there. Of course, I’m exaggerating. It isn’t all that hard to find a time that is suitable for most, if not all, association members but there definitely is a science behind it.

What happens if you’re not the fifteenth person to fill out the Doodle, but the first?

Your fingers may begin to tremble at the power of setting a trend. You flip between your agenda and the Doodle, finding out where your “free time” exists (or whether or not it exists at all) and you quickly knock down all the times you want. The power can be intoxicating.

Enter: the Doodle. Doodle is a website that allows organizers to send out a questionnaire that visually displays LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

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The biggest problem with Doodle is that it doesn’t work quite as well as it should.

When every association sends a Doodle at the same time, members are placed in a situation in which they must fill in multiple Doodles without knowing if their association meetings will clash with another. By filling in different Doodles with the same schedule, you run the risk of having a meeting coincide with another. The Doodle is therefore useless.

disappointment in the organizing capacity of the Doodle.

Of course, it’s generally easier for associations to use Doodles mainly because it eliminates the back and forth discussion on when each member is free – but because Doodles are used almost incessantly, it becomes harder to establish a meeting time for everyone. We end up spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure when to meet – would it not be better for associations to decide with each other when and how frequently they would meet? A cabinet meeting of clubs to all agree on best times? A club parliament? There might be a better way of figuring out how to align all of our schedules to avoid the inconvenient clashes, but I believe that solution lies somewhere beyond resorting another round of Doodles.

Much more problematic is that most people don’t respond to a Doodle (perhaps because they’re trying to figure out which Doodle to fill out first), until it’s too late. If most people respond to the Doodle, it can be easy to establish a time during which most people are free with the exception of those who haven’t responded. In my limited encounters with Doodles, most people (including myself) won’t fill out a Doodle until they’ve been reminded three or twenty times to do so. Thus, because most people wait to fill out a Doodle until the last minute, opportune meeting times are taken up and we are left with a sense of

Credits: Doodle Blog

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COHESION 1 7 October 201 6

Berke Alikasifoğlu Ryan Zohar Zeynep Aksoy Sebastian Torero Camille Azzam Sara Elbanna LE ZADIG · 1 7 October 201 6

Zélie Ducret Kryštof Selucký Omar Kamel Anna Stonehocker Kaz Tomozawa Elias Forneris 44

Cover Photos: Elias Forneris lezadig.com lezadigjournal@gmail.com