In her first column of the term, Thea Osborne looks at the current situation in Egypt for Exeposé Features.
Cairo protests Image credits: Gigi Ibrahim
It has been particularly difficult to ascertain a clear understanding of the situation in Egypt since the overthrow of Mubarak in 2011. The old regime, secularists, Islamists, military and international powers have all tried to place their stamp on Egypt’s future resulting in chaos, dissatisfaction and further splintering within all sides. Furthermore, it appears to have become even more confusing since the overthrow of the democratically elected Muhammad Morsi in July last year after his brief 13-month rule. It is estimated that over 1,000 people have died since Morsi’s overthrow and many, particularly those in the Muslim Brotherhood to which Morsi belonged, have claimed that his overthrow was a coup against the democratically elected leader and that there have been systematic attacks on the Brotherhood ever since, including branding them as a terrorist organisation. It is the role of the army which seems the least transparent and yet most constantly powerfully part of Egypt’s post-revolution history and the recent constitutional referendum seems to be the latest twist in reinforcing their power.
To many the latest constitutional referendum is seen far more as a vote as to whether Morsi’s overthrow and the power of the military has been approved, then anything relating to the text that it contains. It was announced on Saturday that 98 per cent of participants voted ‘yes’ to the new constitution This could potentially have the power to pave the way for new elections and provide a legitimacy to the military’s handling of the state since helping to topple Morsi last summer. However, there are large criticisms of the campaign, particularly the government’s arrests of ‘no’ campaigners along with the voting turnout of 38.6 per cent despite the government having desperately urged people to vote as part of their ‘patriotic duty’. The turnout is not as low as that for the constitution voted for under Morsi’s rule but still indicates that much of the population does not have confidence in the current political system and as a result is either boycotting or feeling apathetic towards the vote. There were geographical divides between north and south in voter turnout; the more traditionally Islamic south appears to have primarily boycotted the vote as a protest against the crackdown on Islamism and Morsi’s overthrow.
The constitution generally strengthens the military, the police and the judiciary; key points include: the president can serve only two four-year terms, the defence minister must be chosen by the military, Islam is the state religion but freedom of belief is “absolute”, the state guarantees equality between genders and no political party can be based on “religion, race, gender or geography”, protests are still subject to strict laws and civilians can still be tried by a military criminal court. Despite certain liberal appearances the constitution has many critics within liberal groups, such as the 6 April Movement who were very involved in the ousting of Mubarak and who consider it as a return to the days of military leadership under Mubarak and simply a legitimisation of the powerful and unquestioned position of the army’s power. The Muslim Brotherhood is also understandably critical of the constitution particularly as its rules concerning the role of religion within political parties destroy its legality.
Parliamentary and presidential elections are now due to take place within the next few months and there seems little doubt that General Al-Sisi who orchestrated the coup against Morsi will run for president. If successful, once again a military strongman will be in charge of Egypt and there will be little room left for doubt as to the power of the military within Egyptian politics. The authorities have insisted that the country is on the road to democracy, others though are predicting mass revolt and another revolution. Whatever the case it is unquestionable that the military has an unrivalled position that they are very unwilling to jeopardise and many direly predict that oppression, censorship and violence are already and will continue to be used.
Another year is nearly over, and whether it’s been a good one for you or not such a good one, it has been undeniably eventful. To say our final goodbyes to 2013, Online Features Editor Imogen Watson refresh your memory of some of the year’s biggest and most interesting events, month by month.
January
The New Year never sees an end to the previous year’s events, and 2013 was no different, with ongoing conflicts in Syria, and the Central African Republic continuing to rage on.
Back here in the United Kingdom, the joint report between the Metropolitan Police and the NSPCC into the Jimmy Savile affair was released, announcing the recording of some 214 criminal offences of sexual abuse on Savile’s part over 54 years and across 28 different police regions in the country. Jim Davidson, another television presenter, was also arrested under Operation Yewtree – the investigation into the scandals – although no further action has been taken against him.
Internationally, Google Maps was able to expand its map coverage of North Korea, detailing labour camps and landmarks.
February
Pope Benedict XVI. Image credits: zoutedrop
Despite its reputation as being just a little bit dull, February was quite the interesting month. A meteor struck over Russia at nearly 60 times the speed of sound, exploding over Chelyabinsk nearly 14.5 miles above the ground, releasing between 20 and 30 times more kinetic energy than Hiroshima and injuring nearly 1500 people.
Four days previously, although it’s likely unconnected, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from his position at the head of the Roman Catholic Church – the first to do so since 1415 – citing his strengths as “no longer suited to… the Petrine ministry”. Others have suspected intra-Vatican power struggles as more likely for the shock abdication.
And how could we leave February behind without mentioning the horsemeat scandal? Maybe you have got over it now we’ve made it into December or perhaps you’re still a tad cautious, but back in February 2013 there was outrage when it turned out everyone’s beef lasagnes were actually horse…
March
Demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. Image credits: kalleboo
March saw North Korea in the news again for making nuclear threats against the United States, having claimed to have tested nuclear weapons in mid-February. They withdrew from all non-aggression pacts with South Korea, stated they were closing their borders and cutting off its hotline to the Southern part of the peninsula – the last method of communication between the two countries. Later in the month, it launched a cyber-attack and then declared a state of war against South Korea, promising “stern physical actions” in response to “any provocative act”. The North Korean crisis, as termed by the media, continues…
April
It’s possible that April could not have been a busier month had it tried.
Here in Britain on 8 April it was announced that the only female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, had died at the age of 87 after a stroke. A controversial figure, Baroness Thatcher caused plenty of debates in death as in life, including the cost of her funeral (held on 17 April) and who should fund it (the coverage of which you can read here).
Baroness Thatcher’s coffin being put into the hearse. Image credits: Joshua Irwandi
On the 15 April 2013, two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon in Massachusetts, USA, killing three and injuring approximately 264 others. Later, a police officer was killed by gunshot wounds. A terrorist attack, the FBI began their hunt for the suspects, who were quickly identified after the release of photo and surveillance footage. In a very American style, a manhunt began for the two suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, brothers of Russian nationality, who were later arrested and await trial.
In late April, an eight-storey building in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed killing over 1100 people and injuring 2515. One woman was pulled out alive after seventeen days within the wreckage. Although cracks had been noticed the previous day, workers had been ordered to return to work despite warnings against doing so. The commercial building contained factories for clothes shops such as Primark, Walmart and JC Penney; in subsequent meetings of the twenty-nine implicated companies, less than nine have been involved.
May
On 1 October 2012, five-year-old April Jones went missing from her home in Wales, having been seen getting into a car nearby. In May 2013, Mark Bridger was convicted of both her abduction and her murder as well as perverting the course of justice – he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation from the judge that he never be released. Her body has never been found, although Bridger claims to have disposed of it in a nearby river; the police suspect he in fact scattered her remains across local countryside.
June
The end of June saw the Russian government adopting laws to ban any positive discussion of gay relationships, imposing 5000 ruble (£90) fines on its own citizens (and 50,000 – £900 – for any public official) and the potential arrest and deportation of foreigners caught in any way making a non-heterosexual relationship seem like normality. With the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, Russia, these laws prompted strong reactions from around the world with many, including Stephen Fry, calling for a boycott.
July
Kate and William. image credits: UK_repsome
Whilst the UK finally experienced some sunshine after an extremely cold spring, Royal Baby fever finally descended. Bets were placed on the gender and name of the most highly anticipated baby of recent years before Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born to William and Kate on the 22 July 2013. The world’s media went crazy, and so did many members of the general public, snapping up Royal paraphernalia and camping outside the hospital waiting for that all-important first glimpse of the future King.
Meanwhile, July was also a big month for LGBT rights, with the British government passing a law legalising gay marriage from March 2014 and marking a significant step forward in equality laws.
August
Although the enduring conflict in Syria continued throughout the year, it was on the 21 August when the world stopped as the Syrian government was accused of using chemical weapons on its own people. Thus began an international dance around Bashar al-Assad and his denial of using them, and whether the global community ought to act in response; it has since been confirmed that traces of sarin gas have been found at the alleged attack site. United Nations inspectors were sent into the country and eventually Syria agreed to have its weapons stocks destroyed.
September
Syrian flags painted on government walls. Image credits: Freedom House
After the uproar and outrage of December 2012 when a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered on a bus in Delhi, India, the four men – Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Guptathe – who attacked her were sentenced to death by hanging in September of this year. India retains the death penalty for certain crimes, including a new amendment in 2013 for death or permanent vegetative state caused by rape, likely brought about by the violent protests in India after the incident occurred.
A little more than a week later, on
21 September and the International Day of Peace, masked gunmen began an attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, a raid that lasted for three days and killed a minimum of 72 people from across thirteen different countries (although a majority were Kenyan) in total, including six soldiers; the New York Police Department investigation concluded that it was likely the gunmen themselves escaped. The Islamist group al-Shabaab initially claimed responsibility as retribution for Kenyan involvement in military operations in Somalia.
October
This month we all witnessed the US political system turn into a crazy mess as the government shut down. The US Congress, responsible for raising the debt ceiling and controlled by the Republican Party, locked horns with the Democratic President Obama in the White House over the level of US debt and balancing the federal (central government’s) budget. Before the Democrats would be allowed their budget to govern for the next year, the Republicans were determined to attach amendments which would, in some way, remove funding for or dismantle entirely Obama’s healthcare reforms passed, subject to lots of debate and scrutiny, in 2012.
Capitol Hill, the home of the US Congress Image credits: Ron Cogswell
As a result, the deadline for sorting out the argument passed and the government had no choice but to shut down certain federal services, sending home around 800,000 workers indefinitely without pay and asking a further million to work without knowing when they would be paid. The world’s biggest economy unable to pay its debts would have meant another economic disaster, but thankfully a deal was finally passed on 16 October and signed into law just after midnight the next day.
November
November brought poor luck, to put it very lightly, for the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan struck parts of Asia but significantly the Philippines, killing over 6000 people there alone and destroying large parts of the infrastructure. Several regions were placed under a state of national calamity, the devastation was so vast. As with so many natural disasters, the initial medical requirements of broken bones soon became more chronic conditions, and international appeals were launched to help the masses of the population displaced from their homes. Approximately $374.5 million was donated in money by governments across the world, and supplies were also sent by other nations. The situation, naturally, is still ongoing and dire for many people.
The aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Taclobane. Image credits: UK Department for International Development
December
And now that December has come around, what can we reflect upon? As another towering political figure of the 20th century, clearly the death of Nelson Mandela reverberated around the world; despite his old age and long-running illness, no one can quite prepare for the death of such an icon. Any long-term impacts on South Africa and the rest of the world are waiting to be seen, but it cannot be denied his lifetime has seriously changed South Africa for the better.
To finish the year off, what else is happening? Well, the UK’s storm is currently disrupting the travel as people try to get home, Russia is releasing some political prisoners and a few more governments are being accused of spying on each other. As always, it’s fun and games in our globalised world, with not a little bit of argument and tragedy.
What will 2014 be like? Time will soon tell and in the meantime, all that’s left to do is to wish you all a Happy New Year.
Imogen Watson, Online Features Editor
Have we missed something? Which do you think is the biggest event of 2013? Let us know in the comments!
In her final column for the term, Online Features Columnist Thea Osborne discusses the current dire state of affairs left behind in Iraq.
Sectarian violence within Iraq is becoming an almost daily event, to the extent where news channels seem to have become desensitised to the latest car bomb or suicide attack. Violence has reached the worst levels it has been in years; the monthly death toll did drop in November but it is still terrifyingly high with 659 dead, at least 80 per cent of whom were civilians. 7,150 civilians have been killed since January this year, the highest annual toll since 2008. On Sunday at least 39 people were reported to have been killed by over nine explosions in and around Baghdad, predominantly in Shia Muslim areas. The bombs targeted crowded commercial areas and marketplaces. The roots of the violence are based along complex sectarian divides and rivalries and are slowly turning the whole of Iraq into a violent crisis zone with little clear leadership and even less everyday safety.
The three largest demographics within Iraq are Arab Sunnis, Arab Shia and the Kurds; each is desperate to stake a claim to the future Iraq and ensure that their interests are considered. The Kurds in the north were brutally oppressed under Saddam Hussein and are now determined to settle for little less than their own autonomous state. The rivalry between the Shia and Sunni is what has been the cause of the majority of the recent violence within the country. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Muslim and despite only making up 35 per cent of the population favoured fellow Sunnis over the majority Shia population. Perhaps understandably there has been a lot of backlash from the previously suppressed Shia majority since his downfall. This has then created a vicious cycle of attack and counter-attack which has reached particularly awful heights in the last year. The latest ongoing wave of violence started as a response to a crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in April and has reached heights only previously seen when the country teetered on the brinks of civil war in 2007.
The Shia-led Iraqi government is under pressure to restore control and is attempting to bring in new safety measures in order to curtail the rising violence as Iraqi citizens are increasingly concerned that it could spill over into a full blown sectarian conflict. Bombings in crowded areas, particularly cafés, bus stations and restaurants have become part of everyday life – citizens are feeling increasingly unsafe as more and more civilians are randomly targeted. At the beginning of the year attacks were generally focused upon security and military targets but they have become increasingly unpredictable. Responsibility is usually unclaimed for attacks but different methods tend to indicate different groups; suicide bombings are generally being carried out by Al-Qaeda associates and roadside bombings by Shia extremists. Those carrying out the violence and sanctioning such violent methods are clearly small minorities of the Iraqi population but they are managing to slowly drag the entire country back in time to the more brutal times of the Shia-Sunni violence in 2006 and 2007.
Image credits: The U.S. Army
It is clear and imminent that whether the world is noticing or not, Iraq is sliding dangerously close to civil war. Government measures, such as the increasing use of sniffer dogs that can smell out car bombs and large helium balloons over Baghdad which use surveillance cameras to track traffic, are generally met with scepticism by the population. The only hope is that the majority of the country is so desperate for peace and the end of sectarian violence that the violence might fizzle out, however, at the moment, it seems to be never-ending.
Nelson Mandela, former President of the Republic of South Africa, died on the evening of Thursday 5 December. Here, Hannah Butler assesses his impact across the world.
As news of Nelson Mandela’s death filtered through the population on the evening of Thursday 5 December, scores of South Africans flooded to Johannesburg and Soweto. Amongst the grief, a sense of celebration mingled, prompting reporters to note that even in death Mandela lifted the people’s spirits.
Crowds sang apartheid-era songs and danced before his former Soweto home. In London, tributes were soon being laid on Mandela’s statue in Parliament Square, and in Washington, US President Barack Obama made a solemn appearance at the White House to express the profound influence Mandela had had on his own political life, stating, “He no longer belongs to us – he belongs to the ages”, a sentiment which resonates with the sense of immortality and irreversible influence associated with Nelson Mandela, the South African revolutionary who came to be known as the ‘father of the nation’ and ‘the founding father of democracy’.
Becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994, as well as the country’s first black president, Mandela had already done much to assume his place in the history books not only in South Africa but worldwide. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for sabotage which attempted to overthrow the country’s apartheid government, Mandela remained that government’s prisoner for 27 years, released from the gates of Victor Verster Prison in 1990.
However, the force of Mandela’s impact on the world stems perhaps less from his imprisonment itself that from his immovable resolve and dedication to a cause he felt unbelievably important, to himself and the world around him. In an interview from Robben Island in 1973, Mandela dedicated his lack of pessimism to his never-failing belief in his ideas, iterating that, “I know that my cause will triumph.” This resolve reflected a man certain of his beliefs and their potential to improve the lives of countless people. It also, on the other hand, demonstrated a remarkable trust in the inherent goodness of a world which had until this point treated Mandela with harsh injustice.
Mandela’s belief in the ability of good to overcome hatred and segregation reflected his recognition of a need to look forwards rather than backwards, working towards something better rather than remaining bitter about the past and prolonging hostilities. After his release from imprisonment, he did not shun the country and government which had enforced this on him, instead opening negotiations with President F. W. de Clark, and launching into official talks to end white minority rule. This again displayed Mandela’s extraordinary ability to concentrate not on personal hardships and resentment but focus his attentions on the abolishment of apartheid, thus working to achieve the same goal he iterated in 1963: ‘a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities’. This famous and now immortalised ‘Speech from the Dock’ proved to represent unshakeable resolve and determination. To stand by principles despite the harsh judgement of those in power and the official conclusion that he was wrong to hold these beliefs demonstrates Mandela’s incredible commitment to the establishment of democracy and freedom.
Upon his election as President, Mandela’s formation of a multicultural democracy proved his ability to bring ideas into action he deemed beneficial for the South African people. Announcing ‘courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace’, Mandela advocated forgiveness and reconciliation, qualities he exhibited to a remarkable degree, which proved a remarkable selflessness and ability to suppress feelings of resentment and retaliation for the good of a nation.
Image credits: South Africa The Good News
At this early stage it is not possible to fully comprehend what Mandela’s death means for South Africa. Ultimately, his death marks the loss of a man whose extraordinary resolve shaped the country as it is today, and proved capable of overcoming oppression and punishment to end the oppression of countless others. Yet, as Mandela himself stated: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”. The significance of Mandela’s death will therefore manifest itself in his legacy, which is now the task of the current government to uphold, ensuring South Africa’s efforts to end oppression and poverty continue to be recognised as vital priorities.
Current President of South Africa Jacob Zuma’s claim that “Our people have lost a father” reflects a need for the country to now continue its work to abolish oppression, without the guiding force of this monumental and irreplaceable figure. David Cameron’s statement that “Nelson Mandela was not just a hero of our time, but a hero of all time” nevertheless represents a belief that Mandela’s influence will remain long after his death, with the ideals he fought to establish continuing to be upheld.
Nelson Mandela may no longer be a physical presence guiding ideas and practices, yet his legacy will almost certainly live on in the ideals and beliefs of the South Africans and members of other nationalities worldwide who gathered on Thursday night to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of this remarkable man.
When it comes to Cairo, the eyes of the world are usually drawn to the ongoing struggle between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood in the aftermath of last year’s Arab Spring revolutions. But, as Danielle McIntosh examines, too often there is an unseen side to such conflicts, and animals can be victims just as much as humans.
With the amount of international coverage that Cairo has attracted recently, a growing organisation that aims to heal Cairo’s horses, donkeys and camels and educate their owners might just give you a new perspective on the people of this divided city.
The organisation is called ‘Prince Fluffy Kareem’, or PFK for short, named after a cheeky grey stallion they rescued in June 2011. Kareem was found in an emaciated, dehydrated state, suffering from equine malaria and with sores all over his body. The transformation that took place under the care of PFK is quite unbelievable and Kareem is now happy, healthy, and living in luxury – relative to most of the animals in Cairo.
The story of Kareem is not an isolated one. In fact, almost all the horses, donkeys, and camels in Cairo live their entire lives in an undernourished state. This is in part due to the poor quality of life of people living in Cairo, but alongside this is the lack of education about proper animal care in Egypt.
Egypt’s economy relies heavily on tourism. Unfortunately, with the revolution which took place between January and February 2011 and the military toppling of President Mohammad Morsi this summer, tourism has completely collapsed. Egypt’s people live in poverty, there is rioting and fear of further unrest, the education and health systems are incredibly poor, a huge percentage of women are circumcised, and some families are so poor they have to sell their daughters’ virginity to rich Saudi Arabians. People have been looting the pyramids, Egypt’s biggest tourist attractions, out of utter desperation, even though they know the implications this will have for future generations. Marte, a founder of PFK writes on the organisations Facebook page: “This is not the Western world. When you are born poor here, you have minimal, minimal chances of raising your living standards… [This is] a society where children dig in trash for a living, we cannot expect people to have awareness for animal rights; the people don’t even have basic human rights.”
Image credits: Prince Fluffy Kareem
Marte, who was born and lived in Norway, now dedicates each day to helping Egyptian animals and their owners to have healthier, easier lives. She and Sherif, a vet, run the PFK stables together with the help of a handful of other skilled and dedicated people from around the globe. Even after three years of living in Egypt, Marte is still overwhelmed by what she sees on a daily basis. In one of her updates on the PFK Facebook page, she tells us about a mother who gave birth to a daughter who was paralysed from the waist down, saying: “They have no money for a wheelchair, and there is no special school she can go to. So her life consists of dragging herself around on her arms on the concrete floor, in the dust with the family’s hens”.
Life for the animals isn’t very different. Before the political unrest, the majority of Egyptians living in the pyramid district of Cairo earned a living from taking tourists around the Giza Pyramids on their horses and camels. Using animals to earn money is the only resort that many people living in the city have, but with no tourists, there are very few who can care for themselves and their families, let alone their animals.
As a result of this decline in care, working animals in Cairo; horses, donkeys and camels commonly suffer from malnutrition, starvation, equine malaria, pressure sores (some larger than a human hand) caused by ill-fitting tack (saddles and bridles, etc.), and other lesions caused from falls, overcrowding with other animals, or mistreatment.
Owners simply do not have the knowledge or means to prevent illnesses like these happening. Some of the images and stories on the PFK Facebook page are very hard hitting, and it is very easy to judge the people of Cairo according to the standards of animal care we take for granted in the UK. However with the situation in Egypt being so extreme, and cultural norms entirely different to our own, these people do not need punishment, but rather help, understanding, and education.
This is why the work of PFK is so important. With their success over the years, PFK now owns a significant plot of land, nicknamed ‘Fluffylandshire’, where the animals can enjoy free food, water, space, shade, sand and company. Flocks of local horse owners come to take part in the regular clinics that PFK provide, receiving free medical treatment for their animals and advice on how to care for them. Not only do the PFK team treat any horse, donkey or camel that arrives at their gates, they also foster and adopt those who are really in need, providing care of a standard that not many others can provide in such troubled times. As both space and (more surprisingly) sand are a luxury in Cairo, with most owners only be able to provide a small enclosed concrete yard, some animals even come for a special and well deserved PFK ‘holiday’, where they rest until they’re ready to go back to work. Fluffylandshire is truly a place of kindness, understanding (for both animals and their owners), and healing.
PFK also organises projects which aim to provide information on animal welfare directly to local people. During ‘The Fluffy Feet Farrier Project’ Australian vet Dr. Jude Mulholland visited to teach local farriers about common equine foot problems and how to treat them. Likewise, ‘The Fluffy Tooth Fairy Project’ helps pass on information about treating common equine dental issues. Projects like these are incredibly important in Cairo, because without them, incorrect or inefficient methods of treatment will be used again and again, often to no avail.
Of course, looking after a large number of sick animals in a desperate city is expensive. PFK is only able to stay afloat with the help of donations and the hard work of its dedicated international staff. In the past two years the organisation has moved from having supporters in their hundreds, to 60,000 likes on Facebook. Their daily updates, along with thousands of fascinating photographs of their work and the animals they provide for can be found on their Facebook page, and are very informative and entertaining. So if you ever need a break from studying… or reading about Exeter’s Horniest Student, visit http://www.facebook.com/princefluffykareem for a glimpse into a different world and the hope that it brings for Egypt’s animals.
Following her previous article on relations with Iran, Features Columnist Thea Osborne assesses what the latest developments really mean for the Middle East region.
The recent agreement reached in Geneva between Iran and the United States is truly monumental and it is difficult to really understand the scale of the potential shift in power balance and international relations that it might cause within the Middle East region.
Obama has made a major breakthrough during his troubled second term and finally displayed a real change and awareness within the American attitude towards the region. It has been perfectly timed to fit the new opportunities available to them due to the election of the new, more moderate, Iranian president, Hasan Rouhani. The temporary agreement was reached after the second round of talks between Iran and six world powers. The key terms of the deal include Iran’s halting of enrichment above five per cent and dismantling the connections required to do so, along with daily access for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the Iranian nuclear sites. In return world powers have promised not to impose new nuclear-related sanctions for the next six months and to suspend certain sanctions already in place on gold, precious metals, cars and petrochemical exports. The potential repercussions of the agreement are not just important for the US and Iran but for the entire region as it could cause seismic shifts in power relations.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has clearly had his feathers seriously ruffled by his long-term friend and sponsor, the USA, showing such friendship towards his sworn enemy. On Sunday Netanyahu declared, “today the world has become a more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world took a significant step towards obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapon.” Obviously aware of the potential isolation of Israel if it loses support from the US, Netanyahu tried desperately to present a strong independent state of Israel: “Israel has many friends and allies, but when they’re mistaken, it is my duty to speak out… the regime in Iran is committed to destroying Israel. And Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself by itself from any threat.”
Israel is understandably worried that Iran will only become stronger with the lifting of sanctions and become an even more powerful player within the region particularly with its strong links to the Assad regime in Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Israel is also convinced that Iran’s sole purpose in terms of nuclear power is to make a bomb with which to destroy Israel. A potential realignment of the US towards Iran is going to going to force Netanyahu to seriously reconsider his lifelong policy of scaremongering about the imminent dangers emanating from Iran.
The Iranian foreign minister who had negotiated on Iran’s behalf, Mohammah Javad Zarif, was greeted by cheering crowds on his return to Tehran. He quickly warned people, though, that this temporary deal could still be reversed in the future and assured that Iran had by no means agreed to completely stop their nuclear program. It is obvious, however, that he was extremely pleased and has become one of the most prominent and popular Iranian diplomats, both internationally and domestically, in the last thirty years. It is the largest step forward in Western-Iranian relations since the Iranian revolution of 1979 overthrew the incredibly pro-Western Shah. Moreover, arguably, more than any of the huge changes that have occurred in the region in the last few years it could indicate a massive move in the power balance of the entire region away from the monopoly of power held by Israel and the Gulf states over the West.
This will not happen without at least a brutal war of words, as Benjamin Netanyahu has already started to display.
Typhoon Haiyan Image credits: NASA Goddard Photo and Video
After the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, Naomi Poltier looks at the situation in the Philippines.
Tacloban is the name of a city of which one week ago most people had never heard. Capital of the province of Leyte in the Philippines, it has now become the heart of the disaster of the Filipino typhoon Haiyan, which hit on Friday 8 November. Already compared to the 2004 tsunami in strength, it is one of the hardest hitting typhoons on record on land and countries around the whole world have pledged to help out in the situation.
Where it concerns numbers, the death toll has reached 4,200 (and still counting) according to the UN, with 1,186 people still missing, according to the council. The UN claims that more than 11 million people have been affected and some 673,000 displaced. But there is another side to the damage; it cannot be reflected merely by numbers. The city lies in ruin. Countless videos from the BBC show the streets lined with people rummaging around for food as well as piles of rubble, higher than a person, made up mostly of wooden objects in the middles of roads. They interview numerous survivors who describe having swum in the city’s streets in order to survive as the typhoon hit, while others show us with their hands how high the water came up on them in their houses, often to their chins. People are shown forming queues 100 metres in length outside the city’s airport, wanting to evacuate the city as quickly as possible. People are desperate to get out of the Tacloban in any plane they can. On screen one man shows us that if his dad doesn’t get out of the city he will die as he needs to be on dialysis in hospital to survive. It is shocking, as always, to see people with the same standard as living as us put in situations where all that remains of their city and their homes is rubble.
Shopping malls that not long ago would have resembled similar ones in London and Exeter are now reduced to buildings with half walls, carpeted with fallen bricks. A UN emergency relief coordinator from the UN who managed to get on site, Valerie Amos, related the normality which has been shredded when she said, “People with absolutely nothing are doing their best to regain some degree of normality. (…) We must do all we can to ensure that they receive the help they desperately need.” She continued to demonstrate the humanitarian crises across the country: “tens of thousands of people are living in the open (…) and in badly damaged buildings, exposed to rain and wind. Many have lost loved ones and are traumatized by their experience.” The UN, the Red Cross, Oxfam, US government, the British government, and many others have understood and responded to the magnitude of the situation. Perhaps you have even noticed Facebook’s banner at the top of your newsfeed asking if you will donate £10 to the Red Cross humanitarian relief for the Philippines.
Image credits: Free Grunge Textures
The trouble now lies in re-constructing the city. Congressman Martin Romualdez from the Philippines told the BBC that “the destruction is so massive in scale and so extensive in our areas that we literally would have to build from scratch. (…) We just imagine it as a ground zero.” Re-building such a city is no simple task. The BBC has also been reporting day by day the logistical difficulties and successes of aid coming in. They described the simple things made challenging, such as the difficulty of providing helicopter aid to the remote villages hit by the storm due to it being dangerous. A specific example relates how when a helicopter landed in one of these villages, apparently people rushed towards and inside it to grab everything they could, putting the helicopter, and its crew, at risk; aid agencies also warned that the security situation was worsening with reports of people dying in the ransacking of food warehouses.
However, after six days of waiting, on 15November, relief effort came in much more strongly. Reassuring and strengthening words were professed by varying parties beforehand guaranteeing that help was in fact coming. US Marine Corps Brigadier General Paul Kennedy told of his troops that would install equipment for planes to land at night and gave the sturdy statement that “You are not just going to see marines and a few planes and some helicopters, you will see the entire Pacific Command respond to this crisis.” The Head of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon assured that all UN humanitarian agencies and teams were on the ground working to provide necessary humanitarian assistance. David Cameron also announced that he would have an extra £30 million in emergency aid given on top of the sum of £20 million that we have already contributed. Donations from the British public too have apparently risen to £33 million. As ever, every pound counts toward providing the victims with food and water, however the road to recovery will be long. Health experts have already warned that despite the emergency hospitals beings set up, the worst-affected areas are entering a period of peak danger for the spreading of diseases.
Nations such as the Philippines which are coastal must learn and have learned to be resilient, as they get hit by typhoons a dozen times a year. But never, at least not until now, by one this great in size – when one of this magnitude does hit, the consequences of which no one could have imagined, resilience is harder to muster. People living in a technological world like us are reduced to only yearning for food, water and shelter. These are situations that we cannot imagine and perhaps that is why countries and organisations around the world are determined in their response. With social network and newspaper apps on our phones we are kept up-to-date with what is happening on a daily basis, and yet this story will leave the news headline in the next few weeks. Tacloban is a whole city crying out for reconstruction, as are the lives of broken families.
Image credits: amanderson2
Emergency aid is only the first step in a very long process of short term and long term aid. The world’s help is very important to such affected communities and once enough shelter, water and food has been given to the population of the city there will remain the cleaning up and rebuilding of what used to be their homes. The stamina to endure the difficulty for the victims will be put to a real test as after just these seven days congressman Romualdez has described the sense of “hopelessness and desperation” present among many survivors in the city. We need to keep being supportive and remind ourselves that they will need all the help they can get. We can only hope that organisations and governments who are experienced in the matter of providing emergency, short-term and long-term aid will manage to deal with the specific case of Tacloban and its surrounding region with as much efficiency as possible, using the money being given to its greatest potential in repairing the debris of this community.
In the first instalment of Why This Week Made History, Online Features Editor Meg Lawrence investigates the most interesting things that happened in history in this week.
18 November 1987: King’s Cross Fire
A fire broke out at King’s Cross station, killing thirty-one people. Investigators said the most likely cause of the fire was a discarded match, although this was never confirmed. However, smoking in the underground had been banned since July 1984. The King’s Cross fire saw an end to wooden escalators in underground stations.
The Remains of King’s Cross Ticket Hall Image Credits: Getty Images
19 November 1994: Britain’s First Lottery Draw
Britain’s first ever lottery draw took place, with an estimated jackpot of £7 million. Seven winners received around £800,000 each in the first draw. Prime Minister John Major commented that: “The country will be a lot richer because of the lottery. It is in every sense the people’s lottery.”
Anthea Turner, a launch host in 1994. Image Credits: BBC
20 November 1945: Nuremberg Trial of Nazis Began
Twenty Nazi leaders went on trial in Germany, charged with war crimes. All men pleaded not guilty. Thirteen were eventually sentenced to death, whilst three were given life sentences and four jail terms ranging between ten and twenty years.
Nuremberg Trial Image Credits: BBC
21 November 1974: Birmingham Pub Explosion
An explosion on this day in a Birmingham pub killed a total of twenty-one people. In 1975, the so-called ‘Birmingham Six’ were convicted of carrying out the bombings. They each spent sixteen years in prison before their convictions were overturned in May 1991. The real bombers are yet to be prosecuted.
Pub Explosion Image Credits: BBC News
22 November 1963: President Kennedy Assassinated
John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, as his motorcade travelled through the business area of the city. The Warren Report concluded that Kennedy had been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, although conspiracy theories suggest many other possibilities.
President Kennedy on the day he was assasinated. Image credits: CNN
23 November 1996: Hijacked Plane Crashed Into Sea
A plane carrying 175 passengers and crew crashed into the Indian Ocean after it was hijacked and ran out of fuel. 125 people died all together in the crash. It was discovered two weeks later that the hijackers were three Ethiopians seeking political asylum in Australia.
Image Credits: BBC
24 November 1991: Freddie Mercury Died
After suffering with HIV, Freddie Mercury died aged forty-five, only a day after publically announcing his illness. He died of bronchio-pheumonia brought on by AIDS.
In her newest piece, Features Online Columnist Thea Osborne talks about the Iranians’ talks…
The recent Iran talks in Geneva, despite ending inconclusively, are being generally hailed as a step in the right direction. The talks, between the US, UK, France, China, Russia, Germany and Iran, lasted three days and were focused around reaching a deal in which Iran would promise to curtail their nuclear programme in return for a reduction in international, particularly US, sanctions against the country.
Iran’s nuclear policy and capabilities are immensely unclear and therefore perceived as a potentially lethal threat to the region and particularly to the States’ allies Saudi Arabia and Israel. It is known that Iran has a nuclear programme and it considers it as a matter of national pride and technical achievement that it should be allowed to continue to do so as is permitted through the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The treaty allows nuclear power for domestic civil power but Iran’s programme is on a far larger scale than that and is thought to be close to levels needed to make a bomb. There is, therefore, a need for transparency about Iran’s ambitions for the programme, which it insists is not for a bomb, and outside investigations and regulations in their enrichment programmes. Naturally Iran will not agree to this without clear incentives, not necessarily simply concerning sanctions, but also its wider position in the region and its relationship with the US.
The talks concluded with a statement from the exhausted-looking Iranian foreign secretary, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton. In their statement both suggested progress had been made and refused to clearly comment on the apparent “scuppering” of the talks by France: the surprise spanner in the works in the form of French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius’ refusal to accept a stopgap deal which aimed at defusing tensions and creating more time for discussion and negotiation. The hiccup appears to have caused much fury amongst diplomats and speculations as to French motives.
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu Image credits: IsraelinUSA
Unsurprisingly due to their long-term hatred and rivalry, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken out clearly about his disapproval of Iran’s ‘deal of the century’. Having spent much to the last twenty years propagating the unfathomable dangers that emanate from Iran it understandably seems to come as quite a shock and upset to Netanyahu that his best friend and supporter, the US, is willing to discuss the lifting of some of its thirty year old sanctions on Iran.
Another key ally of the US, Saudi Arabia, is also concerned about the new Iranian-US diplomacy. As the dominant Sunni nation within the region Saudi Arabia has had a long-term rivalry with Shia-dominated Iran; it recently played out, with horrific results, that the two nations backed, funded and armed opposite sides within the Syrian civil war. Saudi Arabia, however, has been less vocal than Israel about its view, partly due to the way that the Saudi monarchy does things and partly to ensure not to be seen as siding with Israel in a public debate.
It has been suggested therefore, that France’s lack of cooperation at the Iran talks was a measure to try and gain favour with Israel and Saudi Arabia, particularly when they might be disappointed with their previously unwavering American ally.
It is undeniable that both the US and Iran seem willing to make more effort than either have been before. The US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif took part in at least eight hours of bilateral talks; by far the most contact between the two nations since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. More progress, even if inconclusive, has been made in the last week than in the last ten years, and with further talks arranged to begin on the 20 November there seems hope for a deal to be reached.
However, Iran and the US, are perhaps two of the most secretive, proud and self-motivated countries in the world, and there is little doubt that they will both be holding back certain bits of information along with strict agendas as to what they are willing to agree on. That alone is an incredibly daunting and insecure start to negotiations. Moreover, when it is combined with the complications of the complex power relations surrounding any international deal involving a Middle Eastern state it seems, as illustrated by the unlikely example of France in the latest talks, that there is immeasurable potential for upset and derailing.
Today is 11th November and the 95th anniversary of Armistice Day. Online Features Editor Meg Lawrence chats to former soldier Peter Williams from the British Legion about why Remembrance Day is still as relevant and important as it ever was.
War is a devastating thing and people should wear their poppy with pride to remember those who have died and those who have survived warfare, a former soldier has said.
Peter Williams is the press officer for the Devon branch of the British Legion and he believes that anyone who claims Remembrance Day in any way glorifies war, is wrong.
“I’m an ex-soldier,” explains Williams , “and I’ve seen what the effects of war are.
Peter Williams Image Credits: Meg Lawrence
“‘War is the most disgusting, horrible, devastating thing that you can possibly think of, and no soldier, sailor or airman glorifies it, and certainly not those who’ve been through it.”
Instead, Peter believes people should wear their poppy with pride and take the time to remember those who gave their lives fighting for the freedom we all too often take for granted.
“People need to sit back and think to themselves very, very seriously about the fact that they are living in a world today which is relatively peaceful. They are not going to be called up to defend the country. And they must say to themselves if it wasn’t for what my grandfather and my father and great grandfather did… whether it be digging coal in the mines during the war or fighting on the seas or fighting on land, if it hadn’t been for what they did, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We wouldn’t have the relatively easy life that we have today.”
And that relatively easy life should not embrace the wearing of a white poppy – worn by those who feel it is more symbolic of peace, Williams argues.
“The white poppy is nonsense,” he explains. “If the white poppy is supposed to symbolise peace, then by definition the red poppy is supposed to define warfare, violence. The red poppy does not do that. It is not a war-faring, glorifying emblem.
“It is peace, because after the battles in the Western front in the First World War, what grew from the devastation were poppies. Those who wear the white poppies, they don’t understand properly, they haven’t thought properly, and they’re just in a lot of instances being anti the system, the establishment and society.”
The red poppy appeal is a crucial part of the Royal British Legion’s work and Peter Williams believes the charity would not survive without it.
“The Royal British Legion can’t survive if people don’t, once a year, wear the poppy and remind themselves that these people have done a lot for us, and we need to look after them.”
And wearing a poppy and respecting Remembrance Day is the least people can do to remember the million or so soldiers who died fighting for freedom, Williams adds.
When asked just how we can preserve the memory of those who gave their lives, Williams wells up. His reply is simple, but heartfelt: “By remembering.”
“Virtually a million soldiers, sailors and airmen from the United Kingdom were killed during the First World War, it was a devastating loss of men, and people thought that that was the war to end all wars. It was the Great War as they called it, and unfortunately it didn’t end all wars, it went on through the Second World War and then in other conflicts since. It’s my way of believing that we are perpetuating the memory of those who gave their lives in the pursuit of peace.”
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