World Weekly News: January 21, 2024
China and India are drawn into Myanmar's Civil War, Germans protest Far Right Plans for Deportations, and Cubans desperately search for solutions to their economic woes.
This is the Weekly World News from Anthropological Inquiry, highlighting news stories from around the world that are being under-reported in American media, through local reporters and sources expressing their own perspectives in their own words.
In the third week of January, 2024, American media has been covering the Presidential elections and the broadening conflict in the Middle East (look out for a special World News edition coming soon on that topic), but at the same time Myanmar’s junta is losing its civil war, and drawing India and China into the fight, hundreds of thousands of Germans are protesting the far right AfD after it’s plans for mass deportations are revealed, and the Cuban economy continues to struggle as bureaucrats and entrepreneurs all search for solutions.
ASIA:
India & China Entangled in Myanmar’s Civil War
In Brief
Ever since the military coup in 2021 Myanmar has been locked in an intractable Civil War. Over the last several months, the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” of armed ethnic groups have been turning the tide against the military dictatorship, capturing major cities and forcing the military’s soldiers to flee across the border into India. Meanwhile stray shells have crossed the Chinese border, prompting Beijing to take a more aggressive role in brokering a ceasefire, which has already broken down.
Although the military coup was widely condemned in 2021, international interest in the conflict in Burma has faded, and many international governments have normalized relationships with Myanmar and recognized the military government, but with the military’s most powerful backers, Russia and China, concerned with their own military issues, battled hardened rebel forces have succeeded in shattering the military’s hold on many parts of Myanmar, and there is reason to think the dictatorship’s days may be numbered. But you wouldn’t know it from reading the sunny articles in Myanmar’s state-owned newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar, even though their attempts to ignore the crisis are belied by the news they cover as representatives of the Junta are seeking recognition and support anywhere they can get it, including in the Non-Aligned Movement conference this month in Uganda.
Interview: Operation 1027 and the growing armed alliance against Myanmar’s junta
Interview with Aung Kaung Myat
December 6, 2023 | Himal South Asian | Sri Lanka
What is Operation 1027, and who are these armed groups that make up what’s being referred to as the Three Brotherhood Alliance? Aung Kaung Myat: So Operation 1027, it was launched on 27 October, and that’s where they got the name from. And it was launched in Northern Shan state, near the Chinese border. So the primary objective of the operation is to capture the city of Laukkai, which used to be a home of the MNDAA, one of the ethnic armed groups fighting against the military government. The Three Brotherhood Alliance has been formed for many years and there are three armed groups that are in this alliance.
中方斡旋促成缅北停火
China Mediates Ceasefire in Northern Myanmar
January 13, 2024 | 参考消息 Reference News (State Owned) | China
外交部发言人毛宁12日表示,1月10日至11日,在中方斡旋和促推下,缅军同果敢、德昂、若开等三家缅北民地武组织代表在中国云南昆明举行和谈,并达成正式停火协议。她说,双方同意立即停火止战,军事人员脱离接触,相关争端和诉求通过和平谈判方式解决。双方承诺不损害中方边民和在缅项目人员安全
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on the 12th that, between the 10th and 11th of January, with China’s mediation and encouragement, the Myanmar Tatmadaw held peace talks in Kunming with the representatives of Kokang, Ta’ang, and Arakan ethnic armed groups, three of the groups fighting in northern Myanmar, and reached a formal ceasefire agreement. Mao said the two sides had agreed to immediately cease hostilities, disengage military personnel, and resolve the relevant disputes and demands through a process of peaceful negotiations. Both sides promised not to harm the safety of Chinese border residents and project personnel in Myanmar. [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
Myanmar Ethnic Alliance Says Ceasefire Only Thing Keeping It From Taking More Towns
January 19, 2024 | The Irrawaddy | Myanmar
The Brotherhood Alliance of three powerful ethnic armies said Saturday it would have seized all of its targeted towns and cities in northern Shan State by now had it not felt bound to honor the China-brokered ceasefire it agreed with Myanmar’s military regime. The announcement comes after a week of flagrant ceasefire violations by the Myanmar military, which has continued to use artillery and aircraft to strike both civilian targets and the territory of ethnic rebel groups across northern Shan and Mogoke Township in neighboring Mandalay Region.
More Burma Army troops flee into India; NUG documents 4,565 human rights violations in 2023
January 19, 2024 | Democratic Voice of Burma | Myanmar
At least 178 Burma Army personnel fled to Bundukbanga village, Lawngtlai District, in India’s Mizoram State on Jan. 17, Indian media reported. The exodus of troops occurred after the Arakan Army (AA) took control of Paletwa Township in southern Chin State on Jan. 14. … At least 104 soldiers, who had fled Chin resistance forces’ attacks into Mizoram last November, were relocated to Moreh in neighboring Manipur State by India and allowed to cross back to Burma. Another 255 soldiers were repatriated from the Mizoram capital, Aizawl’s Lengpui airport, on Jan. 2 and 9.
Amit Shah unveils plans to tighten security at Myanmar border
January 20, 2024 | The Assam Tribune | India
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Indian government will restrict free movement at the Myanmar border, similar to measures taken at the Bangladesh border. Speaking during the first batch of the five recently formed Assam Police Commando battalions' passing out parade in Guwahati, the Union Minister stated that the Centre is reconsidering the free movement agreement with Myanmar with an aim to secure the border.
Myanmar to join hands with NAM countries towards achieving peace, prosperity, justice, equality and development of developing countries
by Myanmar News Agency
January 19, 2024 | The Global New Light of Myanmar (State Owned) | Myanmar
At the official invitation of Mr Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and the upcoming Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe participated in the Ministerial Meeting of NAM on 17-18 January 2024 in Kampala, Uganda. The Foreign Ministers and representatives of the NAM Member States and delivered the country statements at the Plenary Session of the meeting held at the Rwenzori Convention Centre. … He highlighted that as the world today is confronting with multi-faceted international security environment and daunting challenges, the NAM must remain as the most relevant platform for the common interest of developing countries. He mentioned that as a founding member of the NAM, Myanmar has been strictly following the principles of NAM. He also stressed the need for NAM to continue to maintain its solidarity in consistent with its established rules and norms.
EUROPE:
Germans Protest as Far Right Plans Deportations
In Brief
Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting in the streets against the far right Alternative for Germany party (AfD). This is not entirely new. The AfD has been controversial from its inception, and its recent success in elections across Germany, fueled by hatred of vaccines, immigrants, feminists and the LGBTQ movement have alarmed many observers. But this week a shocking report by the investigative news outlet CORRECTIV revealed that leaders of the AfD held a secret meeting in Potsdam with other far right figures including Neo-Nazis and wealthy business owners, to advance what they called a “master plan” to forcibly deport millions of people from Germany on the basis of their race, religion, or sexual orientation, regardless of their citizenship. The AfD does not control anywhere near enough seats in parliament to implement their masterplan, and mainstream parties have so far refused to include them in coalitions, however for many Germans, the idea of even a minor far right party plotting ethnic cleansing is reason enough to take to the streets. Many are calling for the party to be declared unconstitutional and disbanded, however, such an extreme measure seems unlikely to succeed for now. In the meantime, Germans are mobilizing civil society to push back against the far right. At the same time, right-wing media is dismissing the protests in terms very similar to the rhetoric now common in American politics, casting themselves as persecuted outsiders fighting against an oppressive mainstream media and leftist elites, insisting that fears of deportations are overblown while not denying that is in fact their goal.
Secret plan against Germany
January 15, 2024 | CORRECTIV | Germany
It was the meeting that nobody was ever meant to find out about. Back in November, high-ranking politicians from Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, neo-Nazis, and sympathetic businesspeople gathered in a hotel near Potsdam. Their agenda? Nothing less than the fine tuning of a plan for the forced deportations of millions of people currently living in Germany. … Mörig talks of “an overall concept in the sense of a masterplan”. The masterplan will be presented, he proudly announces, by “none other” than Martin Sellner, the long-standing leader of the far-right Identitarian movement. … It’s Sellner’s idea of re-migration that should be the focus point of this gathering, Mörig says. Everything else – covid restrictions and vaccinations, the issues of Ukraine and Israel – are all bones of contention on the right. Their stance on re-migration, however, is what unites them. Mörig thinks it will be decisive in the question of “whether or not we in the West will survive.” … The scenarios sketched out in this hotel room in Potsdam all essentially boil down to one thing: people in Germany should be forcibly extradited if they have the wrong skin colour, the wrong parents, or aren’t sufficiently “assimilated” into German culture according to the standards of people like Sellner. Even if they have German citizenship.
Wie wehrhaft ist die deutsche Demokratie wirklich?
How Strong is German Democracy, Really?
by Pauline Jäckels, interviewing Andreas Fisahn
January 19, 2024 | Neues Deutschland | Germany
Viele fordern ein Parteiverbot. Allerdings sind die Versuche, die rechtsextreme NPD zu verbieten, in der Vergangenheit gescheitert. Was wäre jetzt bei der AfD anders? … Bei der AfD ist klar, dass sie nicht mehr kleinzureden ist. Man müsste aber natürlich eine ausführliche Begründung liefern, was denn an der AfD verfassungswidrig ist. Die große Herausforderung daran ist zu beweisen, dass die Partei als Ganze die freiheitlich-demokratische Grundordnung gefährdet, und nicht nur einzelne Mitglieder. All das muss vor so einem Antrag akribisch gesammelt und dann zur Verfügung gestellt werden. … Ein Parteiverbot scheint erst einmal unwahrscheinlich. Welche anderen Möglichkeiten gibt es dann noch, um das Erstarken rechtsextremer Kräfte einzudämmen? Schwierig, muss ich ehrlich sagen – insbesondere im Vorfeld. Natürlich kann die politische Intervention, die ja schon auf den Straßen und auch in den Parteien stattfindet, ausgeweitet werden. Aber rechtlich gibt es keine weiteren entscheidenden Instrumente. Solange die Partei zugelassen ist, solange die Politiker ihre Bürgerrechte haben, dürfen sie sich öffentlich versammeln, dürfen Demonstrationen abhalten, ihre Meinung äußern und sich zur Wahl aufstellen lassen. Da ist nicht viel zu machen. Und nach einer Machtübernahme? … wenn diese einmal da ist, kann man dann zwar Widerstand leisten, aber nützt mir dann das Grundgesetz noch etwas?
Many are calling for a Party Ban, however, attempts to ban the right wing extremist NPD failed in the past. What would be different now with the AfD? … With the AfD it is clear that it can no longer be downplayed. Naturally, you would have to provide a detailed explanation as to what about the AfD is unconstitutional. The biggest challenge is to prove it, that the whole party is a danger to the basic liberal-democractic order, and not just individual members. All this must be meticulously collected and be made available before such a request is made. … A Party Ban seems unlikely for now. What other options are there for containing the rise of right wing extremism? It is difficult, I have to say—especially in advance. Naturally, the current political intervention, which is already taking place in the streets as well as in the parties, can be expanded. But legally, there are no other decisive tools. As long as the party remains authorized, as long as its politicians have the right to participate, they are allowed to gather publicly, to hold demonstrations, to express their opinions and stand for election. There is not much that can be done. And after a takeover? … once it happens you can resist, but will the Basic Law still be of any use to me? [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
Hunderttausende demonstrieren gegen Rechtsextremismus
Hundreds of Thousands Demonstrate Against Right-Wing Extremism
January 20, 2024 | Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung | Germany
Bundesweit sind am Samstag Hunderttausende gegen Rechtsextremismus und für die Demokratie auf die Straße gegangen. Nach ersten Zählungen der Polizei und der Veranstalter demonstrierten insgesamt mindestens 300.000 Menschen. In einigen Städten lagen noch keine abschließenden Zahlen beider Seiten vor … ein Motto war „Demokratie verteidigen“. Der Frankfurter Römer war voller Menschen, die Transparente mit Aufschriften wie „Alle zusammen gegen den Faschismus“ und „Kein Platz für Nazis“ trugen.
Across the country Saturday, hundreds of thousands people took to the streets to protest against right-wing extremism and in support of democracy. Initial estimates by the Police and the organizers are that at least 300,000 people joined the protests. In some cities the final figures are not yet available. … one slogan was “Defend Democracy.” The Frankfurt Römer was full of people carrying banners with slogans like “All together against fascism” and “No place for Nazis.” [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
Kaisers royaler Wochenrückblick
Kaiser’s Royal Weekly Review
by Boris T. Kaiser
January 20, 2024 | Junge Freiheit | Germany
Die erste Meldung aus dieser Kategorie war die Verkündung des vermeintlichen „Unwort des Jahres“. Auch 2023 soll der schlimmste Begriff im deutschen Sprachgebrauch – ach wie „überraschend“ – einer gewesen sein, der vor allem, um nicht zu sagen ausschließlich, für sehr, sehr linke Zeitgenossen ein Unwort darstellt. … Damit dürfte nicht nur klar sein, daß die Entscheidung für das „Unwort des Jahres“ in diesem Jahr sehr spät getroffen worden sein dürfte, nämlich nach dem bekanntwerden des vermeintlichen „Geheimtreffens der AfD“ … sondern auch, worum es der Jury bei ihrer sogenannten Sprachkritik tatsächlich geht. Nämlich darum die rechte Opposition in Deutschland und ihren parlamentarischen Arm, die Alternative für Deutschland, mit samt ihren Forderungen und Argumenten, so weit wie nur irgendwie möglich öffentlich zu delegitimieren. … Die Demonstrationen könnte man im wesentlichen so zusammenfassen: Die Obrigkeit und die Vertreter des politischen Mainstreams rufen ihre Gefolgschaft auf die Straße, auf das ihre Medien positiv über diese berichten können.
The first report of this category was the announcement of the supposed “Un-Word of the Year.” In 2023, the worst term in the German language is said to have been —oh how “surprising” —one that is primarily, if not exclusively, a dirty word in the eyes of trendy leftists. … This should not only make it clear that the decision for the “Un-Word of the Year” was made very late in the year, namely after the alleged “secret meeting of the AfD,” became known… but also, what the jury is actually concerned with in their so-called language criticism. Namely, publicly delegitimizing the right-wing Opposition in Germany, and to publicly delegitimize as much as possible the right’s parliamentary arm, Alternative für Deutschland, along with its demands and arguments. … The demonstrations could easily be summarized as follows: the authorities and representatives of the political mainstream are calling their followers into the streets so that their media can report positively on them. [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
»Dieses Mal wird der Kampf schwerer«
“This Time the Fight Will Be More Difficult”
by Jasmin Lörchner
January 20, 2024 | Der Spiegel | Germany
Der SPIEGEL hat Köpfe der [1992] Proteste gefragt, wie sie sich an das damalige Engagement gegen rechts erinnern und wie die Gesellschaft heute, drei Jahrzehnte später, öffentlichen Widerstand gegen Rechtsextremismus leisten kann. … [Smudo:] Meiner Erinnerung nach herrschte damals der Konsens: Wenn irgendwo Nazis sind, dann gehen wir hin und sind dagegen. … Die Stimmung damals schien aber anders, nicht so auf der Kante wie jetzt. Wir hatten das Gefühl, das in Rostock-Lichtenhagen waren die Besoffenen mit dem Hitlergruß vor dem Asylantenheim. Jetzt haben wir eine Situation, in der drei Bundesländer AfD wählen könnten und es sogar in der Mitte der Gesellschaft schon in Ordnung zu sein scheint, mal als Warnschuss die AfD zu wählen. Wir sehen, dass die Rechten in ganz Europa erstarken.
Der SPIEGEL asked asked the leaders of the [1992] protests how they remember the commitment against right-wing extremism back then, and how today, three decades later, society can again publicly resist right-wing extremism. … [German Hip-Hop artist Smudo:] As I recall back then there was consensus: If there are Nazis somewhere, then we go there and oppose them. … But the mood back then seemed different, not as on edge as it is now. In Rostock-Lichtenhagen it felt like it was just some drunks doing the Hitler salute in front of asylum seekers’ homes. Now we have a situation where three federal states could vote for the AfD and even in mainstream society it seems to be seen as okay to vote for the AfD as a warning shot. We are seeing the Right gaining strength all across Europe. [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
CARIBBEAN:
Cuba Seeks Solution to Economic Crisis
In Brief
While Americans remain focused on their own economic troubles, many are unaware that America’s economy is actually doing relatively well compared to the rest of the world. In Cuba, the situation has become dire, with inflation reaching all time highs, and the government struggling to provide basic services. The government of Cuba, not known for publicizing its shortcomings, was forced to admit the failure of its plan to limit inflation, and has pivoted to new economic plans. Meanwhile, the US maintains a crushing embargo of the island, much to the chagrin of private business entrepreneurs in Cuba, who account for up to one fifth of Cuba’s economy and insist they are being held back by American lawmakers who insist that they don’t exist.
Economía cubana, 2024: Del fracasado «ordenamiento» a la nueva «resistencia creativa»
The Cuban Economy in 2024: From the failed “ordering” to the new “creative resistance.”
by Katia Monteagudo
January 19, 2024 | El Estornudo | Cuba
Este 2024 no comenzó con las mejores noticias para los menguados bolsillos de los cubanos. El gobierno de Miguel Díaz-Canel reconoció en diciembre el evidente fiasco de la Tarea Ordenamiento Monetario (TOM) e informó sobre una nueva estrategia para «impulsar la recuperación económica del país» que incluye aumentos en los precios de combustibles, electricidad, transporte público, así como la eliminación de subvenciones a la canasta básica familiar y la aplicación de algunos impuestos a servicios básicos. … El Estornudo contactó con dos economistas cubanos para analizar el fracaso de la Tarea Ordenamiento y la nueva estrategia económica para este 2024. … Ambos economistas coincidieron en que este será para los cubanos un año todavía más difícil que el anterior.
2024 did not begin with the best news for the struggling pocketbooks of the Cuban people. The government of Miguel Díaz-Canel recognized in December the obvious fiasco of the Monetary Ordering Task (TOM) and announced a new strategy to “promote the economic recovery of the country” that includes price increases for fuel, electricity, public transit, as well as the elimination of subsidies for basic necessities, and the taxation of basic services. … El Estornudo contacted two Cuban economists to analyze the failure of the Ordering Task and the new economic strategy for 2024. … Both economists agreed that this year was going to be even more difficult for Cubans than the last. [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
Díaz-Canel en Cruces: «Lo nuestro es conversando con la gente»
Diaz-Canel in Cruces: “We are talking to the People”
by Alina Perera Robbio
January 20, 2024 | Granma (State Media) | Cuba
«Estamos convencidos de que este año vamos a salir adelante, y vamos a cambiar esta situación que hemos sentido con mucho rigor» como consecuencia del bloqueo imperial, expresó el Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista y Presidente de la República de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, durante su visita, en la tarde de este viernes, al municipio de Cruces en la provincia de Cienfuegos … Como ya ha sucedido en otros municipios, la sede del Partido Comunista en Cruces fue escenario de una reflexión colectiva en torno a las prioridades que se ha planteado la dirección del país en los órdenes económico, político y social, para que el país avance. … Hacia el final del encuentro, el miembro del Buró Político, Roberto Morales Ojeda, explicó que con este tipo de visitas «nos hemos propuesto una mayor vinculación con los territorios, pero ya a nivel de municipio».
“We are convinced that this year we are going to move forward, and change this situation that we have felt so acutely” as a consequence of the imperialist blockade, said First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, this Friday afternoon, during a visit to the municipality of Cruces in Cienfuegos Province. … As has already happened in other municipalities, the headquarters of the Communist Party in Cruces held a collective reflection on the priorities set by the country’s leadership for national advancement in the economic, political, and social spheres. … Towards the end of the meeting, Political Bureau member Roberto Morales Ojeda explained that these types of visits were intended to “promote greater connection not only between the territories, but also at the municipal level.” [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
El Gobierno dice que más de 180.000 familias cubanas dependen de la Asistencia Social y pide que no dependan solo del Estado
The Government says more than 180,000 Cuban families are dependent on Social Assistance, asks them to not depend solely on the State.
January 20, 2024 | Diario de Cuba | Cuba
Hasta la fecha, son 186.112 las familias cubanas que están protegidas por la Asistencia Social, según informó la directora de Prevención, Asistencia y Trabajo Social del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (MTSS), Belkis Delgado Cáceres, este viernes durante un encuentro de la Comisión Nacional de Prevención y Atención Social. … Delgado Cáceres destacó que el trabajo del MTSS y su área de prevención social incluyen el servicio de asistencia social a domicilio, el Sistema de Atención a la Familia y la entrega de artículos de primera necesidad a personas en situaciones desfavorables para su proyecto de vida. No obstante, enfatizó, según ACN, "en la importancia de no depender solo de las prestaciones que el Estado brinda, sino a empoderarse económicamente en la medida de sus capacidades físicas y mentales".
To date, there are 186,112 Cuban families that are protected by Social Assistance, according to Belkis Delgado Cáceres, the director of Prevention, Assistance, and Social Works at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, speaking this Friday at a meeting of the National Commission for Social Prevention and Care (MTSS). … Delgado Caceres highlighted the work of the MTSS on social prevention, including in the areas of in-home social assistance, the Family Care System, and the delivery of basic necessities to people in situations unfavorable to their life projects. However, according to [state-owned Agencia Cubana de Noticias] he also emphasized “the importance of empowering yourself economically to the greatest extent of your physical and mental abilities, and not depending only on the benefits that the State provides.” [Translation by A.M. Kramer]
Cuban Entrepreneurs to Cuban Americans: “We’re Not a Myth”
by Lee Schlenker
January 18, 2024 | On Cuba News | Cuba
The Cuban economy is suffering its most acute crisis in 30 years, reeling from maximum-pressure U.S. sanctions imposed by Trump and mostly maintained by Biden. But the island’s nascent private companies, until recently prohibited, are thriving—now on track to employ more people and import more goods than Cuba’s state sector. The news apparently hasn’t reached the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who will be holding a hearing on Thursday entitled “The Myth of the New Cuban Entrepreneurs.” … “Of course we’re real. The idea that we’re a myth makes no sense.” said Amel Herrera, CEO of Cuban e-commerce firm Acubamos. “Instead of debating our existence, they should be debating how after two years they still haven’t passed any concrete measures or solutions for Cuba’s private sector.”
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