THE (ir)REGULAR RANT
The minimum read for the maximum knowledge.
Hi all,
Apologies (always) for the delay. So much has been happening in the world over the last few months, and I wanted to write about it, I really did. But also, the news has been making me sad, and I have been overwhelmed everytime I've sat down to write.
So apologies, but also, Public Service Announcement: look after yourself.
Also, a few other things happened: I moved house, I got a new job, went on a few rubbish Tinder dates. So you know, legit distractions too...
And with that, we're into the latest. It's quite wordy, sorry - I'll try to do more dotpoints next time. Everyone likes dotpoints.
If there's an event that is newsworthy and you'd like to understand more, let me know what it is.
Also, if you would like to share this with your friends, please do, or have them sign up here.
1. THE ASSASSINATION OF JAMAL KHASHOGGI
Who was Jamal Khashoggi
Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi national and prominent journalist, who, in recent years, was critical of the Saudi government and particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Crown Prince is first in line to the throne when his 81-year-old father passes away, and has been a divisive figure. He is the leading cause of the war in Yemen, the blockade of Qatar and recently demanded the arrest of numerous Saudi businessmen and politicians, which caused concern in the Saudi markets.
During his career, Khashoggi interviewed Osama bin Laden several times and reported on the First Gulf War. Being critical of the Saudi administration was a common thread throughout his career and in 2017 he went into self-imposed exile after fearing retribution for his opinions on the Saudi government and royal family. He held a green card for the US, and began writing columns for the Washington Post, often criticising Crown Prince Salman.
When and how was he killed?
On 2nd October, Khashoggi entered the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, but never left. He was engaged to a Turkish woman, Hatice Cengiz, and needed papers to prove his divorce from his first wife. His appointment on 2nd October followed a visit on 28th September where he was told that he would need to return for the correct documents.
For weeks, Saudi Arabia claimed that Khoshoggi left the consulate, despite his fiancé waiting for him for 10 hours. After revelations that the Turkish government had proof of his murder, including gruesome audio recordings, Saudi Arabia ‘admitted’ on the 19th October that Khashoggi had died in a fist fight, then, that he had died in a chokehold while resisting arrest and return to Saudi Arabia.
That is not true.
Days later Saudi’s public prosecutor said that the murder was ‘premeditated’, and evidence points towards a horrific death. 15 Saudi nationals entered the country in the days prior to the murder, and all were seen entering the consulate just before they removed security cameras. It is believed that Khasoggi was immediately tortured and killed by these men when he entered the embassy. It is thought that he was strangled, then dismembered by an autopsy specialist. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from Turkey claims to have audio supporting this, which has since been shared with the US, Germany, France and the UK.
Why does it matter?
Given that this occurred in a foreign embassy, it has been speculated that it would have been impossible for Crown Prince Salman to not know. Indeed, it is likely that he ordered the murder.
Khashoggi was a journalist, and an American green-card holder. The idea of a free press, which is still meant to exist in the US, is that journalists are not controlled by government censorship. Although Saudi does not have free press, killing a journalist in an embassy in a foreign country shows how little respect the country has for the democratic rule of law. I suspect that is because, in many ways, Saudi Arabia is untouchable.
Saudi Arabia is a major arms importer from numerous countries, including: US, Australia, UK, France and Germany. In fact, in this past year, Saudi Arabia has purchased $55.6B worth of arms from the US. It is harder to ascertain Australian numbers, but it is a tainted source of income, given that the weapons are almost certainly (as reported by humanitarian agencies) going towards the Yemeni war.
Only Germany has ceased trading arms with Saudi Arabia due to the Khashoggi murder. Trump’s response: I don’t like the concept of stopping an investment of $110B into the United States. (This number is thought to be inflated/exaggerated by experts, but is the amount that Trump is claiming that the Saudi’s agreed to after his first international trip there last year). The deal has been described as the single biggest in US history.
What next?
Trump’s reaction should have been one of immediate disgust. Instead, it has been the opposite. After initially saying that Saudi Arabia didn’t murder him because Crown Prince Salman told him so, Trump then threatened “severe punishment” if they were found guilty. However, he is now ‘waiting for Crown Prince Salman to reveal his findings’, despite receiving the audio from Turkey several weeks ago.
The fact is, ramifications for Saudi Arabia and Salman are unlikely. Trump’s presumed personal business ties with the country, along with the arms deal and the fact that Saudi Arabia controls 18% of the world’s oil reserves is enough reason for the US to not upset the nation. Furthermore, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in-law, has become close with Salman in his role as Senior Advisor to the President.
Saudi Arabia is also considered to be the peacekeepers of the Middle East (despite the fact that they are currently bombing Yemen with US and Australian purchased weapons, they led the diplomatic revolt against Qatar in 2017 and the 9/11 terrorists hailed from Saudi Arabia) and are particularly useful to the US as they continue to ostracise Iran.
Currently, Crown Prince Salman are claiming that one of the 15 men who entered the country and embassy in the hours before the attack is responsible, but that they are ‘still investigating’. They may find someone to charge, they may not. There will likely be no real consequence. Democracy and freedom of the press is being belittled in from of our eyes, by the third largest importer of arms in the world. What that looks like in 10-20 years terrifies me.
2. THE MIGRANT CARAVAN
What is the Migrant Caravan?
There is a group of about 4,000 Central American migrants heading to the US to seek asylum. The majority of these are thought to be Hondurans fleeing from gangs, drug cartels and political corruption. The caravan is moving by foot, and at one stage had up to 7,000 members covering an incredible 30-50km a day. Although 7,000 seems like a large number, over 300,000 people were intercepted crossing the US-Mexico border ‘illegally’ in 2017, down from 1.6M in 2000. However, this is one of the larger single groups heading to the US. Many join the caravan because it is a safer way to travel: rape and kidnappings are common along the route.
What does the US have to do with this?
Well, funny that you should ask. US foreign policy has impacted the political state of Honduras right throughout the last two centuries. But most recently, the US supported the 2009 election of Porfirio Lobo Sosa, in what was generally regarded to be a corrupt election. His leadership increased political instability, resulting in higher unemployment and higher crime rates.
Why is it even an issue?
Two words: 2018 midterms.
Racism sells, as we Australians know from our bipartisan approach to asylum seekers and refugees. And Trump played his, ahem, trump card by igniting fear of the ‘other’ in his 2016 election victory, so as the midterms rolled around last week, inciting more fear and hatred was the obvious strategy. This has been proven by the fact that the caravan has been, for the most part, out of the news since the midterms and is still over a month away. Part of the bullshit that Trump vomited regarding the caravan was that “unknown Middle Easterners” were part of it. This has been proven false. Trump and his gang of Republicans and right-wing news outlets repeatedly said that the US was “under attack” and there was “an invasion of [their] country”. This rhetoric is a straight out lie, and dangerous to anyone who doesn't look straight, white and male in the US.
One of the louder conspiracy theories touted by Trump fans and Fox News was that Jewish billionaire, George Soros, was behind the caravan - paying people to march towards the border. Trump tweeting a video of someone ‘apparently connected to Soros’ paying migrants did not help, and arguably encouraged the pipe bomb terrorist (pipe bombs were sent to over 13 high-profile Trump criticisers, including the Obamas, the Clintons, Soros, CNN and Robert DeNiro).
What's this I hear about troops?
Yep - you heard right. Trump sent 5,200 active service troops to the US/Mexico border just before the midterms to stand and wait for the migrant caravan to arrive… in a month’s time. Shame that there’s nothing better that these guys could be doing (like assisting with the fire effort in California or being at home with their families during Thanksgiving). In fact, troops are not allowed to arrest people, seize drugs, conduct searches or shoot immigrants, so it is hard to ascertain exactly what they will be doing there, besides providing the optics Trump needs to increase fear across the country. The caravan is still thousands of miles away, but nothing increases panic and promotes the idea of impending attack like troops and police in riot gear at the border.
So, what next?
Well, the caravan is likely to decrease in size as many drop off due to the sheer distance. Mexico is also checking the papers of some migrants, but at the same time, local cities in Mexico have been preparing shelters for weary travellers, with some local Mexicans offering lifts. And of course, others will join the caravan as it travels, so the predicted size of it as it reaches the border is unknown. At this stage, it looks as though the caravan is looking to cross into the US at San Diego on the Californian coast, still over 2,500kms away. I guess we wait and see - but I have no doubt that Trump will continue his attacks on asylum seekers and refugees. Unfortunately, I don’t think that we’ve seen the worst of his rhetoric yet.
3. INTERESTING THINGS
Read:
I went to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park in Utah last year. They were both beautiful and stunning and all the other superlatives that don't do them justice.
This isn't really a read, but more a 'look at' and it is the most pure thing you have ever seen.
Watch:
What, with all the Brett Kavanaugh, Barnaby Joyce, Geoffrey Rush, Luke Foley stuff, also known as, men being men and on power trips thinking that they can get away with anything and everything (amiright?!), this is a welcome lol.
Recently, musician, advocate and teacher extraordinaire, who inspired people all over the country, Richard Gill, died aged 76 at his home after suffering from cancer. I was lucky enough to see Richard conduct numerous times over the last 33 years, and he brought so much joy to music.
In the final hours of his life, musicians from all backgrounds and ages responded to a note on facebook, to turn up and bid him adieu to his favourite music. Watch, and try not to feel all the feels.
Finally, this will make you smile.
Listen:
Serial Series 3 is in full-swing (actually, it's one episode away from finishing). It's still one story told week-by-week, but this time the story is the Cleveland justice system, and extrapolated out, the US justice system. Sarah Koenig is an amazing storyteller and you will gasp at the bullshit that the system creates.
Also, Bill Murray reading Walt Whitman
As of November 12th 2018, 60 women in Australia have been killed due to domestic violence.
That is one death every 5.3 days.