Another week has passed in this wonderful world of ours, and the good news is that this week was fairly calm in the killing of protestors! No open firing on crowds or setting buildings ablaze. That makes this a more tame update, but there is a smidgeon more Burkina stuff as well as there is more space to include it due to a slow...ish news week. First off, and now Im assuming this is a big deal in the states, this Ukraine situation is nuts and seems to be getting crazier by the day. As Im typing this, the Russians have decided to allow for a referendum among Crimean citizens which would allow them to join the Russian Federation. Crimea is the semi-autonomous region in the south of Ukraine. Much of its population is ethnically Russian, but the entire region is 100% Ukrainian. Needless to say, Ukraine is pissed, as they should be. Russian troops have after all been deployed on Ukrainian territory without permission. Russia claims that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate and Mother Russia has the right to protect those whom are ethnically Russian. This is of course ridiculous, as the Ukrainian parliament impeached the former president constitutionally after he ditched his office (good choice or he might be dead). They instituted a temporary president and prime minister and have scheduled elections for May. Basically theyve done everything right, and Russia decided this is their opportunity to claim land. This isnt the only piece of land separated from the mainland that Russia wants to claim, the other of which they already own. If you look at a map of Eastern Europe, there is a wholly Russian region to the west of Lithuania and north of Poland called Kaliningrad. This was seized from the Germans in World War Two. It is wholly Russian thoigh ethnically 25% German, is a former military capital still retaining a Russian fleet, it is Russias only port that isnt covered in ice, and it is Russias only port on the Baltic Sea. Currently, it is the cause of headaches for both Russia and Lithuania as it is impossible to travel through Lithuania to the mainland without flying, with Lithuania not particularly enthused to change their policy regarding just chucking visas at people. While it is calm, there is a section of the populous that has called for autonomy from Russia. As it is not connected, and Lithuania has created what seems a lot like a semi-embargo, Kaliningrad is rather ignored by the state of Russia, and therefore suffers economically, hence why it should be its own country. This was our history lesson for this update. To put this in American standards regarding this entire calamity, imagine if North Dakota was claiming to be ethnically Canadian. Then imagine that Canadian Mounties (do they have troops up there?) entered North Dakota and the Canadian government was going to have a referendum for North Dakotans to vote on. If it passed, North Dakota would just become part of Canada. Now imagine the state wasnt North Dakota, but Tennessee, and with the exact same situation. The US government would call up the National Guard and both Tennessee and Canada would have hell to pay. Thats what is happening to Ukraine and Crimea currently. But why hasnt America gotten involved? Well, that would be a miserable disaster and potentially the start of World War Three. The US, for good reason, has no urgency to get involved in a conflict with Russia. Super powers would pick sides, fighting would start, and before we know it only Sub-Saharan Africa, South America (excluding Brazil, who would likely join China based on trade and Venezuela who would join whomever wants to destroy America), Switzerland, and probably Iceland (Greenland is part of Denmark, so theyre involved) would remain intact. It would be epic, but wed all be dead in no time. Instead, we are suspending visas to Russian officials. Is it doing anything? Nah. Will it? Probably not. Still, probably the best decision; let the EU deal with that one. In India, three college students are being charged with sedition (incitement of violence/rebellion against the government) after cheering when Pakistan won a cricket game against India in Kashmir. The minimum penalty is three years imprisonment. Absolutely ludicrous. For reference, the last major case of sedition in the US was in 2010 when the case against the Michigan-based Hutaree was dismissed by a judge. This Christian militia group was actually recorded saying they would kill police officers to start rebellions nationwide, and their case was dismissed. Meanwhile here are the Indians trying to charge three kids with the same charge over a game of bouncy baseball. This has to be because it is in Kashmir, where two wars and an ethnic conflict between Pakistan and India have occurred, leaving the border still a constant conflict zone and heavily armed on both sides. Still, its a freaking game. Venezuelas President Mugatu (Maduro) has decided to continue to isolate himself and his country from the world. While protests continue to spread nationwide and 18+ people have been killed in the past month, American, South American, and Central American officials have tried to sit down with Mugatu and hash this thing out. For us, he booted CNN because they are apparently trying to start a coup. Now, he has ejected Panamanian officials and cut off trade with Panama because their president wanted to organize a meeting with the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss the conflict and how it can be resolved. The president of the OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza, suggested sending a few officials to Venezuela to do the same thing. Mugatu responded with, Dont intervene in Venezuelan home affairs. Mugatu thinks the world is trying to stage a coup. Instead, he is setting himself up for it. President Mugatu gets this weeks Moron of the Week! He joins Zimbabwes President Mugabe. M&M...how quaint. In Nairobi, Kenya this week, there have been protests by the citys taxi and bush taxi drivers because the governor doubled their parking fees to help with city congestion. They all boycotted and barricaded streets, running from police and setting up new barricades down the street. While this doesnt seem too crazy, I can tell you that if this happened in Ouagadougou or Burkina in general, the country would completely shut down. This country, as is the case in most West African countries, is completely dependent on its public transportation (that is totally privatized) system, as hectic and disorganized as it may be. Peace Corps volunteers would be completely screwed, as we all use taxis within Ouagadougou and most of us cannot get to or from our sites without taking bush taxis. A bush taxi in Burkina Faso is a mini-bus with roughly 18 actual seats (excluding the driver) and often a bench facing the wrong way in front of the first row. It is not uncommon for 24 people to be jammed into these, squeezed slightly tighter than a sardine can. Theyve made me want to jump out of a moving vehicle on numerous occasions. A taxi is a taxi...that is often filled with 10+ raucous volunteers. In other words, a claustrophobics worst nightmare. Want a look into the stable past and yet potentially crazy future of the country where I currently reside? Check out this link for a fairly quick history of Burkina Faso and the potential struggles to come: thenation/blog/178578/burkina-fasos-west-african-spring Well thats all! This week was tame in the world. Go Ukraine; shame on you Russia. Until next week friends! Seacrest out.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:38:12 +0000
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