595 lines
80 KiB
HTML
595 lines
80 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
||
<html lang="" xml:lang="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
|
||
<meta charset="utf-8"/>
|
||
<meta content="pandoc" name="generator"/>
|
||
<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
|
||
<title>09 June, 2022</title>
|
||
<style type="text/css">
|
||
code{white-space: pre-wrap;}
|
||
span.smallcaps{font-variant: small-caps;}
|
||
span.underline{text-decoration: underline;}
|
||
div.column{display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; width: 50%;}
|
||
</style>
|
||
<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
|
||
<body>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
|
||
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Fight to Survive Russia’s Onslaught in Eastern Ukraine</strong> - The war has become, as one Ukrainian soldier put it, a game of “artillery Ping-Pong.” - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-fight-to-survive-russias-onslaught-in-eastern-ukraine">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Can Researchers Show That Threat Assessment Stops Mass Shootings?</strong> - Threat assessment aims to prevent attacks like the Uvalde school shooting. Studies suggest that it’s effective in other ways. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/can-researchers-show-that-threat-assessment-stops-mass-shootings">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Two January 6th Defendants and the Consolidation of Right-Wing Extremism</strong> - As Congress searches for accountability, Guy Reffitt and Jessica Watkins remain defiant. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/two-january-6th-defendants-and-the-consolidation-of-right-wing-extremism">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Why San Francisco Fired Chesa Boudin</strong> - Does the district attorney’s recall reveal the limitations of progressive criminal-justice reform? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/why-san-francisco-fired-chesa-boudin">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Will a Birth Certificate Change the Course of Soccer in 2022?</strong> - Ecuador’s role in the World Cup depends on where Byron Castillo was born. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/will-a-birth-certificate-change-the-course-of-soccer-in-2022">link</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s new investment firm deepens his ties to the US military</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_xcLAbJXgmj573hT-TIISSWLUeg=/731x0:6576x4384/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70959141/1185679471.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Eric Schmidt speaks at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence in Washington, DC, in 2019. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
America’s Frontier Fund exemplifies the revolving door between the tech industry and government.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1sbXLZ">
|
||
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is an example of how you can shape public policy without ever running for office.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TMBXg8">
|
||
A few months ago, the revelation of <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23001543/eric-schmidt-white-house-office-science-technology-policy-philanthropy-ethical-concerns">Schmidt’s deep involvement with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy</a> raised ethics concerns as some questioned if it was appropriate for a tech billionaire to fund a government office that advises the president on tech policy.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eo0NiV">
|
||
Now, Schmidt, who has long been a go-to liaison between the tech industry and the military, is expanding his influence over US national security by helping fund a new investment firm called <a href="https://americasfrontier.org/">America’s Frontier Fund</a> (AFF), according to a report by the <a href="https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/eric-schmidts-unseen-influence-over-us-defense-spending">Tech Transparency Project</a> (TPP), the research arm of the nonprofit ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lE9CEZ">
|
||
America’s Frontier Fund isn’t your ordinary venture capital fund. In a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22036129-americas-frontier-fund-launches-to-secure-americas-technology-leadership-americas-frontier-fund">leaked announcement draft</a> obtained by TPP, AFF described itself as the first “public-private, deep-tech fund” in the US, meaning it would receive government funding alongside private money. After Recode followed up, the fund said the draft “was not approved and was never meant to be released. We do not describe ourselves that way. We only describe ourselves as a ‘non-profit deep tech fund.’”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZEgoRW">
|
||
AFF said that, to date, it has not yet received money from the government, but that it has responded to a <a href="https://info.winvale.com/blog/everything-need-to-know-about-government-solicitation">request for information</a> from the <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/01/commerce-department-requests-information-supporting-strong-us">Department of Commerce about a semiconductor fund</a>, which can be an early step in the process to receive funding from the government.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mOqx0M">
|
||
“We still don’t know exactly how AFF will be run,” Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, told Recode over email. “But it seems highly unusual for a billionaire to establish a venture capital fund for the purpose of steering taxpayer money into private companies.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="se8llp">
|
||
“The question is, where does the money come from?” said Jack Poulson, executive director at <a href="https://techinquiry.org/">Tech Inquiry</a>, a tech accountability nonprofit that tracks ties between Silicon Valley and the US government, particularly in the military and intelligence sectors.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5wR3EC">
|
||
What we do know is that on top of any potential government funding, AFF would use private and philanthropic funding to “help the United States and other democratic nations to develop critical technologies for collective prosperity and economic competitiveness,” an AFF spokesperson told Recode. That’s a priority that <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23048906/chip-shortage-manufacturing-america-biden">the US government shares</a> — last year Congress passed the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1260">United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021</a> in an effort to bolster the nation’s ability to compete against China. Schmidt has been vocal about <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/04/01/eric-schmidt-china-alarm-tech-competition">tech competition with China</a> being a national security concern.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sfSEAr">
|
||
Schmidt is conspicuously missing from the AFF website. AFF told Recode that Schmidt is not on the board of directors and would have “no involvement” in investment decisions. But many AFF leaders who do appear on the website have worked closely with Schmidt before. Schmidt Futures CEO Eric Braverman is on AFF’s board of directors. Jordan Blashek, AFF’s president and COO, has worked at Schmidt’s philanthropic foundation, <a href="https://schmidtfutures.com/person/jordan-blashek/">Schmidt Futures</a>, for many years in various executive roles.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AuZ0nw">
|
||
“AFF was originally Jordan’s idea, and he stepped down from his full-time role at Schmidt Futures to co-found the organization with Gilman Louie in September 2021,” said an AFF spokesperson. He is still at Schmidt Futures as an executive-in-residence.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9w0uN0">
|
||
In a statement to Recode, a Schmidt Futures spokesperson said, “As a philanthropic initiative, our mission is to bet early on exceptional people making the world better. We support many philanthropic efforts that mobilize networks of technical talent to solve hard problems in science and society. AFF’s work is aligned with our mission and we are proud to support the nonprofit — which is an independent entity in its structure and governance.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jsepR9">
|
||
Perhaps most interesting is Schmidt’s connection to AFF CEO Gilman Louie. Louie was <a href="https://www.nscai.gov/commissioners/">one of 15 commissioners</a> on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), where Schmidt was chair. From 2018 to 2021, the commission developed policy recommendations on how AI could be used to promote US national security. Their work was influential; the Department of Defense has adopted <a href="https://www.ai.gov/nscai-to-sunset-in-october/">several of its recommendations</a>. Poulson noted that Schmidt’s work on the AI commission could be summed up as “government-sanctioned lobbying.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZE6Uxj">
|
||
Louie’s past experience is likely useful for AFF’s ambitions. He was the first CEO of <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/04/14/in-undisclosed-cia-investments-social-media-mining-looms-large/">In-Q-Tel</a>, the CIA venture capital firm that uses agency funding to invest in promising new tech that could be applied to the intelligence sector, whose structure AFF appears to be imitating. In-Q-Tel’s potential <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-cias-venture-capital-firm-like-its-sponsor-operates-in-the-shadows-1472587352">conflicts of interest</a> have been well publicized. “More than half its trustees were alleged to have had financial ties to the companies in which the fund invested,” Paul said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g9sWQ6">
|
||
Now observers are concerned that AFF’s board of directors could have similar financial ties with companies it invests in, and that this will create rife opportunities for conflicts of interest. Schmidt is a major funder of tech and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/technology/eric-schmidt-pentagon-google.html">defense startups</a>, with a special interest in AI. He’s an investor and chair of Sandbox AQ, an AI software development company spun off from Google’s parent company, Alphabet — and In-Q-Tel <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-02/google-spinoff-sandbox-aq-gets-backing-from-cia-s-venture-arm">recently announced it was backing</a> Sandbox AQ, saying it hopes to eventually sell the software to US intelligence agencies.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MJyPM7">
|
||
AFF acknowledged that Schmidt and Louie have had a professional relationship over the past decade. “Gilman is proud to have worked with Eric on key national security matters, as well as with other great private-sector leaders on those commissions,” a spokesperson said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SWNIMZ">
|
||
AFF’s <a href="https://americasfrontier.org/team">board of directors</a> also has a blend of tech executives, venture capitalists, and former defense officials, including former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Getting an investment from AFF’s well-connected committee could be a significant advantage for startups. “The US government’s seal of approval can make or break a defense startup,” Paul said. Any profit AFF leaders pocket from successful investments could be made possible at least partly through public funds.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ps3uXQ">
|
||
“It’s unclear if there are any safeguards to prevent AFF’s roster of former government insiders from using public funding to benefit their own, potentially lucrative investments,” Paul said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gwin8d">
|
||
AFF told Recode that it had “intentionally structured” itself as a Delaware 501(c)(3), a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that has to disclose financial information to the IRS, in order to ensure transparency.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p7h96b">
|
||
“All of AFF’s investments will be made by an investment committee with clear conflict of interest and ethics rules requiring disclosure and recusal, and all investments must fall under the charitable purpose of the organization,” an AFF spokesperson added.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xx52PG">
|
||
The fund said it intended to conduct annual audits that would, among other things, examine whether it was adhering to its own conflict of interest and ethics rules. It described the IRS’ disclosure rules as “robust,” but while 501(c)(3)s do have to file a Form 990 every year, they do not have to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/07/supreme-court-nonprofit-disclosure-dark-money/">disclose the identity of their donors</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="02zyMq">
|
||
The revolving door is spinning faster
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KWhvpD">
|
||
At the heart of the issue is an unelected billionaire having <a href="https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/googles-diplomatic-edge">such intimate access</a> to government insiders and policymakers.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eicMke">
|
||
While this is not entirely unusual — the government regularly receives <a href="https://inthepublicinterest.org/the-government-consulting-industry-a-landscape-map/">advice from consulting firms</a> and appoints members of the private sector to sit on independent commissions, such as the NSCAI — Schmidt’s government connections are especially plentiful.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Or2un3">
|
||
In addition to chairing the NSCAI, he also chaired the <a href="https://innovation.defense.gov/">Defense Innovation Board</a>, an independent advisory that makes recommendations to the Defense Department on bringing tech innovation to the military. Schmidt was also recently appointed to the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/05/18/168/85/CREC-2022-05-18.pdf">National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hrQbAz">
|
||
Over the years, Schmidt has basically been invited to observe the inner workings of the defense department. A 2019 <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/how-amazon-and-silicon-valley-seduced-the-pentagon">ProPublica report</a> on Big Tech’s increasing entanglement with the US military noted how the Department of Defense had become “unusually deferential to Schmidt” under Jim Mattis’s leadership. The revolving door of industry people coming to work for the Pentagon, and vice versa, has been <a href="https://www.pogo.org/database/pentagon-revolving-door">well documented by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight</a> — but Schmidt has become a standout adviser to the Defense Department.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YebMVV">
|
||
“The extent to which Schmidt — a business executive with no background in government or the military — has embedded himself in the US defense apparatus is extremely unusual,” Paul said. “He had <a href="https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/eric-schmidt-obamas-chief-corporate-ally">unparalleled access</a> to the Obama White House and his influence has continued in the two administrations since.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MSTXem">
|
||
AFF told Recode that the US federal government needs to be modernized, and the insights of private sector experts like Schmidt will get it there faster. “Eric Schmidt has been called on by both parties, like many other business and technology leaders, to serve in advisory roles to the US government,” AFF said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="097raY">
|
||
It’s worth noting that other Silicon Valley CEOs have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tech/tech-ceos-meet-with-trump-on-government-overhaul-idUSKBN19A16Q">enjoyed access to the White House</a>, and <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2021/11/dod-picks-amazon-microsoft-google-and-oracle-for-multibillion-dollar-project-to-replace-jedi-cloud/">Big Tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft</a> have contracts with the defense department. But the degree to which Schmidt is embedded in conversations around the future of US military tech is remarkable. As a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/technology/eric-schmidt-pentagon-google.html">New York Times piece</a> outlined, after being appointed to the Defense Innovation Board, Schmidt toured around 100 US military bases around the world.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7xK5Ir">
|
||
“When Eric Schmidt advises the US government to do something, we don’t know whose interests he has in mind. Is it Google’s, the US public, or his own?” Paul said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lsa6XV">
|
||
Positioning the tech industry as an indispensable partner in advancing national security interests is useful for combating <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23132580/google-antitrust-search-android-mobile-ads">looming tech regulation</a>, too. “To some degree, gaining national security credibility gives more power to either directly or indirectly lobby against antitrust enforcement,” Poulson said. (Schmidt holds <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1242463/000119312522042001/d125948dsc13ga.htm">millions of shares of Alphabet</a>, Google’s parent company.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2TtPJk">
|
||
Earlier this year, Schmidt’s ties to the White House science and tech office prompted controversy. But Schmidt’s coziness with the current presidential administration hasn’t been limited to the OSTP. Employees of a <a href="https://prospect.org/power/silicon-valley-takes-battlespace-eric-schmidt-rebellion/">Schmidt-backed startup called Rebellion Defense</a>, which creates AI software for the defense industry, were named to President Biden’s transition team despite the startup being relatively unknown at the time, as it had only just launched in 2019. It has already won several government contracts. (Nick Beim, another Rebellion investor, is also on the AFF board of directors.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l8N9Jz">
|
||
The tangled web of relationships surrounding Schmidt and AFF offer a glimpse of the <a href="https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/the-industry-agenda-big-tech/">dizzying revolving door</a> <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/11/04/should-congress-close-the-revolving-door-in-the-technology-industry/">between the tech industry</a> <a href="https://www.citizen.org/news/close-the-big-tech-revolving-door-32-groups-tell-biden/">and governmen</a>t that exists today. “I think it’s understood by anybody in this space that these defense officials want to be on the boards of the tech defense companies,” Poulson said. “It’s a fairly consistent theme, if you attend defense tech meetings, that they’re trying to reclaim the idea of the revolving door as a positive, without ever using that term.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pHUJHF">
|
||
“There’s essentially never any discussion of conflict of interest,” he continued.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ls1xzq">
|
||
Earlier this week, Schmidt spoke at the <a href="https://www.ai.mil/digai2022.html">2022 DoD Digital and Artificial Intelligence Symposium</a>, a two-day meeting of “thought leaders from across the national security enterprise to discuss themes critical to accelerating DoD’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI to generate decision advantage.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NmJ8sa">
|
||
He talked about the benefits of close collaboration. “What is concerning to me in my service to the government was how isolated many of the technical teams were,” he said. “I live in a world where everybody’s friends with each other, they go to parties with each other, they’re married to each other, they’re changing jobs — there’s an enormous amount of knowledge transferring people’s heads as they move around the Silicon Valley.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RxS3SI">
|
||
For the US government, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-budget-aims-squarely-at-modernizing-government-tech-11622592707">modernizing the tech it relies on is a priority</a>, whether it’s in defense or in processing tax returns. Bringing in experts who have led tech companies might be extremely appealing. But having so little oversight on the conflicts of interest that are arising is undemocratic.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j280GH">
|
||
Schmidt seems conveniently positioned at a crossroads where the tech industry can rub shoulders with the US government. The launch of AFF will likely only deepen Schmidt’s already considerable sway over the nation’s tech agenda. “This is an ethics disaster waiting to happen,” Paul said, “and an example of what happens when we let billionaires run our government.”
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>Why some countries don’t want to pick a side in Russia’s war in Ukraine</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yUEdDfYLEH4Yt28Pr1WYkGisflw=/0x0:4623x3467/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70959110/1376595108.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield exits the UN after speaking at a special session on the violence in Ukraine on March 2, 2022. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Superpower wars are back. Can the Global South find inspiration from the nonaligned movement?
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8X8CzI">
|
||
The Biden administration has painted a world of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/opinion/biden-ukraine-strategy.html">allies united</a> against Russia. But the numbers show a more complex picture.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="doDnKz">
|
||
Though Western Europe and NATO have found <a href="https://www.vox.com/22994826/nato-resurgence-biden-trip-putin-ukraine">revived purpose</a> in mobilizing against Russia’s war, many countries in the Global South — in Africa, Asia, and Latin America — have not taken as strong of a side.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FSSbxz">
|
||
In the first United Nations General Assembly vote in early March, 141 countries <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113152">affirmed</a> that Russia should “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw,” and in another resolution, 140 countries <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/un-general-assembly-adopts-ukraine-aid-resolution-criticizes-russia-2022-03-24/">voted</a> for humanitarian protections of Ukrainians.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rzvXy1">
|
||
But when the General Assembly <a href="https://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre/status/1512095779535609862/photo/1">voted</a> in early April to expel Russia from the Human Rights Council, the majority was smaller. Ninety-three countries voted in favor, but 58 abstained and 24 voted against. The abstentions included Egypt, Ghana, India, and Indonesia, which were leaders of the <a href="https://globalsouthstudies.as.virginia.edu/key-moments/belgrade-1961-non-aligned-conference">Non-Aligned Movement</a> — countries that created their own transnational grouping rather than back the US or Soviet Union during the Cold War. Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Africa also abstained. China voted against.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uEBtsF">
|
||
The US and NATO have led unprecedented <a href="https://www.vox.com/23041830/technocrats-waging-bidens-war-sanctions-russia">sanctions against Russia</a>. But almost no countries in the Global South have signed onto them.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QthqzN">
|
||
Analysts <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-the-global-south-wont-take-sides-on-ukraine/id1504048545?i=1000559663177">looking</a> at these <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/19/russia-ukraine-war-un-international-condemnation/">responses</a> see a reinvigorated<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/why-so-many-countries-want-to-sit-out-the-new-cold-war/2022/03/15/730c68bc-a4b4-11ec-8628-3da4fa8f8714_story.html">nonaligned movement</a>. “When you see a return to what looks a lot like Cold War politics, then it’s quite natural that people start to reach for the Cold War conceptual toolbox,” Richard Gowan, the UN director of the International Crisis Group, told me. “It’s a mirror to the ‘NATO is back’ talk.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G9i3uO">
|
||
The Non-Aligned Movement of the 1960s was not about neutrality. It put forward a unifying agenda for developing countries caught between warring superpowers. A similar platform for the 21st century hasn’t emerged yet, but with the majority of people in the world living in the Global South and the Ukraine war heightening tensions between two of the world’s largest powers, there are signs that it could.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q89R0O">
|
||
South African Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Alvin Botes emphasizes the importance of “Global South solidarity.” He says that South Africa’s <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2022-05-16-ukraine-south-africa-is-not-neutral-we-are-non-aligned/">nonaligned position</a> allows the country to have tough conversations with Russia and Ukrainian leaders in pursuit of mediation. He also emphasizes that, with five powerful countries permanently holding veto power on the UN Security Council, “the conscience of the under-developed South is the nonaligned movement.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JD1IaE">
|
||
“The role of the nonaligned movement today is as relevant today as it is in 1961,” Botes told me. “For as long as you have a constellation of interests that is driven from the big powers — sometimes being completely oblivious to the interests of the underdeveloped South — there is a need for the nonaligned movement.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="zP99EV">
|
||
Why Global South countries have avoided taking sides
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cq6dw3">
|
||
On February 22, the Kenyan ambassador to the UN <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082334172/kenya-security-council-russia">delivered</a> a speech likening Russia’s war to colonial aggression, with the diplomat firmly supporting Ukraine. “Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing,” Martin Kimani said. The remarks went viral, and a week later Kenya joined 140 other countries in the General Assembly in a UN resolution <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2022/03/09/figure-of-the-week-african-countries-votes-on-the-un-resolution-condemning-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/">condemning</a> Russia’s war.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KPZVfC">
|
||
Less attention was paid in April to Kenya’s abstention from the vote to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council. “Look before jumping is a good guide in geopolitics,” Kimani <a href="https://twitter.com/AmbMKimani/status/1512168574093307914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1512301229178867714%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthebrief.co.ke%2Fforeign%2Fwhy-kenya-abstained-from-un-vote-to-suspend-russia-from-human-rights-council%2F">tweeted</a> then, and went on to note that Libya was expelled from the council in advance of the destructive NATO intervention in the country. Kenya’s abstention exemplified the nuance, deliberation, and trade-offs with which many countries are trying to navigate a war between two great powers in Europe that will have wide-ranging effects elsewhere.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2QFlCL">
|
||
There are multiple, complex reasons why countries might want to abstain from a UN vote, or vote against Russia in the UN but then not want to participate in sanctions against the country, or take any number of positions that don’t fully align with US policy.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="73Gf0Z">
|
||
“It’s not just an African phenomenon,” Zainab Usman, director of the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me. “We’re seeing similar patterns playing out among Arab countries in the Middle East and in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="thr6ZN">
|
||
Broadly, there are three buckets that help explain why countries are seeking an approach that is neither Russia nor NATO.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GCRfm0">
|
||
The first reason relates to economics and trade. Russia is a major exporter of energy, food, and fertilizer. Many countries can’t afford to cut economic ties with Moscow. India also depends on Russia for <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/02/25/what-weapons-has-russia-sent-to-india/">arms sales</a>. Though Russian investment is not in the top of countries in Latin America, it’s still a factor. Usman <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/04/20/africa-s-post-pandemic-economic-recovery-insights-from-ghana-and-nigeria-event-7861">cited</a> recent comments from the financial ministers of Ghana and Nigeria. “There isn’t enough focus on the economic impacts of the war itself,” she told me.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3gtXKK">
|
||
Second, there remains <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/23/the-cia-says-russia-hacked-the-u-s-election-here-are-6-things-to-learn-from-cold-war-attempts-to-change-regimes/">skepticism toward the US</a> and NATO. The US invasion of Iraq was a violation of international law, and many nations see the West’s other regime-change efforts in Afghanistan and <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2012/12/19/the-african-union-and-the-libya-conflict-of-2011/">Libya</a> as similarly flawed with ongoing spillover effects, according to experts with whom I spoke.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ULwTmP">
|
||
That skepticism extends to sanctions. Latin American countries are sensitive to violations of sovereignty, and <a href="https://usoas.usmission.gov/oas-resolution-condemns-russias-continued-war-against-ukraine/">28 out of the 34 countries</a> of the Organization of American States <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/un-general-assembly-adopts-ukraine-aid-resolution-criticizes-russia-2022-03-24/">voted to condemn</a> Russia in a March UN General Assembly vote. But the sanctions on Russia were not UN-approved. The leaders of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/mexicos-president-says-will-not-take-any-economic-sanctions-against-russia-2022-03-01/">Mexico</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/brazil-votes-un-resolution-criticizes-indiscriminate-sanctions-against-russia-2022-03-02/">Brazil</a> spoke out <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/putin-loses-allies-in-latin-america-after-invading-ukraine/a-61045133">against them</a>. According to <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/UKRAINE-CRISIS/SANCTIONS/byvrjenzmve/">Reuters</a>, the Bahamas is the only OAS country that has signed onto Russia sanctions.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fe90jo">
|
||
As Guillaume Long, the former foreign minister of Ecuador, told me, “A lot of Latin Americans feel and think that sanctions are applied in a sort of selective, politicized way with a lot of double standards — basically, a tool of the US hegemony rather than a tool of global justice.” He cited the unpopularity across Latin America of the US’s coercive economic measures against Cuba and how civilians are negatively affected by US <a href="https://mondediplo.com/2022/05/07venezuela">sanctions on Venezuela</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div id="nlVtZn">
|
||
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
|
||
The countries in yellow have sanctioned Russia. The countries in gray have not sanctioned Russia. <a href="https://t.co/0md8fPxOoB">pic.twitter.com/0md8fPxOoB</a>
|
||
</p>
|
||
— Ollie Vargas (<span class="citation" data-cites="OVargas52">@OVargas52</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/OVargas52/status/1507383053131391008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2022</a>
|
||
</blockquote></div></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zfDqV9">
|
||
And it’s not just the unilateral <a href="https://prospect.org/culture/books/lawful-carnage-forever-war-reign-of-terror/">positions staked after the September 11, 2001, attacks</a>. It’s worth noting that the Cold War was not very cold in many developing nations. “History has taught [African countries] that becoming pawns in an international conflict they cannot control generates few benefits and massive risks,” <a href="https://www.theafricareport.com/197109/how-not-to-persuade-africa-to-support-ukraine-and-denounce-russia/">writes</a> the scholar Nic Cheeseman.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zjvMqQ">
|
||
The third<strong> </strong>factor is enduring solidarity with Russia, given its anti-colonial positions at times during the Cold War, when it was still part of the Soviet Union. The USSR was a superpower itself, making strategic foreign policy choices in its own perceived interest. Among more left-leaning governments, Russia also has a legacy of supporting independence from colonial powers. In particular, the African National Congress in South Africa was close to the Soviet Union and looks <a href="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2022-03-07-hilary-lynd-anc-is-enthralled-with-idea-of-repaying-a-historical-debt/">fondly</a> on Russia for its staunch anti-apartheid position. Botes noted South Africa’s connections to Ukraine, too, and told me that Odesa, when it was part of the USSR, hosted ANC training camps.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dWBNDz">
|
||
More recently, Russian President Vladimir <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/20/1082012392/russia-has-been-showing-diplomatic-interest-in-latin-american-countries">Putin has</a> aggressively <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-africa-ukraine-war-impact/31865709.html">reached out</a> to the Global South.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4tAphJ">
|
||
Mark Nieman, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, says that too often the interests of countries in the Global South are overlooked. “It’s not just the Biden administration. This is kind of an outgrowth of a long-running US foreign policy of either ignoring Global South concerns, showing outright indifference, or acting in ways that seem to violate what those rules [of international law] are,” he told me. “The agency of the Global South is ignored.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iVZD3x">
|
||
These buckets don’t capture the whole of each country’s calculations. Volumes could be written about each country’s position — China <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/04/04/china-s-ukraine-calculus-is-coming-into-focus-pub-86801">pursuing</a> its complicated and sometimes contradictory interests, Indonesia as <a href="https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2022/04/20/indonesia-is-a-fence-sitter-on-the-russia-ukraine-crisis/">fence-sitter</a>, India carefully <a href="https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2022/05/07/tanvi-madan-explains-why-india-is-not-in-russias-camp">navigating</a> superpowers, Saudi Arabia <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/14/ukraine-russia-saudiarabia-oil/">hedging</a>, and so forth.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zULLne">
|
||
There’s also <a href="https://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/events/giga-forum/war-ukraine-global-south-perceptions-reactions-implications">geopolitics</a> at play. Some countries may avoid choosing a side as an insurance policy in case Russia were to win over Ukraine. And Russia is an important force in the international system, especially in the United Nations. “If you’re a Latin American country, and you’re trying to get some votes at the UN, you know, 50 percent of the time you might get the support of Russia,” Long said. “But you can be sure that Ukraine will vote with the United States.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t31TcN">
|
||
For all of those reasons, something approximating a nonaligned position has begun to take shape.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="UN0npj">
|
||
The Non-Aligned Movement had a vision that wasn’t just neutrality
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nkNOf6">
|
||
The 1955 meeting in Bandung, Indonesia, was the first major meeting of Afro-Asian countries during the Cold War. The host of the conference, Indonesian President Sukarno, expressed a hopeful vision of how small countries can assert a global vision.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hhoH7T">
|
||
“What can we do? The peoples of Asia and Africa wield little physical power,” Sukarno <a href="https://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/2001/9/5/88d3f71c-c9f9-415a-b397-b27b8581a4f5/publishable_en.pdf">said</a>. “What can we do? We can do much! We can inject the voice of reason into world affairs. We can mobilize all the spiritual, all the moral, all the political strength of Asia and Africa on the side of peace. Yes, we!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M3PaH0">
|
||
It was a call that, together with leadership especially from Egypt, Ghana, India, and Yugoslavia, cemented the movement in the Belgrade Summit of 1961. The movement did not represent neutrality or abstention from world affairs, but instead a utopian outlook for the world that spurred transnational <a href="https://mosaicrooms.org/event/lotus-magazine-and-afro-asian-archives/">cultural collaborations</a> and revolutionary ideas around third-worldism that continue to inspire activists and political movements.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aaSy65">
|
||
The movement also put forward its own radical ideas. “During the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement was a forceful bloc that was pushing issues on the global agenda — the fight against apartheid and the situation of the Palestinians,” said Gowan.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ip2aJu">
|
||
“Nonalignment was not simply a reactive exercise in continually rebalancing between the blocs and finding a midpoint,” said Robert Rakove, a Stanford historian who authored <em>Kennedy, Johnson, and the Nonaligned World</em>. “It involved an affirmative agenda, including the pursuit of decolonization and economic justice.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k8CEIQ9qyAfMC6T5BCKTT1bSW3I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23610410/106504963.jpg"/> <cite>Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Indonesian President Sukarno during the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade, September 2, 1961.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VlkIUWXUwUB2DzjbT_t3XdFhcLY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23610327/961802668.jpg"/> <cite>Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, right, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser at the first Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, September 1961.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vZMtik">
|
||
Part of the legacy of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a commitment to <a href="https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/publication/rise-and-fall-non-aligned-mediation-1961-1966">mediation</a>. The Belgrade gathering occurred amid the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/why-berlin-wall-built-fell">partition of Berlin</a>, a particularly tense moment of the Cold War. And NAM dispatched two teams to meet separately with US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Rakove says NAM’s mediation efforts also continued during the Vietnam War.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PTTlqx">
|
||
The NAM was held together by leaders with huge personalities: Sukarno, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, among others. They weren’t all democrats, but they had populist credentials in standing up to great powers, which gave them great authority.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C8utxk">
|
||
Together, they represented the post-colonial moment for the developing world, but their stance rankled Washington and Moscow, and the former worked to undermine them. Their successors were not as adept at stitching together the diversity of nonaligned countries. Later efforts to marshal and unite the bloc have not been as successful.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U2gWYL">
|
||
Still, the Non-Aligned Movement never went away, and the bloc of countries has endured since the end of the Cold War, much to the chagrin to US leaders, like then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who in 2006 <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/08/27/taking-nonalignment-seriously/">said</a> dismissively, “I’ve never quite understood what it is they would be nonaligned against at this point.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D0gV2V">
|
||
While the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement of the ’60s were seen as representing the will of developing nations combating imperialism and colonialism, many of the countries today that have taken neutral positions are backsliding toward tyranny. India comes to mind, and Egypt is hardly a force of anti-colonial authority (despite its neutral UN votes) as it receives billions of dollars of US weapons annually. A reinvigorated movement might struggle to form a coherent philosophy and identity, then.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kiA56b6E9HG-X_-5ipz2eWU9uEY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23610330/1241071923.jpg"/> <cite>Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Senegal’s President Macky Sall, also chair of the African Union, in Sochi on June 3, 2022.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aUNRZL">
|
||
But the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its clear example of the violation of sovereignty and the rights of a small country, is drawing attention to one core part of the nonalignment ethos. As Rakove says of the enduring relevance of NAM, “There’s a consistent desire to assert their sovereignty to forestall enlistment in one or another great power crusade.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZCLqhS">
|
||
Botes told me that South Africa is “frowning” on the breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty. He added that great powers have not stood up enough for the sovereignty of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and Western Saharans under Moroccan occupation. “What holds true for Peter must hold true for Paul,” he told me.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="VCy1nF">
|
||
What nonalignment could mean for the 21st century
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VbkY4w">
|
||
Even before the Russian invasion, practitioners like former Chilean Ambassador Jorge Heine have called for “<a href="https://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/2022/04/20/heine-discusses-need-for-new-non-alignment-movement/">active nonalignment</a>” in response to global <a href="https://www.vox.com/23130583/biden-asia-china-foreign-policy">competition between the US and China</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="47gzXX">
|
||
“Over the long term, you are going to see a lot of Latin America not wanting to choose sides in this new Cold War,” said Long, who now works as an analyst at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, “because China is very present in Latin America now … you’re not going to have a Latin America aligning, like it did in the first Cold War, against the Soviet Union with the United States.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="16fc6d">
|
||
It’s all the more muddled as President Joe Biden has framed the Ukraine war as a fight between <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/3/1/22956508/biden-state-of-the-union-2022">democracy and autocracy</a> — while the administration reaches out to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/03/saudi-biden-mbs-khashoggi/">autocracies</a> like Saudi Arabia, where he’s likely to travel next month. In using the democracy-autocracy framing, the Biden administration challenges the world to choose, but not everyone will take the US position. Indeed the US may be alienating many countries in the process and, inadvertently, encouraging the creation of a new, nonaligned bloc.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r9ktbU">
|
||
The UN Security Council continues to meet almost weekly, directly or indirectly, on the Ukraine crisis, according to Gowan. But the General Assembly has been meeting less. “One of the reasons it’s quieting down is that, frankly, Ukraine’s allies just don’t believe that if you table more resolutions on the crisis, you’re gonna get the level of support that you got back in March,” he told me.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fBHchZ">
|
||
With echoes of Sukarno’s 1955 speech in Bandung, researcher Nontobeko Hlela last month called for a NAM reboot in the Kenyan publication <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/op-eds/2022/05/06/memo-to-the-global-south-its-time-to-reboot-the-non-aligned-movement/">The Elephant</a>. “Only by standing together and speaking with one voice can the countries of the Global South hope to have any influence in international affairs and not continue to be just rubber-stampers of the positions of the West,” she wrote.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WwAuwn">
|
||
Significantly, a resistance to taking sides does not mean sitting out the conflict. The African Union, it might be noted, wants to play a mediation role in Ukraine. Senegal currently chairs the union, and Senegalese President Macky Sall visited Moscow last week to meet with Putin.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F3TRn6">
|
||
Sall holds a bigger vision for the group’s role than addressing the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/06/russia-blockade-ukraine-food-security-africa">global food security crisis</a>. He seems to be building on NAM’s historical commitment to diplomacy. As he <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/5/28/can-the-african-union-broker-peace-in-ukraine">said</a> last month, “We do not want to be aligned on this conflict, very clearly, we want peace. Even though we condemn the invasion, we’re working for a de-escalation, we’re working for a ceasefire, for dialogue.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w1l0xM">
|
||
</p>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>One Good Thing: A French reality show with high-end homes and low-stakes drama</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6HdrmZBvQwwUpPvsO5nR0hPhT5w=/144x0:1008x648/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70958980/ParisianAgency.0.jpeg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Courtesy of Netflix
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Netflix’s The Parisian Agency is a luxury real estate show featuring a family that actually gets along.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7sJkn1">
|
||
As a New York City resident, the prospect of owning a home (or a sizable apartment, for that matter) often feels like a pipe dream. The country simply doesn’t have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/opinion/housing-crisis-eviction.html">enough affordable homes</a> to keep up with growing demand, especially in competitive urban markets like New York. During the pandemic, housing prices across the US <a href="https://www.vox.com/22264268/covid-19-housing-insecurity-housing-prices-mortgage-rates-pandemic-zoning-supply-demand">soared</a> even in smaller, less-populated regions, while the rate of homeownership <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/2040-us-will-experience-modest-homeownership-declines-black-households-impact-will-be-dramatic">began to decline</a>. In the Southern California suburb where I grew up, the median home price recently reached <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-04-23/orange-county-median-home-price-1-million#:~:text=Orange%20County%20is%20the%20first,home%20price%20of%20%241%20million.&text=The%20median%20home%20price%20in,expensive%20the%20region%20has%20become.">$1 million</a>, a baffling sum of money for anyone who earns less than six figures and has little to no intergenerational wealth.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L4JORR">
|
||
I don’t expect to buy a home anytime soon. I do, however, spend a fair amount of time scoping out the real estate landscape on Zillow and watching aspirational home-related content, such as Architectural Digest’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpi4YdMCC439sN_5vIza6IfQm0qc-IqPO">celebrity house tours</a> and reality television shows like <em>Selling Sunset</em>, <em>Luxe Listings Sydney</em>, and <em>The Parisian Agency</em>, which has been my favorite of the genre.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UrGeSE">
|
||
There’s a scopophilic aspect to assessing the multimillion-dollar homes presented to wealthy clients, who have such sky-high budgets that they can afford to nitpick at every disapproving detail. These properties come furnished, with aesthetic decisions made by the architects and interior designers. It’s a stark departure from the market realities of middle-class buyers, who are trying to outbid competitors, sometimes with <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/29/success/when-will-housing-market-cool-off-feseries/index.html">all-cash offers</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z9nyse">
|
||
Due to their proximity to wealth, these luxury agents treat swanky homes like trading cards — properties to be acquired, shuffled around, and tactfully presented to the best clients. Such content allows the viewer to forget about their own living circumstances and dwell in the out-of-touch mindset of the elite mansion-buying class, who are always on the search for something bigger and better. Dream homes are easy to come by if you have the money.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YAQ6bB">
|
||
I watch these shows for the visual opulence of the homes, less so for the rivalry between the agents. Many people delight in <em>Selling Sunset</em>’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/23042703/selling-sunset-season-5-review-christine-quinn-chrishell-stause">absurdist Barbie office drama</a> and revel in <em>Luxe Listings</em>’s egoistic circlejerk, but after a season or so, I begin to tire of the interpersonal conflict. I don’t care for the catfights, which seem overwrought and unbelievable. I want less smack-talking confessionals and more indulgent, sweeping camera pans of the luxury properties. (Yes, I’ve already watched both seasons of <em>The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes</em>.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4w5C9s">
|
||
<em>The Parisian Agency</em>, or <em>L’Agence</em> in French, fulfills this voyeuristic urge, while also introducing viewers to the very successful, very affable Kretzes, the French family behind the eponymous luxury real estate business. Streaming on Netflix, the show — and the agency — is a family affair, so the drama is low-stakes and the spats virtually nonexistent. Think: <em>The Great British Bake Off</em> in terms of its light-hearted and wholesome tone, but with a touch of European glamour and the occasional <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX2izzshRmI">Kardashian-like</a> aphorisms about hard work.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QSVPak">
|
||
The Kretzes aren’t motivated to compete against one another. When one member closes a deal, they ring a gong to celebrate the group’s success. A sale for one is a sale for all, an ethos reflected in their giant 1930s home-office space in Boulogne Billancourt, a wealthy Parisian neighborhood. Still, there is a hierarchy of sorts. CEO Olivier Kretz and his wife Sandrine are the real-estate power couple behind the agency, establishing it in 2007 and later incorporating their sons Martin, Valentin, and Louis into the business, in order of age. Raphael, the youngest of the four, is 17 and still in high school, but makes occasional cameos declaring his excitement to one day work with his brothers.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt="The Kretz family pose in their home office space in Boulogne Billancourt." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dwv86K3iQOG1uJFCxQufeIPah9o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23611079/KretzFamily.jpg"/> <cite>Kretz Family Real Estate</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
CEO Olivier Kretz and his wife Sandrine established their eponymous agency in 2007, and later incorporated their sons Louis (left), Martin (second to left), and Valentin (second to right) into the business. Raphael (center) is still in high school, but is expected to join the business one day.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f9gJjt">
|
||
Besides the lavish properties, the primary appeal of the show is the distinctive and generally likable personalities of each family member. This is, of course, beneficial when negotiating deals with clients, and it also makes for pleasant television. The Kretzes give off the air of a tight-knit French host family, who are all too happy to split a bottle of champagne with you at one of their country homes. Yet, the Netflix producers have managed to key in on the more “normal” aspects of the Kretz family life: shared breakfast croissants, casual sibling snark, occasional bonding activities (e.g., kitesurfing and a team-building ice bath), and their cool, ever-present grandmother Majo, who the boys are trying to set up on a date.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eLi4fl">
|
||
The Kretzes are just like us, the show appears to say, even though they’re able to jet-set to Ibiza at a moment’s notice and mingle with members of haute société. Martin, like any eldest sibling, is bearably arrogant but possesses some self-awareness to rein in his ego. Valentin is earnest and level-headed, seen always with a smile on his face. Louis, the second youngest, is in the shadows of his brothers’ spotlights, but even he gets an episode-long arc to flex his skills as an apprentice agent.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e2yfTS">
|
||
While Martin and Valentin may be the most visible agents out in the field (it helps that they’re tall, incredibly good-looking French men), there’s no mistake that the parents are in charge, even though they’re mostly depicted holding the fort at home. Olivier is the stern patriarch who always seems mildly concerned about his sons’ shenanigans. Sandrine is a shrewd businesswoman and proud girlboss. She sports a “Girls Can Do Anything” shirt in her season one confessionals, an allusion to how she’s the only working woman in the clan.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fPzDDC">
|
||
The first season lingers on these family dynamics and features the occasional client stress test. In one episode, Martin and Valentin scramble to find a last-minute Ibiza estate that would fit the scrupulous tastes of their clients, who traveled to the island specifically for the viewings.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="69Eyfc">
|
||
The second season leans further into the extravagance of French real estate, as the Kretzes make a literal land grab for more. The Kretzes are at the top of the game in Paris, but Olivier is eager to expand their reach. They bring on Jeanne, a new agent who Martin grills on a walk-through tour. The apple of Olivier’s eye, however, is Daniel Daggers, a British luxury realtor who has managed more than $4 billion in sales and refers to himself as “Mr. Super Prime.” To court Daggers and convince him to partner with the family, Olivier and his sons give a tour of a literal 32,000-square-foot castle with 30 rooms.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ThE2rr">
|
||
The effort casts a slight will-they, won’t-they pall on the close of the second season. Daggers’s co-sign would be valuable for the Kretzes, as they set their sights beyond France. Still, their international reputation will only rise. The show cements their status as Paris’s preeminent realtor family: a mom-and-pop business with enough ambition and big-name clients to strike gold. A Netflix show is probably a better marketing strategy than a glowing profile in any major European newspaper, even if the Kretzes don’t seem particularly interested in ascending the ladder of D-list celebritydom. In this lifetime, I probably won’t be buying a million-dollar property in Paris. But if I ever land the Powerball jackpot, I’ll know exactly who to call.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qeOo71">
|
||
The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties <em>is available to stream on </em><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81417684"><em>Netflix</em></a><em>. For more recommendations from the world of culture, check out the </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/one-good-thing"><em>One Good Thing</em></a><em> archives.</em>
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dkJ2Ye">
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ffnrdA">
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Welcome home: France striker Lacazette returns to Lyon from Arsenal</strong> - France striker Alexandre Lacazette has signed a three-year deal with Lyon, leaving Arsenal after 5 years</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Liverpool release Origi, Karius</strong> - Origi joined Liverpool in 2014, scored two vital goals in an astonishing comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, whereas Loris Karius endured a frustrating career and was never really forgiven for his error-strewn performance in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid, spending much of his subsequent Liverpool stint on loan thereafter</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>After cyclist, Indian female sailor accuses coach of making her ‘uncomfortable’ during foreign tour</strong> - A national level female sailor reached out to both the Yachting Federation of India and Sports Authority of India, alleging that a coach made her “uncomfortable” during a foreign exposure trip to Germany.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>NBA Finals | Celtics beat Warriors in Game 3 to take 2-1 lead</strong> - Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Boston Celtics beat back another third-quarter onslaught by the Golden State Warriors in a 116-100 victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>No regrets if I don’t win another individual title, I have Thomas Cup gold: Prannoy</strong> - The ‘giant-killer’ tag has become associated with Prannoy, who scripted some of the most headline-grabbing victories over top stars such as Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan, Chen Long and Viktor Axelsen</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RBI will soon regulate digital lending platforms, to clamp down on many ‘unauthorised and illegal’ apps: RBI Governor</strong> - RBI Governor suggests that customers borrowing from unregistered digital lending apps should approach the local police in case of any issue</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IIIT Kottayam to begin collaborative programme with IBM</strong> - Aimed at equipping students with skills for job market</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>George to move governor seeking action against CM</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>NEET-PG-21 counselling: Education and people’s health cannot be compromised, says SC</strong> - The observation was made on a batch of petitions seeking a special stray round of counselling to fill the 1,456 seats in NEET-PG-21 that have remained vacant</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Current account deficit likely to hit three-year high at $43.8 billion in FY22</strong> - Exports could face significant headwinds from rising uncertainty and volatility in the global economy primarily because of the spike in commodity prices, especially crude oil after Russia invaded Ukraine</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: WTO boss warns of global food crisis</strong> - If food shipments do not restart from Ukraine, a severe food crisis will last for years, WTO boss says.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Champions League final: Paris police chief sorry for tear gassing Liverpool fans</strong> - The head of security at the Champions League final admits failings but says his aim was to save lives.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Berlin crash: Attack on capital’s streets was ‘cruel rampage’ – Scholz</strong> - Berlin’s mayor says the suspect, who is in police custody, is “severely mentally impaired”.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Belgian royals in DR Congo: King Philippe laments racism of colonial past</strong> - King Philippe is on a week-long visit to DR Congo at the invitation of President Félix Tshisekedi.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>NI Protocol: ‘Historic low point’ if UK unilateral action taken</strong> - Taoiseach Michéal Martin made the comments to EU leaders ahead of the publication of new legislation.</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Xbox’s continued cloud climb: Samsung TVs, more nations, games outside Game Pass</strong> - Plus, Microsoft confirms a new initiative to offer more free game demos on Xboxes. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1859893">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rocket Report: Four Falcon Heavy launches this year; meet the Baguette-one</strong> - Will we soon hear about SpaceX’s proposed launch site in South Texas? - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1858152">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Moderna’s omicron-combo booster outcompetes current booster</strong> - Antibody data looks strong, but duration and subvariant effectiveness are unknown. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1859888">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Report says Microsoft will require SSDs for new PCs soon, but is it a big deal?</strong> - The OEMs are reportedly trying to buy more time, but most PCs already have SSDs. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1859752">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Gone in 130 seconds: New Tesla hack gives thieves their own personal key</strong> - You may want to think twice before giving the parking attendant your Tesla-issued NFC card. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1859753">link</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>Donald Trump was asked " what is 2+2"??</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“I have to say a lot of people have been asking this question. No, really. A lot of people come up to me and they ask me. They say, ‘Sir!, What’s 2+2?’ And I tell them look, we know what 2+2 is. We’ve had almost eight years of the worst kind of math you can imagine. Oh my god, I can’t believe it. Addition and subtraction of the 1s the 2s and the 3s. Its terrible. Its just terrible. Look, if you want to know what 2+2 is, do you want to know what 2+2 is? I’ll tell you. First of all the number 2, by the way I love the number 2. It’s probably my favorite number, no it is my favorite number. You know what, it’s probably more like the number two but with a lot of zeros behind it. A lot. If I’m being honest, I mean, if I’m being honest. I like a lot of zeros. Except for Marco Rubio, now he’s a zero that I don’t like. Though, I probably shouldn’t say that. He’s a nice guy but he’s like, ‘10101000101’, on and on, like that. He’s like a computer! You know what I mean? He’s like a computer. I don’t know. I mean, you know. So, we have all these numbers and we can add them and subtract them and add them. TIMES them even. Did you know that? We can times them OR divide them, they don’t tell you that, and I’ll tell you, no one is better at the order of operations than me. You wouldn’t believe it. That I can tell you. So, we’re gonna be the best on 2+2, believe me. OK? Alright. Thank you.” Reporter 1: “But what actually is 2+2?” Trump: “Siddown. No, siddown. I’ve already answered your question. Haven’t I already answered your question. This is what we get from news reporters, folks. Give me a nice question. Yes - you.” Reporter 2: “Is your name Donald Trump?” Trump: “Now that’s a nice question, folks. That’s what I want.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Edit. To all people spamming my inbox with hate message. It’s literally just a joke. Learn to take a joke like a joke or don’t browse <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes">r/Jokes</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Edit 2:- to the person who called reddit care on me thanks for your concern but no thanks I don’t need it. I am mentally sound and physically fit.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Edit 3:- To the person who messaged
|
||
</p>
|
||
<blockquote>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
I will see how you joke after i share your address libtard. Yeah I gonna keep a tab on your I’d mf. Let’s see where is your home.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</blockquote>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
I will spare you the effort. I live in India. Come and get me bro. Your entitled ass won’t survive 2 minutes in the heat and humidity of here.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
All jokes aside i am little scared how much people can get charged up over a innocent joke.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/UniqueCold3812"> /u/UniqueCold3812 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v85gu4/donald_trump_was_asked_what_is_22/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v85gu4/donald_trump_was_asked_what_is_22/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>Bigger Boobies</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
A flat-chested young lady read an article in a magazine that stated Dr. Bumbutu in Africa could enlarge your breasts without surgery.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
So she decided to go to Dr. Bumbutu to see if he could help her.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Dr. Bumbutu advised her, “Every day after your shower, rub your chest and chant, “Scooby doobie doobies. I want bigger boobies!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
She did this faithfully for several months, and to her utter amazement she grew to a terrific D-cup rack!
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
One morning when she was running late, got on the bus, and in a panic realized she had forgotten her morning ritual.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Frightened she might lose her lovely boobs if she didn’t recite the little rhyme, she stood right there in the middle aisle on the bus, closed her eyes and said, “Scooby doobie doobies, I want bigger boobies.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
A guy sitting nearby looked at her and asked, “Are you a patient of Dr. Bumbutu?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Yes I am..how did you know?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
He winked and whispered, “Hickory dickory dock…”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/1_pescadore"> /u/1_pescadore </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v7zmjo/bigger_boobies/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v7zmjo/bigger_boobies/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>A German in a Bar</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
A German walks into a bar and orders a beer.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The bartender tells him : “20 euros!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The German is shocked - “20 euros? yesterday it was only 3 euros !”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Well, today it is 20 euros.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
</p><ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">“But why 20, damn it?”
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Bar tender : "I’ll explain it,
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
-3 euros is beer,
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
-3 to help Ukraine,
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
-4 assistance to European countries who have imposed sanctions and are not members of the EU.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
-4 euros in aid to the UK, for successful implementation of sanctions against Russia.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
-Then 3 euros are sent to the Balkan countries as aid to buy furnace coal.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
</p><ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">and finally, 3 euros for a gas subsidy for the EU and fund to help maintain sanctions!"
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The German silently took out the money and gave the bartender 20 euros.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The bartender took them, entered in the cash register and gave him 3 euros back.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
German in disbelief : “Wait, you said 20 euros, right ? I gave you 20, why are you giving me back 3 euros?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Ahh… We have no beer!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</li></ul></li></ul></div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/fundoomaster"> /u/fundoomaster </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v7o0am/a_german_in_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v7o0am/a_german_in_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
<li><strong>A group of first year medical students are gathered around a table with a naked cadaver on it…..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Their instructor motions for them to come close for their first 3 lessons of medical school.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“The first lesson is that you must not be afraid of the human body, alive or dead” he says as some of the students are visibly uncomfortable.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
He then holds up a finger and says, “you must also possess the strength to do the things necessary even though they may make you squeamish.” He then sticks his finger into the cadavers anus. Following that he pops a finger into his mouth.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Your turn” he says.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Slowly but surely all of the students stick their finger into the cadaver anus and then into their mouths.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
As many are retching and sweating he then says, “the final lesson today is that you must pay attention to the smallest details. You see I used my index finger for insertion, but, unlike you, I stuck my middle finger into my mouth.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/gtchuckd"> /u/gtchuckd </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v85ez9/a_group_of_first_year_medical_students_are/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v85ez9/a_group_of_first_year_medical_students_are/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>I was about to propose to my girlfriend…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
… when my roommate Joseph barged into the room out of nowhere, tripped, and fell over, breaking a glass table with his face. Totally ruined the mood. Now I don’t know Joseph THAT well, don’t even remember where he was from, but let’s say I put my plans on hold to help him through his injuries.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Joseph had gotten a big glass shard in his eye, making him completely blind in that eye. He was walking around with one of those big cotton pads on his eye for a couple of months. Then suddenly, he disappeared, along with my girlfriend.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Apparently they’d bonded during the time after his injuries, and eloped together, leaving me behind without as much as a note. I tried to track them down, but never could.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
In conclusion, if it hadn’t been for cotton eyed Joe, I’d have been married a long time ago. Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, cotton eye Joe?
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SilentJoe27"> /u/SilentJoe27 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v86yeq/i_was_about_to_propose_to_my_girlfriend/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/v86yeq/i_was_about_to_propose_to_my_girlfriend/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<script>AOS.init();</script></body></html> |