Lessons Of Democracy

Thursday, April 01, 2021

Another Pandemic: Police Brutality Outbreak in Mexico

2020 was a life-changing year for everyone around the world. Not only were we living through the historic Coronavirus pandemic, but the we all witnessed one of the “best countries” repeatedly murder its citizens. The names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmuad Arbery (to list a few) were shouted and reposted across protestsacross the nation and social media platforms.

Police corruption is becoming a pandemic too - News - Transparency.org

The political environment of the United States became the most tense over face masks, vaccines, race and blue lives. Topics such as mass incarceration, abolishing the police, and racial inequality rose as we neared a Presidential election.

Fast forward a year later, and the list of victims killed in the hands of law enforcement keeps growing. . The term “police brutality” expands from beatings, to indiscriminate use of riot controls, to killings, according to Amnesty International. It is a given that police brutality sees no borders. Most recently, we see the brokenness of justice systems in Tulum, Mexico; where this past Saturday, March 27, a Salvadoran woman, Victoria Salazar Arriaza was announced dead. The state prosecutor reported a broken vertebrae- as a result of being knelt on by police officers. Mexico's President Feels 'Shame' for Murder of Salvadoran Woman | News | teleSUR English

At this point, these devastating events are no longer surprising. The public is fed up. I am tired of seeing red and blue lights represent blood and tears of loss, grief, and suffering instead of protection, service, and trust.

What makes policing institutions so complex? Why are countries struggling to maintain order within authority and citizen encounters? And how do we combat those in power taking advantage of that power?

The CentAm Collective on Twitter: "#justiciaparavictoria Victoria was a Salvadoran migrant who was murdered by the police in Tulum, Mexico today. After detaining her, the police held her face down with their The case in Tulum “echoes'' that of George Floyed- in the words of The Washington Post. I think it certainly reinforces the human right violations of law enforcement, but also reminds us of the institutionalized corruption in Mexico; corruption stemmed on drugs, crime, greedy leaders, violence against women and journalists.

The Mexican government is known for covering and participating in organized bribes and crimes. The machista ideologies run deep in the society and therefore do not protect women or their rights. Police brutality also broke out on the International Women’s Day protest in Mexico city, were feminist marched for victims of violence. The drug cartels have the biggest influence on government officials and policy. Journalist’s are murdered or go missing with no investigations. Brooking’s doubts the state's progress saying, “The country has managed to develop a pluralistic political system, conduct credible elections, and nonviolently effectuate changes of national leadership. But the country continues to suffer from poor governance..” Radical change is the only option, not only for Mexico’s government, but for policing worldwide. Enough is enough.

We'll disappear you': Mexican protesters recount terror of police abduction | Mexico | The Guardian

Felbab-Brown, Vanda. “The Ills and Cures of Mexico's Democracy.” Brookings, Brookings, 25 Nov. 2019, www.brookings.edu/research/the-ills-and-cures-of-mexicos-democracy/.

Hajjaji, Danya. “Who Was Victoria Salazar? Woman's Death at Tulum Police Hands Evokes George Floyd.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2021, www.newsweek.com/victoria-salazar-death-tulum-police-george-floyd-1579530.

Jennifer Hassan, Mary Beth Sheridan. “In Echo of George Floyd Killing, a Woman Dies after Police in Mexico Pin Her Down.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Mar. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/29/tulum-police-death-victoria/.

“POLICE VIOLENCE AROUND THE WORLD.” Amnesty International USA, www.amnestyusa.org/issues/deadly-force-police-accountability-police-violence/.

The Humanitarian Crisis in Myanmar.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is an ethnically and religiously diverse country in Southeast Asia. It was ruled by a military government for nearly 50 years until it began to shift to a more democratic nation roughly a decade ago (BBC 2021). A series of reforms by the military government in 2011 and 2012 opened the door for political activist Aung San Suu Kyi, along with her political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), to help transform the nation into a democratic government (BBC 2021). This culminated with her election as State Counselor in 2015.

Protestors in Myanmar. AP News.

The following election, in November of 2020, saw the NLD party secure roughly 83% of the 476 available seats (BBC 2021). The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party were left with only a small fraction of the seats (BBC 2021). The military, also known as the Tatmadaw, claimed that the election was fraudulent and blamed voter errors as well as foreign interference for their overwhelming defeat.

Unable to accept the loss of the election, the Tatmadaw, lead by Min Aung Hlaing, staged a coup on February 1st of this year. They arrested several national leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, in an attempt to seize back control of the government (BBC 2021). The outraged citizens of Myanmar are peacefully protesting the coup and are demanding that the Tatmadaw relinquish its power and return government control to the NLD party. Unfortunately, the Tatmadaw has labeled any protester as a criminal and is allowing for open fire on unarmed citizens, causing a severe humanitarian crisis (Beech). Since the beginning of February over 400 innocent people, including infants and children, have been murdered by the militant government (BBC 2021). The brutal massacre has seen some citizens burned alive by the Tatmadaw, including a snack vendor in Mandalay (Doherty).

Loved ones mourning the loss of their relative who was shot in the chest.
Times Magazine

While many people abroad may wonder how these soldiers can stomach murdering innocent citizens, Capt. Tun Myat Aung, who deserted the military, gave valuable insight. According to him, people in the Tatmadaw are “brainwashed” by the military and are fed propaganda while also being closely monitored (Beech). Many people are raised in the military and gain a fear of foreign influence. In some ways, it reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984, where the children in that society were trained to believe everything the government had told them, prepping them to do anything for their country without question. Due to this constant stream of propaganda, as well as being insulated from the rest of their society, the soldiers are willing to carry out any orders they are given (Beech). These men have never truly experienced democractic leadership but instead are under the thumb of a charismatic authoritarian ruler.

Soldiers in Myanmar. Politico

The larger question yet to be answered is, what do other nations do about it? As of right now, the U.S.A. has imposed sanctions, ending all diplomatic trade with Myanmar. President Joe Biden’s administration stated that the block on trade "’ will remain in effect until the return of a democratically elected government,’"(Klein 2021). The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar hopes to implement what they call the “three cuts” strategy in hopes to fight the crisis in Myanmar (Doherty). They want to petition the international courts for help, implement an internally monitored arms embargo, and use financial sanctions to strip the military of any funding (Doherty).

Sen General Min Aung Hlaing. Times Magazine

I personally agree with the stance of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, that there should be international action taken to stop the needless killing of innocent people. I applaud the nations, like those in the EU or the United States, for taking some action to put an end to the horrendous rule of the military government. However, I believe the United Nations is the proper authority to intervene with aggressive action. Knowing that the Tatmadaw is suspicious of the meddling of outside democracies, I believe it would do little good for just a small coalition of nations to get involved. The UN, with its broad council of nations from many political ideologies, should have more legitimacy in the eyes of the military. UN troops can protect the innocent citizens of Myanmar and also contain the military and restore the elected government leaders who are now wrongfully imprisoned.

Injured protestors in a makeshift hospital. Times Magazine.

Though intervention in the affairs of other nations should only be done with careful consideration, I believe there are times when the human rights of others must be protected. History is filled with preventable atrocities, and we do not want to live with the regret of inaction.

Restoring the rightfully elected leaders of Myanmar would be the best outcome of UN or other foreign intervention. Unlike failed attempts to install favorable governments by foreign actors, this would simply be the preservation of the existing and sovereign government that the people of Myanmar have chosen.

Sources:

Beech, Hannah. “Inside Myanmar's Army: 'They See Protesters as Criminals'.” The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/28/world/asia/myanmar-army-protests.html.

Doherty, Ben. “Myanmar Military a 'Terrorist Group' That Should Face International Court, Advisory Council Says.” The Guardian, 29 Mar. 2021, www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/myanmar-military-a-terrorist-group-that-should-face-international-court-advisory-council-says.

Klein, Betsy. “US Suspends All Diplomatic Trade Engagement with Myanmar After Weekend of Violence Against Pro-Democracy Protesters.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/29/politics/us-trade-suspension-myanmar/index.html.

BBC. “Myanmar: Why Are People Protesting? .” BBC News, 28 Mar. 2021, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56554156.

AP News.“Myanmar Protesters Back on Streets despite Police Violence.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 10 Feb. 2021, apnews.com/article/myanmar-coup-protests-updates-9408933976f3e63103627cff2eed8236.

Win, Thin Lei. “What You Need to Know about the Coup in Myanmar.” POLITICO, 2 Feb. 2021, www.politico.eu/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-coup-in-myanmar/.

Suez Canal's Latest Crisis

On March 23, 2021, the Suez Canal made national headlines for a rather unpleasant reason. The Egypt-based, man-made waterway endured a blockage initiated by the Ever Given, a 1300 foot long container ship carrying all sorts of goods from China headed to a port in the Netherlands.

Captured above is the position of the Ever Given as it struggled to move through the Suez Canal.

The effects of this nautical incident extend far beyond delaying the arrival of Ever Given's cargo. The Suez Canal is one of the most lucrative trading routes in the world. The water was blocked for six days, having a global impact. 400 other ships were prevented from transporting their goods as well. The canal blockage cost the global market around $400 million per hour. Transporting an estimated $9 billion of goods per day, the financial implications of this blockage will run deep into the future of global finances. The Suez conducts 12% of all global trade, and holds 30% of container ship traffic on a daily basis.

This graphic shows the Suez Canal's significance to the world.

The Ever Given has since been dislodged from the canal, after the efforts of twelve tugboats and almost a week's worth of time. The financial scars left by this incident will continue to haunt the global market in the upcoming months, as will the safety of the canal itself. How can something like this be prevented in the future? Will there be restrictions on the size of ships from here on out? Will that slow down the transportation of goods and the resources available, costing more in the long run? This small slip up definitely made catastrophic waves on the global economy.

References:

Lu, Marcus. “Suez Canal: Critical Waterway Comes to a Halt.” Visual Capitalist, 26 Mar. 2021, www.visualcapitalist.com/suez-canal-critical-waterway-comes-to-halt/.

Neuman, Scott, and Jackie Northam. “How A Long Shutdown Of The Suez Canal Might Have Roiled The Global Economy.” NPR, NPR, 29 Mar. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/03/26/981600153/heres-how-a-long-shutdown-of-the-suez-canal-might-roil-the-global-economy.

Suez Canal Authority. “Continuing the Floatation Works of the Grounding Vessel in the Suez Canal.” SCA - Continuing the Floatation Works of the Grounding Vessel in the Suez Canal, www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/MediaCenter/News/Pages/Navigation_new25-03-2021.aspx.

Yee, Vivian, and Peter S. Goodman. “Suez Canal Blocked After Giant Container Ship Gets Stuck.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/world/middleeast/suez-canal-blocked-ship.html.

Thailand in Turmoil Once Again

Protests in Thailand began in early 2020 against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and later against the long-standing Thai monarchy. The protests can be attributed to alterations to the Thai Constitution in 2017, distrust of the 2019 general election, the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in February of 2020 by Prime Minister Prayut, and increasing use of Thai lèse-majesté laws. The goals of the protests have been to dissolve the current parliament and hold new elections, end police and military intimidation of civilians, draft a new constitution, amend the lèse-majesté laws, and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut.

Figure 1. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

It is not uncommon for elected government officials in Thailand to be overthrown by military coups, in fact, thirteen successful coups have taken place since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. The most recent coup took place in 2014 and was led by the former head of the Royal Thai Army, Prayut Chan-o-cha who became the Prime Minister of Thailand and the leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) following the coup. In 2017, a new constitution was drafted by the military after a widely disputed constitutional referendum was held in 2016. The new constitution favors the military and sets political parties at a disadvantage by implementing a military-appointed Senate, allowing the military to appoint two prime ministers in the future, and requiring future governments to follow a '20-year national strategy plan' also drafted by the military. The new constitution ensures the Thai government will be following military-guided plans of democracy even after the junta loses power.

The 2019 general election, the first election since the coup in 2014, ended the NCPO, but in name only. The political system continued in the form of the Palang Pracharat Party, again headed by Prayut, and adopted NCPO politics. Following the election, during which Prayut's party won the most votes and gained 116 of 500 seats in the House, Prayut was reelected as Prime Minister.

Figure 2. Results of the 2019 Thai general election.

A new party that emerged during the 2019 general election was the FFP, a progressive party largely followed by Thai youths which provided an alternative to traditional Thai political parties. The party gained the third largest number of parliamentary seats during the election but was later dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020.

Finally, the usage of Thai lèse-majesté laws has increased since the 2014 coup and many view it as a way to suppress political dissent and free speech. Violations of the law can result in prison sentences upwards of 16 years.

Demonstrations, which initially began on college campuses, have since erupted all over Thailand following the dissolution of the FFP in early 2020. Although protests were temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently picked up and have been gaining traction again.

Figure 3. Protesters at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, the nation's capital.

Protesters have been met with criminal charges, detention and police intimidation, military warfare units, riot police, pro-government groups, and mass media censorship. The demonstrations have frequently devolved into violence between riot police & royalist groups and protesters, and many have been injured.

Figure 4. Use of water cannons by riot police to disperse protesters.

Most recently, five pro-democracy protesters were arrested yesterday on charges of 'attempting to harm the queen' at a demonstration that took place in October of last year. During the altercation in question, the queen and the king's son drove through a small demonstration while protesters shouted anti-monarchy slogans at the limousine. Although the queen was not in any imminent danger and protesters have denied the accusations, the demonstrators were arrested and accused of violence against the royal family, which could result in 16-20 years of prison.

Figure 5. Queen's motorcade through anti-government demonstration in October 2020.

The Thai government has done little to meet the demands of the protesters, so demonstrations will likely continue. As the movement continues to grow following its hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully protestors will see positive responses from the government. The government as it currently operates infringes on the rights of its people and continues to prioritize its own goals rather than those of its citizens. Hopefully, these demonstrations will result in major change.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Obstruction of the Suez Canal

On Tuesday, March 23, the Suez canal obstruction began after a 200,000-ton ship was grounded due to a mixture of a sand storm with strong winds and human/technical error. The Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean and the red sea, had been blocked for about 6 days. On Monday, March 29, the canal finally was unblocked as tug boats were able to maneuver the grounded ship, “Ever Given”, away from the land.

Due to this obstruction, some countries such as South East Asia and India had to detour all the way around Africa if they were trying to get to the western hemisphere. For some other ships, it caused a growing backup of up to 400 ships. This put a high risk on the cargo on the ships since there was some livestock aboard. The Ever Given was owned by a Japanese firm but operated by a Taiwanese shipper. However, this blockage will cause several months of disruption for the global supply chain since 80-90 ships pass through this canal a day, and around 10 billion dollars of trade pass through each day. More specifically, “about 12% of global trade, around one million barrels of oil and roughly 8% of liquefied natural gas pass through the canal each day”(bbc.com). The prices of oils and other commodities have already increased due to this issue. Not only is the global shipping industry and the Egyptian economy affected by the blockage but it trickles down to the smaller business and industries too as there was a delay to receiving products. If the blockage continued to last some firms would have no choice but to order their products by air freight which is 3 times more expensive (bbc.com). The blockage is adding to the already existing problems of trade during the covid era, considering the difficulties of production and trade due to the desire to contain the virus.

Following the unblocking of the canal, more problems might arise, such as more congestion since many ships are waiting to take their normal sailing route. The majority of this issue will fall on individual consumers who have to pay for the rising prices of goods. This could generate more problems since some face financial struggles from covid. Some operations and regulations of the Suez canal are likely to change since over the years shipping vessels have been getting bigger and bigger.

Sources

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/03/29/suez-canal-ever-given-ship-freed-effects-backlog-todd-dnt-tsr-vpx.cnn

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/with-ship-now-freed-a-probe-into-suez-canal-blockage-begins

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56559073

https://nypost.com/2021/03/29/giant-ship-blocking-suez-canal-freed-but-economic-impact-looms/

Military Coup in Myanmar

Myanmar has a history of problems with the military: about 50 years ago an event happened similar to what is now unfolding. Previous to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi election, she was a Myanmar icon, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She did 15 years of house arrest, and after being released from house arrest her reputation was stained with the military. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi was selected in 2016 for state counselor. Currently, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is waiting for her trial which is believed will take a year. In my opinion, this is to keep Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for the time being.

On the morning of February 1, 2021 a military coup seized power over the Myanmar government. The military refused to accept the votes Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi won. 83% of the available seats in the National League for Democracy had voted for her. The coup tried to argue that the votes were fraudulent. The military wants to hold a re-election for the country without any evidence that the votes were indeed fraud.

The coup took action and detained the leaders of the National League for Democracy. The military coup declared a state of emergency for one year because the 2008 constitution allows the military to do so.

People opposed the coup through peaceful protests at first. Sadly, things took a sharp turn after two unarmed protestors were killed. Millions of people throughout Myanmar took the streets in rage. After weeks, protestors have been fighting for democracy but that has left hundreds dead and thousands injured. Out of desperation, people have gone into the countryside training with handguns and making grenades for a last stand against the military. Some think a revolution is the only chance of restoring the country to democracy.

A friend of ours lives in Myanmar. He had to get a secure app instead of whats app because he believed the military and government was watching his communications. He believes the struggles in Myanmar are not just domestic, but that foreing powers are also at play. Russians are coming in to try and help to stop the Chinese influence. In his view, if the Americans worked with the Russians, they could possibly stop what is happening in Myanmar and restore democracy. He thinks the Chinese government wants to take over, for example by financing the coup by the military. Life in Myanmar is dangerous: anonymous quote, “We were looking for a shop to put gas in our vehicle. We came across a roadblock on fire, but with a side lane to drive by. There were military and police on both sides. We slowed and they motioned us to pass.”

Domestic threats to democracy are sometimes stoked by foreign powers trying to gain influence in the region. You have to look at what's happening in a country, taking into account external influences as well as domestic struggles.

References

https://www.nytimes.com/article/myanmar-news-protests-coup.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977

Coup Attempt in Niger Days Before Bazoum's Inauguration

A political coup turned violent on Wednesday, March 31st, just a few days before the President-Elect is to be sworn in as Niger's new president. After years of political unrest, coups, and terrorism, Niger is supposed to see its first peaceful transition of power in decades. Mohomed Bazoum is scheduled to be sworn in Friday, April 2nd, replacing two-term president Mahamadou Issoufou. However, there are groups that are not pleased with the outcome of this democratic election.

The event took place overnight from March 30th to the 31st. An armed military group attempted to overtake the presidential palace. The presidential guard was there and thwarted the attack by returning gunfire. According to witnesses, the shooting only lasted for 15-20 minutes but was still scary non the less. A few suspects have been arrested, but their identities have not been released. The president and president-elect are both safe, but the tensions are starting to rise in Niger as Islamic extremists increase their attacks across the country

Just under a week ago, there were a series of coordinated attacks that left 137 people dead throughout different villages in southwestern Niger. This occurred on the same day the Bazoum was declared the winner of the election by Niger's constitutional court. Being one of the most underdeveloped and poorest countries in the world, Niger is no stranger to violence. However, the increasing attacks are still caused for concern. Niger does not have large military capabilities, so their plan is to increase the number of trained troops in order to prevent and stop events like these from happening again. Currently, there are 25,000 troops in the army but the plan is to double that to 50,000 within the next 5 years.

Clearly, President-Elect Bazoum will have his work cut out for him in his first 5-year term. He needs to get the violence under control and combat the terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc across the country. Hopefully, he is up for the challenge and can change the status quo of Niger for the better.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13943662

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56589168

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/31/africa/niger-attempted-coup-intl/index.html

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210331-attempted-coup-in-niger-france-24

China's Patriot Plan and "Devastating blow to Hong Kong's democracy"

On March 30, 2021, the National People's Congress of China approved a resolution that will soon give China the power to vet and choose candidates for Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) elections. The resolution was entitled "Patriots Governing Hong Kong" and states that any person wishing to run for election must not be critical of Beijing, and must be a loyal supporter of the Chinese Communist Party.

In order to ensure that these LegCo candidates are patriotic and loyal, they will be vetted and chosen by various Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) election committees and the national security police, all of which are pro-CCP and pro-Beijing.

While the popular vote will still be held to give voters a voice, the candidates appearing on the ballot will only be those preselected by the committees. Additionally, the popular vote will only be held for 20/90 Legislative Council positions, while the rest will be chosen by special sector groups. District Council positions were also changed from elected positions to appointed positions because the majority of those elected to those seats were pro-democracy.

The resolution comes after a long number of pro-democratic protests in 2019 gained attention and pro-democracy officials either resigned or were removed because they were considered "threats to national security". Also, following these year long protests, a strict national security law was put in place that heightened the punishments for protestors, enabled Beijing to wire-tap or listen in on individuals, and allowed Beijing to be the primary interpreters of the law instead of Hong Kong's judiciary.

Protesters rally inside the arrivals hall of Hong Kong International Airport on August 9. Photo: EPA-EFE

Other countries such as the U.S. and Britain have weighed in, calling the actions taken after the 2019 protests and this new electoral crackdown, anti-democratic. The British are particularly frustrated because Hong Kong was given back to China in 1997, by the British, with the intention to develop a "one country, two systems" approach. Since then, the freedom of speech, judiciary, and assembly, which are the unique freedoms for Hong Kong established in the "Basic Law" constitution, have been stripped away by Beijing. Dominic Raab, British press secretary, said this was "a clear breach of the Joint Declaration".

However, not everyone agrees that this is all a plan to eradicate democracy. Other contributors, such as Ivan Choy, believe that this could be a reasonable attempt by Beijing to "reduce their dependence on the industrial and commercial sectors and on the big property developers" by placing the control in committees and others suggest that this could be beneficial in limiting politicization.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/world/asia/china-hong-kong-elections.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56534040

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/loyalty-03302021135238.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52765838

Picture Sources:

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3026763/hong-kong-protests-will-not-fizzle-out-their-own-beijing-needs

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Deceptive Democracy in Rwanda

Twenty-seven years after facing a historic genocide leaving about 800,000 dead, Rwanda now finds itself stuck in an oppressive democracy moving closer and closer towards an autocracy. Endorsed by the Country's Supreme Court, a petition signed by more than 3.7 million people rejected and condemned President Paul Kagame's efforts to amend the new constitution (2004) and seek to stay in office until at least 2034. Besides disobeying unified calls against power abuse and authoritarianism, Rwandan efforts to support the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF party) by dismantling opposing campaigns and suppressing public criticism of the authoritarian government through violence "could jeopardize the country's stability in the long run," as announced in the Congressional Research Service's 2021 report.

Silencing critics through the use of violence is familiar ground for the Rwandan government. In one recent example (Feb 2021), a man named Seif Bamporiki, a Rwandan exile, was shot while sitting in his truck in Cape Town, South Africa. A friend of Bamporiki was able to escape unharmed. In another example, former Rwandan Intelligence Chief Patrick Karegeya was strangled to death in a hotel room in Johannesburg. In another case, a former army chief and member of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) was shot in Johannesburg. The Rwandan government is criticized internationally by many countries and the United Nations regarding suspected human rights abuses, personal security, and the continued oppression of dissidents and the people of the country as a whole.

Other countries in the region aren't far behind on their way to autocracy as well. In 2005, a change to the Ugandan constitution allowed their President to continue to run for reelection for at least three more five-year terms. In Burundi, their President directly violated and disregarded their constitution by running and winning a third term. And in Congo, their President ignored criticism of power abuse by staying in office for 19 years and jailing opposition leaders.

Rwanda is no less guilty of power abuse and the blatant disregard for public opinion than these other countries. Despite efforts by President Kagame to gain and retain power at any cost (including leading a 1994 RPF revolution against an even more oppressive government), he still reportedly won reelection in 2017, gaining about 99% of the vote. This shouldn't come as a surprise. If the Rwandan government will send operatives across borders to protect their power by slaughtering exiled opposition leaders, why wouldn't they forge election results? And, even if the results are legitimate, the Rwandan people know no more than what information is spread by the overwhelmingly dominant RPF party. Without a platform for political opponents, democracy cannot prevail in a country. Without contest, there really is no "election" at all. Winning 99% of a "vote" against whatever opposition leader is lucky enough to not be exiled and assassinated isn't much of a "win" at all. The RPF's 27 years of continued efforts to dismantle opponents and retain power are not in the best interests of democracy in Rwanda. On paper, elections, opponents (such as the RNC), pardons for women who underwent abortions (which are strictly outlawed in the country), improvements from genocide, and categorization as a "democracy" all look great. However, taking a closer look inside will provide an abundance of evidence suggesting a threat to basic principles of democracy and a move towards Kagame's autocracy.

References:

Chutel, L., & Dahir, A. (2021, February 22). Rwanda opposition figure is killed in South Africa. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/world/africa/rwanda-seif-bamporiki-killing.html

Country dashboard. (2021). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://fragilestatesindex.org/country-data/

Herrera, A. (2019, April 12). Abortion pardons in Rwanda leave rights ACTIVISTS HOPEFUL. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-04-12/abortion-pardons-rwanda-leave-rights-activists-hopeful

Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter. (2019, April 04). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506

Rwanda: In Brief [PDF]. (2021, February 23). Washington DC: Congressional Research Service, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R44402.pdf

Rwandan President Paul KAGAME could rule UNTIL 2034 after VOTERS lift limits. (2015, December 19). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/19/rwandan-president-paul-kagame-could-rule-until-2034-after-voters-lift-limits

The Fall of Democracy in Myanmar

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup, detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic leaders and imposing military rule (BBC 2021). Protests against this military rule began in February and have continued since. On March 27, 2021, the deadliest day since the coup itself, more than 100 peaceful protestors, including children, were killed by the military (Beaumont 2021).

Buddhist monks lead a protest march against the military coup that overthrew the elected government in Myanmar in February. The Christian Science Monitor.

Myanmar’s issues stem from a lack of effective institutions. Both freedom and equality as well as the means to protect them are lacking in this country. It has proven to be a weak state, unable to carry out necessary basic tasks: namely, enforcing the rule of law. Unable to enforce the rule of law, the state cannot keep the military in check. Because the state’s institutions are ineffective, Myanmar lacks legitimacy. Therefore, the military relies on coercion, not just through fear and threats but through brutal violence.

Myanmar’s democracy was never properly consolidated, and now, it has been replaced by military rule (Newsround 2021). Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace prize in 1991 for her fight for human rights and democracy and her willingness to give up her own her freedom to challenge those who had ruthlessly ruled Myanmar for decades (BBC 2021). She won the first openly contested election in Myanmar in 25 years but in recent years has experienced a fall from grace, losing international supporters because of her refusal to condemn military action during the genocide of the Rohingya (BBC 2021). Beginning in 2017, the Myanmar military carried out a campaign of killing, arson, and rape against the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority (Tyson 2021). The fall from grace of an icon like Aung San Suu Kyi is another example of Myanmar falling further from democracy.

As the Rohingya genocide shows, there has often been religious conflict in Myanmar, but in the face of the present military coup, different religious groups have unified in protest (Tyson 2021). Hope for democracy in Myanmar remains. The protest movement is an important sign of progress as citizens are willing to risk their lives to create a pro-democracy civil disobedience movement. As one Buddhist monk, Mandalar, put it “We have to help the people get their rights and freedom…If we deny the situation and don’t [get] involved, it’s a shame” (Tyson 2021). No one should have to live in a constant state of fear. Everyone deserves freedom and equality. This movement is developing a stronger national identity for the protestors, but this identity does not match up with the ideals of the state currently ruled by the military. The protestors believe in their own democratic political aspirations, not the authoritarian aspirations of the state.

Myanmar's military junta has continued a brutal crackdown on a nationwide civil disobedience movement. The Guardian (from Getty Images).

After Saturday’s events, the United Nations condemned the killing of peaceful protestors as did US President Joe Biden (Beaumont 2021). President Biden declared that the US will not trade with Myanmar until a democratic government is restored (Beaumont 2021). The United States is a strong state built on rational-legal legitimacy and citizens who believe in and accept the role of US institutions. The US has many problems, but in comparison to Myanmar, the strength of US institutions makes it difficult for the complete overthrow of democracy that occurred in Myanmar to occur in the United States. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there is some hope for the restoration of democracy and a better future for Myanmar through international support if its people continue to come together and fearlessly fight for democracy, freedom, and equality even in the face of extreme military action.

References
BBC News. 2021. “Aung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar Democracy Icon Who Fell from Grace,” March 5. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977 (March 29, 2021).

Beaumont, Peter. 2021. “US to Stop Trading with Myanmar until Return of Democratic Government.” The Guardian, March 29. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/biden-and-eu-condemn-myanmar-bloodshed-as-outrageous-and-a-day-of-shame (March 29, 2021).
Newsround. 2021. “Myanmar: Why Are People Protesting?” BBC, March 28. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56554156 (March 29, 2021).
Tyson, Ann Scott. 2021. “Myanmar Protesters Bridge Religious Divides to Counter Military Coup.” The Christian Science Monitor, March 26. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2021/0326/Myanmar-protesters-bridge-religious-divides-to-counter-military-coup (March 29, 2021).