A New World Arising

Tags

BRIC, change, globalisering, strategi

Sorry for my absence, as life was throwing a few surprises my way that kept me busy. Now it is time for some reflections again.

Times they are a changing

Bob Dylan

Where are we going – we being us, global citizens. Which roadmap are we following, and who drew it? As we are now well into the 2020-ies, our post-pandemic global society is changing heavily in its very structure. And we are struggling to get our arms around the events, and to fully understand the cause and effect of an increasing number of incidents, technologies, wars and trends.

• The internet
  • Turning the free press into something else
  • “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”
    • “The click-based press” – reporting what is popular
    • The open sponsored press – having known sponsors
    • The hidden sponsored press – not telling who´s behind or revealing intentions
    • The malicious press – fake news, troll factories etc
  • So where does that bring The Fourth Estate?
• 24 February 2022 Russia´s clear cut invasion of Ukraine.
  • Revealing Putin´s real ambitions in Ukraine and beyond.
  • Revealing Russia´s true involvement in Ukraine ever since 2014.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War
  • Revealing Russia´s meddling with political processes and elections around the world
  • “As nations jockey for geopolitical influence, Russia has aggressively interfered in other states around the globe to exert its influence. Looking beyond its borders to Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, Russia seeks to influence global and regional policy through arms sales, the use of private military contractors, political interventions, social media and disinformation campaigns, and military force. Its 2014 military invasion Crimea and Ukraine, interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election, poisonings abroad of regime opponents and shielding the Syrian government from international criticism for its use of chemical agents against the Syrian people are just some of the ways Russia has exerted its influence in the international system.”
    • Source: https://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/russian-arms-sales-and-sanctions-compliance.html
• BRICS expressing real ambitions
  • Can BRICS create a new world order?
  • They are giant economies, with even bigger populations and still greater ambitions. Starting Tuesday August 22, leaders of the group of nations known as the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are meeting for a three-day summit, which is expected to draw eyeballs from capitals around the world.
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/8/22/can-brics-create-a-new-world-order
• China´s global ambitions
  • Clear signs that China is gearing up to contest America’s global leadership are unmistakable, and they are ubiquitous.
    • Naval shipbuilding program
      • Put more vessels to sea between 2014 and 2018 than the total number of ships in the German, Indian, Spanish, and British navies combined.
    • Beijing’s bid to dominate high-tech industries that will determine the future distribution of economic and military power.
    • The campaign to control the crucial waterways off China’s coast, as well as reported plans to create a chain of bases and logistical facilities farther afield.
    • Systematic efforts to refine methods of converting economic influence into economic coercion throughout the Asia-Pacific and beyond.
  • Source: https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/05/22/china-has-two-paths-to-global-domination-pub-81908
• India becoming the 4th nation to make a soft landing on the moon
  • Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing
  • Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chandrayaan-3-news-live-updates-mooon-landing-time-isro-lunar-mission-live-telecast-today-vikram-lander-pragyan-rover-photos/liveblog/102961641.cms
• Political populism weakening western democracies
  • A wide variety of populism exist, on the Right and Left ends of the political spectrum, yet far-Right ones are much more pervasive.
  • From Le Pen to Donald Trump; Both angry and disillusioned voters are turning their back to established political parties.
  • Source: https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/expressions/european-populism-left-right
• Rebirth of the Ottoman Empire
  • Erdogan seeks to achieve the dream of the empire’s rebirth
  • Source: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/02/07/erdogan-seeks-to-achieve-the-dream-of-the-empires-rebirth/

Not at all a complete list of issues, but an important list of topics for further thoughts and discussion on where we are taking our world.

Stay tuned.

Anders, from lakeshore Kapp

Globalisation 4.0

Globalisation has so far been driven mainly by financial integration, trade agreements and paving the ground for multinational businesses. There is an urgent need for a more sophisticated view on globalisation, where priority need to be shifted towards education, health and public safety.

Resent pandemic has taught us that only close collaboration between health authorities and research institutions globally can protect the civilians. And so far, there are strong indications that the best performance in fighting a pandemic comes in societies with

• high quality public education
• high trust in political system
• high quality public health system

Hopefully, voters around the world will use their vote to support politicians who have proven their willingness to fight for their people rather than protecting their own interests.

Alternative reading:

Economist: Has COVID19 Killed Globalisation

Anders, from Kapp Brygge, 29th of June 2020

A Statesman At A Crossroad

Tags

inspiration, leadership, statesmanship

There are times calling for extraordinary actions in order to tip the crowd’s sentiments in the best direction. There are people capable of recognising those moments, and choosing the right path.

Today we celebrate 25 years since this remarkable event. And we lack true statesmanship these days.

Nelson Mandela wearing the green and gold “Springboks” shirt, congratulating Pineaar with the WC title in Rugby.

One year into his presidency, Nelson Mandela took on the “Springboks” shirt in a gesture to unite white and black South Africans behind the goal of “One Country”. He found a way into the heart of the white community during the 1995 Rugby World Championship, and during the championship he led South Africa a long way towards reconciliation.

John Carlin’s book from 2008 Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The Springboks were not expected to perform well, the team having only recently returned to high-level international competition following the dismantling of apartheid—the country was hosting the World Cup, thus earning an automatic entry.

Based on the book, the inspirational biographical sports drama Invictus came out in 2009, directed by Clint Eastwood, and with Morgan Freeman in the role of Nelson Mandela and Matt Demon in the role of Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar.

A part from being an inspirational movie, it reminds us of true statesmanship and true leadership – something rare these days.

Reflections from Kapp Harbour, June 24, 2020

25 years since the Belavezha Accords

From Wikipedia:

The Belavezha Accords (Russian: Беловежские соглашения, Belarusian: Белавежскае пагадненне/Bielaviežskaje pahadniennie, Ukrainian: Біловезькі угоди) is the agreement that declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place. It was signed at the state dacha near Viskuli in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on December 8, 1991, by the leaders of three of the four republics-signatories of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR — Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk and Belarusian parliament chairman Stanislav Shushkevich.

Dissolution of SSSR

Twenty-five years ago, three men were able to dissolve a giant country with a pen stroke.  Their signatures change the world in so many ways.  Some important reflections might be useful at this anniversary and one key question remain:

• Why has not Russian’s average standard of living improved?

Another important question relevant more than ever:

• How could Yeltsin forget to say “but” and then continue:  “we need to get Krim back”?

A good analysis to answer the first question can be found in the Globalist article “1913-2013 Russia Bothced Entire Century”

Norwegian journalist and historian Hans Wilhelm Steinfeldt has a shorter version:

“Russia is like a huge military camp.  Lack of pluralism and private enterprise has effectively hindered technological spin-off from military development and investments into civil society.”

When you ad insane centralization and piratization of the economy over the last 25 years, you find chocking indicators of some fundamental problems:

Life expectancy for men is only around 64 years in Russia.

When it comes to Krim, rumours have it that Yeltsin got too drunk into the afternoon December 8, 1991 – and forgot all about Krim.

So here we are in 2016, facing a future with Putin and Trump.  What have we done to deserve this?  Well, history tend to repeat itself.

Two world leaders heading their two nations both with humongous financial challenges and an angry crowd that have not seen improvements in their life for the last 30 years.  Prospects could worry some people.  But the rest of us, we are optimistic, right?

Anders, Kapp-Norway in the evening December 7, 2016

 

 

“Let us globalize compassion”

Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai are 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

Two impressive personalities giving remarkable messages to us all.

Our sincere congratulations!

From the speach of Kailash Satyarthi;

Let us democratise knowledge.  Let us universalise justice. Together, let us globalise compassion, for our children!

I call upon you in this room, and all across the world.

I call for a march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, a march from slavery to liberty, and a march from violence to peace.

Let us march from darkness to light. Let us march from mortality to divinity.

Let us march!

From the speach of Malala Yousafzai;

I had two options, one was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up.

Globalization4U, from Gjøvik, Norway

Radicalization and a Royal Arab Dilemma

We are all chocked and saddened by the brutality of IS, yet why do they get such a popular support from many different groups?  Do we understand what is going on, or do we act first of all to score domestic political points?

To stop radicalization within the muslim world, the western world is discussing measures, and today France has started air strikes.  Is force an adequate measure?  Is IS the only target to bomb? In 1789 France led the world in an uprising against the aristocracy and a despot king.  Why should we now defend the aristocracy and despot kings against its people?

There are mainly two important drivers making this hole issue troublesome:

1) The distribution of wealth in the Arab world.

2) The distribution of wealth and power in the United States of America

They both need to be address in order to find the real measures to the Royal Arab Dilemma.

Some good reading:

Anders, from the shores of Mjøsa.

Ukraine – again at a crossroad

People are again taking to the streets in Kiev as the country is caught in two fundamental political deadlocks;

1. Fighting political corruption
2. Choice between Russian or European affiliation in future political development

The EU flag in Kiev, as the Ukraine society argue over a Western or Eastern path for the future.

This is just another crossroad for a country that never really got its boarders settled.  To understand the sentiments in the street, it might be useful to scroll back for a brief historical summary;

A brief historical summary

Ukraine was known as “Kievan Rus” (from which Russia is a derivative) up until the 16th century. In the 9th century, Kiev was the major political and cultural center in eastern Europe. Kievan Rus reached the height of its power in the 10th century and adopted Byzantine Christianity. The Mongol conquest in 1240 ended Kievan power. From the 13th to the 16th century, Kiev was under the influence of Poland and western Europe. The negotiation of the Union of Brest-Litovsk in 1596 divided the Ukrainians into Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic faithful. In 1654, Ukraine asked the czar of Moscovy for protection against Poland, and the Treaty of Pereyasav signed that year recognized the suzerainty of Moscow. The agreement was interpreted by Moscow as an invitation to take over Kiev, and the Ukrainian state was eventually absorbed into the Russian Empire.

After the Russian Revolution, Ukraine declared its independence from Russia on Jan. 28, 1918, and several years of warfare ensued with several groups. The Red Army finally was victorious over Kiev, and in 1920 Ukraine became a Soviet republic. In 1922, Ukraine became one of the founders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the 1930s, the Soviet government’s enforcement of collectivization met with peasant resistance, which in turn prompted the confiscation of grain from Ukrainian farmers by Soviet authorities; the resulting famine took an estimated 5 million lives. Ukraine was one of the most devastated Soviet republics after World War II. (For details on World War II, see Headline History, World War II.) On April 26, 1986, the nation’s nuclear power plant at Chernobyl was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident. On Oct. 29, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament voted to shut down the reactor within two years’ time and asked for international assistance in dismantling it.

Globalization a challenge for societies out of sync

Tags

culture shockk, Danina Reiser, Marte Dalelv, sharia law

WARNING:  Globalization, accessibility and increased traveling may cause harm.

Both individuals and societies are struggling to cope with globalization, causing frictions, frustrations and even severe consequences as jail sentences.

Among backpackers in South East Asia, knowledge about drug regulations in muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia is a well known fact.  Still, people get repeatedly caught and getting severe sentences.

The individual has a duty to prepare for an international travel, and to seek key information about the destination in order to avoid the most obvious pitfalls.

Nations are struggling to sync with globalization.

Dubai Skyline. Apparently an ultra modern society?

On the other hand, nations are also struggling to stay synchronized with their ambitions to attract international tourism.  One example standing out is Dubai. Dubai has invested insane amounts in developing the small nation into a tourist hub and destination.  Dubai being a liberal nation on the Arab peninsula, has laws and regulations far from western standards.  Their apparent liberal (ambiguous) alcohol practice allow for consumption within the premises of large international hotels.  There are now numerous accounts of women tourists having been raped in Dubai, and when reporting the felony to the police, they end up being charged for drinking and for having sex outside of marriage.

The old saying is still valid;  When in Rome, do as the Romans.

Tourists must take better care of themselves, on one hand, and nations like Dubai have to modernize and adapt to the flat new world.

Anders, from a sunny Gjøvik, Norway.

The American Dilemma is a Global Dilemma

Tags

cyber intelligence, cyberspace, Edward Snowden

The United States of America has a long tradition in keeping secrets, hiding the truth and building “smoke screens” to cover up reality.  Humongous structures of FBI, NSA, CIA and more, are built to administer it all.

Then fortunately, there are individuals who see through the madness and take actions.  Taking a huge personal risk, people like Mark Felt, Daniel Ellsberg and Thomas Drake contributed to saving an important little piece of democracy in the USA.

In the 21st century of globalization, increased transparency, increased complexity and a technological change, we need individuals like Felt, Ellsberg and Drake more than ever.

And the first ones to stick their heads out are called Assange, Manning and Snowden.  They perform a control function similar to that of investigating journalism in the 20th century, and should be our real heroes, rock stars and celebrities. We need these brave individuals in every corner of the world; – In Europe, in Russia, in China and Brasil.

Again and again we see that government will abuse power if they are not “illegally” monitored.  We need to question authorities constantly. Edward Snowden is a true hero and need public support.  The discussion he wants to take place is of fundamental importance to humanity.

http://www.dbtv.no/?vid=2466649900001

Take your time and listen to this important interview.

Edward Snowden, and any other individual, need protection against abusive government and other abusive groups as large corporations, lobbyist groups etc.  The international community need to develop an attitude as well as the tools and structures to handle this.  If not, we need at least to recognize what to do when a situation like this occur.  The right thing to do is to protect Snowden in such a way that a balanced and true hearing can take place.

Anders, from the shores of a flooded Lake Mjøsa, Kapp, Norway

My 4 P-wishes at a crossroad; Peace, prosperity, power and progress!

Tags

greenwave, julehilsen, light emergency stretcher system, lynne+thomassen, migrainepolice, zhkn

It is time to thank you for your cooperation, weather it has been following my different blogs, or cooperation through my various ventures!

In any case, your contributions are truly appreciated!

We catch up in 2013 for new exiting ventures, to explore new territory and to pave new ground where no man has ever stepped before.

Anders, in a philosophic mood, watching snow falling on Lake Mjøsa, slowely, slowely……..slowely.