Symbols
January 26, 2024 - Autocrats love sacred symbols. Why do their followers?
Happy birthday Alev! Nice mutlu yillar.
Congrats to Katherine Maher - she’s NPR’s new CEO!
Later this morning, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will issue a ruling on the call for Israel to suspend its war in Gaza. South Africa brought the charges to the UN’s highest court, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory. Today’s ruling will only focus on the call to end the bombardment. And it should end and move to talks — and some sort of solution, however impossible that might seem.
This week Narendra Modi inaugurated the construction of a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, Ram Mandir. Many believe that the Hindu god, Rama, was born here, on the site of a mosque built in the 16th century. In 1992, Hindu extremists burned down the mosque. In 2019, India’s supreme court ruled that the destruction was illegal, but still gave Hindus possession of the land, with a promise that Muslims could rebuild a mosque elsewhere. Though the temple itself won’t be completed until the end of the year, India’s strongman ruler, Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, made it a point to christen the site in the lead up to national elections this spring.
Perhaps he was inspired by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who converted the Hagia Sophia back into a functioning mosque in July 2020. The Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century as a Byzantine church then converted to a mosque after the Ottomans took Constantinople (and what became Istanbul) in 1453. Following the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, it was turned into a museum. Most Turks applauded this move. Last year Erdoğan won his latest election.
Autocrats love their sacred symbols. But why do their followers?
Over the holiday, I traveled to Mexico. I paid a visit to the archeological sites at Teotihuacan. There, I was awed by vast pyramids built around 200 AD in dedication to the sun and moon gods. Christianity had not yet made its way to the Americas. Still, even in the earliest of times, humans were looking to make sense of their lives and sought answers to existential questions. Who am I? Where am I going? Why do the things that happen, happen?
Today, science and technology abound. That has seemingly increased predictability and efficiency. GPS tells us the best way to get somewhere. Genetic testing can anticipate the likelihood of disease. AI can do our homework, arrange our schedules, write our speeches and legal briefs, and churn out art. An app can tell you the best time to go to bed (or move, but I like when it tells me to go to bed.)
Yet, uncertainty persists. We don’t really know what will happen tomorrow. Except, we want to. Amid our on-demand, instant and Insta lives, where choices proliferate, we seek guidance and reassurance — for our choices, our beliefs, our way of life. Temples, mosques, pyramids provide some answers and validation — of identity and purpose. They also draw community and create belonging. (Alcohol, drugs, and sugar fill in where these symbols don’t. Yes, that’s from Brené Brown.)
Autocrats have homed in on the need for belonging and answers, turning what is sacred into the political.
The temptation to spurn this, to dismiss sacred symbols as mumbo jumbo and prioritize “democracy” — free expression and will is great. There is no question that the latter is indispensable to our progress. But they do not quench the thirst for validation and belonging. Talk about democracy is general and abstract. Bill Clinton understood that. He brought the narrative back to the people. Time to think beyond platitudes and invest in the stories we tell. — Elmira
I’m opening up my column to others. Please pitch me your op-ed idea/perspective. Let’s get more female perspectives. Email me on endeavoringe@gmail.com or respond to this post.
Elsewhere in the World.....
On our radar...
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 25,000 this week. According to Oxfam, the daily death rate in the territory, around 250, makes it the deadliest conflict in the 21st century.
The Red Sea and the Houthis
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea. Who are they? This is from 2015, but April Longley Alley provides a good primer on the Shite group that has been waging a civil war in Yemen. (CFR)
For the Houthis, the Red Sea attacks have an ideological underpinning. Nadwa al-Dawsari lays out what that is. (Middle East Institute).
Fifteen percent of global trade goes through the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks are upsetting global commerce. As much as the Biden administration wants to retaliate militarily, it should resolve it diplomatically, says Alexandra Stark. (Foreign Affairs)
US
How will the Israel-Gaza war impact the United States? FPI-Bard Fellow Amy Hawthorne, Emma Ashford, and James Siebens weigh in on the many causes for concern. (Inkstick Media)
Africa
No links this week. It’s tough to find female bylines. But, we didn’t want to overlook two significant visits to Africa this week:
A tale of two foreign ministers. This week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a trip to West Africa. It’s the secretary’s fourth trip to the continent and part of a larger Biden effort to push back on China and Russia’s increasing engagement and influence in the region. Blinken traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde (home of the great Cesária Évora), Nigeria, and Angola. Meanwhile, Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock headed to Djibouti, Kenya, and South Sudan this week. She noted that South Sudan’s northern neighbor, Sudan, is still caught up in a brutal civil war that, as DW notes, has claimed 13,000 lives and displaced 7.5 million people — and should not become the “forgotten crisis.”
Asia
India’s PM Modi inaugurated a new temple to Lord Ram this week. Why is this controversial? The temple is on the ruins of a 16th-century mosque – making this the BJP’s latest Hindu nationalist move. Audrey Truschke says it’s part of a larger push for Hindu supremacy. (Time)
Provocative missile tests from North Korea are threatening South Korea and its ally, the US, says Ellie Cook. She compares the two countries’s military power according to their GDP, military forces, and equipment qualities. (Newsweek)
Taiwan’s newly elected government needs to spend the next four years building resilience in a fracturing world, says Caroline Fried. Consensus within the island will be hard, considering the elected government’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, lacks majority seats in the legislature. (Nikkei Asia)
For the first time since 2018, China will undergo the Universal Periodic Review by the UN. Sophie Richardson and Rana Siu Inboden say the UN’s review aims to scrutinize the country’s human rights situation, a condition the Chinese government has worked to thwart. (China File)
The Americas
In Guatemala, despite numerous efforts to derail his inauguration, Bernardo Arévalo was successfully sworn in as president last week. Arévalo is the son of a former Guatemalan president. More importantly, he is a fierce anti-corruption advocate. That was what was at issue, writes Frida Ghitis. Entrenched forces didn’t want to see him ascend to the highest office. Thanks to the US they failed. (WPR)
Ecuador has become South America’s most dangerous country. On January 9, armed gunmen stormed TC Televisión and held the anchors and other staff at gunpoint. The country’s newish president, Daniel Noboa, who came to power last November, has waged a war on drug gangs. Those gangs are now fighting back. Catalina Gil Pinzón warns that a “war on drugs” will not work. (El País)
President of Brazil for over a year now, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva isn’t quite delivering in the way people anticipated. Nara Roberta Silva looks at this past year, claiming that progress has been made, but not as much as Brazilians hoped for. (NACLA)
Europe
Turkey’s parliament voted in favor of admitting Sweden into NATO. But the Scandinavian country still needs the approval of one more country: Hungary. Yeah, the Western media loves to target the largely Muslim Turkey when in fact Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has thrown up his own objections. Lili Bayer outlines what they are. (The Guardian)
EU support for Ukrainian refugees remains high but is waning as the war rages on. Mireia Faro Sarrats explains how anti-migrant sentiment in Europe helps Russia. (European Council on Foreign Relations)
In Germany, over a million took to the streets to protest the far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This follows a report that the party would deport citizens of foreign origin (which would essentially bring the German economy to a halt, but let’s not digress….) Sarah Marsh on what’s fueling protests and how Germany’s leaders are responding. (Reuters)
Watch or Read: How did a historically Islamophobic, climate change-questioning, anti-immigrant candidate come in first in the Netherlands’ elections, in November? Valerie Gauriat speaks with voters in Rotterdam to investigate, finding the turn in opinion to be rooted in the economic troubles the Dutch are facing at home. (Euronews)
Middle East
Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza isn’t going well. Hamas is still holding Israeli hostages. But Netanyahu isn’t about to give up. Nicole Narea on the political and personal stakes Israel’s prime minister faces. (Vox)
Israel is not only destroying Gaza’s present, but its past. Olivia Snaije on the destruction of historic sites. (New Lines)
Is it time for the US to pull out of Iraq? US and Iraqi officials are set to begin talks to discuss the future of America’s military presence in the country. Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann report. (CNN)
Science & Climate Change
It’s about time we start referring to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” by its actual name, “the North Pacific High,” and maybe we will remember to keep the wildlife who live there in mind while we work to clean up after our own mistakes. Kiley Price explains that clean-up efforts in the Pacific often forget about their responsibility to preserve the biodiversity of the Pacific. (Slate)
Technology
What colors do other animals see when they look at a rainbow? Scientists have developed new video recording and analysis techniques that allow humans to see what other animals see. Lauren Lefter reports on the new technology. (Scientific American)
Under the Radar
The devastatingly high rates of violence against Indigenous women are a product of colonization. Maree Corbo and Amanda Alford explain the lasting impact of colonization in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who experience violence at a rate more than three times that of non-Indigenous women. (The Guardian)
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova don’t want the Women’s Tennis Association to hold its finals in Saudi Arabia. Bravo. (Washington Post)
Links You Loved....
Jennifer Taw recommends Nimona on Netflix. She says:
“When I think about the messages from all the Disney films I watched as a little girl - women must be beautiful, very feminine, like to clean, need to be saved - and compare those against this film's - we are masculine and feminine and other and can be all of them in a day, we are strong but need each other, the structures we build for security are so often based on misunderstanding and mythology, we are quick to fear and define enemies on that basis, there are so many different kinds of beauty, love is love - I marvel at how far we have come that this film could even make it to a streaming platform. And then I remember that this same streaming platform showcases transphobes, among others who spread hate, and have to consider how far we still have to go.”
Have a book, film, podcast, music recommendation? Send it over to endeavoringe@gmail.com (or respond to this post). We’ll post it here.
Opportunities
Remote, come work with me at the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program (BGIA). We’re hiring for a part-time Resume and Cover Letter Editor. We’re really looking for someone with HR chops.
In DC, The Atlantic Council is on the hunt for a Director, Strategic Communications. Work with the terrific Jenna Ben Yehuda!
The Library of Congress is taking applications for the next Innovator in Residence.
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
Editors:
Pin-Shan Lai
Catherine Lovizio
Emily Smith