The Campus & the Protest
Campus protests rocked Columbia and spread across to other schools. Before you blame the president, let's consider who — and what — lit the flame.
Happy birthday dear Krista!
Having committed to speaking at COP28 in Dubai, Columbia University’s president, Minouche Shafik, missed the grilling her peers from Harvard, MIT, and UPenn faced last December in front of the House Education Committee. All had been hauled in to answer questions, from a hostile GOP panel, including Elise Stefanik (R-NY) about antisemitism on campus.
Each college president gave legalistic answers that invoked “context” — trying to balance free speech with safety. Two of those women, and they were all women, which is important to note, lost their jobs.
When the House Education Committee rescheduled Ms. Shafik’s testimony to mid-April, she had the benefit of hindsight. Last Wednesday, on April 17, she answered the questions put before her with public relations command. She still managed to ignite a firestorm.
Following her testimony, Columbia students set up an encampment on the school’s Morningside campus to call for the university to “disclose and divest” from companies doing business with Israel. On April 18, Shafik called in the NYPD to clear them out. It sparked outrage and exacerbated tensions, among just about everyone — students, faculty, pro-Palestinian, pro-Israeli, the left, and the right. She stands accused of stifling free speech and assembly while also failing to protect and provide security.
It was never going to be possible to do both in today’s uncompromising political environment.
George Packer writes in The Atlantic:
Elite universities are caught in a trap of their own making, one that has been a long time coming. They’ve trained pro-Palestinian students to believe that, on the oppressor-oppressed axis, Jews are white and therefore dominant, not ‘marginalized,’ while Israel is a settler-colonist state and therefore illegitimate. They’ve trained pro-Israel students to believe that unwelcome and even offensive speech makes them so unsafe that they should stay away from campus, What the universities haven’t done is train their students to talk with one another.
As someone in academia, I disagree with Packer’s assessment that universities haven’t trained students to talk with one another. It’s also not a trap they made alone. In our “greed is good” corporatized society, universities have become vassals to donors and monetary interests — beholden to boards over students. That inevitably has impacted academic freedom. Rather than embracing risk, colleges and universities have opted for predictability. Learning, as Packer notes, referencing Richard Hofstadter, involves inquiry and debate — things that higher education, as we are witnessing, has largely come to treat like kryptonite.
Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University of Professors told Today Explained:
In the past, the interference into higher education has been targeting individual professors. A wealthy donor doesn’t like somebody’s research and they want to get them fired…..What we’re seeing now is an escalation in that the entire enterprise of higher education as a public good in a democracy is being attacked.
Ironically, the Republicans attacking Ms. Shafik and other college leaders are the very individuals who have vociferously called for the protection of free speech of conservative voices — voices that too many institutions would not accommodate because many students found them upsetting. In 2019, while president, Donald Trump vowed to issue an executive order protecting free speech at colleges and universities. It is also worth noting that these same Republicans failed to utter a word when white supremacists chanted, “Jews will not replace us,” in Charlottesville, VA in 2017.
Rightly or wrongly, Minouche Shafik has found herself in the middle of this controversy. The fact that she is of Egyptian Muslim descent plays a part. It did in the case of Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black woman leader. Republicans have lambasted policies promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, the GOP has been pushing to restrict businesses, schools, and organizations from voluntarily adopting DEI policies.
Ms. Shafik’s identity also informs her decision making. We have seen women in powerful positions, especially women of color, held to a tougher, if not impossible standard than white men. They operate not from a position of authority but under the sword of Damocles. Their every move is judged and scrutinized. These women may hold titles, but they must navigate a system designed to keep them on the proverbial ropes. That means they must fight while leading, a precarious if not fatal combination.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu is getting ready to invade Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than a million Palestinians have fled following Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Palestinians face famine. This week, two separate mass graves were discovered in Gaza — one under Nasser hospital. It contained 400 bodies. Another was found at Al Shifa hospital. That is legitimate cause for outrage, regardless of your religion, identity, or politics.
So too, are threats made at Jews. Antisemitism is real. It must not be tolerated — on campus, the workplace, our communities, and in our politics. For the past week, Columbia and a number of other colleges became a flashpoint. Yet, it was politics that pulled the trigger and a broken social order that has long favored the privileged that fanned the flames. Students may have set up encampments to protest Gaza. But it is injustice, in so many parts of our society, that is spurring them on. — 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...
US foreign aid
In the end, after stiff resistance, the Republican led House of Representatives pushed through a $95 billion military-aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Sixty-one billion will go to Ukraine. Speaker Mike Johnson made it happen, after extensive briefings from intelligence officials. It’s amazing how one is forced to set aside politics in order to govern. Still, Johnson is under fire from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wants to oust him from his position.
Elaina Plott Calabro asks if Mike Johnson is actually good at being Speaker of the House? (The Atlantic)
This aid package will help Ukraine fight Russia, says Olga Tokariuk. But the delay has had real ramifications, she says. (Chatham House)
Ukraine is not doomed, argue Tatyana Deryugina and Anastassia Redyk. With Western support, it can beat Russia. (Project Syndicate)
Ecuador referendum
Last Sunday, Ecuadoreans voted to give their president Daniel Noboa even more power, supporting his hard-line security stance. Gangs have made the country one of Latin America’s most dangerous. In order to regain control, he’s taken a page out of Nayib Bukele’s book, he’s El Salvador’s “coolest dictator,” and vowed to crack down on crime and increase policing. Genevieve Glatsky discusses. (NYT)
India’s election
India kicked off its elections last week. Incumbent prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are poised to win big. Amy Sood is here to explain what’s going on for the BJP in the coming six weeks. (South China Morning Post)
How free and fair are India’s elections? Manasa Narayanan breaks down misinformation campaigns and messaging, especially on social media platforms. (Tech Policy Press)
US
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to China this week. He carries dueling messages. One is to strengthen ties with Beijing. The other is to warn it about its relations with Russia. Laura Bicker, Tessa Wong, and Tom Bateman on Blinken’s balancing act. (BBC)
The risk of cyber war between the US and China is on the rise. Hadley Spadaccini says that despite efforts to facilitate cyber dialogue between the two nations, no concrete guidelines on cyber usage have been established. (Responsible Statecraft)
The countdown begins. President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that could eventually lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States. Under the legislation, Bytedance, the Chinese company that owns the social media app, has a year to sell the app. Riley Beggin explains what comes next. (USA Today)
Africa
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1.7 million people have been displaced as a result of M23 fighting. M23 is shorthand for March 23, a Congolese revolutionary group made up predominantly of Tutis that have broken with Congo’s military. Yes, the Tutis are an ethnic group from Rwanda, which is exacerbating tensions between the two countries. Arlette Bashizi and Fidele Kitsa shed more light on the situation. (African Arguments)
Asia
On Monday, North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast. According to North Korea’s Central News Agency, the drill is part of the country’s counterattack test, Lauren Irwin reports. (The Hill)
The Americas
In Haiti, Ariel Henry has resigned as prime minister and the transitional presidential council has been sworn in — in a secret ceremony, for fear of violence. Jordana Timerman on what’s next. (Latin America Daily Briefing)
Mexicans will choose between two female candidates in the upcoming June 2 presidential election. Before we hail this as a victory for women, Charlene Aguilera and Isabel Chiriboga remind us that more than 70 percent of Mexican women and girls face some form of violence, especially in rural areas. Hopefully, with two leading female candidates, June’s elections will lead to real change. (Atlantic Council)
Guatemala’s center-left president Bernardo Arévalo campaigned on combating corruption and making real change in the country. Dina Fernández says the slow progress he’s making is concerning to supporters. (Americas Quarterly)
Europe
Despite over two years of sanctions from a number of nations, Russia’s war on Ukraine continues. Anna Tkachova suggests some ways the international community could improve its tactics. (Just Security)
Two years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. And Ukrainians need to readjust for what appears to be a longer conflict, says Nataliya Gumenyuk. (Foreign Affairs)
The UK parliament passed the migrant deportation bill on Tuesday. In a few months, individuals seeking asylum in the United Kingdom will be sent to Rwanda. Annika Sost and Sertan Sanderson fill us in on how we got here, what Rwanda gets out of this, and how the international community is responding. (DW)
Meanwhile, Mireia Faro Sarrats and Tarek Megerisi argue that the UK’s migrant deportation bill will not only fail to deter migrants, but will politically damage any party that adopts it. (ECFR)
Middle East
“The Biden administration must do whatever it can to protect the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank,” says Anne-Marie Slaughter. “It must also do whatever it can to protect Israelis.” The key is to focus on the lives of people, not the policies of states. (Washington Post)
Don’t dis me bro. That’s what Qatar is on the verge of saying to Israel. The Gulf country has played a pivotal role in negotiating between Israel and Hamas. Yet, the Israeli government and Benjamin Netanyahu in particular have engaged in a smear campaign against it. Qatar is threatening to walk away as a mediator, which would be bad for Israeli hostages, says Anchal Vohra. (Foreign Policy)
The West’s unconditional support of Israel’s military action regarding its neighbors and Palestinian peoples is helping the state incite further chaos in the Middle East. Mandy Turner discusses the last few weeks' events, noting how countries like the US and the UK have played a part in the chaos. (Middle East Eye)
The UN and its rulings have failed to improve circumstances for the ongoing onslaught in Gaza which has left a number of us wondering whether the UN is still effective. Maren Mantovani reminds us that similar failures have still, at times, led to major positive change. (Africa is a Country)
Science & Climate Change
How can Laos lead the way on environmental issues for ASEAN? As ASEAN chair and host of a number of high-level meetings, Sera Koulabdara discusses the country’s role. (Inkstick Media)
Technology
As AI expands, scientists wonder how the technology could affect the environment. AI uses a lot of energy but, if used correctly, Amy Luers, Jonathan Koomey, Eric Masanet, Owen Gaffney, Felix Creutzig, Juan Lavista Ferres, and Eric Horvitz think it could help the fight against global warming – even if it’s indirectly. (Nature)
Are we the real “killer robots”? Charli Carpenter weighs in on the increased use of weaponized AI in armed conflict in the context of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. (WPR)
Under the Radar
Aboriginal children only account for 5.5 percent of Australia’s population. But they hold the highest suicide rates. Megan Krakouer and Gerry Georgatos shed light on an issue that has for too long been ignored. (The Guardian)
Opportunities
In Europe, UK, or UAE, Allied Climate Partners seeks a VP of Investments.
Remote, Prospera, an international network of women funds, is hiring for an Executive Director.
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
Editors:
Pin-Shan Lai
Catherine Lovizio
Emily Smith