You Must Remember This...
May 19, 2023
Yesterday marked the 79th anniversary of the Crimean Tatar expulsion from Crimea. The Crimean Tatars are a Muslim Turkic group that have lived on the Crimean Peninsula dating back to the 10th century. They constituted the majority of the population until the 19th century, when tsarist Russia moved in and began a gradual ethnic cleansing of the Tatars.
On May 18, 1944, a quarter of a million Crimean Tatars were forced out of their homes, which was at the time part of the Soviet Union (under the leadership of Josef Stalin). Most were deported to the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan. Half died on the journey from disease and starvation. Some, like my family, managed to escape. Here is a piece I wrote for Foreign Policy back in 2019.
As the daughter of a Crimean Tatar, it is important to me to remember what happened nearly 80 years ago. In reality, it is important for all of us to remember — so that we don’t, as the saying goes, repeat mistakes, but more importantly, for justice. Especially amid the disconcerting rise in autocracy, it is vital that we focus on justice — lawfulness and human rights.
“Human rights” isn’t just a feel-good item on a foreign policy checklist. It is the fundamental guardrail against unchecked aggression and oppression. It’s the basis for not only peace but civilized society — or, rather, the basis to avoid anarchy.
Remembrance was certainly behind Japan’s choice to hold today’s G-7 summit, the gathering of the leaders of the seven largest economies of the world, in Hiroshima. Hiroshima is notably one of the cities where the US dropped a nuclear bomb in 1945. (Nagasaki is the other - sorry, it’s the professor in me to point it out 🤓). As Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies at Brookings, explains in this podcast, in holding the summit in Hiroshima, Japan is “sending a powerful message about the dire consequences of geopolitical conflict.” It’s not just a message for Russia, but for the United States and China, currently locked in a great power game, as well.
Remembrance underpinned the UN’s decision to hold the 75th Nakba commemoration, the first at the global body, this past Monday. Nakba is catastrophe in Arabic. The Palestinians remember it as such for the 700,000 who fled or were forced to flee in 1948 during the creation of Israel. The Israeli government condemned the event as being anti-Semitic and a denial of Jewish self-determination and Israel’s legitimacy.
Israel’s legitimacy and sovereignty have been established. Remembering Palestinian trauma does not negate or erase that fact. What it does is it recognizes and humanizes the Palestinian people. In The Holocaust and the Nakba by Bashir Bashir and Amos Goldberg, the men write about remembering the Nakba and the horrendous crime of the Holocaust, “unless we can hold these two moments in our hearts and minds as part of the same story there is no moving forward in the seemingly unmovable conflict that is Israel-Palestine.”
Progress should be the collective goal. Yet, in today’s selfie-obsessed world, where the focus is to chase likes, it has been reduced to a tagline. The reality seems to be more along the lines of “survival of the fittest.”
Sadly, those that survive are more fiend than fit. Take Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, who is being welcomed back into the Arab League. All he needed to do was wait, as many turned their attention to something else and, worse, forget about the atrocities he has overseen.
There is a cost to forgetting. More importantly, there is currency in remembering. Memory can prevent revisionist history and keep the focus on progress and the fiends in check. Memory empowers society and keeps power in check.
— Elmira
Elsewhere in the World.....
On our radar...
G7
Hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima is significant and symbolic. Chrissy Houlahan calls on President Biden to bear witness to history and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum while in Japan. (Newsweek)
Listen: Japan’s hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Mireya Solís and David Dollar on Japan’s foreign policy and leadership moves leading up to the summit. (Brookings)
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida welcomes G7 leaders to Hiroshima this weekend. With the war in Ukraine as a major talking point, Sheila Smith says Kishida also has security concerns in the Indo-Pacific he’d like to bring to the table. (CFR)
Nakba
For the first time ever, the UN is commemorating the Nakba. This year is the 75th anniversary of the displacing of Palestinians – Armani Syed explains why the UN is acknowledging it now. (Time)
Watch: The Nakba, or “the catastrophe” is remembered every year on May 15. Ranjani Chakraborty breaks down what happened in 1948 and how it has defined the future of Palestine. (Vox)
75 years after the Nakba, Palestinians are still experiencing catastrophe in a number of ways – from human rights abuses to attacks launched on their homes in Gaza, says Dina Matar. (The Conversation)
The Nakba is always on the minds of Palestinians, even as they are forcibly dispersed. Carol Daniel Kasbari explains the experience of Palestinians, the ongoingness of the Nakba, and why we cannot forget about either. (Middle East Institute)
Turkish elections
Turkey’s elections are headed to a runoff. Where do each of the candidates stand? Miriam Berger breaks down the first round of voting. (Washington Post)
While the opposition didn’t perform as well as expected, they still posed a serious challenge to Erdoğan. Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer on the seven lessons from Turkey’s effort to beat a populist autocrat. (Journal of Democracy)
US
Visa restrictions, work permit processes, and limited job opportunities hinder foreign students in the US from obtaining internships, part-time jobs, or full-time employment. Policy reforms and streamlined procedures should be implicated, says April Liu. (International Policy Digest)
On June 1, a new law will go into effect in Florida allowing doctors to refuse care if a potential patient has “homosexual vibes” (just in time for Pride month!). Ron DeSantis released a vague bill that has the potential to lead to the harm and possible deaths of a lot of queer people, explains Arwa Mahdawi. (The Guardian) 😡
The world is watching America’s battle over gun rights. And it’s not a pretty sight, says Tara Sonenshine. (The Hill)
Africa
The Sudan conflict is in its fifth week — with no end in sight. Hager Ali says that the conflict is a byproduct of a strategy that Omar Bashir used: pitting the army with a paramilitary force. (Al Jazeera)
African migrants arriving in Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia, on their way to Europe, often face even worse obstacles than the ones that they ran away from. Deportations, desert heat, racism, and more make many migrants just want to go home, explains Martina Schwikowski. (DW)
Asia
One election that didn’t disappoint was Thailand. The opposition party, Move Forward, emerged victorious against the military government. Who is the leader of this new political force? Feliz Solomon tells us. (WSJ)
In India, the Congress Party beat out the ruling BJP in a crucial state election in Karnataka. Astha Rajvanshi says this is the latest example of PM Modi’s waning influence in southern India. (Time)
Can China be a mediator between Russia and Ukraine? It all comes down to how Beijing balances its relations with Moscow and Brussels, says Bonny Lin. (Foreign Affairs)
13 years after the Sri Lankan war, no meaningful steps have been taken to address the atrocities committed and hold perpetrators accountable. Meenakshi Ganguly points out the international community’s failure to take adequate action. (HRW)
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Nepal demanded that the government recognize same-sex marriage – a case which started with one gay couple. Dikshya Adhikari and Harsh Mahaseth explain how the ruling came together, and the ways that it is lacking. (The Diplomat)
The Americas
Listen: Title 42 ended last week. What happened on the US-Mexico border? Natalie Kitroeff reports. (The Daily)
Violent crime is on the rise in Latin America with illegal weapons to blame. Carina Solmirano explains where these weapons are coming from and what governments in the region are doing to curb the violence. (Americas Quarterly)
China bribes Latin America – exchanging financial support, investments, and infrastructure projects for favorable policies, access to resources, and political support. Valeriia Popova and Eduardo Gamarra call on Latin American countries to mitigate the risks associated with China’s influence. (The Conversation)
Europe (Well, this week the Russia section…)
Russia’s war in Ukraine is not only destroying human life, it is desecrating the country’s natural landscape as well. Sasha Dovzhyk says both are war crimes. (CNN)
Pentagon stockpiles are running low — so is Ukraine’s aid budget. Kelley Beaucar Vlahos explores potential scenarios for aid to Ukraine. (Responsible Statecraft)
Has sanctions worked on Russia? Alexandra Prokopenko and Frederico Fubini explore. (Project Syndicate)
Nuclear testing might be back in Russia, says Cheryl Rofer. Aging weapons and domestic politics might get that started. (Foreign Policy)
Middle East
As the Arab League normalizes relations with Syria, Syrians, rightly, are concerned that will mean forced return to the country, Arwa Damon notes. (Atlantic Council)
Tunisian President Kais Saied has managed to push the country away from democracy towards authoritarianism. Sabina Henneberg thinks that the international community could help reverse this trend. (Just Security)
Science and Climate Change
Women in Somalia are victims of climate change – from being unable to find climate-sensitive labor to being stripped of personal autonomy. Amal Hassan on the ways women and girls suffer from gender-based violence and are disproportionately impacted by climate change. (Inkstick Media)
China is no longer accepting imports of recyclables from the US. Is this the end of recycling? Alana Semuels discusses the challenges and opportunities China’s decision presents for the global recycling industry. (The Atlantic)
Technology
How is social media playing a role in Russia’s war on Ukraine? Magdalene Karalis explains how social media allows records to be stored and memories to be saved during the invasion. (Chatham House)
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Job Opportunities
Hybrid, in NYC - the UN Foundation has a posting for Executive Director, Global Policy and Multilateral Initiatives.
In DC, the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute has a number of positions open, including Policy Director.
In Atlanta, the Carter Center has a number of open positions.
In NYC, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis is searching for a new CEO.
Remote, the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors wants part time blog writers.
Editorial Team
Elmira Bayrasli - Editor-in-Chief
Editors:
Rasmiia Abasova
Samantha Felman
Anouk Jouffret
Pin-Shan Lai
Catherine Lovizio
Emily Smith