Category: International

Recently, the Supreme Court in India struck down Section 377 of the Indian Constitution, a holdover from the history of colonialism which criminalized “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” The offenses listed by Section 377 categorized consensual homosexual behaviors with bestiality, paedophilia, and rape.

Fortunately, the law has been nested within an extremely diverse culture of Hinduism. Hindu belief holds that the individual occupies a single moment in a continuous process of reincarnation that ultimately releases the true self from physical limitations—and sexuality. The Hindu Vedas, dated at 6,000 BCE and regarded as the oldest scriptures in the world, prescribe rather than mandate sexual behaviors. They even describe appropriate behaviors for members of different castes or social and religious class systems.

The Vedic culture in India developed between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE. Hinduism, considered to be the successor of the Vedic religion, has profoundly impacted the formation of the country’s history, culture and philosophies. Historically, many sects of the Hindu culture embraced a philosophy of openness to LGBTQ individuals. Historians acknowledge that pre-colonial Indian society did not criminalize or stigmatize same-sex relationships. Rather, there are historic records of transgender individuals serving in the Mughal court.

Modern societal homophobia was introduced to India by European colonizers. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was enacted by the British, and stood from 1861 till Thursday 6th September, 2018. The history of colonialism in India led to the development of a stigma of shame. From this point in history on, individuals who were known to be LGBTQ were considered to be an embarrassment against their family name. Colonialism introduced a deep tension for the LGBTQ-affirming sects of the Hindu majority in India.

As of 2011, almost 80% of the country’s 1.2 billion people followed the Hindu tradition. This helps the outsider to understand why although Section 377 was legislated, its enforcement was considerably weak. The attitudes of the legal code and the Vedic texts—not necessarily at direct odds—do create a moral aggravation for people who wish to honor both. The Code, and eventually the culture of shame attached to homosexuality in India, led to LGBTQ people choosing to remain in the closet.

From the time of the introduction of the Code till recent times, public reception of homosexual behavior has dramatically changed. In sharp contrast to the historical acceptance of homosexuality, LGBTQ individuals have become vulnerable to honor killings, attacks, torture and beatings. These violent reactions to homosexuality are particularly prevalent in rural areas. Gay people in such areas are occasionally forced to marry into opposite-sex relationships.

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was problematic for several reasons. The law codified an outdated colonial system of morality. It criminalized a wide range of consensual behaviors. While it did not manifest into a scenario of the mass incarceration of LGBTQ individuals, it did leave India’s LGBTQ community vulnerable to discriminatory treatment, extortion, harassment and abuse.

In recognition of these challenges, there have been several attempts to repeal the law. The Naz Foundation petitioned the courts in 2001 to revise the Penal Code. They encouraged the courts to exclude consensual behaviour from Section 377. The Delhi high court agreed, noting that the criminalization of gay sex was a violation of rights to equality, privacy and liberty as upheld by the constitution of India. In 2013, the Supreme Court overruled this decision, judging that only the parliament could amend the law. This drawn-out saga finally came to a head last Thursday. A newly constituted bench of the Supreme Court revised the decision and decriminalized gay sex.

Although the recent decision removes any legal justification of such treatment of gay people in India, it does not necessarily renovate the culture of abuse of gay citizens. Still, the court’s jurisprudence expansively listed constitutional values of inclusion and democracy. Their judgments have been lauded as going further than comparable jurisprudence in the US and the UK. The courts expect that the ruling will clear the path for future courts to recognize LGBTQ rights in areas like employment and education and that sexual minorities could eventually divorce themselves from shame and fear when expressing their intimacies publicly.

For the past seven years, Syria has experienced war and conflict. The latest event in this unfolding catastrophe occurred last week, when the United States led airstrikes against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

These strikes were conducted with the intent of destroying the government’s chemical weapons facilities after Assad allegedly used chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, according to The Washington Post. After three sites in Syria were attacked, President Trump announced, “Mission accomplished!” in a tweet, but the situation remains volatile.

Although the war in Syria began in 2011, the BBC reported that even before the conflict in Syria escalated, “many Syrians were complaining about high unemployment, officials not behaving as they should do, and a lack of political freedom.” In 2011, Syrians living in the city of Deraa began peaceful protests after 15 schoolchildren were taken captive for writing anti-government graffiti on a wall. Assad’s army opened fire on protesters, killing several people, according to the BBC. Outrage over this incident caused unrest to spread over the country, and many Syrian citizens called for Assad’s resignation. He refused, causing a violent rift to grow between Assad’s supporters and detractors. By 2012, the Red Cross described the situation as a civil war.

The people rebelling against Assad do not necessarily share a common vision for Syria, since there is not “one single group” of rebels, the BBC said. The rebels’ key international support comes from the United States, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. As evidenced by their support for the recent U.S. airstrikes, the U.K. and France also support more moderate rebels.

In 2013, an extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State began to gain a foothold in Syria. This group is opposed to Assad but separate from other rebel groups. To counter the Islamic State, the United States launched previous airstrikes and currently has 2,000 armed forces members deployed.

Russia and Iran provide support for Assad’s government, and last week Russia backed up Assad’s claim that he had not used chemical weapons on civilians. Many worry that the United States may risk escalating tensions with Russia by attacking Assad’s regime.

The United Nations Security Council gathered after the strike to debate whether Assad’s government had used chemical weapons. The debate revealed bitter tensions. United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres said, “the Cold War is back with a vengeance.” The New York Times noted that Guterres condemned the use of chemical weapons and lamented the Security Council’s failure to resolve the conflicts in Syria, which he called “the most serious threat to international peace and security.”

Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, said during the Security Council debate that the United States’ decision to conduct airstrikes was an act of aggression against a state “on the front lines of the fight against terrorism.” Nebenzia said he believes the United States acted with “blatant disrespect for international law.”

Others have suggested that President Trump’s authorization of the strike was unconstitutional. In an article for The Atlantic, Garrett Epps argues “under the Constitution and the War Powers Act, the president has no authority to send military forces into hostilities except after congressional authorization or in response to a direct attack on the U.S. or its forces.” This would suggest that even in a pressing situation, the United States must maintain transparency with its people about war aims.

The American ambassador, Nikki Haley, argued that the recent intervention in Syria was “justified, legitimate, and proportionate.” Haley said the United States “gave diplomacy chance after chance after chance,” only to have these efforts blocked by Russia. She said, “when our president draws a red line, he enforces that red line.”

For average Syrian people, an anti-government activist said, “the American strikes did not change anything.” Seven years of conflict has seen Syria “sliced up by world powers,” The New York Times reported, and some now argue that the only realistic way to halt the war is “to acknowledge that Mr. Assad…will remain in power.” Though many desire to punish Assad for his brutal actions in the war, Joshua Landis, an expert on Middle East Studies at University of Oklahoma, said he believes punitive measures will make life worse for average Syrians and impede efforts to address the country’s sizable issues.

Sarah is a senior double majoring in English and Biology.

This Monday, March 12, thousands of farmers from India’s western Maharashtra region walked over one hundred miles to the state capital in Mumbai. Their aim, laid out by an agricultural association closely allied with the Communist Party of India (CPI), was to demand government support for the farmers who comprise the country’s largest labor force.

Waving communist party flags and donning red berets, marchers arrived in the capital near midnight in an attempt to minimize traffic disruption. The location of the march was strategically chosen, however, since many multinational companies and India’s central bank are headquartered in the Mumbai city center. According to the CPI estimates, the protest swelled from 35,000 to 50,000 participants throughout the day. Waving communist party flags and donning red berets,

Tens of thousands of protesters, many of them elderly, were spurred to action by the state government’s failure to implement a comprehensive loan-waiver initiative. Indian farmers rely on interest-heavy “crop loans” to buy essential materials like seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. Last year, the Indian government announced a plan to buy out debt and waive existing loans. Despite claiming to have submitted the proper paperwork, many marchers reported that they had not received a waiver. The program initially promised 340 billion rupees ($5.23 billion) in relief funds.

Also their list of demands was a commitment on the government’s part to purchase staple crops like grain cotton for one-and-a-half times their production cost. The Indian government sets food prices to stabilize incomes and incentivize production.

The farmers’ association also demanded that tribal farmers, who mainly cultivate ancestral forest plots, be granted full land rights.“For three generations my family has cultivated crops on a two acre-plot, but we still don’t own it,” a 74 year-old woman named Murabhai Bhavar told Reuters.“The land we till should be registered in our name.”

According to the BBC, the march was the second major agricultural protest in less than a year. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s ruling Bhartiya Janata party has pushed a globally expansionist, neoliberal economic platform and rejected the country’s former policy of state-incentivized industrialization. Although the approach has dramatically bolstered India’s global economic standing, it has been accused of ambivalence toward the struggles of the working poor.

Lack of modern equipment, labor depletion, and severe drought have crippled Indian agriculture over the past several decades. Although agriculture is India’s largest industry, employing nearly 50% of its labor force, it supplies only 15% of the country’s GDP. Farmer suicides also account for nearly twelve percent of the country’s overall suicide rate, a statistic that many attribute to factors such as monsoon damage, high debt, and and exploitative governmental policies. In 2014, the Indian National Crime Records Bureau reported 5,650 farmer suicides.

The protesters met with state representatives, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who assured them that 138 billion rupees of the promised amount have already been transferred to needy farmers and that all forest land disputes will be resolved within six months. “We are sad that farmers have come all the way to protest,” Fadnavis told NDTV. He said that the new wishlist would be reviewed. The state government also arranged for the farmers to travel home by train once talks were complete.

Carina is a senior double majoring in writing and communiation.

Italy’s recent election has caused a stir in the international community, mainly because it saw big winners among fringe groups such as the Five-Star Movement and the League. These populist parties surpassed their centre-left and center-right mainstream parties, according to the Washington Post.

The Five-Star movement is an anarchic party that encompasses a variety of Italians under the political spectrum, but seems to attract youths who are disillusioned with the overall system. The League is a far right group that is anti-E.U. and anti-immigration. Idealogical fuel for both Italian parties is found in fresh anger over the handling of political matters.

The BBC reports that, while the Five-Star Movement won a third of the vote, the League’s current alliance with Forza Italia, the mainstream centre-right party, could allow it to take control. The result could be a nightmarish mess for Italian politics.

With competing bids to run Italy and fierce coalition building, this election could have two possible results. One potential outcome is that coalitions will arise based on ideological similarities, meaning fringe groups would align with their mainstream counterparts.

The European Union fears that, if the fringe groups do align, it would be on the basis of frustration with the the mainstream parties.  The perception of ineffectiveness could then potentially extend to include the European Union as well, possibly leading Italy to follow the path of the U.K.’s Brexit. While no single party can rule alone, the fringe groups all brought forward concerns during the election that belonged to a standing trend in Western nations.  Other examples appear in the U.K. with Brexit, the U.S. with its most recent election, and France with the popularity and candidacy of Marine Le Pen.

The New York Times reports that the issues of migration, Italy’s struggling economy, and dissatisfaction with mainstream parties has led to unusual political choices and general  unrest.

With 600,000 migrants streaming into Italy, many are unhappy with current immigration policies.  An anti-migration mentality is starting to sweep Italy and has influenced the rise of fringe groups.

Additionally, an economic collapse in 2008 led to a slow rebound for Italy. Many are dissatisfied with the economy, especially the unemployment rate of 11 percent.

The seeming complacency of the mainstream parties complicates these issues for the public. Many Italian citizens point to institutional corruption and lack of change, inspiring them to follow extreme parties with extreme policies.

The situation leaves the nation, and the greater European community, with an uncertain future. Italy now has an unstable government with unhappy civilians. Meanwhile, the European Union is left with growing discontent in its southern regions. In addition to the issue of the hectic Italian election, The New York Times reports that there is already strife in the union, specifically in Germany and France, over disunity regarding the euro and immigration policies. 

There are no plans in progress for Italy to leave the European Union, but there still exists a very real threat of losing its goodwill towards the union.  Already there will be tension, no matter which combination of parties end up running Italy.

Alanna is a senior majoring in Spanish and intercultural studies.

Oxfam, an aid organization based in the U.K., faces international scandal after 26 claims of sexual misconduct among its employees, according to BBC.  Already there have been three confirmed resignations of accused individuals and the dismissal of a fourth, including Roland Van Hauwermeiren, director of operations in Haiti.  The greatest focus is on the recent issues during aid work in Haiti.  Several aid workers have been accused of hiring destitute locals as prostitutes.  There have been further suspicions that some of those hired were underage.

In a statement on their website addressing the issue, Oxfam claimed that the workers involved in the scandal “abused the trust of our supporters and the thousands of dedicated Oxfam staff working around the world to end poverty and injustice. This is an appalling mark against the high values we set for ourselves at Oxfam and the high standards we expect from our staff.”

The Charity Commission, a sector of the U.K. government, is set to serve as watchdog for the organization’s handling of the situation.  Critics are so far underwhelmed with their response. The organization was made aware of the situation back in 2011, but offered only a lukewarm call to action, offering only a vague admission of misconduct.

Penny Lawrence, previous deputy chief executive, admitted that “Concerns were raised about the behavior of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon.”  Lawrence resigned from her position following the rise of the Haiti scandal.

It has more recently caused new issues as Oxfam faces scrutiny from supporters and the U.K. government.  In response to allegations of covering up the scandal, Oxfam released a statement, saying “While we strongly refute allegations of a cover up it is clear that mistakes were made in the handling of these cases. If the improved policies and practices that we have in place now were in place then, the situation would no doubt have been handled very differently.”

Another unpopular move from Oxfam was the claim from its chief executive officer, Mark Goldring, that the attacks against the organization were out of proportion for the crime.  In his argument, he noted that at the time of the misconduct the hiring of prostitutes was not specifically against the Oxfam code of conduct.  He has since apologized for his remarks.

Currently, Oxfam is working to clean their reputation.  In October of last year, the Oxfam Executive Board revised their standards to the type of behavior exercised in the Haiti scandal.  Additionally, they put in place a “Global Safeguarding Taskforce to guide on prevention of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse across Oxfam,” according to their recent statement.

Other updates include “the immediate creation of a new global database of accredited referees”, “an immediate injection of money and resources into Oxfam’s safeguarding processes”, and “a commitment to improve the culture within Oxfam to ensure that no one faces sexism, discrimination or abuse.”

As Oxfam works to improve their reputation and internal affairs, they made the decision to stop bidding for government funding, which accounted for 8% of their income in 2016.

The rising concern resulting from the scandal is its potential impact on aid contributions, not only for Oxfam specifically but for international organizations in general. 

In an effort to maintain donors’ confidence, the United Nations and other collaborating groups are pushing for greater transparency in all aid organizations.  Other suggestions for further action included a plan to require “passports” for international aid workers, meaning any misconduct in one organization would also prevent workers corrupting the work of a second.

Jordan is a senior majoring in English.

A 500 kilogram, 1.5 meter bomb was found in London this past Sunday evening during planned expansion work on King George V Docks, E16.  The discovery led to a 214 meter evacuation zone and the closing of the London City Airport for the entirety of Monday, according to the airport’s online updates. Transportation of the ordnance affected also the schedule and routes of the underground public transportation system, according to Transport for London (TFL).

On Tuesday, the CEO of London City Airport Robert Sinclair announced the safe removal of the bomb from King George V Dock, meaning the “exclusion zone has now been lifted and the airport will be open as normal on Tuesday.”  He went on to thank “the Navy, Police and the London Borough of Newham for their professionalism and expertise in bringing this incident to a safe conclusion,” and included his gratitude for the patience and understanding of the inconvenienced travelers and locals.  Many travelers, including a large number of football fans headed to an away game, were disappointed at how the inconvenience affected their travel plans.  London City Airport was able to cooperate with their airlines and nearby airports, however, to arrange for some flight plans to continue.  In the meantime, the Newham Council, a local government, provided bedding and refreshments for stranded travellers unable to stay with friends and family.

An update from the Metropolitan Police explained that initially “the device was removed from its original position and taken to a secondary location within the dock.”  The ordnance was then to travel down the Thames Monday evening, temporarily closing bridges along its route, to a more secure location for disposal. The Ministry of Defense expressed concern that, until it was moved and secured, the device was at risk of floating further down the Thames.

The plan was to dispose of the device Tuesday morning, but unfavorable weather conditions made the procedure too dangerous to the divers.  “The bomb provides no risk to the public in its current location,” commented Commander Del McKnight of the Royal Navy on Tuesday, “so we will leave it where it currently sits until tomorrow.  We can see then if the weather dies down and creates a safer environment for us to destroy the ordnance.”

BBC reported that while the Navy could not carry out its original plan to immediately dispose of the bomb, they were able to remove the device from the docks, allowing the airport to reopen Tuesday morning.  The London City Airport did warn travellers, however, not to arrive more than two hours before their scheduled flights.

The bomb is one of about 60 German WWII bombs teams dispose of each year, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

With the number of bombing waves against London during World War II—85 major raids dropping 24,000 tons of explosives—experts interviewed by BBC were unsurprised by the discovery.  They commented that, while a true explosion is unlikely from the 70 year old bombs, the contents are still unstable, dangerous, and worthy of extreme caution.

Jordan is a senior majoring in English.