Global Crisis Overload Puts Sudden End to News 'Silly Season' (Jornal de Angola, Angola)
"Early this
summer, editors and journalists were in search of news, and had to satisfy
themselves with issues that normally wouldn't even merit a footnote. It was 'silly
season,' which requires the satisfaction of the imperative to fill news pages
with the minimum needed for advertising. … From one moment to the next, however,
with our novel international order, everything changes. The difficulty now is choosing
among the various crises."
Early this summer, editors and journalists were in search of
news, and had to satisfy themselves with issues that normally wouldn't even merit
a footnote.
It was "silly season," which requires the
satisfaction of the imperative to fill news pages with the minimum needed for
advertising.
From one moment to the next, however, with our novel
international order, everything changes. The difficulty now is choosing among
the various crises. The crisis triggered by the outbreak of Ebola and the threat
that it will spread to Europe and the United States has led to an unprecedented
mobilization. Not only has the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the agency
responsible for licensing drugs and food), but the World Health Organization -
have permitted the use of experimental drugs in humans, with both breaking the
ethical principle of not using human subjects.
Yet the contagion continues to spread among West African
countries, while others, such as Kenya, have chosen to close their legal
borders. Yet there is no land border capable of containing refugees if they want
to get through.
At the same time, there criticism toward the new Egyptian
government continues, even as there is hope that Cairo's mediation can bring a
relief to the Palestinian situation, which is being facilitated by an Israeli
public that has begun to take to the streets to say enough is enough of the
violence unleashed by the state of Israel against Gaza.
Syria is experiencing a catastrophic situation. It is
estimated that a third of its territory bordering Iraq may be under the control
of the fundamentalist Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL].
According to instructions from American intelligence, quoted
by the British newspaper The Guardian,
militant movements linked to al-Qaeda in Yemen and Africa are joining the forces
of ISIL, whose elements have been shown to be heavily
armed, thanks to material taken from the bunkers of conquered units of Iraq's
regular army, and equipment sent by Western powers to opponents of the Syrian
regime.
Attacks against Christians and Iraqi Kurds haven't stopped,
forcing the United States to intervene in support of Kurdish forces defending their
cities and the Mosul dam, a strategic target in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Americans now seem to have joined with Britain's RAF in
an attempt to halt the advance of extremists who ironically have armored
resources of American manufacture.
U.S. and British intervention raises the question of the Responsibility to
Protect and the right to be protected. In the case of Iraq, even after the
resignation of the prime minister (who was part of the problem), there is the issue of state collapse.
The situation in Palestine has some nuances given the
intervention of Hamas. However, the right to peace and to defense should
prevail.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, the tension on the border with Russia rose
with the aid column sent by Moscow. Vladimir Putin accepted the conditions of
the Ukrainian president [Petro
Poroshenko] to allow inspection of the trucks
before they entered - and they were.
However, humanitarian aid continues a wait a few miles from its
destination, as Kiev tries to capitalize on it. If there is to be some good
news, it will come following a meeting in Berlin on Sunday. A lack of news
throughout the day may indicate some hard-won progress.
Russia will not abandon its citizens or Russian speakers to
the hands of a government that shows no sign of flexibility and who's prime minister [Arseniy Yatsenyuk], probably due to a
lack of experience, shows daily attitudes on television that, whatever his
point of view is, are objectively provocative. The latest claims of clashes and
the destruction of Russian armored vehicles that were said to have crossed the
border are rather bleak.
The truth is that public silence would be the best
attitude, allowing the protests of Ukraine's allies to run through diplomatic channels.
Being two-faced was a way of provoking the Russian
bear, which is not even injured, much less dying. Putin this week showed signs
of openness, even going so far as to say that he didn’t want to see Russia
"isolated." The message was clear.
Moscow isn't interested in confrontation, but it will
not sue for peace at any price, and if it has to pay that price, it will make
sure it is limited to eastern Ukraine. Kiev then will see who their allies are.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to have an
important role behind the curtain.
Conflicts and crises, including social ones in recent
days, reached the American state of Missouri - and it doesn’t stop here.
Contrary to what many may think, none of this is going
away before affecting us. The interconnection of the international situation
has become an everyday fact of life. Today there is no "silly season"
that before gave minor far away events such prominence.
