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Japan's domestic politics in 2022, though immensely shocked by Abe's assassination, continued as usual without major changes from 2021. The LDP–Komeito coalition prevails, and opposition coalitions failed to prevent it from dominating. Although the Japanese economy is recovering from COVID-19 with increasing consumption, the recovery rate is slower than expected. The Japanese economy suffered both internally and externally in 2022. While adhering to the principle of exclusive self-defense under the US–Japan Security Treaty, the Kishida government is trying to improve deterrence with a new security strategy focusing on strengthening its counterstrike capability.
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This article explores the narratives shaping the official discourse on COVID-19 in five countries governed by populists in different world regions. It is based on the assumption that a crisis like the pandemic constitutes a perfect occasion for populist mobilization, allowing populist leaders to construct reality in their favour by deliberately promoting own narratives about the pandemic, its origin and management. Analyzing 357 original-language speeches and statements by representatives of the populist governments of Brazil, Israel, India, Mexico and Turkey, the article shows that populists in power use crises to mobilize support in very different ways. Surprisingly, most populist governments neither resorted to anti-scientific claims or conspiratorial discourses attributing the crisis to obscure elites, nor blamed minorities not belonging to the 'true people'. By contrast, except for Bolsonaro in Brazil, all other populist governments tried to mobilize support by emphasizing the strength of the 'people' or even by promoting an inclusive discourse of national unity, leaving aside the more divisive elements of their general populist discourse. Based on the cases analysed, the article concludes by developing hypotheses on the possible drivers of such variations in patterns of populist mobilization. [ FROM AUTHOR]
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Migration has taken place throughout human history and continues to do so in the 21st century. In many recent instances, states that are destination of migration flows framed migration as a security issue, i.e. a threat to their citizens' livelihood, safety, and cultural identity. Discourses that securitize migration, thus criminalising immigrants, are not unique to the US and the EU, nor to South-North migration: they pertain to South-South migration as well. This article draws attention to a case of migration and border securitisation from the global South: the one concerning India-bound informal migration originating from Bangladesh. This, incidentally, is also the country of origin of large numbers of migrants that have made their way to Europe during the last decade. This article asks what are the consequences of a securitized approach in the framing and managing of borders and migration, and whether such consequences are worth or at all affordable to the countries involved in the securitisation. The article assesses the potential impact that securitized discourses have on Indo-Bangladeshi relations, as well as on the domestic politics of India and Bangladesh. It reviews the processes of the securitisation of the India-Bangladesh border and the criminalisation of the Bangladeshi migrants in India's contemporary domestic politics with reference to recent (2019-2021) events and current affairs.
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Many events of the 2020 elections proved to have historical significance for American society. Impeachment to President Trump, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, coronavirus pandemics and urgent need to introduce unpopular measures to address the social-economic consequences together with other issues became a “perfect storm” for American political system, challenged the stability of its vertical and horizontal federalist dimensions as well as the foundations of party competitiveness. The author summarizes the implications of the 2020 events on the elections, which took place in November of that year. The vertical federalism was challenged by the conflict between President Trump and a number of congressmen, especially from the Democratic Party. Even though the impeachment didn’t remove Trump from the office – the political contradictions were clear. The horizontal federalism was challenged by the implications of the coronavirus pandemics and the urgent necessity to introduce national measures in addressing the issue. Some of unpopular measures had to be enforced by the decision of the Supreme Court. Besides, in many states, the primaries had to be cancelled or delayed. And eventually, the popularity of absentee voting instruments resulted in the victory of Democratic candidates in many states. The foundations of bipartisan ideological competition were challenged by the protest of the BLM movement, on the one hand, and Trumpism, on the other. All of these and other events had implications on the outcome of the presidential, congressional and gubernatorial elections of 2020, some of which were surprising. 2020 had established certain trends which will influence the midterm elections in 2022 and the upcoming elections in 2024. © 2022, Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Dr. Gözde EmenGökatalay from Atılım University explores the domestic politics behind the event and shows how Turkish policy-makers were motivated by foreign policy considerations, namely the desire to uphold the country's relations with Greece in the context of the early Cold War. Relli Shechter from BenGurion University of the Negev compares and contrasts the National Action Charter presented by Egyptian president Gamal 'Abd al-Nasser and the Ten-Point Program issued by Saudi prime minister Crown Prince Faisal bin 'Abd al-'Aziz. In addition to our standard book reviews, there are several in this issue that feature write-ups of more than one title, including Heather Sharkey's review of two new books on Egyptian cultural history and José Vericat's assessment of two new books on the Gaza Strip.
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Notwithstanding their asymmetry in size and power, Singapore and the People’s Republic of China enjoy a “special relationship” based on cultural affinity and close economic interdependency. The city-state was also a model of development for its giant neighbor after the latter abandoned Maoist autarchy and embarked on the road of reform. But their ties are also awkward because Singapore is strategically close to the US superpower which views a rising and rivaling China with suspicion. Singapore’s relations with Beijing may become even more awkward during an uncertain power transition in East Asia amid the bitter Sino-US decoupling over trade, technology, finance and human talent.
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Background: The face mask has been used to protect against airborne diseases throughout history. We conducted a historical review of the literature on the origin of the face mask, the scientific evidence of its benefits, and its implications for domestic and international politics. Material and Methods: We performed a comprehensive search for peer- and nonpeer- reviewed literature published between 1905 and 2020. Results: Face mask wearing in hospital settings to prevent disease transmission from health care workers to their patients originates with the first use of the mask in surgery in 1897 by German surgeon Johann von Mikulicz. During the first half of the 20th century, various scientific investigators focused on determining the most effective type of medical mask. The role of the face mask in the general population as a preventive intervention during public health emergencies is supported by historical reports spanning from the European Bubonic Plague in 1619, to the Great Manchurian Plague of 1910-1911, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the current coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although the face mask has helped against airborne disease transmission, its benefits during pandemics have been filtered through the prism of political leanings and geopolitical interests. Conclusions: Our review suggests that while face mask alone cannot stop pandemics, in conjunction with other nonpharmacologic interventions it can be useful in mitigating them. When cooperation rather than division becomes the norm in the global response to pandemics, the face mask can then unite rather than divide us.
Subject(s)
Masks/history , COVID-19/prevention & control , Global Health , History, 17th Century , History, 18th Century , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Pandemics/history , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Deliberations over the COVID-19 pandemic's long-term effects on the global balance of power have spurred a large and rancorous debate, including speculation about a shift in the definition of national security and prescriptions about where it should focus. That argument will no doubt continue. But we argue that one consequence is already evident: the United States has spent the last seventy years portraying itself as a security provider in all key domains-for many an intrinsic component of its status as a global leader. One reasonable broad conclusion from the US struggle with COVID-19 is that it has further forfeited its broad leadership position on the basis of its behaviour. Yet that, although possibly true, would only portray one element of the story. The more profound insight exposed by COVID-19 is of a new reality: in a world where both naturogenic and anthropogenic threats pose immense national security challenges, decades of mistaken assumptions and policy choices have created a new environment, one where the United States has been redefined as a security consumer, at least in terms of international public health issues associated with the spread of deadly infectious diseases.