[ad_1]
So, it’s pretty ugly. I wish this boy the best. I can’t imagine that we will hear from him for long. But that is the situation in Lebanon. Good luck.
With daily COVID cases rising to record highs, why is India reopening?
Well, a couple of reasons. First, because, you know, it is a very poor country and people are getting tired and angry about a rather significant and severe blockade that Prime Minister Modi had originally established. Furthermore, India is a relatively young country. And so even if they have a lot of cases, not that many people are going to need hospitalization and the death rates are comparatively much lower than in the United States or Western Europe. That matters. Also, I mean, there are so many people who are prepared to live with a threat of disease, be it coronavirus or otherwise, if that means they can work and can continue to support their families. Because the alternative, with so many people living on subsistence, is much worse. And that’s particularly true when you’re not even testing a lot of people. So you really don’t understand the broad contours of the crisis. I mean, there were some recent tests in this slum which is the largest in Mumbai, more than a million people live in it, I have not been, but I have overcome it many times, and that 50% of that population was shown to had some kind of coronavirus antibody. I mean, just trashing that area. And yet it did not see any major demonstrations or riots over the coronavirus. Wherever you want, if the locks last longer. It is much easier to participate in a longer lockdown and quarantine in countries with a lot of money and the ability to provide continuous support to their populations, as in Europe, as at least until now, the United States. However, we’ll see what happens to the Phase 4 stimulus deal. In the US, it’s also getting a lot more difficult for a lot of people.
What’s the update on Belarus? Will Lukashenko fall?
It seems less likely. The protesters, non-violent, completely non-violent, and in some cases hundreds of thousands, certainly most cases, tens of thousands on the streets for a few solid weeks now in Minsk and a few other places. But Lukashenko, the president, the dictator who stole these elections, claiming 80% of the popular vote, clearly did not come close to that, he is now arresting, detaining and arresting journalists. It has removed the accreditation of all local journalists for Western institutions. So we are not getting the same news on the ground as a couple of days ago. They have also brought special forces and tanks to Minsk, which certainly sends a very disturbing message. All of this happened behind the back of Russia’s President Putin, saying that if certain red lines were crossed, the Russians would come in and provide direct support to Lukashenko. Putin had been on the sidelines for weeks. He certainly does not want to participate militarily. That will undermine Russia’s popularity in Belarus. But now he is providing almost a blank check for Lukashenko. And at the end of the day, you have to believe that that makes it much less likely that supporters of democracy on the streets of Belarus will succeed. Horrible to say that. Horrible to see this. But that’s what it looks like now.
Certainly, I will continue to personally defend those protesters and hope they can persist and prevail. But, my God, very dangerous and very brave. If you had a child right now in Belarus, you wouldn’t want him or her to be on the streets. And that’s what you should also keep in mind, right? I mean, the human dimension here, it’s very easy to say, “defend them.” But in many of the industries, for example in Belarus, you had seen demonstrations, but they are not willing to risk their jobs because otherwise how are they going to earn a living? And so they have not persisted with the grass movement type of action to shut down the strike action and shut down those places that it has seen among the general population in Minsk. It seems that it is moving towards Lukashenko and towards state power.
Finally, what do I do about the recent far-right protests in Germany?
Well, you know, even in Germany where they’ve done a lot to support the working and middle class and to make sure people still have the ability to take care of themselves, meet their bills, not get evicted from their apartments. All of that, there is a significant level of impatience with very tough shutdowns and shutdowns throughout Germany. That has been very broad support for Merkel and the federal system in Germany, but a much better alignment between federal leaders, regional leaders in Germany, than has been seen between the red and blue states of the United States, for example. . Merkel’s popularity remains very high during the pandemic. But she also saw thousands of far-right protesters in Berlin. Opposed to social distancing. Opposed to mandatory closings. It is a tiny percentage of the population compared to those kinds of sentiments in other parts of Europe and certainly in the United States. But something to watch out for, in particular something to watch out for in former East Germany, where that political sentiment is by far the strongest, but also a part that has been done comparatively well, given the social and economic response of the German government since the coronavirus has occurred. hit. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. But clearly, something worth the headlines, especially as America continues to be dominated by Trump, dominated by racial social instability, and, of course, our own pandemic. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on the news happening around the world today, especially since this pandemic is truly global and it is affecting us all together.
Show less
[ad_2]
