When Will it Get Better?
Haiti. Ethiopia. Afghanistan. Lebanon.
Haiti
They say it gets worse before it gets better. For Haiti, that just seems like a cruel joke.
On top of the 2010 hurricane that the country still hasn’t recovered from, corruption in government, and the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Haiti was struck with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake just a few days ago (more powerful than the one in 2010). This was a devastating blow to an impoverished country, while we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.
My heart breaks for the families who are left picking up the pieces- both on the ground in Haiti and Haitian Americans who are trying to find their loved ones. As hospitals are overwhelmed, both the U.S and the U.N have promised to send aid— but maybe you are wondering how you can help?
If you can, lean in and listen to the Haitian Americans in your local communities. During this time anything helps- cooking meals, offering to pick up groceries for the week, and donating to local organizations on the ground in Haiti. Do what you can, with whatever you have. A small act of compassion goes a long way in moments like these.
On the flip side of the latter point- there are larger organizations whose expertise is in humanitarian aid and emergency relief. CNN put together a list of 17 organizations doing work in emergency response- I encourage you to do your own research before giving anywhere and of course, listen to the voices of Haitians first and foremost.
Stay informed by getting live updates through the NY Times.
Here is another website with more Haitian Led Resources
Ethiopia
It’s almost been a year since the world has been reporting on the atrocities happening in the Tigray region.
“Nine months after fighting erupted in the northern region of Tigray, Ethiopia is going from bad to worse. The conflict has expanded geographically to Afar and Amhara, regions outside of Tigray’s borders, drawing in new combatants as the federal government mobilizes ethnic militia forces from around the country and calls upon “all capable Ethiopians of age” to take up arms and fight. At the same time, the Oromo Liberation Army claims to have struck a deal to coordinate with the Tigrayan forces in fighting against the central government. All of the trends are moving in the wrong direction, and all of the antagonists are making decisions that broaden conflict as they double down on the pursuit of military solutions.” — Council on Foreign Relations
Both Secretary Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power have been working in tandem to respond:
“In May 2021, Secretary Blinken announced that due to the human rights situation in Tigray, the United States is restricting certain foreign assistance to, and imposing new defense trade controls on, Ethiopia.”
“The Secretary also approved a policy to restrict visa issuance to current and former Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials, members of the security forces, and other individuals – to include members of the Amhara regional and irregular forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – believed to be responsible for or complicit in undermining resolution of the crisis, including through wrongful violence or other abuses against, or by hindering access of humanitarian assistance to, people in Tigray.”
Something I have been paying attention to is the language we have been using around what we are seeing in Ethiopia. Some call it “conflict” and others have been opting for “ethnic cleansing” over “genocide”, while a few have been using those 2 terms interchangeably even though they are definitively two different things. The dividing line is intent:
“Intent is the most distinct difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide. In a judgment regarding atrocities committed in the former Yugoslavia, the ICJ noted that the drafters of the Genocide Convention debated including “measures intended to oblige members of a group to abandon their homes” as an act of genocide, but chose to leave this out because genocide must include an intent to destroy, not just to force people to move.10 Although ethnic cleansing through forced removal can sometimes rise to the definition of genocide, ethnic cleansing can also include forced displacement or evictions that may not be meant to kill the group. And while forced displacement may result in death or destruction of a group, if the perpetrators’ intent is only to move the group elsewhere, the act cannot be considered a genocide.” — Ethnic Cleansing or Genocide? Either Way, the World Must Act to Prevent Further Atrocities in Tigray
You can read more about these differences in this article by The Conversation and this statement by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. Either way, the consensus remains: we shouldn’t wait on the correct label to act swiftly. And I truly believe that no one knows this better than USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on what happens when America waits too late to protect people from the most horrible atrocities.
Keep Reading:
USAID ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER TRAVELED TO SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA (USAID)
Why Did Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Rebuff Samantha Power? (Foreign Policy)
The Latest on the Crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region (Human Rights Watch)
Afghanistan
Oh boy. Listen to enough GOP media and they will have you thinking that Biden is to blame for everything unfolding with the Taliban taking over major cities in Afghanistan. But let’s not forget- the trillion dollars spent, and lives lost started with decisions over the span of 4 presidents.
Many things can be true at the same time:
Maybe it was time for America to leave, AND maybe Biden’s departure plan was an intelligence failure AND many people will be harmed because of this decision.
There is plenty of blame to go around.
But the consensus is still the same: we went in Afghanistan purely on U.S interest and we are leaving just the same.
And the consequences are deadly.
See resources below:
The Year We Lost Our Way in Afghanistan (The Atlantic)
The U.S War in Afghanistan- A Timeline (Council on Foreign Relations)
Bush to Biden: How 4 US Presidents failed to stop Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan (The Times of India)
The Global War on Terrorism: The First 100 Days (U.S Department of State- The Archives)
The War in Afghanistan: How It Started and How It Is Ending (The New York Times)
At War With The Truth: U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it, an exclusive Post investigation found. (The Washington Post)
The Lessons of the Afghanistan Papers (The Atlantic)
Afghanistan papers detail US dysfunction: 'We did not know what we were doing' (The Guardian)
Most Polls (The Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs, Pew Research Center, YouGov America, Data for Progress, Military Times) have shown that Americans are in full support of Biden withdrawing troops- although the NYT made the case that “there was never any great outcry for withdrawing, polling suggests.”
My heart hurts especially for the people of Afghanistan who were working towards a better future and who had their trust in us, in particular women and children who remain the most vulnerable.
And at home, we must check in on and support our military. Those who sacrificed their lives these past 20 years need to know that we do not take them for granted. I hope that in our hearts we can make space for everyone who needs our love and our resources right now. I believe it is also our obligation to take in as many refugees as possible.
It is honestly the least we can do.
Keep reading:
Afghanistan Falls To The Taliban Again As The U.S.-Backed Government Collapses (NPR)
With the Taliban in control, uncertainty, and fear grip Afghanistan (NY Times)
Biden Speaks to Nation After Taliban Seize Afghanistan (NY Times)
The World Told Afghan Women It Had Their Backs — It Doesn’t (Bloomberg)
Afghanistan: Record number of women and children killed or wounded (UN News)
UNHCR warns Afghanistan’s conflict taking the heaviest toll on displaced women and children (UNHCR)
Liz Cheney: Donald Trump's meeting with the Taliban "set all this in motion" (salon)
‘I worry my daughters will never know peace’: women flee the Taliban – again (The Guardian)
A Quarter-Million People Have Fled Their Homes As Violence In Afghanistan Escalates (NPR)
Afghan women forced from banking jobs as Taliban take control (Reuters)
August 23rd Edit: See video below
Lebanon
Lebanon is facing a crisis of its own.
“A warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in northern Lebanon early Sunday, killing 20 people and burning dozens more in the latest tragedy to hit the Mediterranean country in the throes of a devastating economic and political crisis.” — AP News
Keep reading:
At least 28 killed in Lebanon fuel tank explosion | Reuters
Fuel Explosion in Lebanon Kills 28 | Wall Street Journal
I imagine hearing such devastating news, in an already devastating time, is incredibly hard.
Remember you are allowed to pause and take breaks as you consume and learn and act. Rest if you need to. Then get back into the fight.
cover image by https://unsplash.com/@pkmfaris