Notebook: Our journalism boutique this week offers reports and analysis on Fidel Castro’s death; Jonathan Manthorpe on Burma (also known as Myanmar); Tom Regan on past American Fascism; an essay on democratic awakening by Emily Lacika, and a report on Nepal as the set of a real-life, grim, Game of Thrones.
Fidel Castro, Dead at 90: A Life in Photos, by Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta Report/Photo essay
Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 90. A towering figure of the second half of the 20th Century, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that had struggled against colonial rule.
Fidel Castro, The Facts, compiled by Reuters
Cuban revolutionary and its former president Fidel Castro died, age 90, on Friday November 26. Following are some facts about former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and quotes from his friends and foes.
Fidel Castro: Anachronism and Achiever, With Tarnished Legacy, by Mark Beeson Analysis
Twentieth-century political icons don’t get much bigger than Fidel Castro. His death will reignite debates about his place in history and the revolutionary ideas he epitomised.
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Ethnic Cleansing Roils Burma’s Democracy Transition, by Jonathan Manthorpe, International Affairs columnist
Burma’s 50 million people languished under a most vile military dictatorship for 50 years, but that has not made them a tolerant and open-handed society. The country’s military is in the middle of a scorched earth operation against the one million minority Muslim Rohingya in Burma’s north-western Rakhine state that United Nations officials and international human rights agencies have called “ethnic cleansing.”
American Fascism: We’ve Been Here Before, by Tom Regan Column
America, for all its talk of the love of liberty and equality, has long had a fascination for fascism and the rule of the autocrat, especially at times of economic trouble and cultural upheaval. Fascism of the kind offered by Donald Trump appeals, as a bromide against the problems of the day.
Wake-up: How the 2016 Election Changed One American Voter, by Emily Lacika
My U.S. post-election emotions have run the gamut: sadness, anger, anxiety, vindictiveness, shame. American politics is big on rhetoric about democracy, but it often falls short, especially this year when the candidate who won fewer votes has captured the White House. Sixty two million other Americans voted the same way I did, and lost –and now we are working together.
Game of Thrones in Himalayas Leave Nepalis Cold, by Nita Bhalla and Gopal Sharma
Constant feuding between a myriad of political parties has fuelled political turmoil and weak governance in Nepal, delaying efforts to rebuild the country of 28 million people despite an outpouring of aid, analysts said. Ongoing political instability in a country which has seen 24 governments in 26 years has stymied reconstruction efforts.
In case you missed them, some recent works:
Science wars in the age of Donald Trump, by Andrea Saltelli & Silvio Oscar Funtowicz, Expert Witness
If Brexit signified the end of facts, what does the election of Donald Trump tell us? Apparently, a new battle in the history of the science wars. But the alleged “end of facts” is the result of a superficial understanding of the deeper crisis in the role of science and expertise.
Pacific Rim Leaders Scramble in Trump Trade Era, Reuters, by Rosalba O’Brien and Mitra Taj Report
Leaders of Pacific rim nations scrambled to find new free-trade options on Friday as a looming Donald Trump presidency in the United States sounded a possible death knell for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Trump victory rattles Asia, analysis by Jonathan Manthorpe, International Affairs columnist
It was extraordinary to see Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe take a detour on his flight to Peru for the Asia-Pacific summit next week, in order to scurry to New York to seek an audience with Donald Trump. That Abe would put himself through this distasteful encounter speaks volumes about the fear and dread with which not only Japan, but much of Asia, contemplates the ascension of Trump on January 20.
American Fascism: We’ve Been Here Before, by Tom Regan Column
America, for all its talk of the love of liberty and equality, has long had a fascination for fascism and the rule of the autocrat, especially at times of economic trouble and cultural upheaval. Fascism of the kind offered by Donald Trump appeals, as a bromide against the problems of the day.
Canada’s dark time might be closer than you think, by Tom Regan Column
After the election of 2015, Canadians probably thought they were safe from the kind of racism and bigotry that has gripped the United States after the election of Donald Trump. Well, I’m sorry to break your little “we’re so great” bubble. Vigilance is needed in Canada, too.
How should you grieve? by Andrea Volpe, Loose Leaf essay
I first learned about complicated grief while riding the subway in Boston, where I read an advertisement recruiting participants for a study. By then, I’d been a widow for about a decade.
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