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Category: Academic Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Donald Trump’s trade war against Canada reveals tensions inherent in friendship

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jason Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University

    In his second inauguration address, United States President Trump began by declaring “the golden age of America begins right now” and closed with, “and our golden age has just begun.” Between these lines, he vowed to “tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.”

    Tying his trade policies to dubious claims about fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration, Trump’s approach appears less about economic strategy and more about asserting dominance. Invoking the language of imperial expansion, he even proposed the idea of making Canada the “cherished 51st state.”

    Historians like American Richard White quickly drew parallels to the 19th-century Gilded Age when robber barons thrived, leaving social inequality in their wake.



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    The celebrated Canada-U.S. friendship — further entrenched over the past three decades by the 1989 Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement, cross-border activity and snowbirds wintering in Florida and elsewhere in the U.S. — has long balanced underlying tension stemming from the two nations’ power differences. This alludes to tensions inherent in friendships that have long been explored by philosophers.

    A ‘great relationship?’

    Trump’s recent sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports are only the latest chapter in a long history of economic clashes.

    From the U.S.’s Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which hit Canada hard during the Great Depression, to Richard Nixon’s 10 per cent import surcharge in 1971 and the long fight over softwood lumber that persisted through the early 2000s despite Canada’s favourable World Trade Organization rulings, these conflicts expose the fragility of Canada-U.S. relations. The uneasy reality is that friendship between nations is never as stable as it seems.

    The trade war has triggered a wave of cultural and economic nationalism in Canada that has gone beyond the “Buy Canadian” movement. At the National Ballet of Canada’s Swan Lake, recently, a stirring rendition of O Canada brought the audience to its feet.

    Chrystia Freeland, now minister of transport and internal trade, voiced the nation’s outrage on CNN: “Canadians are angry,” she said, condemning the tariffs as a betrayal of what she called the “great relationship.”

    Friendship ideals and power dynamics

    But beneath the outrage lies a harsher truth: Canada’s “friend” status is conditional, tied to America’s shifting priorities. The real question isn’t whether Canada is a trusted ally — it’s whether it was ever more than a subordinate in this “friendship.” At stake is the concept of friendship between nations.

    Philosophers exploring the intersection of friendship and politics offer a useful framework for understanding this imbalance.

    Written in the post-Cold War era, French Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida’s The Politics of Friendship, first published in French in 1994, questions the very possibility of pure, stable friendship, arguing that it is never equal or unconditional.

    Instead, said Derrida, it is always a negotiation of power. Derrida questions idealized Aristotelian notions of friendship between nations — ideals that still quietly underpin our thinking about friendship, loyalty and betrayal.

    Friendship in fiction, Aristotle

    In his study of friendship in fiction, literary scholar Allan Hepburn points out that friendships are inherently political, foundational to social relations and embody democratic ideals of equality and fraternity, as Aristotle suggested.

    Tyrannical systems, by contrast, lack true friendships, while an ideal democracy extends mutual respect to all citizens. In this way, strangers are recognized as equals and potential friends, regardless of legal obligation, as Derrida emphasized.

    In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he distinguished transactional and virtuous friendship. The former is built on mutual advantage or shared pleasure, which to Aristotle is the lesser kind of friendship.

    In contrast, virtue-based friendship is both the most enduring and the rarest. Aristotle idealizes this latter type of friendship, describing it as “perfect friendship” in which individuals are “alike in virtue,” wishing well to each other as something good in itself, and are themselves morally upright.

    This ideal friendship — expected to be stable, enduring and intrinsically valuable — underpins discourses about the bond between nations based on shared values.



    Read more:
    What makes a good friend?

    True friendship reserved for individuals

    Political scientist Evgeny Roshchin argues that friendship, as a historical concept in international relations, helped mediate the shift from hierarchical to equal political relationships, shaping sovereignty and political order.

    In contrast, philosopher Simon Keller questions the idea of “friendship between countries,” asserting true friendship is reserved for individuals. He warns that comparing nations to friends may mislead us by shifting focus from genuine human connections to political dynamics.

    Yet the Aristotelian model of the friend as “a second self” has significant limitations, often ignoring differences and reinforcing hierarchy. For Derrida, friendship is not a fixed, harmonious ideal but an ongoing, unpredictable negotiation that blurs the boundary between ally and adversary.

    He contends: “‘Good friendship’ supposes disproportion. It demands a certain rupture in reciprocity or quality, as well as the interruption of all fusion or confusion between you and me.”

    Even at its most personal, friendship is marked by power dynamics — who holds it, who benefits from it and who can be cast aside. Not a cynical rejection of friendship, however, Derrida’s model calls for broadening its moral and political dimensions.

    Transactional structure

    Derrida’s model applies to the Canada-U.S. relationship, which has long been framed as one of mutual respect, built on democratic values and shared economic interests. But its underlying structure is transactional.

    The rhetoric of friendship has always served a function: to justify co-operation when it is useful and to smooth over conflict when it is not. The moment those interests diverge, the limits of the relationship become clear.

    Trump’s tariffs have exposed this dynamic in the clearest possible terms. Canada’s position as a friend to the U.S. is fragile and contingent, shaped by the fluctuating interests of the more powerful side.

    But the rupture is not new, nor is it a break from the norm. It’s simply a reminder of how the relationship has always worked. The question now is not whether Canada can restore its friendship, but whether it can afford to continue believing in it on the same terms.



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    Embrace inherent fragility

    Derrida’s model of friendship offers a way forward. His model defies the simplistic binary of friend and foe, loyalty and betrayal, as these terms are ultimately mutually constitutive. Derrida calls for relationships that embrace their inherent fragility.

    For Canada, this doesn’t mean abandoning the discourse of friendship with the U.S. entirely, but rather acknowledging the bond’s fragile, conditional nature — always deferred, always on the brink of rupture.

    The challenge for Canada is to redefine its position in North America beyond the framework of mutuality and dependence. At the policy level, with Canada-U.S. relations, this means diversifying trade and diplomatic ties, resisting automatic alignment and asserting independent leadership in global affairs.

    At home, it means forging a national identity that is self-defined and free from the shadow of comparison.

    Jason Wang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Donald Trump’s trade war against Canada reveals tensions inherent in friendship – https://theconversation.com/how-donald-trumps-trade-war-against-canada-reveals-tensions-inherent-in-friendship-252260

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Our research shows the harm the two-child limit on benefits is doing. Only scrapping it can end this

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kate Andersen, Research Fellow, School for Business and Society, University of York

    Malysheva Liudmyla/Shutterstock

    Since the UK Labour government took office in summer 2024, calls have intensified to scrap both the “two-child limit” – which restricts support for children through universal credit to two children – and the overall benefit cap. With Chancellor Rachel Reeves resisting this pressure as she tries to manage deteriorating public finances, ways of tweaking the two-child limit policy have been proposed.

    But as researchers of child poverty, we have no doubt that the best place to start reducing the high and rising numbers of children growing up in poverty in Britain today is by fully abolishing the two-child limit and the benefit cap.

    We argue that both policies are astoundingly unfair. As our four-year research programme has documented, both are causing wide-ranging harm to children. They restrict children’s everyday experiences and damage their ability to thrive – which in the long run affects everyone in the UK.

    Children live in poverty because their families don’t have an adequate income. This is partly a simple question of maths: wages don’t adjust when there are more mouths to feed. It’s also partly because things happen unexpectedly for some families – job loss, disability, relationship breakdown – leaving them needing extra support for a period of time.

    Countries across Europe respond to these dual challenges by providing financial support that adjusts to family needs. Until recently, the UK did too. Indeed, the UK welfare state was one of the pioneers of “family allowances” in the post-war period.

    But since 2017, the UK has reformed the system so that in families with three or more children, the support on offer when things go wrong deliberately and explicitly falls far short of what is needed. The UK’s two-child limit, an approach that differs to other countries in Europe, restricts means-tested support to two children in a family only. It bakes child poverty into the fibre of the UK.

    Its sister policy, the benefit cap, limits the maximum benefit amount available to households without adults in work. This removes further help from some of the most vulnerable.

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    Struggling to get by

    The parents we spoke to frequently talked of difficulties in affording basic necessities for their children, including clothes and food. Many parents had resorted to using foodbanks or cut back on food spending.



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    The material impacts also affected children’s education and their social and emotional wellbeing. Jessica is a single mum of four. Her business went under during the pandemic and her partner left the household, leaving her affected by both the two-child limit and the benefit cap.

    When a hole appeared in Jessica’s daughter’s school shoes, there was no money to replace them straight away. Her daughter went to school wearing trainers and was put in isolation for not adhering to the dress code. Jessica explained:

    I got the phone call to say she had to go into isolation and, and things and I just said, “I’m not the type of person that just has £20 sat in the bank” … it was kind of a bit public shaming her really, taking her away and putting her in isolation.

    Our interviews also showed that, despite parents’ best efforts to shield them, children are often aware of household financial hardship and in turn try to protect their parents. Christina, a mum of three affected by the two-child limit, said of her middle child:

    He won’t say he needs new clothes and he won’t say his shoes don’t fit anymore … I think he’s got it into his head now that we can’t go out and spend or he can’t ask, and I feel so bad for that.

    Our research also documents the importance of abolishing the benefit cap alongside the two-child limit. Otherwise, some families affected by the two-child limit won’t see much financial gain, while others will be newly pushed into the benefit cap.

    Complete removal

    Suggested alternatives to the full abolition of the two child limit include a “three-child limit”, or an exemption for children under five. These options would undoubtedly help some families, but would leave many of those in the greatest need still struggling.

    Families are struggling to get the food they need.
    Klemzy/Shutterstock

    Pound for pound, a three-child limit is less effective at reducing poverty than simple abolition, precisely because it is less well targeted on those in deepest poverty. An exemption for under fives would create a new cliff edge, removing significant support on a child’s fifth birthday, even though we know that the costs of children rise as children get older.

    Further, these approaches continue to enforce a separation between what a family needs and its entitlement to support, and therefore will continue to embed child poverty as an institutional feature of our social security system. Children’s life chances will continue to be circumscribed by the number of siblings they have. Given what we know about the long-term costs of child poverty for society, these are short-sighted ways to save money today.

    It is very encouraging that the government has committed to a child poverty strategy, and that the prime minister has said he will be “laser focused” on tackling child poverty.

    But, as we wait for the strategy to be published, the number of children harmed by the two-child limit rises daily. Nearly two-in-five larger families are now affected and this is predicted to rise to 61% of larger families by the time the two-child limit has full coverage.

    If the child poverty strategy is to have real impact, its starting point is straightforward: both the two-child limit and the benefit cap need to go, and urgently, before more damage is done to children’s lives.

    Kate Andersen received funding from the Nuffield Foundation and the Research England Policy Support Fund facilitated by The York Policy Engine for the research reported in this article.

    Kitty Stewart has received funding from the Nuffield Foundation for the research reported in this article.

    – ref. Our research shows the harm the two-child limit on benefits is doing. Only scrapping it can end this – https://theconversation.com/our-research-shows-the-harm-the-two-child-limit-on-benefits-is-doing-only-scrapping-it-can-end-this-252250

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Maintaining mobility with aging means planning ahead

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Brenda Vrkljan, Professor of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University

    Older people often miss or ignore signs that their own mobility is waning, because it typically happens gradually. (Shutterstock)

    Winter weather makes it hard for everyone to get around. But for many, especially older people, the whole world can feel like an icy sidewalk every day of the year, particularly if they already have problems with their mobility that puts them at higher risk of falling.

    For people who have trouble getting around, stairs, bathrooms and kitchens are among the most treacherous features of typical homes, loaded with potential hazards, such as hard surfaces, slippery floors, accessing high and low cupboards, elevation changes and more.

    The danger is worse at night, especially for older people due in part to changes in vision and certain medications.

    Vehicles are another major challenge for people with mobility issues, especially getting into and out of them, let alone driving them.

    Pope Francis showed his own vulnerability in early February when he stumbled after his walking stick broke. He managed to stay upright but had fallen twice in the preceding weeks. When we don’t move around as much, other health issues can arise, requiring hospitalization.

    The Pope’s public stumble and slow recovery triggered concerns over the 88-year-old’s health and gave the rest of us good reason to consider our own vulnerability.

    Recognizing risks

    As a professor of rehabilitation science who researchers and teaches occupational therapy with a focus on optimizing mobility in later life, I spend my working days thinking about how to make life better by keeping seniors living well and reducing the risks they face.

    In my personal life, I do my best to help my mother stay healthy. I recognize that some of the adapted features we made to her daily activities and living space are helpful to me knowing, as her primary caregiver, that her environment is set up to support her independence.

    Older people often miss or ignore signs that their own mobility is waning, because it typically happens gradually. We may not be conscious of how much we’re using our arms to get out of a chair, that we’re leaning against the wall of the shower while washing, hesitating to pick up a dropped item, or less comfortable driving at night or at higher speeds.

    These are some of the early signs we may need help. Since it’s easy to miss them, it’s important to think consciously and deliberately to avoid a fall or a collision that results in major injury like a broken hip, wrist or worse.

    No one takes pleasure in admitting it might be time for a grab bar or a cane, but assistive devices can prevent injury. Even those who already use such devices may not recognize that their needs change over time, or that their equipment — even a cane — may need maintenance or replacement.

    Failing to take precautions, though, can have severe and lasting repercussions, so it’s vital to be honest with ourselves.

    Prevention and risk reduction

    The upside of taking stock of our situation is that by preventing falls and driving safely, we can continue to participate fully for much longer than was possible even a generation ago.

    For people who have trouble getting around, stairs, bathrooms and kitchens are among the most treacherous features of typical homes.
    (Shutterstock)

    There is plenty of research to show, of course, that diet and exercise can make a significant difference in preserving and even improving mobility while reducing vulnerability, but people don’t always pause to consider their physical environment and other strategies until after an injury.

    Here are some ways you can help yourself or someone in your life whose mobility may be waning:

    • Install low lighting — even a plug-in night light or two can help — that illuminates the path from bedroom to bathroom.

    • Add a second handrail to cover both sides of staircases inside and outside of the home, especially steep stairs that lead to the basement or attic.

    • Stay up-to-date with vision and hearing tests. Always use the eyeglasses and hearing aids, as prescribed.

    • Install “tall” toilets that make sitting and standing up easier.

    • Scan the house for tripping hazards, such as throw rugs, and remove them.

    • Re-organize cupboards to put the most frequently used items in easy reach.

    • Use non-slip footwear made with safety in mind. The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute has done some helpful studies on footwear and safety, including in ice and snow.

    • Schedule a home visit from a licensed occupational therapist who can make recommendations suited to your mobility needs, including taking a look at your mobility devices to be sure they are still suitable and are in good working order. An occupational therapist together with a qualified contractor can ensure grab bars, ramps and other features are installed appropriately.

    • Plan ahead for the time when you can no longer drive by considering alternative transit options and lifestyle changes that might be necessary.

    Mobility matters because it allows us to live independently and participate fully in our everyday activities. By proactively addressing potential hazards, we can enhance our quality of life and continue to enjoy the freedom that mobility provides.

    Brenda Vrkljan has recieved funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, AGE-WELL – A Network of Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

    – ref. Maintaining mobility with aging means planning ahead – https://theconversation.com/maintaining-mobility-with-aging-means-planning-ahead-251589

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Novocaine: the movie action hero with a real-life syndrome that makes him immune to pain

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

    Novocaine, a new action movie starring Jack Quaid, introduces a fresh take on the superhero genre. It features a hero whose superpower actually exists.

    Mild-natured Nathan “Novocaine” Caine (Nate) is catapulted into the criminal underworld when his love interest is kidnapped by bank robbers. On his quest to save her from almost certain peril, he absorbs blades and bullets. He even manages to retrieve a gun from a scorching-hot deep-fat fryer that he then uses to shoot a baddy.

    The movie’s tagline is: “Meet Nathan Caine, he can’t feel pain.”

    Nate’s “superpower” is a syndrome called congenital analgesia, or congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP). As the name suggests, it’s an inability to feel pain. But those who have it really do suffer. Being able to feel pain has many advantages.

    Congenital insensitivity to pain is something of a misnomer. Technically speaking, you aren’t sensitive to pain – pain is the sensation that the brain constructs from sensory information obtained from the body.

    This sensory information might include mechanical injuries, such as a prick from a pin or cut from a knife. Or the extremes of hot and cold temperatures, or irritant chemicals like acids coming into contact with the skin. We call these sorts of stimuli “noxious” – meaning potentially damaging to the body.

    The nerve cells (neurons) that detect these stimuli are hence called nociceptors. They have an essential role in protecting the body from harm. If you step on something sharp, say, you’ll automatically move your foot away. Or if you spill something corrosive on your hand, you’ll rush to a sink to wash the substance off.

    If nociceptors weren’t there or didn’t function properly, your body wouldn’t be able to generate pain and respond to it accordingly. And your hand, foot or other appendage would remain impaled, burning or sizzling away in the fryer, while you carry on, blithely unaware of the evolving damage.

    This is the main reason that CIP is so dangerous, though fortunately, it is extremely rare. There are different variants of CIP, and the prevalence varies by sub-type. Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (Cipa), for instance, has an estimated incidence of one in 125 million.

    The official Novocaine trailer.

    What causes the condition? In some, problems arise with the microscopic ion channels in the endings of nociceptors. These allow neurons to become activated by noxious stimulation. You could think of them as on-switches to the generation of pain. When they don’t work properly, pain cannot be perceived. In other conditions, nociceptors may fail to develop properly or die off prematurely.

    The problem with CIP is that the body becomes insensitive not only to large injuries but smaller ones too. For instance, if you get bits of grit in your eyes, the natural response is to release tears and rub or blink your eyelids to clear them. If there were no pain or irritation, the debris would build up, damaging the sensitive outer regions of the eye like the cornea, potentially causing sight-threatening ulcers to develop.

    And our bodies don’t just detect external dangers – they are also sensitive to what is going on inside us. If we have an inflamed appendix, a kidney stone, or a broken bone, our nervous system lets us know by generating pain.

    We sense something is wrong, seek medical assistance, and are treated with antibiotics, surgery and, of course, pain relief. But the consequences of overlooking illness – should you be unable to evoke pain – can be extremely dangerous.

    People with CIP have been observed to ignore a wide variety of harms – from chomped-off tongues to destructive spinal abscesses, and from amputated digits to recurrent and out-of-control infections.

    CIP also affects people’s ability to sense temperature, since nociception and thermal information reach the brain via the same route: the spinothalamic tract. This affects the body’s ability to detect and, therefore, respond to temperature changes. This means that patients may overheat, especially as it can affect their ability to lose heat by sweating too. This is the case in patients with Cipa.

    No cure

    There is no cure for the condition, but there are ways in which CIP can be managed. People with the condition need to be extremely vigilant for any signs of injury, like wounding, and to monitor their temperature to spot any hidden infections. Regular medical check-ups are also required to look for unnoticed illness and damage.

    The future is uncertain, but given that the condition is genetic, gene and stem cell therapies might also be potential treatments.

    So, while Nate might make the most of not feeling pain, his ability is far from being a superpower. Pain may not feel nice, but it saves lives.

    Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Novocaine: the movie action hero with a real-life syndrome that makes him immune to pain – https://theconversation.com/novocaine-the-movie-action-hero-with-a-real-life-syndrome-that-makes-him-immune-to-pain-252363

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Fighting fake news: how media in Kenya and Senegal check facts

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Layiré Diop, Professseur de communication, Francis Marion University

    Misinformation has accelerated in recent years, in speed and volume. Studies show that Africans are exposed to misinformation and disinformation on a regular basis.

    Disinformation refers to false information deliberately created to cause harm. Misinformation consists of false information that wasn’t created with the intention of harming individuals or groups. Either way, it’s often difficult to know whether something is true and accurate.

    Media fact-checking and media literacy have become more important than ever.

    As specialists in media and mass communication, we conducted a study of strategies to combat misinformation and disinformation. We also examined the role and impact of fact-checking practices. This research is based on 42 interviews conducted in 2021 with media professionals in Kenya and Senegal.

    The participants fell into three main categories. Some were journalists, while others specialised in fact-checking. The rest were individuals who influenced media policies, including government officials, thinktank employees and academics.

    Findings indicate that media professionals in Senegal and Kenya employ reactive fact-checking strategies such as cross-checking information from sources and verifying images and videos. They also promote media literacy as a proactive strategy to help media consumers critically engage with media content.

    The combination of the two methods is described as a shield and an antidote against the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

    Fact-checking: practices and perception

    In Kenya and Senegal, though information verification was already a daily routine for news organisations, fact-checking is gaining ground. It is emerging as an important approach to counter disinformation.

    Fact-checkers and journalists are at the forefront of verifying and determining the accuracy of information shared in public (for example, posts made by social media users) or content created by the media company. The most popular fact-checking services used by participants are PesaCheck, Piga Firimbi and AfricaCheck.

    In both countries, verification methods involve cross-checking multiple sources and analysing visual content. Findings of this study reveal that misinformation is most commonly found in political and health-related topics.

    Once verified, the information is shared in different formats. It is disseminated through news reports, social media posts, and short videos that debunk fake news.

    Cross-checking information

    This process involves consulting primary sources and seeking input from experts to clarify information and put it in context. Participants defined experts as specialists in a specific field, and individuals who regularly contribute to the subject through the media.

    In addition to asking sources and experts, media companies are setting up fact-checking services to verify information before publication. Participants from both countries revealed that media organisations trained their employees to use verification tools.

    Verifying images and videos

    Images and videos on social media often mix truths and manipulations. To debunk them, professionals use verification techniques. One common method is reverse image search: an online search for the image. This technique is made possible by geolocation and the large number of online images. Fact-checkers compare these images to verify content. Google’s reverse image search tool is the most widely used.

    Geolocation through Google Maps helps pinpoint the exact location where an image was taken, for comparison with the location claimed in the content being verified. For videos, professionals use a tool called InVID. This tool generates images from a video, which are then geolocated using reverse image search techniques.

    Perceptions of the effectiveness of fact-checking

    Media professionals in both countries saw fact-checking as an effective strategy to combat misinformation and disinformation and an essential tool for verifying content.

    However, they emphasised the importance of respecting freedom of expression. For them, it was essential to prevent the government or private sector from becoming the sole authority on the accuracy of information shared on media platforms.

    The recent decision by Meta (the technology conglomerate that owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and other services) to end its fact-checking programme and replace it with community ratings could lead to a new spread of false information.

    Media literacy: practice and perceptions

    Study participants concur that training the public in how to verify content is a proactive measure to curb misinformation. By doing this, professionals share their fact-checking processes as a form of media literacy.

    In Kenya, the press produces videos and tutorials to teach the public how to verify information online. Africa Check also produces materials on methods of verifying information.

    Fact-checking organisations and media outlets play a crucial role in verifying content. They also educate content consumers on how to verify information before sharing it on social media or messaging apps. To make these educational videos more accessible, they are translated into local languages. This helps content creators and consumers who do not understand French or English to better engage with the information.

    In Senegal, Africa Check partnered with a community radio station to provide media literacy training in a local language. The initiative involves fact-checking, translating articles into the Wolof language, and then sharing the information on WhatsApp.

    Perception of the effectiveness of media literacy

    Respondents saw media literacy as a proactive strategy that empowers the public to think critically and verify facts independently. Journalists and fact-checkers in Kenya and Senegal emphasised the importance of media education in curbing the spread of false information.

    In addition, they emphasised that media literacy is not only important for the public. Media professionals also need training to stay updated on technological changes and the strategies and techniques used by misinformation propagandists.

    Challenges to overcome

    These approaches face several obstacles. One is the reluctance of government officials to respond to information requests, often out of fear of critical fact-checking of their own statements. Cultural and linguistic diversity in Africa also presents a challenge for media professionals. Translating verified content into local languages is not easy and requires time and financial resources.

    In Senegal and Kenya, as in many other African countries, media literacy is not yet included in the school curriculum. Investing in media literacy programmes in schools would require expertise, money and time.

    In addition to the creation of fact-checking desks in newsrooms and raising public awareness of the dangers of misinformation, promoting media literacy at all levels (media, mosques, churches, businesses, schools, universities) should be a priority. Organising media weeks at school, as France does, could be a step towards that goal.

    Layiré Diop does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Fighting fake news: how media in Kenya and Senegal check facts – https://theconversation.com/fighting-fake-news-how-media-in-kenya-and-senegal-check-facts-251123

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who is Kirsty Coventry and how did she become the most powerful person in world sports?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Davies Banda, Lecturer in Sport Policy and Management, University of Edinburgh

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected a woman as its president for the first time ever. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry is also the youngest ever IOC president and the first from an African country, becoming a symbol of the IOC’s drive to diversify its leadership and image.

    Sports management scholar Davies Banda was part of a global research team that compiled an IOC-commissioned report on the roles of women in the organisation. He traces Coventry’s journey as a swimming star, politician and sports administrator.

    Who is Kirsty Coventry?

    She is Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. She won seven medals across the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games.

    Born in Harare, she is not only Zimbabwe’s best known sports star but also the politically troubled country’s sports minister. The IOC presidency makes her one of the most powerful figures in world sports.

    Coventry is driven. She set her sights on the Olympics at the age of nine. She achieved her dream through hard work and a profound understanding of what a results-oriented athletic career looks like. She believes true success lies in sharing knowledge and skills, extending her impact beyond athletics into social activism and a political career in Zimbabwe.

    Her Olympic journey began at the 2000 Sydney Games, where she competed in two swimming events but failed to qualify for the finals. Her breakthrough happened at the 2004 Athens Games, where she won the first of her two gold medals in the 200-metre backstroke. She successfully defended this title at the 2008 Beijing Games.

    She retired from swimming competitively after her final Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games, holding the joint record for the most individual women’s swimming medals in Olympic history. By then her sports administration dreams had begun to pay off.

    In 2012 she was elected to the IOC’s powerful Athletes’ Commission. Thanks to her extensive experience of being an Olympic athlete, she became a significant voice within the body. She was elected chair of the commission in 2018 and held the post until 2023, when she was elected to the IOC’s executive committee under Thomas Bach, also a former athlete and the outgoing IOC president.

    At the same time, Coventry transitioned into government service as an independent member of parliament in Zimbabwe. She was first appointed as the country’s Minister of Sport, Art and Recreation in 2018, and re-appointed in 2023.

    She’s a member of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, previously serving as its vice president. She’s also a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

    Why has it taken so long to have a female president?

    In 1997 the IOC set targets for National Olympic Committees to achieve at least 10% female representation in executive decision-making positions by the end of 2000. This was followed by a goal of at least 20% by 2005 and 30% by 2020.

    The IOC reported that female representation on its commissions doubled between 2013 and 2023, reaching 50% by the latter year.

    These deliberate measures can be seen as foundational to Coventry’s election. Globally, National Olympic Committees have seen a rise in female executive board members and leaders, increasing the pool of qualified candidates. An IOC report highlighted co-mentoring of female members on a governance leadership development initiative.

    Policies promoting the recognition of women’s leadership in sport and communities have nurtured leaders capable of competing for the highest IOC roles.

    However, considering that women were first allowed to participate in the 1900 Paris Games, it’s taken 124 years to see the election of a female IOC president.

    Despite the extended time frame, the IOC’s progressive initiatives, particularly its gender equality targets, have yielded tangible results.

    Some observers believe that Bach’s legacy, particularly in promoting gender equality, will be continued by Coventry, given their shared values and aspirations for the Olympic movement.

    What would a female president bring to Olympic sports?

    There is a drive for gender equality in Olympic sport. Coventry’s extensive experience as an athlete representative and her continued involvement with the Athletes’ Commission provide her with a deep understanding of athletes’ concerns. These include gender eligibility, a threat to the integrity of the Games due to doping, climate change, and athlete advocacy.

    Her relatively young age, 41, further strengthens her connection with athletes, the Olympic Games’ most valuable stakeholders, who are much younger than the administrators. This unique perspective allows her to engage with athletes in ways that previous IOC leaders could not. Her predecessors were close to or past their 60th birthdays when elected.

    So she is also likely to connect with younger generations more effectively than her predecessors, through modern technologies.

    Coventry is poised to lead the Olympic movement’s focus on sport for social change, given her experience of life in the global south, where she has been a social activist for underprivileged youth.

    The substantial growth of sport-for-change initiatives in the global south and beyond fuels the hope among scholars, including myself, that sport and athlete advocacy can achieve greater visibility. It can make an impact on global challenges, moving them from the sidelines to the heart of major sporting events.

    Coventry’s political career, conducted in Zimbabwe’s challenging economic climate, suggests a potential for using sport as a catalyst for positive social transformation.

    That said, while she may champion athlete advocacy on certain issues, her stated commitment to neutrality, particularly regarding the games, indicates a potential reluctance to engage with politically charged issues. The IOC’s status quo, the apolitical stance of the games, is likely to continue to limit the potential impact of athlete activism.



    Read more:
    Olympics in Africa: Egypt’s ambitious bid to host the games could succeed – but will it be worth it?

    What will be closely watched will be her approach to the contentious issue of transgender athletes in women’s events. Her current position advocates for their exclusion from female categories. She’s emphasised the protection of women’s sport and the enforcement of gender eligibility standards.

    It remains to be seen how closely her policies will align with, or diverge from, those of her predecessor. But for the IOC she no doubt represents a more diverse, gender equal movement.

    Davies Banda is affiliated with University of Edinburgh in Scotland and University of Lusaka in Zambia as a Senior Visiting Scholar

    – ref. Who is Kirsty Coventry and how did she become the most powerful person in world sports? – https://theconversation.com/who-is-kirsty-coventry-and-how-did-she-become-the-most-powerful-person-in-world-sports-252938

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Uganda’s lions in decline, hyenas thriving – new findings from country’s biggest ever carnivore count

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University

    For nearly 15 years almost no information was available on the population status of Uganda’s large carnivores, including those in its largest national park, Murchison Falls. These species represent a critical part of Uganda’s growing tourism economy. The country is home to the famed tree-climbing lions, which are much sought after for this unique behaviour. Together, lions and leopards generate tens of thousands of dollars annually from safari viewing and allied activities.

    Keeping an eye on the proverbial prize could not be more critical for the country. When wildlife isn’t monitored rigorously, populations can disappear within just a few years, as tigers did in India’s Sariska tiger reserve.

    But many people working in conservation discourage monitoring. They argue that a “bean counter” approach to conservation overlooks the funds and actions that save animals. Others simply say that it is a hard thing to do at scale and particularly for animals that are naturally shy, have big home ranges (sometimes over multiple countries), and occur in very low numbers.

    Even in a comparatively small African country – Uganda ranks 32nd in size out of 54 countries – how does one cover enough ground to see how populations of carnivores are faring? This has been the challenge of our work in Uganda for nearly a decade now, monitoring African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.

    Our two recent studies in Murchison Falls and six protected areas across the country sought to address the problem by drawing on a wide range of local and international experts who live and work in Uganda. Working with the Ugandan government’s Uganda Wildlife Authority research and monitoring team, we set out to identify and bring together independent scientists, government rangers, university students, lodge owners and conservation managers in the country’s major savanna parks.

    We hoped to cover more ground with people and organisations that wouldn’t traditionally work together. Doing so exposed many of these individuals for the first time to the science and field skills needed to build robust, long term monitoring programmes for threatened wildlife.

    The result is the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. We found spotted hyenas to be doing far better than we expected. But lions are in worrying decline, indicating where conservation efforts need to be focused. Beyond that, our count proved the value of collaborating when it comes to generating data that could help save animals.

    Our unique approach

    Inspired by Kenya’s first nationwide, science-based survey of lions and other carnivores in key reserves, the first important step of this study was to secure the collaboration of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s office of research and monitoring. Together, we identified the critical conservation stakeholders in and around six protected areas. These are Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kidepo Valley, Toro Semliki, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Leopards and hyenas occur in some other parks (such as Mount Elgon and Rwenzori National Park) but resource constraints prevented us from surveying these sites.

    We had no predisposed notions of who could or would participate in our carnivore surveys, only that we wanted people living closest to these species in the room.

    We shortlisted lodge owners, government rangers, independent scientists, university students from Kampala, NGO staff and even trophy hunters. All came together for a few days to learn about how to find carnivores in each landscape, build detection histories and analyse data. We delivered five technical workshops showing participants how to search for African lions in the landscapes together with mapping exactly where they drove.

    We also taught participants:

    • how to identify lions by their whisker spots in high-definition photographs – these are the small spots where a cat’s whiskers originate on their cheeks

    • how to determine identity in camera trap images of leopard and spotted hyena body flanks

    • post data collection analysis techniques

    • a technique to estimate population densities and abundance.

    More than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators joined in the “all hands on deck” survey, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.



    Read more:
    Counting Uganda’s lions: we found that wildlife rangers do a better job than machines

    Our scientific approach focused on how to achieve the best possible counts of carnivores. In the process we identified some of the biggest shortcomings of previous surveys. These included double counting individual animals and failing to incorporate detection probability. Even worse was simply adding all individual sighted animals and not generating any local-level estimates.

    What our results tell us

    As expected, our results painted a grim picture in some areas, but marked hope for others.

    • In the majestic Murchison Falls national park, through which the River Nile runs east-west, we estimated that approximately 240 lions still remained across some 3,200km² of sampled area. This is the highest number in Uganda and at least five to 10 times higher than in the Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth parks.

    • In Queen Elizabeth national park, home to the tree-climbing lions, we found a marked decline of over 40% (just 39 individuals left in 2,400km²) since our last survey in 2018.

    • In the country’s north, Kidepo Valley, the best estimate is just 12 individual lions across 1,430km², in stark contrast with the previous estimate of 132 lions implemented nearly 15 years ago.

    In contrast, leopards appeared to continue to occur at high densities in select areas, with Lake Mburo and Murchison Falls exhibiting strong populations. Pian Upe and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector recorded the lowest densities.

    Spotted hyenas have proven far more resilient. They occur at densities ranging from 6.15 to 45.31 individuals/100km² across surveyed sites. In Queen Elizabeth, their numbers could be rising as lion populations decline, likely due to reduced competition and ongoing poaching pressure targeting lions.

    These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions, particularly for lions in Uganda’s struggling populations.

    Value beyond numbers

    Our approach shared the load of data collection, and gave people an opportunity and skills to engage in wildlife science. For many emerging conservationists in the country, this was their first chance to be authors on a scientific paper (an increasingly important component of postgraduate degree applications). Even if many of the people we worked with disagree on how to save large carnivores in Uganda, they could at least agree on how many there are as they had a hand in collecting the data and scrutinising it. Since we have embraced a fully science-based approach, we recognise that our surveys too should improve over time.

    Aggrey Rwetsiba, senior manager, research and monitoring at Uganda Wildlife Authority, contributed to the research on which this article is based.

    Duan Biggs receives funding from Northern Arizona University and is a member of the IUCN (World Conservation Union).

    Alexander Richard Braczkowski and Arjun M. Gopalaswamy do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Uganda’s lions in decline, hyenas thriving – new findings from country’s biggest ever carnivore count – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-lions-in-decline-hyenas-thriving-new-findings-from-countrys-biggest-ever-carnivore-count-249724

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How US foreign aid cuts are threatening independent media in former Soviet states

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Russian Culture and Film, Queen Mary University of London

    Oleksandr Polonskyi / Shutterstock

    Before Donald Trump’s administration suspended – and subsequently resumed – American military aid to Ukraine, it had announced its intention to cut 90% of United States Agency for International Development (USAid) foreign aid contracts. These funding cuts will endanger life around the world, including in Ukraine.

    USAid has provided Ukraine with US$2.6 billion (£2 billion) in humanitarian aid, US$5 billion in development assistance, and more than US$30 billion in direct budget support since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The funding has helped pay for bomb shelters and medical equipment, among other things.

    But the purge of US foreign aid programmes will also affect Ukraine and other former Soviet countries in more insidious ways. The funding cuts could lead to a decline in the number of independent media outlets in the region, which are key to the fight for democracy and human rights.

    Government censorship over the war in Ukraine has led to the collapse of independent journalism in Russia. Russian media reports on the war, which they still refer to as a “special military operation”, can only use official Russian military sources. Violating laws on disseminating “fake news” is penalised by hefty prison sentences.

    These developments led to an exodus of international news organisations from Russia shortly after the start of the war, with global news media citing the need to protect their journalists. Since relocating from Moscow to the Latvian capital, Riga, US government-funded Radio Free Europe’s reporting on the war in Ukraine has been highly acclaimed.

    It has also been growing in popularity in Russia, despite being labelled “undesirable” – and effectively blocked – by the Russian authorities. According to a 2023 survey, 9% of the Russian adult population consume Radio Free Europe content every week. Official Russian media saw domestic audience numbers fall by as much as 30% in 2024.

    However, the cuts to US foreign aid risk squandering this growing advantage in the struggle to report on the Ukraine war objectively. Radio Free Europe, which billionaire businessman Elon Musk described in February as “just radical left crazy people talking to themselves”, has had all of its US grants pulled.

    It already updates its website less, and it is reportedly contemplating staff cuts. Its online television channel, Current Time, has had to close down some of its programmes. The Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, has said he would discuss with fellow EU foreign ministers “how to at least partially maintain” the group’s broadcasting.

    Ukraine’s media outlets are also now facing a crisis. Despite martial law, Ukrainian media stands out as a positive example of media diversity and independence in the post-Soviet world. Ukraine ranks 61 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index. This puts it well above Russia, Belarus and all of the former Soviet countries apart from Moldova and the Baltic states.

    However, many Ukrainian media outlets are experiencing the effects of US foreign funding cuts. The subscription model followed by English language publication, the Kyiv independent, is rare in the region. One of the affected organisations is Ukrainian Pravda, an online news outlet that has played a leading role in Ukrainian civil society.

    Journalists at Ukrainian Pravda, which is now facing funding cuts of up to 15%, were key in covering Ukraine’s so-called Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Pro-European and anti-corruption protests ultimately brought down the Russian-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych.

    While covering deadly clashes between protesters and the police in Kyiv on January 24 2014, Ukrainian Pravda’s website received over 1.6 million visitors. This was a record for Ukrainian online media at the time.

    Resilient media landscape

    One cause for optimism is the media’s resilience in former Soviet countries. The media landscape in the region has successfully adapted to many disruptions over the past 35 years.

    The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 meant the creation of new national media. This involved a shift from state-funded to market-funded models, often through advertising, as well as negotiating the wider move from analogue to digital.

    An encouraging example is the Artdocfest film festival. It began life in Moscow in 2007 showing independent Russian language or Russia-related documentary films. Depicting opposition figures and taboo topics, the festival served as an oasis of free speech in a growing desert of repression and conformism.

    As political restrictions on what the festival could show grew more severe, it partially relocated to Riga in 2014, the year Russia invaded eastern Ukraine. And following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the festival no longer screens any films in Russia, as well as any films funded by the Russian government.

    The relocation has required finding new funding sources, shifting the focus away from Russia itself by making English (as opposed to Russian) the festival’s official language, and introducing a new Baltic programme. The festival remains a forum for criticising the shortcomings of Russia and other post-Soviet societies.

    In implicit tribute to Artdocfest’s importance, the Russian television network RT has created its own similar sounding RTdocfest, where the Kremlin’s narrative is the only one.

    A press conference in Riga in February 2023 ahead of that year’s Artdocfest.
    Artdocfest

    Since 2022, the Russian slogan sila v pravde (“strength is in truth”) has become one of the rallying cries of the country’s campaign in Ukraine. It is widely known from Brother 2, an anti-Ukrainian Russian film released in 2000.

    There is a bitter irony in its espousal by Vladimir Putin’s regime, which has been founded on lies, disinformation and distortion. Nevertheless, strength does lie in truth.

    Ensuring the region’s independent media landscape remains is critical to telling the truth about Russia’s war in Ukraine, and exposing injustice and corruption throughout the post-Soviet world.

    Jeremy Hicks is a member of the Labour Party (UK)

    – ref. How US foreign aid cuts are threatening independent media in former Soviet states – https://theconversation.com/how-us-foreign-aid-cuts-are-threatening-independent-media-in-former-soviet-states-251763

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ten years of A Little Life – what’s behind the enduring popularity of Hanya Yanagihara’s ‘trauma porn’ novel?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natalie Wall, PhD in English Literature, University of Liverpool

    Hanya Yanagihara’s second novel A Little Life, released ten years ago, has become a contemporary classic – with notoriety and acclaim boosting its profile in equal measure.

    The novel begins by following four friends – Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm – as they navigate careers, relationships and friendship in New York. However, it quickly comes to focus on the story of Jude, gradually revealing his deeply traumatic childhood and the ways it is affecting his adult life.

    In 2022, UK publisher Picador re-released the novel as part of its new Picador Collection – a range of “era-defining modern classics”. But how has a novel with such harrowing content become one of the most popular books of the last decade?

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    This is one of the clearest examples of the “trauma plot”, which literary critic Parul Sehgal has identified as a defining feature of our contemporary cultural landscape. The trauma plot refers to stories fixated on the traumatic events experienced by their characters, perhaps neglecting other aspects of characterisation or plotting in favour of detailed explorations of trauma.

    American essayist Daniel Mendelsohn’s early critique in the New York Review of Books countered the novel’s extensive praise elsewhere. He claimed the relentless trauma and abuse suffered by Jude turns it into “a machine designed to produce negative emotions for the reader to wallow in”.

    This matches Sehgal’s criticism of the way the trauma plot flattens characters and narratives into explorations of the backstory, “evacuating personality” and reducing “character to symptom”. Sehgal asks: “In a world infatuated with victimhood, has trauma emerged as a passport to status – our red badge of courage?”

    This question could well be aimed at A Little Life. The trauma plot, and its exploration of the depths of victimhood and suffering, has been the novel’s passport to notoriety.

    The power of fomo

    It’s not only critics that take issue with the novel’s depiction of trauma. Readers have also commented on the seemingly gratuitous nature of the novel’s content and the extreme emotions and reactions it produces. Search “A Little Life” on any social media platform and you will find countless reader reviews ranging from delight to disgust.

    Much of this discourse is rooted in the novel’s notoriety and graphic content, or how much readers cried when reading it. It exists in the cultural consciousness more as an experience than a literary work – a challenge to undertake rather than a story to read.

    The West End theatre adaptation, which ran in 2023, added to this. Reviews and audience anecdotes foregrounded the graphic content and fainting audience members, rather than the performances or story.

    As a result, there is a culture of fomo (fear of missing out) around the novel, as readers fear they haven’t taken part in one of the big literary experiences of the last decade. This has seen its popularity become self-propagating: more readers, more extreme reactions, more exposure, more fomo.

    The novel’s consistent readership has been in large part due to online reading communities like BookTok, Bookstagram and BookTube.



    Read more:
    How BookTok trends are influencing what you read – whether you use TikTok or not

    The content they produce is often highly emotional, with creators blending reviews with outpourings of feelings and presenting polarised opinions. Social media platforms and their algorithms reward such extremes by encouraging interaction with and sharing of posts, pushing them – and therefore the novel – out to wider audiences.

    The novel also has its own social media presence. The Instagram account @alittlelifebook has 65.2k followers at the time of writing and still makes multiple posts a week, ten years after the novel’s release. The account frequently reposts fans’ novel-related artwork, photography, playlists and tattoos. This has established a norm of how people interact with the novel – in highly personal ways that foreground emotion and intimacy with the story.

    This enables a connection and community among readers through their reaction to the depiction of extreme suffering. Just as the play was a sell-out success despite its mixed reviews, there is this desire for the connecting and cathartic experience of reading and enduring suffering.

    Queer canon or queer controversy?

    A Little Life has become one of the one of the most widely read and loved queer novels of the last decade. That’s despite considerable controversy over the depiction of its gay characters and Yanagihara’s position as a woman writing about gay male trauma.

    This controversy has not stopped the actor Matt Bomer, who is gay, from narrating a 10th-anniversary audio book. The actor has also voiced audiobook versions of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956) and Little and Often by Trent Preszler (2021) – both of which explore the alienation of queer people.

    The West End theatre production starred James Norton as Jude.

    A Little Life is continually placed within a queer canon, as academics and journalists frequently discuss and praise its representation. Readers often place it on lists of the best LGBTQ+ fiction despite its controversial handling of this material – again suggesting the controversy is fuelling readers’ curiosity rather than quelling it.

    In a 2020 study of the novel’s reception on social media platform Goodreads, researcher Joseph Worthen suggested it is somewhat unique in producing a “reluctant five-star phenomenon” – where readers do not want to rate the book so highly but feel compelled to, because of the strong emotional impact it had on them.

    The way emotions trump aesthetics and enjoyment in readers’ judgment of the novel, acting as “a passport to status”, demonstrates why A Little Life remains so popular. It offers a seemingly endless supply of emotion, and possibilities for connection, at a cultural moment when virality rules.

    Natalie Wall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Ten years of A Little Life – what’s behind the enduring popularity of Hanya Yanagihara’s ‘trauma porn’ novel? – https://theconversation.com/ten-years-of-a-little-life-whats-behind-the-enduring-popularity-of-hanya-yanagiharas-trauma-porn-novel-252833

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to protect your eyes in the digital age – expert in eye and vision science

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniela Oehring, Associate Professor in Optometry, University of Plymouth

    Prostock-studio/Shutterstock

    In an era where screens dominate our daily lives, a silent epidemic is sweeping the globe. Digital eye strain, a condition once relegated to the fringes of occupational health concerns, has emerged as a significant public health issue affecting millions worldwide. As our reliance on digital devices for work, education and social interaction intensifies, so too does the risk to our ocular health.

    Recent studies paint a stark picture. Up to 50% of computer users could develop digital eye strain. This condition, characterised by a range of ocular and visual symptoms, including dryness, watering, itching, burning and blurred or even double vision, is not merely a matter of discomfort; it can indicate potentially chronic issues that can significantly affect a person’s quality of life and productivity.

    The COVID pandemic has exacerbated this trend, with lockdowns and social distancing measures driving screen time to unprecedented levels.

    A marked increase in digital device usage during the pandemic correlates with a surge in ocular surface diseases, visual disturbances and digital eye strain.

    The unseen toll of digital dependence

    But what exactly happens to our eyes when we stare at screens for long periods? The answer lies in the intricate biology of our visual system. When focusing on digital displays, our blink rate falls, and our eyes strain to maintain focus on near objects for extended periods. Reduced blinking and sustained near focus triggers a cascade of ocular issues, from mild irritation to chronic dryness.

    The symptoms of digital eye strain are diverse and often insidious. They range from the immediately noticeable, such as eye fatigue, dryness, and blurred vision, to more subtle signs like headaches and neck pain. While often transient, these symptoms can become persistent and debilitating if left unchecked.

    Contrary to popular belief, the blue light emitted by screens is not the primary cause of digital eye strain. While blue light can contribute to eye fatigue and disrupt sleep patterns, there’s no conclusive evidence that it causes permanent eye damage. The real villains are poor ergonomics, extended near-focus work and reduced blinking.

    So, how can we protect our vision in this screen-centric world? The solution lies in a multifaceted approach that combines behavioural changes, environmental adjustments, and, when necessary, medical interventions.

    Protective measures

    The 20-20-20 rule is a simple but effective strategy for protecting your eyes against digital strain.

    Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to focus on something 20 feet away. This brief respite allows your eye muscles to relax, reducing the strain associated with constant near focus work. While widely recommended, it’s worth noting that the efficacy of this specific rule hasn’t been rigorously studied, but the principle of taking frequent breaks is sound.

    Environmental factors play a fundamental role in maintaining ocular comfort during screen use. Proper lighting, adequate humidity and good air quality can significantly affect eye health. Use adjustable lamps to direct light away from your eyes, use a humidifier to maintain moisture levels and consider an air purifier to remove irritating airborne particles.

    Ergonomic adjustments are equally important. Position your screen at arm’s length and slightly below eye level to reduce neck strain. Increase font sizes to minimise squinting and ensure your chair provides proper back support for good posture.

    For those experiencing persistent symptoms, professional help is key. Eye care practitioners can provide comprehensive exams to identify underlying issues such as refractive errors – common eye conditions where the eye’s shape prevents light from focusing correctly on the retina, causing blurry vision – or dry eye disease. Ocular specialists can prescribe targeted treatments, from specialised eye-wear to medications that address specific eye health concerns.

    Emerging therapies offer hope for more effective management of digital eye strain. Drugs called novel TRPM8 agonists show promise in relieving dry eye discomfort by activating cooling receptors on the eye’s surface. Meanwhile, wearable biosensors that fit as a patch under the eye or attached to contact lenses are being developed to monitor tear fluid biomarkers in real time. Tears can reflect the health of the ocular surface and potentially the whole body, so this technological development could transform the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface diseases.

    Irreplaceable assets

    In this digital age, it’s important to take measures to protect our vision. By recognising the signs of digital eye strain, implementing protective strategies, and seeking timely professional care, we can reduce the risks associated with our screen-dependent lifestyles.

    The challenge of digital eye strain is not insurmountable. With awareness, education and a commitment to ocular health, we can continue exploiting digital technology’s benefits without compromising our vision. As we look to the future, integrating eye-friendly technologies and ergonomic designs in our digital devices may offer additional layers of protection.

    In the meantime, remember to take breaks, blink often and don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you experience persistent symptoms. In doing so, you’ll be taking crucial steps towards ensuring clear, comfortable vision.

    Daniela Oehring receives funding from UKRI and Sight Research UK.

    – ref. How to protect your eyes in the digital age – expert in eye and vision science – https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-your-eyes-in-the-digital-age-expert-in-eye-and-vision-science-252280

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women are south Asia’s ‘silent contributors’ – changing that could transform economies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena, Assistant Professor in Marketing, University of Bradford

    Whether it’s selling at a market or working in the home or in the field, south Asian women are contributing to their economies. Florian Augustin/Shutterstock

    As a child, I lived with my grandmother in a rural village in Sri Lanka where women often played an active economic role – working in sectors like farming, technology, sewing, household work or some other area. These days across South Asia, businesses led by women are on the rise, with online platforms making it easier for entrepreneurs to start with minimal investment.

    If more women could be encouraged into employment in the region, it would, of course, bring wider benefits. For instance, it’s estimated that if women’s participation in India’s workforce reached 50% from its current level of 31%, the country’s annual growth rate could increase by 1.5 percentage points.

    Female entrepreneurs in South Asia have been described as “silent contributors”, as their input to the economy and society is still not properly understood. And when their contributions go unrecognised, women can be denied access to education and career development.

    Not only that, but it can lead to women having fewer opportunities for leadership roles, financial security, and professional growth. It may discourage the participation of other women, or limit their progress in industries and societies that could benefit from greater female representation.

    Research often points to factors such as a lack of education, technical expertise, gender discrimination and low self-esteem as reasons female entrepreneurs may be demotivated.

    But after reviewing several studies, I realised there’s a deeper, more complex issue. I identified a three-pillar effect that discourages women from entrepreneurship.

    These are socio-cultural barriers, which include traditional gender roles and societal expectations; economic and financial constraints such as limited access to funding; and regulatory and institutional challenges like legal obstacles and a lack of support systems.

    These three pillars create significant hurdles for women who are trying to build their businesses.

    A study looking at Mumbai, India, found that limited affordable transport can significantly reduce women’s chances of entering the workforce or starting a business.

    For example, some Indian and Sri Lankan women are expected to stay close to home to take care of children or elderly relatives. This limits their ability to travel to markets or participate in other work. There is also the issue of poor access to education and technical skills that can hold women back in terms of development and building a business.

    These barriers are starting to receive more recognition and were depicted in the award-winning film The Great Indian Kitchen. This 2021 film in the Malayalam language tells the story of a young woman who is expected to follow traditional gender roles after her marriage. The film highlights the social norms that often deter women from working or seeking education.

    The Great Indian Kitchen trailer.

    Most women entrepreneurs in South Asia work in the informal sector. This includes street vending, agriculture, retail and home-based industries like sewing. But these sectors and enterprises often remain unregistered and are not captured in official economic data.

    For example, women in cities like Delhi in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka sell products like vegetables or handmade jewellery on the streets. Often, these women do not have legal businesses or commercial registration numbers. This limits their access to loans, social security and more formal markets. Across South Asia, only 25% of women have a bank account, compared with 41% of men – the biggest gender gap in the world.

    Nepal, however, has made strides in financial inclusion, particularly in closing the gender gap. According to Nepal’s financial inclusion report in 2023, women’s access to formal financial services the previous year was at 89% while men’s stood at 90% – showing that change is possible.

    The barriers for women

    The lack of education and technical training often restricts women’s ability to develop skills and entrepreneurial nous. But it can also expose them to exploitation by officials who can prey on their lack of legal knowledge, forcing them to face bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.

    Another thorny issue is that in some cultures it is unacceptable for women to hold seniority or authority over men. Often, government policies and programmes focus on male entrepreneurs, overlooking women’s issues. These include childcare needs or safety concerns.

    In Sri Lanka, female-owned businesses face significant challenges in accessing key government incentives simply because of limited awareness. A big issue is that women in rural areas often do not hear about funding programmes, grants and financial schemes.

    South Asian women’s economic contributions continue to be damaged by social, cultural and institutional limitations. It is vital to recognise these contributions and bring them into the formal economic system. This should ensure that female entrepreneurs get their rightful place in the broader economic arena.

    Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Women are south Asia’s ‘silent contributors’ – changing that could transform economies – https://theconversation.com/women-are-south-asias-silent-contributors-changing-that-could-transform-economies-251881

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How animals shape the planet in surprising ways

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Harvey, Professor of Physical Geography, Queen Mary University of London

    oleg_aryutkin/Shutterstock

    Hundreds of animals, from tiny ants to mighty hippos, are shaping the Earth’s surface as powerfully as floods and storms. These animals effectively act as landscape engineers, reorganising soils and sediments. Yet their combined global impact has never been explored, until now.

    Research that my colleagues and I conducted shows that animal engineers are much more diverse, widespread and globally significant than previously recognised. We estimated that the combined energy they devote to landscape-shaping processes is equivalent to the energy of hundreds of thousands of river floods.

    Animals act as landscape architects as they feed, create shelter, reproduce and simply move around. Beavers build dams that form wetlands and change river channels. Spawning salmon move huge amounts of river sediments too, similar to the amounts moved by floods. Yet, beyond such charismatic and iconic examples, animal landscape engineers can be viewed as curiosities – interesting but uncommon, with healthy scepticism about their role in landscape change.

    Most studies focus on a single species, so we collected evidence from hundreds of studies to understand the global significance of these animals. We focused on animals living on land or in rivers, lakes, wetlands and other inland water bodies. Oceans host important engineers too, but they were not included in our study.

    Tiny ants can leave their mark on a landscape.
    Gemma Harvey, CC BY-NC-ND

    My team was astounded by the diversity of landscape engineers we uncovered. The list we compiled included 500 wild animal species including insects, mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and crustaceans. More than a quarter of those 500 species are threatened or vulnerable in some way. This means their landscape-shaping effects – mixing, eroding or stabilising soils and sediments, building landforms – could disappear before they are fully understood.

    Animal architects include some of the smallest creatures on Earth, such as ants, termites and aquatic insect larvae, as well as the largest, such as elephants, hippos and bison. As a group, they are globally widespread across land and in water, in all major ecosystem types. We showed that despite covering only 2.4% of the planet’s land surface, freshwater habitats host over a third of these fascinating animals.

    Tamworth pigs roam free at Knepp estate, a rewilding project in the UK.
    Tony Skerl/Shutterstock

    We searched thousands of published articles for mentions of animal engineers to compile a comprehensive list of species. We explored their global distributions using free online biodiversity data. We used recent estimates of the total biomass of ants, mammals and all living things to estimate the combined biomass of animal engineers. Then, we converted this information to calorie content and estimated how much of that energy is used to shape landforms and landscapes.

    We inevitably missed some studied species in our searches. For instance, we know that the tropics and subtropics are biodiversity hotspots, but fewer animal agents of landscape change were reported there. This is because research and resources have been concentrated in places like Europe, the US and Australia. Countless more species remain unreported or even undiscovered, especially smaller, less visible animals such as insects.

    Another consideration is that our energy estimates for livestock substantially exceeded wild animals due to their large body size and high abundance. Yet how livestock shapes the landscape depends on how the animals are farmed. Intensive farming of large livestock breeds can increase soil erosion and flood risk, while low-density regenerative farming can improve soil health.



    Read more:
    Beavers can help us adapt to climate change – here’s how

    Rewilding potential

    Nature loss is intrinsically linked with the climate crisis. Natural habitats such as forests and wetlands capture and store carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate climate change. They also help us to adapt to the impacts of climate change, by altering how quickly water moves through landscapes for example, which reduces the severity of floods and droughts.

    In rewilding projects around the world, free-roaming pigs, deer, ponies and cattle introduced as landscape engineers increase carbon storage by changing vegetation and soils and helping reduce flood risk downstream. Beavers create “emerald refuges” in wildfire-scorched landscapes by damming streams to create ponds and wetlands. Hippo trails lead to the creation of new river channels that direct water flow to different areas.

    Finding ways to harness the enormous energy potential of landscape-shaping animals could help simultaneously mitigate and adapt to climate change and boost biodiversity.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Gemma Harvey receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust (Leverhulme Research Fellowship Grant number RF-2022-
    2844) and UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NE/W007460/1 and NE/Y005163/1) and Defra/ Environment Agency (NEIRF2059)

    – ref. How animals shape the planet in surprising ways – https://theconversation.com/how-animals-shape-the-planet-in-surprising-ways-250701

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By James T. Stroud, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology

    After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild. Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.

    Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious Latin American pastries – fuel our team for another day of evolutionary detective work. Here we’re tracking evolution in real time, measuring natural selection as it happens in a community of Caribbean lizards.

    As an assistant professor of ecology and evolution at Georgia Tech, my journey with these remarkable reptiles has taken me far from my London roots. The warm, humid air of Miami feels natural now, a far cry from the gray, drizzly and lizard-free streets of my British upbringing.

    Our research takes place on a South Florida island roughly the size of an American football field – assuming we’re successful in sidestepping the American crocodiles that bask in the surrounding lake. We call it Lizard Island, and it’s a special place.

    Here, since 2015, we’ve been conducting evolutionary research on five species of remarkable lizards called anoles. By studying the anoles, our team is working to understand one of biology’s most fundamental questions: How does natural selection drive evolution in real time?

    Each May, coinciding with the start of the breeding season, we visit Lizard Island to capture, study and release all adult anoles – a population that fluctuates between 600 to 1,000. For the entire summer, female anoles lay a single egg every seven to 10 days. By October, a whole new generation has emerged.

    The anoles of Lizard Island, clockwise from top left: Cuban knight anole, Hispaniolan bark anole, American green anole, Cuban brown anole, Puerto Rican crested anole.
    Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.

    The secret lives of lizards

    Anoles aren’t early risers, so we don’t expect much activity until the Sun strengthens around 9:30 a.m.; this gives us time to prepare our equipment. Our team catches anoles with telescopic fishing poles fitted with little lassos, which we use to gently pluck the lizards off branches and tree trunks. Ask any lizard biologist about their preferred lasso material and you’ll spark the age-old debate: fishing line or dental floss? For what it’s worth, we recently converted – we’re now on Team Fishing Line.

    Picture yourself as an anole on Lizard Island. Your life is short – typically just one year – and filled with daily challenges. You need to warm up in the Sun, find enough food to survive, search for a mate, guard your favorite branch from other lizards and avoid being eaten by a predator.

    Like human beings, each lizard is unique. Some have longer legs, others stronger jaws, and all behave slightly differently. These differences could determine who survives and who doesn’t; who has the most babies and who doesn’t.

    These outcomes drive evolution by natural selection, the process where organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more. These advantageous traits are then passed on to future generations, gradually changing the species over time. However, scientists still have an incomplete understanding of exactly how each of these features predicts life’s winners and losers in the wild.

    To understand how species evolve, researchers need to crack open this black box of evolution and investigate natural selection in wild populations. My colleagues and I are doing this by studying the anoles in exquisite detail. Last year was especially exciting: We ran what we called the Lizard Olympics.

    Catching an anole with a lizard lasso. Look closely – the anole blends in quite well with the tree.
    Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.

    Tiny fishing poles

    As the morning heat builds, we spot our first lizards: Cuban brown anoles near to the ground, and the mottled scales of Hispaniolan bark anoles just above them. Further up, in the leafy tree canopies, are American green anoles, and the largest species, the Cuban knight anole, about the size of a newborn kitten.

    In 2018, a new challenger entered the arena – the Puerto Rican crested anole, a species already present in Miami but one that hadn’t yet made it to Lizard Island. Its arrival provided us with an unexpected opportunity to study how species may evolve in real time in response to a new neighbor.

    Catching these agile athletes requires patience and precision. With our modified fishing poles, we carefully loop the dental floss over their heads. Each capture site is marked with bright pink tape and a unique ID number; all lizards are then transported to our field laboratory just a short walk away.

    In the laboratory, Stroud weighs a green anole.
    Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.

    The Lizard Olympics

    Here, the real Olympic trials begin. Every athlete goes through a comprehensive evaluation. Our portable X-ray machine reveals their skeletal structure, and high-resolution scans capture the intricate details of their feet. This is particularly critical: Like their gecko cousins, anoles possess remarkable sticky toes that allow them to cling to smooth surfaces such as leaves and maybe even survive hurricanes.

    We also measure the shape and sharpness of their claws, as both features are crucial for these tree climbers. DNA samples provide a genetic fingerprint for each individual, allowing us to map family relationships across the island and see which is the most reproductively successful.

    A portable X-ray machine takes detailed measurements of a lizard’s skeleton.
    James Stroud

    The performance trials are where things get interesting. Imagine a tiny track meet for lizards. Using high-speed video cameras, we precisely test how fast each lizard runs, and using specialist equipment we measure how hard it bites and how strong it grips rough branches and smooth leaves.

    These aren’t arbitrary measurements – each represents a potential evolutionary advantage. Fast lizards might better escape predators. Strong bites might determine winners in territorial disputes. Excellent grip is crucial for tree canopy acrobatics.

    Each measurement helps us answer fundamental questions about evolution: Do faster lizards live longer? Do stronger biters produce more offspring? These are the essential metrics of evolution by natural selection.

    The identification code lets researchers track the lizard’s growth and survival.
    Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods.

    As afternoon approaches, the team relocates each piece of bright pink tape and returns the corresponding lizard to the exact branch it was caught on. The anoles now sport two tiny 3-millimeter tags with a unique code that lets us identify it when we recapture it in future research trips, along with a small dot of white nail polish so we know not to catch it immediately after we let it go.

    At 8:30 p.m., with the Lizard Olympics done for the day, we return to the island donning headlamps. Night brings a different perspective. Some of the most wily lizards are difficult to catch when fully charged by the midday Sun, so our nocturnal jaunts allow us to find them while they sleep. However, it’s often a race against time. Hungry lizard-eating corn snakes are also out hunting, trying to find the anoles before we do. As we wrap up another 16-hour day around 11:30 p.m., the team shares stories of the night.

    Should a snake climb along a branch where a baby anole sleeps, the lizard will wake up and drop to the ground to escape.
    James Stroud

    Evolution on the island

    Now spanning 10 years, 10 generations and five species, our Lizard Island dataset represents one of the longest-running active studies of its kind in evolutionary biology. By tracking which individuals survive and reproduce, and linking their success to specific physical traits and performance abilities, we’re documenting natural selection with unprecedented detail.

    So far we have uncovered two fascinating patterns. Initially, it didn’t pay to be different on Lizard Island. Anoles with very average shapes and sizes lived longer compared with those that are slightly different. But when the crested anoles arrived, everything changed: Suddenly, brown anoles with longer legs had a survival advantage.

    Anoles communicate with their dewlap, an expandable throat fan that signals other lizards.
    Jon Suh

    The Lizard Olympics is helping us understand why. The larger, more aggressive crested anoles are forcing brown anoles to spend more time on the ground, where those with longer legs might run faster to escape predators – allowing them to better survive and pass on their long-leg genes, while shorter-legged anoles might be eaten before they can reproduce.

    By watching natural selection unfold in response to environmental changes, rather than inferring it from fossil records, we’re providing cutting-edge evidence for evolutionary processes that Charles Darwin could only theorize about.

    These long days of observation are slowly revealing one of biology’s most fundamental processes. Every lizard we catch, every measurement we take adds another piece to our understanding of how species adapt and evolve in an ever-changing world.

    James T. Stroud does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work – https://theconversation.com/amid-a-tropical-paradise-known-as-lizard-island-researchers-are-cracking-open-evolutions-black-box-scientist-at-work-246474

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mae Reeves used showstopping hats to fuel voter engagement and Black entrepreneurship

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Reneé S. Anderson, Collections Manager, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution

    Mae Reeves and her husband, Joel, pose with her hats at Mae’s Millinery in Philadelphia, circa 1953.
     Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr., CC BY-NC-SA

    Lula “Mae” Reeves, one of the first Black women in Philly to own her own business, created one-of-a-kind and custom hats for celebrities, socialites, professionals and churchgoing women in downtown Philadelphia for over 50 years.

    She made hats for everyday wear, hats for special occasions, and magnificent “showstoppers,” as she called them. Her celebrity clients included Eartha Kitt, Marian Anderson, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and members of the du Pont and Annenberg families.

    A pink cartwheel-style hat with flowers from Mae’s Millinery.
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr., CC BY-NC-SA

    I am a museum specialist at the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution and an expert in costumes, textiles and millinery fashion.

    In 2009, I was called upon to visit Mae’s Millinery, her former store at 41 N. 60th St. in West Philadelphia, to help select objects for a new permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian that recreates Reeves’ shop and showcases some of her stunning designs.

    I also met Reeves in person for the first time that day at a nursing home in Darby, Pennsylvania. She was 96 years old.

    A few years later, I returned to Philadelphia to attend Reeves’s 100th birthday celebration. It was during that visit that I learned, to my surprise and intrigue, that Reeves had also used her millinery shop as a polling station.

    Mae Reeves, pictured in first row on right, poses with models wearing her designs.
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr., CC BY-NC-SA

    Black velvet turban on display

    During my first meeting with Reeves, she shared her memory of the first hat she created after she opened her 60th Street store, a beautifully decorated shop, in 1941. Her original millinery shop was at 1630 South St., and many of her famous clients followed her to the new location in West Philadelphia.

    Reeves recalled creating a black velvet turban that she placed in the window. A young woman walked by on her way home from work and was enthralled. The woman returned to try it on and, Reeves told me, visualized the impressive fashion statement she would make. She purchased the turban for about US$20 – roughly $430 in today’s dollars.

    To open her West Philly millinery store, Reeves had secured a $500 business loan in 1940 from the Citizens and Southern Bank and Trust. The Black-owned bank catered to Philadelphia’s African American community, as most white-owned banks refused to loan money to Black customers.

    Reeves was proud to tell me how she had secured the loan entirely on her own – with no co-signer – by maintaining a reputation of “good standing” and having sound business plans. She was also extremely proud that she “paid back all of the loan.”

    A business card for Mae’s Millinery in West Philadelphia.
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr., CC BY-NC-SA

    From millinery shop to polling station

    To transition her millinery shop to a polling station, Reeves told me that she and her second husband, Joel Reeves, who sold newspaper advertisements, would remove the beautiful furniture and decorative items to accommodate the polling machines.

    To get the word out about the designated polling station, the couple distributed handbills and hung posters throughout the neighborhood. Reeves offered plates of food to politicians who stopped by and cake to the voters. She wanted to create a safe and welcoming polling place while also emphasizing the importance that Black Philadelphians exercise their right to vote.

    Reeves was also a longtime member of the Freedom Day Association, a group formed in 1941 in Philadelphia to ensure younger African Americans understand the importance of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S; and the 15th Amendment, which prohibits denying any citizen’s right to vote on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

    The association was started by Maj. Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former U.S. Army paymaster, educator, politician, civil rights advocate and founder of the Citizens and Southern Bank – the bank that had offered May that $500 loan. Reeves admired Wright, who had been born into slavery, and considered him a close friend and business associate. She kept a copy of his portrait photo on display in her millinery shop.

    A turquoise turban-style hat with brooch made by Mae Reeves.
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture/Gift from Mae Reeves and her children Donna Limerick and William Mincey Jr., CC BY-NC-SA

    Barbecues and beach trips

    In March 2025, I spoke with Reeves’ daughter, Donna Limerick, by phone. She told me Reeves had been a member and president of the 60th Street Business Association, which promoted good business practices, shared marketing strategies and encouraged support for other businesses in the association.

    Reeves was also active in the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, a Black trade group sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women. The group’s purpose was to promote Black women in the fashion industry by developing their business skills and fostering collaboration and access to mainstream fashion. The Philadelphia chapter was formed in 1950.

    Despite her many professional and civic commitments, Reeves also took care of those closest to her. Limerick shared with me how her parents would take neighborhood kids to their summer home in Mizpah, New Jersey. They would ply the children with delicious homemade meals and desserts, organize regular barbecues and beach trips, and teach the kids to fish.

    Reeves passed away in 2016 at the age of 104. I hope her story encourages others – as it has encouraged me – to be brave enough to dream; to be diligent enough to actualize your dreams; to be mindful to support your community; to be a person of grace; and to be careful to always expect, seek and give joy.

    Read more of our stories about Philadelphia.

    Reneé S. Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Mae Reeves used showstopping hats to fuel voter engagement and Black entrepreneurship – https://theconversation.com/mae-reeves-used-showstopping-hats-to-fuel-voter-engagement-and-black-entrepreneurship-250735

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about − by dumping debris into the thriving midwater zone

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexus Cazares-Nuesser, Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Oceanography, University of Hawaii

    A cnidarian is attached to a dead sponge stalk on a manganese nodule in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Diva Amon and Craig Smith, University of Hawaii at Mānoa

    Picture an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet – where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure.

    This is the midwater zone, a hidden ecosystem that begins 650 feet (200 meters) below the ocean surface and sustains life across our planet. It includes the twilight zone and the midnight zone, where strange and delicate animals thrive in the near absence of sunlight. Whales and commercially valuable fish such as tuna rely on animals in this zone for food. But this unique ecosystem faces an unprecedented threat.

    As the demand for electric car batteries and smartphones grows, mining companies are turning their attention to the deep sea, where precious metals such as nickel and cobalt can be found in potato-size nodules sitting on the ocean floor.

    Images of marine life spotted in the midwater zone.
    Bucklin, et al., Marine Biology, 2021. Photos by R.R. Hopcroft and C. Clarke (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and L.P. Madin (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), CC BY, CC BY

    Deep-sea mining research and experiments over the past 40 years have shown how the removal of nodules can put seafloor creatures at risk by disrupting their habitats. However, the process can also pose a danger to what lives above it, in the midwater ecosystem. If future deep-sea mining operations release sediment plumes into the water column, as proposed, the debris could interfere with animals’ feeding, disrupt food webs and alter animals’ behaviors.

    As an oceanographer studying marine life in an area of the Pacific rich in these nodules, I believe that before countries and companies rush to mine, we need to understand the risks. Is humanity willing to risk collapsing parts of an ecosystem we barely understand for resources that are important for our future?

    Mining the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

    Beneath the Pacific Ocean southeast of Hawaii, a hidden treasure trove of polymetallic nodules can be found scattered across the seafloor. These nodules form as metals in seawater or sediment collect around a nucleus, such as a piece of shell or shark’s tooth. They grow at an incredibly slow rate of a few millimeters per million years. The nodules are rich in metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese – key ingredients for batteries, smartphones, wind turbines and military hardware.

    As demand for these technologies increases, mining companies are targeting this remote area, known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, as well as a few other zones with similar nodules around the world.

    A map shows mining targets in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, southeast of Hawaii, upper left. APEIs are protected areas.
    McQuaid KA, Attrill MJ, Clark MR, Cobley A, Glover AG, Smith CR and Howell KL, 2020, CC BY

    So far, only test mining has been carried out. However, plans for full-scale commercial mining are rapidly advancing.

    Exploratory deep-sea mining began in the 1970s, and the International Seabed Authority was established in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to regulate it. But it was not until 2022 that The Metals Company and Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. fully tested the first integrated nodule collection system in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

    The companies are now planning full-scale mining operations in the region and expect to submit their application to the ISA by June 27, 2025. The ISA will convene in July 2025 to discuss critical issues such as mining regulations, guidelines and benefit-sharing mechanisms.

    A visualization of a deep-sea mining operation shows two sediment plumes. Source: MIT Mechanical Engineering.

    The proposed mining process is invasive. Collector vehicles scrape along the ocean floor as they scoop up nodules and stir up sediments. This removes habitats used by marine organisms and threatens biodiversity, potentially causing irreversible damage to seafloor ecosystems. Once collected, the nodules are brought up with seawater and sediments through a pipe to a ship, where they’re separated from the waste.

    The leftover slurry of water, sediment and crushed nodules is then dumped back into the middle of the water column, creating plumes. While the discharge depth is still under discussion, some mining operators propose releasing the waste at midwater depths, around 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).

    However, there is a critical unknown: The ocean is dynamic, constantly shifting with currents, and scientists don’t fully understand how these mining plumes will behave once released into the midwater zone.

    These clouds of debris could disperse over large areas, potentially harming marine life and disrupting ecosystems. Picture a volcanic eruption – not of lava, but of fine, murky sediments expanding throughout the water column, affecting everything in its path.

    The midwater ecosystem at risk

    As an oceanographer studying zooplankton in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, I am concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining on this ecologically important midwater zone. This ecosystem is home to zooplankton – tiny animals that drift with ocean currents – and micronekton, which includes small fish, squid and crustaceans that rely on zooplankton for food.

    Sediment plumes in the water column could harm these animals. Fine sediments could clog respiratory structures in fish and feeding structures of filter feeders. For animals that feed on suspended particles, the plumes could dilute food resources with nutritionally poor material. Additionally, by blocking light, plumes might interfere with visual cues essential for bioluminescent organisms and visual predators.

    Manganese nodules can also be found on the seafloor off the southeastern United States.
    NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-Sea Exploration

    For delicate creatures such as jellyfish and siphonophores – gelatinous animals that can grow over 100 feet long – sediment accumulation can interfere with buoyancy and survival. A recent study found that jellies exposed to sediments increased their mucous production, a common stress response that is energetically expensive, and their expression of genes related to wound repair.

    Additionally, noise pollution from machinery can interfere with how species communicate and navigate.

    Disturbances like these have the potential to disrupt ecosystems, extending far beyond the discharge depth. Declines in zooplankton populations can harm fish and other marine animal populations that rely on them for food.

    Life in the deep sea has other values. Source: The Economist

    The midwater zone also plays a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate. Phytoplankton at the ocean’s surface capture atmospheric carbon, which zooplankton consume and transfer through the food chain. When zooplankton and fish respire, excrete waste, or sink after death, they contribute to carbon export to the deep ocean, where it can be sequestered for centuries. The process naturally removes planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

    More research is needed

    Despite growing interest in deep-sea mining, much of the deep ocean, particularly the midwater zone, remains poorly understood. A 2023 study in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone found that 88% to 92% of species in the region are new to science.

    Current mining regulations focus primarily on the seafloor, overlooking broader ecosystem impacts. The International Seabed Authority is preparing to make key decisions on future seabed mining in July 2025, including rules and guidelines relating to mining waste, discharge depths and environmental protection.

    A map shows areas with nodules being considered for exploration and mining. Source: International Seabed Authority

    These decisions could set the framework for large-scale commercial mining in ecologically important areas such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Yet the consequences for marine life are not clear. Without comprehensive studies on the impact of seafloor mining techniques, the world risks making irreversible choices that could harm these fragile ecosystems.

    Alexus Cazares-Nuesser receives funding from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Past research received funding from The Metals Company Inc. through its subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc.

    – ref. Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about − by dumping debris into the thriving midwater zone – https://theconversation.com/deep-sea-mining-threatens-sea-life-in-a-way-no-one-is-thinking-about-by-dumping-debris-into-the-thriving-midwater-zone-247690

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Engineering students explore how to ethically design and locate nuclear facilities in this college course

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Aditi Verma, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan

    While nuclear power can reap enormous benefits, it also comes with some risks. Michel Gounot/GODONG/Stone via Getty Images

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    Socially Engaged Design of Nuclear Energy Technologies

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    The two of us had some experience with participatory design coming into this course, and we had a shared interest in bringing virtual reality into a first-year design class at the University of Michigan.

    It seemed like a good fit to help students learn about nuclear technologies, given that hands-on experience can be difficult to provide in that context. We both wanted to teach students about the social and environmental implications of engineering work, too.

    Aditi is a nuclear engineer and had been using participatory design in her research, and Katie had been teaching ethics and design to engineering students for many years.

    What does the course explore?

    Broadly, the course explores engineering design. We introduce our students to the principles of nuclear engineering and energy systems design, and we go through ethical concerns. They also learn communication strategies – like writing for different audiences.

    Students learn to design the exterior features of nuclear energy facilities in collaboration with local communities. The course focuses on a different nuclear energy technology each year.

    In the first year, the focus was on fusion energy systems. In fall 2024, we looked at locating nuclear microreactors near local communities.

    The main project was to collaboratively decide where a microreactor might be sited, what it might look like, and what outcomes the community would like to see versus which would cause concern.

    Students also think about designing nuclear systems with both future generations and a shared common good in mind.

    The class explores engineering as a sociotechnical practice – meaning that technologies are not neutral. They shape and affect social life, for better and for worse. To us, a sociotechnical engineer is someone who adheres to scientific and engineering fundamentals, communicates ethically and designs in collaboration with the people who are likely to be affected by their work.

    In class, we help our students reflect on these challenges and responsibilities.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    Nuclear energy system design is advancing quickly, allowing engineers to rethink how they approach design. Fusion energy systems and fission microreactors are two areas of rapidly evolving innovation.

    Microreactors are smaller than traditional nuclear energy systems, so planners can place them closer to communities. These smaller reactors will likely be safer to run and operate, and may be a good fit for rural communities looking to transition to carbon-neutral energy systems.

    But for the needs, concerns and knowledge of local people to shape the design process, local communities need to be involved in these reactor siting and design conversations.

    Students in the course explore nuclear facilities in virtual reality.
    Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    What materials does the course feature?

    We use virtual reality models of both fission and fusion reactors, along with models of energy system facilities. AI image generators are helpful for rapid prototyping – we have used these in class with students and in workshops.

    This year, we are also inviting students to do some hands-on prototyping with scrap materials for a project on nuclear energy systems.

    What will the course prepare students to do?

    Students leave the course understanding that community engagement is an essential – not optional – component of good design. We equip students to approach technology use and development with users’ needs and concerns in mind.

    Specifically, they learn how to engage with and observe communities using ethical, respectful methods that align with the university’s engineering research standards.

    What’s a critical lesson from the course?

    As instructors, we have an opportunity – and probably also an obligation – to learn from students as much as we are teaching them course content. Gen Z students have grown up with environmental and social concerns as centerpieces of their media diets, and we’ve noticed that they tend to be more strongly invested in these topics than previous generations of engineering students.

    Aditi Verma receives funding from the Department of Energy. She is a board member for Good Energy Collective.

    Katie Snyder does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Engineering students explore how to ethically design and locate nuclear facilities in this college course – https://theconversation.com/engineering-students-explore-how-to-ethically-design-and-locate-nuclear-facilities-in-this-college-course-248636

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The solution to workplace isolation might be in the gap − the generation gap

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Megan Gerhardt, Professor of Management, Farmer School of Business, Miami University

    The potential for friendships and mentorships between colleagues in different stages of life are often overlooked. OwenPrice/E+ via Getty Images

    Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the United States finds itself in the midst of another public health crisis. This particular pandemic is a psychological one: widespread loneliness and isolation.

    About half of adults in the U.S. report feeling lonely – what former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has characterized as an epidemic. The increase in social isolation has extensive costs for “schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished,” he wrote in 2023.

    As a business school professor who studies intergenerational relationships, I believe that our workplaces hold untapped potential for alleviating isolation. When colleagues do form friendships at work, they often gravitate toward people their own age. But fostering meaningful connections across generational lines can benefit not just organizations, but workers’ own sense of purpose and mental health.

    Working solo

    The COVID-19 pandemic affected all ages differently. Prior to 2020, it seemed that younger generations were leading a strong push away from working in the office. Once many Americans were working remotely, however, Generation Z – those born 1997-2012 – reported the highest levels of loneliness.

    Remote work may be common for Gen Z, but that doesn’t mean they prefer it.
    Fiordaliso/Moment via Getty Images

    The problem, I’d argue, is how organizations’ early questions about working through the pandemic centered on efficiency. Was it possible do our jobs remotely? Would we be as productive? Was remote work viable long term? For many jobs, the answer was yes, resulting in persistent work-from-home options even after it became physically safe to return to offices.

    Yet companies overlooked crucial elements that contribute to employees’ commitment and well-being, particularly strong relationships between colleagues. These factors are especially vital during early career years as young workers establish networks, learn their roles and develop professional identities – all considerably more challenging in remote or hybrid environments.

    Just 31% of U.S. employees feel engaged on the job, according to January 2025 data from Gallup – a 10-year low. Only 39% of employees strongly feel that someone at work cares about them as a person, and only 30% strongly agree that someone cares about their development.

    Workers under 35, especially members of Gen Z, experienced a more significant decline in engagement than other age groups, dropping 5 points compared with the previous year.

    5 generations

    Since hybrid and remote work appear to be here to stay, we need innovative solutions to combat disconnectedness. One overlooked opportunity might lie in a demographic reality that many organizations view as a challenge.

    Today, there are five generations in the workplace, more than any other time in history. This increase in diversity is primarily due to older workers remaining in the workforce longer than in the past, whether because of economic necessity or increased longevity and health.

    In 2024, 18% of the U.S. workforce belonged to Gen Z. They’ve surpassed the baby boomers, born 1946-1964, who make up 15%. Gen X, meanwhile – the generation born 1965-1980 – comprise 31%. The largest group are millennials, born 1981-1996, who represent 36% of workers. Finally, 1% of the workforce belong to the Silent Generation, born 1928-1945.

    While such age diversity presents challenges, it also holds unique potential.

    The importance of workplace friendships is well documented. Research has found positive workplace relationships are beneficial to teamwork, career development and building a sense of community, and they help employees find more meaning in their work. Workplace friendships can help offset job stress and exhaustion and contribute to mental health. The benefits of such relationships can reach beyond the workplace, increasing overall well-being.

    However, these friendships rarely cross generational lines. A phenomenon known as “age similarity preference” often causes us to gravitate toward people similar in age, including among our co-workers. This broader tendency to connect with people we deem most similar to ourselves is well documented, and age can be a particularly visible sign of surface-level difference – one that leads people to assume, often incorrectly, that they hold similar views.

    Employees talk in the cafeteria of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in 2023.
    Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    While natural, this tendency limits interactions and relationships,
    leading to higher levels of conflict. Not only do intergenerational connections at work bring professional benefits, but they can combat isolation.

    For example, relationships with colleagues from different generations tend to have fewer feelings of competition and pressure, as they likely occupy different life and career stages. An older colleague who has navigated office politics or balanced raising young children with career demands can provide valuable advice and support to co-workers facing these challenges for the first time.

    Forming intergenerational friendships can help break down negative stereotypes about people who are older or younger by revealing areas of common interest.

    Beyond Gen Z

    The benefits of these relationships extend beyond younger generations, especially given how widespread post-pandemic loneliness is.

    Cross-generational relationships don’t just magically happen – companies can help foster them.
    Tempura/E+ via Getty Images

    Adults in mid-to-late career stages – Gen Xers and baby boomers – are in their prime years for “generativity”: the life stage when people are most likely to be motivated to share knowledge and expertise, preparing the next generation for success. Generativity leads to benefits for the mentors too, such as higher self-esteem.

    People of all ages benefit from meaningful intergenerational relationships, but it takes an effort to create them. Employers can help by setting up opportunities to connect. For example, a mutual mentoring program can be a fantastic way to encourage not only learning, but unexpected friendships as well.

    Jonna, a Gen Xer I met through my generational consulting work, sought out a Gen Z mentor at her office and was grateful for her insight, as well as the chance to give advice. “I like to believe I am someone with a growth mindset and in touch with current realities, but I quickly learned that Hannah had perspectives on many things that stretched me and my thinking,” she said. “Our partnership has helped me approach every situation with curiosity instead of judgment.”

    Hannah, her mentor-mentee, found the partnership just as beneficial. The experience was “a reminder that regardless of age, we all have something to contribute, and bridging generational gaps can lead to innovative solutions and a richer understanding of the world.”

    Reaching out to colleagues who are significantly older or younger might seem unexpected. But it may also build a more connected, resilient workforce, where wisdom and innovation flow freely across generational divides.

    Megan Gerhardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The solution to workplace isolation might be in the gap − the generation gap – https://theconversation.com/the-solution-to-workplace-isolation-might-be-in-the-gap-the-generation-gap-250571

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s desire to ‘un-unite’ Russia and China is unlikely to work – in fact, it could well backfire

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

    Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Getty Images

    Is the U.S. angling for a repeat of the Sino-Russian split?

    In an Oct. 31, 2024, interview with right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson, President Donald Trump argued that the United States under Joe Biden had, in his mind erroneously, pushed China and Russia together. Separating the two powers would be a priority of his administration. “I’m going to have to un-unite them, and I think I can do that, too,” Trump said.

    Since returning to the White House, Trump has been eager to negotiate with Russia, hoping to quickly bring an end to the war in Ukraine. One interpretation of this Ukraine policy is that it serves what Trump was getting at in his comments to Carlson. Pulling the U.S. out of the European conflict and repairing ties with Russia, even if it means throwing Ukraine under the bus, can be seen within the context of a shift of America’s attention to containing Chinese power.

    Indeed, after a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump told Fox News: “As a student of history, which I am – and I’ve watched it all – the first thing you learn is you don’t want Russia and China to get together.”

    The history Trump alludes to is the strategy of the Nixon era, in which the U.S. sought to align with China as a counterbalance to the Soviet Union, encouraging a split between the two communist entities in the process.

    Yet if creating a fissure between Moscow and Beijing is indeed the ultimate aim, Trump’s vision is, I believe, both naive and shortsighted. Not only is Russia unlikely to abandon its relationship with China, but many in Beijing view Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war –- and his foreign policy more broadly – as a projection of weakness, not strength.

    A growing challenge

    Although Russia and China have at various times in the past been adversaries when it suited their interests, today’s geopolitical landscape is different from the Cold War era in which the Sino-Soviet split occurred. The two countries, whose relationship has grown steadily close since the fall of the Soviet Union，have increasingly shared major strategic goals – chief among them, challenging the Western liberal order led by the U.S.

    Soviet soldiers keep watch on the Chinese-Soviet border during a monthslong conflict in 1969.
    Keystone/Getty Images

    Both China and Russia have, in recent years, adopted an increasingly assertive stance in projecting military strength: China in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, and Russia in former Soviet satellite states, including Ukraine.

    In response, a unified stance formed by Western governments to counter China and Russia’s challenge has merely pushed the two countries closer together.

    Besties forever?

    In February 2022, just as Russia was preparing its invasion of Ukraine, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping announced a “friendship without limits” – in a show of unified intent against the West.

    China has since become an indispensable partner for Russia, serving as its top trading partner for both imports and exports. In 2024, bilateral trade between China and Russia reached a record high of US$237 billion, and Russia now relies heavily on China as a key buyer of its oil and gas. This growing economic interdependence gives China considerable leverage over Russia and makes any U.S. attempt to pull Moscow away from Beijing economically unrealistic.

    That doesn’t mean the Russian-Chinese relationship is inviolable; areas of disagreement and divergent policy remain.

    Indeed, there are areas that Trump could exploit if he were to succeed in driving a wedge between the two countries. For example, it could serve Russia’s interests to support U.S. efforts to contain China and discourage any expansionist tendencies in Beijing – such as through Moscow’s strategic ties with India, which China views with some alarm – especially given that there are still disputed territories along the Chinese-Russian border.

    Putin know who his real friends are

    Putin isn’t naive. He knows that with Trump in office, the deep-seated Western consensus against Russia – including a robust, if leaky, economic sanctions regime – isn’t going away anytime soon. In Trump’s first term, the U.S. president likewise appeared to be cozying up to Putin, but there is an argument that he was even tougher on Russia, in terms of sanctions, than the administrations of Barack Obama or Joe Biden.

    So, while Putin would likely gladly accept a Trump-brokered peace deal that sacrifices Ukraine’s interests in favor of Russia, that doesn’t mean he would be rushing to embrace some kind of broader call to unite against China. Putin will know the extent to which Russia is now reliant economically on China, and subservient to it militarily. In the words of one Russian analyst, Moscow is now a “vassal” or, at best, a junior partner to Beijing.

    Transactional weakness

    China for its part views Trump’s peace talks with Russia and Ukraine as a sign of weakness that potentially undermines U.S. hawkishness toward China.

    While some members of the U.S. administration are undoubtedly hawkish on China – Secretary of State Marco Rubio views the country as the “most potent and dangerous” threat to American prosperity – Trump himself has been more ambivalent. He may have slapped new tariffs on China as part of a renewed trade war, but he has also mulled a meeting with President Xi Jinping in an apparent overture.

    Beijing recognizes Trump’s transactional mindset, which prioritizes short-term, tangible benefits over more predictable long-term strategic interests requiring sustained investment.

    This changes the calculation over whether the U.S. may be unwilling to bear the high costs of defending Taiwan. Trump, in a deviation from his predecessor, has failed to commit the country to defending Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing.

    Rather, Trump had indicated that if the Chinese government were to launch a military campaign to “reunify” Taiwan, he would opt instead for economic measures like tariffs and sanctions. His apparent openness to trade Ukraine territory for peace now has made some in Taiwan concerned over Washington’s commitment to long-established international norms.

    Insulating the economy

    China has taken another key lesson from Russia’s experience in Ukraine: The U.S.-led economic sanctions regime has serious limits.

    Even under sweeping Western sanctions, Russia was able to stay afloat through subterfuge and with support from allies like China and North Korea. Moreover, China remains far more economically intertwined with the West than Russia, and its relatively dominant global economic position means that it has significant leverage to combat any U.S.-led efforts to isolate the country economically.

    Indeed, as geopolitical tensions have driven the West to gradually decouple from China in recent years, Beijing has adapted to the resulting economic slowdown by prioritizing domestic consumption and making the economy more self-reliant in key sectors.

    A souvenir shopkeeper displays Matryoshka dolls featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
    Misha Friedman/Getty Images

    That in part also reflects China’s significant global economic and cultural strength. Coupled with this has been a domestic push to win countries in the Global South around to China’s position. Beijing has secured endorsements from 70 countries officially recognizing Taiwan as part of China.

    China’s turn to exploit a split?

    As such, Trump’s plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war by favoring Russia in the hope of drawing it into an anti-China coalition is, I believe, likely to backfire.

    While Russia may itself harbor concerns about China’s growing power, the two country’s shared strategic goal of challenging the Western-led international order — and Russia’s deep economic dependence on China — make any U.S. attempt to pull Moscow away from Beijing unrealistic.

    Moreover, Trump’s approach exposes vulnerabilities that China could exploit. His transactional and isolationist foreign policy, along with his encouragement of right-wing parties in Europe, may strain relations with European Union allies and weaken trust in American security commitments. Beijing, in turn, may view this as a sign of declining U.S. influence, giving China more room to maneuver, noticeably in regard to Taiwan.

    Rather than increasing the chances of a Sino-Russia split, such a shift could instead divide an already fragile Western coalition.

    Linggong Kong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trump’s desire to ‘un-unite’ Russia and China is unlikely to work – in fact, it could well backfire – https://theconversation.com/trumps-desire-to-un-unite-russia-and-china-is-unlikely-to-work-in-fact-it-could-well-backfire-252243

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump is not a king – but that doesn’t stop him from reveling in his job’s most ceremonial and exciting parts

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shannon Bow O’Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

    President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Heads of state are the symbolic leader of a country. Some of them, like King Charles III of the United Kingdom, carry out largely ceremonial roles these days. Others, like Saudi Arabian King Salman, are absolute monarchs and involved in governing the country’s day-to-day activities and policies. It also means that the Saudi monarch gets to do whatever he wants without much consequence from others.

    In the United States, the president is both the head of state and head of government. The head of government works with legislators and meets with other world leaders to negotiate agreements and navigate conflicts, among other responsibilities.

    Some presidents, like Jimmy Carter, got so bogged down in the specifics that the nighttime comedy show “Saturday Night Live” made fun of it in 1977. “SNL” spoofed Carter responding in extreme, mundane detail to a question about fixing a post office’s letter sorting machines.

    As a political scientist who studies American presidents, I see that President Donald Trump loves the power and prestige that comes with being head of state, but does not seem to particularly enjoy the responsibility of being head of government.

    Trump rarely talks about the often-tedious process of governing, and instead acts with governance by decree by signing a flurry of executive orders to avoid working with other parts of the government. He has also likened himself to a king, writing on Feb. 19, 2025, “Long Live the King!”

    As much as Trump loves hosting sports teams and talking about paving over the White House’s rose garden in a remodeling project, he seems to begrudgingly accept the role of head of government.

    President Donald Trump is driven around the track prior to the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Feb. 16, 2025.
    Chris Graythen/Getty Images

    ‘You have to be thankful’

    Trump revels in social events where he is heralded as the most important person in the room. On Feb. 9, 2025, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. A week later, he attended the Daytona 500 at Daytona Beach, Florida, where his limousine led drivers in completing a ceremonial lap.

    Trump’s preference for serving as head of state and not head of government was on full display during his now infamous Feb. 28, 2025, White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    In the televised Oval Office meeting, Trump repeatedly told Zelenskyy, “You have to be thankful.”

    Trump was demanding deference from Zelenskyy to show his inferior and submissive position as a recipient of U.S. aid and military support. These are mannerisms of absolute kings, not elected officials.

    Governing through executive orders

    The beginning of Trump’s second term in office has been filled with announcements of changes – mostly through executive actions. The Trump administration has ordered the Pentagon to stop cyber operations against Russia and fired hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The administration has also closed the Social Security Administration’s civil rights office and, among many other things, named the president chair of the Kennedy Center, a performance arts venue in Washington.

    Trump has enacted policy changes almost exclusively through executive orders, instead of working with Congress on legislation.

    Executive orders do not have to be negotiated with the legislative branch and can be written by a small team of advisers and approved by presidents. Within the first six weeks, Trump has signed more than 90 executive orders. By comparison, former President Joe Biden signed 162 executive orders during his four years in office.

    Many of Trump’s executive orders are being challenged in court, and some have been found to likely not be constitutional.

    More importantly, Trump’s successor can turn executive orders into confetti in an instant, simply with a signature. Trump himself has signed at least two executive orders that rescind over 60 previous executive orders, mostly signed by Biden.

    The fact that Trump has removed almost all of Biden’s executive orders highlights how the orders can create change for a moment, or a few years. But when it comes to long-term policy change, congressional action is needed.

    President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders at the White House on March 6, 2025.
    Alex Wong/Getty Images

    Trump gets bored

    Early in Trump’s first term in 2017, the administration planned themed weeks called “Made in America” and “American Heroes,” for example, to emphasize changes it intended to pursue.

    Trump’s staff launched, stopped and then relaunched a themed infrastructure week seven times in 2019. This happened after Trump repeatedly derailed infrastructure events to focus on a more interesting event or topic, ranging from defending his comments that seemed to suggest support for white supremacists to discussing the reboot of Roseanne Barr’s sitcom.

    In his second term, Trump has farmed out many head of government tasks to other people, notably billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the new so-called Department of Government Efficiency. By mid-February 2025, Trump gave Musk, who holds the title of special government employee, oversight for hiring decisions at every governmental agency.

    But as DOGE has initiated widespread cuts at different government agencies and offices in an effort to trim government waste, Musk has reportedly clashed with Trump’s cabinet members. This includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as other independent agencies funded by Congress.

    Government agencies, funding recipients and others are pushing back against the cuts and at times are succeeding in getting court rulings that halt the dismissal of government workers, or reinstate other workers at their jobs.
    Trump also seems to have abdicated most responsibility of bureaucracy to others by allowing Musk’s team unprecedented access to sensitive government programs and documents that include people’s personal information.

    Absolute kings, queens, emperors and dictators are heads of state who demand obedience because they hold the nation in their grip.

    Presidents from elected democracies may, as in the case of the U.S., have a ceremonial aspect to the job, but it is only a part of it. The people democratically elect American presidents to serve everyone and provide the best government possible.

    Shannon Bow O’Brien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trump is not a king – but that doesn’t stop him from reveling in his job’s most ceremonial and exciting parts – https://theconversation.com/trump-is-not-a-king-but-that-doesnt-stop-him-from-reveling-in-his-jobs-most-ceremonial-and-exciting-parts-251445

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Amid U.S. threats, Canada’s national security plans must include training in non-violent resistance

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Richard Sandbrook, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto

    Canadians are currently learning tough lessons about national security thanks to United States President Donald Trump’s repeated annexation threats.

    It’s clear that American proclamations of support for universal human rights, national sovereignty and a rules-based international order can vanish with a change of leadership. These ideals, though tarnished by some past U.S. actions, have now been replaced by the predatory dictum known as “might makes right.”

    Although it seems unthinkable that Trump will invade Canada, we live in an increasingly unstable world and Canadians need to be prepared for the worst. In the midst of a federal election campaign, party leaders need to present innovative ideas to fight Trump and potential American aggression.



    Read more:
    An American military invasion of Canada? No longer unthinkable, but highly unlikely

    More than military defence

    Unfortunately, the common assumption is that national security depends wholly on military strength and alliances. But the emergency Canada is now facing demands a rethink.

    Of course, Canada would not dispense with its military. It’s needed, especially to defend Canada’s northern frontier. However, Canada cannot match the U.S. in military power, nor would anything be achieved if it broke its commitments to the United Nations’ Non-Proliferation Treaty — a pact designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons — by acquiring nukes.

    Either of these tactics would be suicidal. Canada’s real strength is its unity and institutions.

    Canadians can paralyze military might through civil, non-violent resistance. Familiarity with these techniques could empower Canadian citizens to preserve a vibrant democracy.

    Non-violent resistance can not only a more effective defence, but also much less devastating in terms of lives lost and property destroyed. Responding to an invasion with military force would only mean widespread casualties and the destruction of Canada’s largest cities.

    Canada should therefore aim to subvert the will of the occupying force, not drive it, through armed defence, to fear, hatred and further violence.

    What is civil defence?

    Non-violent resistance involves using a country’s citizens and institutions to deter an invasion, and if that fails, to defeat and drive out the invaders. It has a long history both as a spiritual practice and a strategic weapon.

    Civil defence, however, only emerged as a strategic concept in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a system of deterrence and defence that relies on a united and resolute citizenry employing only non-violent tactics.

    An early American proponent was the Albert Einstein Institution’s Gene Sharp, an American political scientist. Recent advocates from around the world — Srdja Popovic, Erica Chenoworth and Michael Beer — follow in Sharp’s footsteps.

    Civil defence is not merely a theory. There is a long history of improvised civilian resistance to invasions, most recently in Ukraine.

    Ukrainians undertook many inspirational acts of non-violent resistance following the Russian invasion in 2022. They blocked tanks and convoys, berated or cajoled Russian soldiers to undermine their resolve, gave the wrong directions to Russian convoys, refused to co-operate and mounted spontaneous protests in occupied towns. But then the bloody carnage on both sides overwhelmed civilian defence.

    Countries that include Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Germany and Lithuania have institutionalized civil defence at various times. In Canada, civil defence was part of the mandate of Public Safety Canada during the Cold War. The idea then faded, being replaced by emergency management.

    Public Safety Canada protected Canadians from both human-made and natural disasters. The agency, now the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness of Canada, should be resuscitated. The toll being exacted by climate disasters is reason enough.

    Making Canada ungovernable

    Non-violent resistance involves determined citizens deterring an aggressor by signalling that the targeted country is united in opposition to a takeover.

    A potential aggressor fears contagion from the democratic ethos of these citizens. If invaded, the civilians defeat the invaders by rendering their society ungovernable by the aggressor.

    When the Warsaw Pact army invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring” in 1968, the commanders soon learned that tanks and heavily armed soldiers were useless against unarmed civilians who refused to comply. The country was unruleable. Soviet troops were also infected with the democratic spirit and had to be rotated out of the country. It took several months and concessions from the Soviet Union before order could be restored.

    The invader cannot consolidate control if citizens and their institutions refuse to comply with its rule. The tactics involve a complete refusal to co-operate with the occupying force along with open defiance.

    That means that governments at all levels in the invaded nation continue to supply only basic services: clean water, electricity and policing, for example. Governments resign and civil servants find ways to subvert every order issued by the invader.

    Crowds fill urban squares in silent or derisory defiance of orders, making it apparent to all — the occupiers, the dictator’s audience back home, less committed citizens and global observers — who are the true purveyors of violence against non-violent people

    Throughout the occupation, citizens and non-governmental organizations focus on subverting the loyalty and morale of the occupying troops and functionaries and rallying international support.

    In Canada’s case, the long history of friendship with Americans would likely mean that the morale of the occupiers would be low. The aim is to encourage defections by soldiers and functionaries, and erode the support base of the dictator. This erosion of support could lead to the overthrow of the leader, or at least to his concoction of a compromise to cover a retreat.

    Attracting international support to Canada’s cause would not be a challenge. Trump has already alienated most of humankind and foreign governments during his first weeks in office.

    Obstacles

    Non-violent resistance is most effective with nation-wide training, organization and leadership. The national government is best equipped to provide the facilities. Training of volunteers could include responding to natural disasters and emergencies, as well as implementing a civil defence strategy.

    Yet partisan divides and apathy make such nationwide training difficult. It would likely be viewed with suspicion by right-wing populist forces in this era of conspiracy theories and misinformation.



    Read more:
    How conspiracy theories polarize society and provoke violence

    Apathy might also be a problem.

    These considerations suggest that top-down, apolitical training in civilian defence may not work. If so, training and organization should be the goal of as many existing civil society associations as possible: churches, synagogues, temples, civil rights groups, unions, Indigenous rights organizations, peace advocates and climate groups, for example.

    The manual authored by Michael Beer, the longtime director of the Nonviolence International non-governmental organization, includes more than 300 tactics. Widespread training and organization can not only deter aggression but ensure countries remain free of tyrants.

    Canada’s leverage

    Amid the ongoing threats against Canadian sovereignty, Canada is an ideal candidate for effective civil defence. Although it might be unlikely Trump will order a military invasion of Canada, a united country capable of non-violent resistance decreases the risk.

    Canada cannot match the U.S. in firepower or economic strength. But it shares with America a language, a history of common struggles, myriad cross-border personal relationships and basic democratic values still considered important by many Americans, if not Trump.

    All of these factors give Canada considerable leverage.

    Richard Sandbrook is Vice-President of Science for Peace, a registered charity.

    – ref. Amid U.S. threats, Canada’s national security plans must include training in non-violent resistance – https://theconversation.com/amid-u-s-threats-canadas-national-security-plans-must-include-training-in-non-violent-resistance-252451

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Polarisation: poor countries disagree over the economy, richer countries on social issues – new findings

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Francesco Rigoli, Reader in Psychology, City St George’s, University of London

    Shutterstock/Lightspring

    It is hard nowadays to find topics on which people agree. Ironically, though, all agree on one point: that disagreement has reached peak levels. People are united in recognising that society has become polarised.

    Why has this happened? In a new study, I examined which characteristics of a country fuel polarisation – and whether economics is a factor. I found that poorer countries such as Ethiopia, Myanmar, Guatemala and Zimbabwe are indeed usually more polarised than richer countries. In fact, the poorer the nation, the greater the division on attitudes towards the economy, gender equality and immigration.

    This helps explain why poorer countries are also more vulnerable to revolutions and civil wars. They are more divided and slide more easily into actual armed conflict. It is not a coincidence that communist revolutions, which are often sparked by economic polarisation, have never occurred in rich countries, but in those at an early stage of industrialisation – think of Russia in 1917, China in 1949 and Ethiopia in 1974.

    However, people in rich countries such as France, Germany and the US report more polarised opinions on abortion, divorce, suicide and homosexuality. It is social norms, rather than economic views, that divide. Anyone who has paid attention to the culture wars raging in the west can attest to this. Think of the anti-abortion stance of evangelical Christians in the US and to the traditional family cherished by European parties like the Alternative for Germany and Brothers of Italy, and compare them with the growing importance of LGBTQ issues among liberals in the west.

    Why are rich countries more polarised on social customs? The study shows that people in poor countries have conservative views on these issues – for example, claiming that abortion and divorce are never justified. There is little margin for disagreement in these countries as far as social norms are concerned. By contrast, opinion on social norms in rich countries is split between liberals and conservatives. Conformity pressures are weak on these topics, boosting polarisation.

    Education may also play a role. I found that poorly educated people prefer redistribution and state intervention in the economy more than the highly educated. This divergence is greater in poor countries, partially explaining why attitudes on the economy are more polarised in poor countries.

    Meanwhile, my study found that highly educated people profess more liberal opinions on social norms than the poorly educated, but the divergence is greater in richer countries. In other words, in poor countries education is more divisive on economic attitudes, while in rich countries it is more divisive on social norms.

    Inequality and polarisation

    A 2021 study found that polarisation is higher in countries where the income distribution is more unequal. Interestingly, this applies across various domains, including opinions about the economy, immigration and social norms. This adds another important layer to the picture. It suggests that the increase in polarisation is linked to the increase in economic inequality over the past few decades.

    Wealthier nations polarise along social lines.
    norbu gyachung/unsplash

    Some researchers predict that, as people get richer, polarisation over social norms is destined to fade in the west. In their view, the west is polarised because the population is gradually shifting from a conservative to a liberal stance on social customs. In this view, our current polarisation is essentially an epochal shift. Economic prosperity, the argument goes, will ultimately lead western societies to converge to liberal views, deflating polarisation.

    There are two reasons to be cautious about such an assessment. First, the multiple crises faced today by the world, and by the west in particular, may stunt economic prosperity, implying that people may continue to be divided on social norms rather than converging on liberal views.

    Second, there is no evidence that economic inequality is going down in the west, and as the research shows, this is not a promising sign in terms of decreasing polarisation. So, citizens of western countries better get used to culture wars for the foreseeable future.

    Francesco Rigoli does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Polarisation: poor countries disagree over the economy, richer countries on social issues – new findings – https://theconversation.com/polarisation-poor-countries-disagree-over-the-economy-richer-countries-on-social-issues-new-findings-252552

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese government bids for votes with ‘top-up’ tax cuts for all

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Tax cuts are the centrepiece of the Albanese government’s cost-of-living budget bid for re-election in May. The surprise tax measures mean taxpayers will receive an extra tax cut of up to A$268 from July 1 next year and up to $536 every year from July 1 2027.

    Delivering his fourth budget on Tuesday night, Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the tax relief as “modest”. It will cost the budget $3 billion in 2026-27, $6.7 billion in 2027-28 and just over $17 billion over the forward estimates.

    From July 1 2026 the 16% tax rate – which applies to taxable income between $18,201 and $45,000 – will be reduced to 15%. From July 1 2027, this will be further reduced to 14%.

    While cost of living is at the heart of the budget, apart from the tax changes, almost all the other measures have been announced. These include about $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare (mostly to boost bulk billing) and $150 per household to extend energy relief until the end of the year. The government has also previously announced measures on cheaper medicines and improved access to childcare.

    The opposition has so far refused to say what a Coalition government would do on tax. It will now be under pressure to quickly produce a counter tax policy for the election, which is likely to be called this weekend.

    Chalmers presented a cautiously optimistic picture on the economy, while stressing the uncertain international times ahead.

    “Our economy is turning the corner,” he said. “This budget is our plan for a new generation of prosperity in a new world of uncertainty.”

    “It’s a plan to help finish the fight against inflation [and] rebuild living standards.”



    Read more:
    A ‘modest’ tax bribe, delivered against dark clouds of Trump-induced uncertainty

    After delivering two budget surpluses, this budget has deficits for the foreseeable future.

    This financial year’s deficit is estimated at $27.6 billion, rising to $42.1 billion in 2025-26 (in the December 2024 update it was expected to be $46.9 billion). The cumulative deficits across the forward estimates reach $179.5 billion.

    The budget predicts 335,000 in net migration in 2024-25, which is a fall of 100,000 from the previous year. It projects 260,000 for 2025-26.

    Chalmers described the global economy as “volatile and unpredictable” with “storm clouds” gathering. “Trade disruptions are rising China’s growth is slowing, war is still raging in Europe and a ceasefire in the Middle East is breaking down,” he told parliament.

    “Treasury expects the global economy to grow 3.25% for the next three years, its slowest since the 1990s. It’s already forecasting the two biggest economies in the world will slow next year – with risks weighing more heavily on both,” he said.

    Chalmers said Australia was “neither uniquely impacted nor immune” from the international pressures. “But we are among the best placed to navigate them.”

    Australia’s economic growth is forecast to increase from 1.5% this financial year to 2.5% in 2026-27, with the private sector “resuming its rightful place as the main driver of this growth.”



    Read more:
    The 2025 budget has few savings and surprises but it also ignores climate change

    Unemployment is projected to peak at 4.25%, lower than previously anticipated. Employment and real wage growth will be stronger and inflation was coming down faster, Chalmers said.

    “Treasury now expects inflation to be sustainably back in the [2%-3%] target band six months earlier than anticipated,” he said. “The worst is now behind us and the economy is heading in the right direction.”

    Chalmers told his Tuesday afternoon conference the budget is a “story of Australian exceptionalism”.

    He called the tax cuts “top up tax cuts” that built on the recalibrated stage 3 tax cuts. He claimed the average household with two earners would save $15,000 over four years through a combination of all these tax cuts and energy bill relief.



    Read more:
    Tax cuts are coming, but not soon, in a cautious budget

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Albanese government bids for votes with ‘top-up’ tax cuts for all – https://theconversation.com/albanese-government-bids-for-votes-with-top-up-tax-cuts-for-all-253021

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Tax cuts are coming, but not soon, in a cautious budget

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra

    Today’s budget is a cautious and responsible response to the cost-of-living pressures facing voters.

    As noted ahead of budget night, many of the major spending initiatives had already been announced.

    But, in the only major surprise, there are income tax cuts for all income taxpayers. Even if we need to be patient. The new tax cuts only start in July 2026, with a second round in July 2027.

    And as Treasurer Jim Chalmers himself said, they are “modest” cuts. A worker on average earnings will receive A$268 in the first year, rising to $536 in the second year.

    Combined with the government’s first round of tax cuts in last year’s budget, this will add up to $2,190 per year in 2027.

    The cost to the budget of the latest tax cuts in 2026-27 will be $3 billion, and over three years will be $17.1 billion. The cuts still need to pass parliament.

    But calls by economists such as Chris Richardson and Ken Henry for major tax reform have not been heeded. Major reforms inevitably create losers as well as winners. So, big changes were never likely just weeks before an election.

    And there is still bracket creep (increases in tax revenues as taxpayers move into higher tax brackets) over the next decade. Total tax receipts are projected to rise from 25.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024-25 to 26.8% in 2035-36. This will do most of the work in the very gradual windback of the budget deficit.

    How concerned should we be about the budget moving into deficit?

    In the first back-to-back surpluses for almost 20 years, there were budget surpluses in 2022-23 and 2023-24. This year we are returning to deficit and further deficits are expected for about a decade. Should we be alarmed?

    A balanced or surplus budget is not necessarily a good budget. What we want is a budget appropriate to current economic conditions and sustainable in the long run.

    The Australian economy has only been growing modestly in recent years and is forecast to grow 1.5% in the current year. Inflation is near the target range in underlying terms. So, a modest deficit is not unreasonable.

    The longer run projections show a very gradual return to balance. But this assumes no recession and no further income tax cuts, for a decade. It might be better to rebuild the fiscal position more quickly so as to be better placed to provide fiscal stimulus in the event of a global recession or another pandemic.

    ‘A new world of uncertainty’

    As Chalmers said, we are in a “new world of uncertainty” with “the threat of a global trade war”. The volume of Australian exports is forecast to only expand by 2.5% in 2025-26 and 2026-27, but it could be lower.

    In February, the Reserve Bank forecast headline inflation would rebound above the 2% to 3% target range when the electricity rebates expired. The extension of the rebates in Tuesday’s budget as well as the reductions in the price of prescription medicines will help keep inflation below 3%. Headline inflation is forecast to improve to 2.5% in 2026-27.

    In the December 2024 budget update, the unemployment rate was forecast to be around 4.5% in mid-2025 and stay around that level for the next couple of years. Given the unemployment rate was steady at 4.1% in February, the reduction to 4.25% seems plausible.

    What will it mean for interest rates?

    One reason the government went for a modest tax cut rather than a wild “cash splash” is it did not want to undermine the narrative there will be future interest rate cuts by stimulating household spending too much.

    If households were given immediate cash to spend, this could drive up inflation.

    The Reserve Bank is unlikely to change interest rates at its April 1 meeting. But it would be very unhelpful for the government’s electoral prospects if the minutes showed the central bank had become more concerned about inflation and less likely to cut interest rates at future meetings.

    The Reserve Bank is unlikely to feel this budget contains enough government spending to boost economic activity in the near term and therefore change its view on the economic outlook.

    So, a further interest rate cut remains possible at the bank’s following meeting on May 20.

    And any further relief on interest rates would be welcomed by households – as well as whoever might be in government by then.

    John Hawkins was a formerly a senior economist at the Treasury and Reserve Bank.

    – ref. Tax cuts are coming, but not soon, in a cautious budget – https://theconversation.com/tax-cuts-are-coming-but-not-soon-in-a-cautious-budget-253027

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The 2025 budget has few savings and surprises but it also ignores climate change

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

    By the standards of pre-election budgets, this one is surprisingly modest. There are only a handful of new revenue and spending initiatives. The Budget Paper 2 book, which contains new measures, is a slim document.

    In part, this is because many of the most significant new spending proposals have been announced already – support for more bulk billing, the Future Made in Australia program, funding for schools and pre-schools and the Housing Australia Future Fund.

    It can be hard to discern the new initiatives from the old. For example, the budget commits the government to support wage growth by “funding wage increases for aged care workers and early childhood educators” and “advocating for increases to award wages”. It will also ban non-compete clauses (contract provisions that hinder workers from moving between employers) for low- and middle-income workers.

    These should in theory significantly shift wages upwards. Yet the economic forecast for the wage price index barely moves – from 4.1% in 2023-24 to 3% in 2024-25 and 3.25% in 2025-26. That is because the forecasts had already built in assumptions on the impact of things like aged care and childcare wage rises – they aren’t new.

    The non-compete reform is a new initiative and over the longer term has the potential to improve wages as people move jobs. More importantly, it will improve flexibility in the labour market and improve productivity.

    Overall, the deficits are forecast to continue for the foreseeable future.

    Some more tax cuts on the way

    The one surprising element of the budget is tax cuts. In essence, they return some bracket creep to low- and middle-income earners for a couple of years, after which revenue estimates return to trend. Bracket creep refers to increases in tax revenues as taxpayers move into higher tax brackets.

    It is one of the reasons why governments have resisted calls to index the income tax brackets to inflation. Giving back bracket creep from time to time in the form of a tax cut, especially when an election looms, is more politically attractive.

    There were few savings initiatives. The main one was the old chestnut of more funding to the Australian Taxation Office for compliance.

    The Taxation Office receives an additional A$999 million over four years to combat tax avoidance including non-compliance, under reporting of income and illicit tobacco. This is expected to recoup $3.2 billion over five years, while increasing payments by $1.4 billion – some of the additional tax collected will go to GST payments to the states. So in net terms therefore this is also a modest saving.

    One thing to look for in every budget is the provision for “decisions taken but not yet announced”. This refers to money put aside in the budget for future announcements – such as election promises.

    It is not clear what the government might have planned. Revenue drops in 2025-26, but it climbs back up again in the following two years. Spending decisions include $323 million next year, which is relatively small change in the overall budget.

    For transparency, we should not have any undisclosed decisions but at least the ones in this budget are far from extravagant.

    Public service numbers

    On staffing in the public service, there has been a large increase since the government took office. There will be some 33,000 more public servants – the majority outside Canberra – in 2025-26 than in 2022-23. However, the rate of increase is slowing. Not all agencies have had staff increases in this budget.

    Nevertheless, the government has devoted ten pages to arguments for investing in the public service, and why the public service is a valuable resource. This is probably to emphasise one of the few points of difference between it and the opposition.

    The defence budget saw almost no change. The treasurer was asked in his budget lockup press conference why this was, given the uncertain geopolitical environment documented in the budget papers.

    Chalmers agreed “the world is a dangerous place right now” but pointed to increases in defence spending in previous budgets and argued these had positioned Australia to respond.

    One missing element of the budget is new spending to combat climate change. The threat of climate change to the budget estimates has grown significantly. This is acknowledged briefly with a half page in the budget’s “statement of risks” – “climate change is expected to have a significant impact on the budget”.

    However, that impact is not quantified – possibly because of “significant uncertainty”. Yes, there is uncertainty.

    But the same applies to other parts of the budget, including the international economy, which is discussed in much more depth. The climate change department is one of a handful that lose staff in this budget. It may take more severe disasters before it regains prominence in the budget papers.

    Stephen Bartos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The 2025 budget has few savings and surprises but it also ignores climate change – https://theconversation.com/the-2025-budget-has-few-savings-and-surprises-but-it-also-ignores-climate-change-253026

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: At a glance: the 2025 federal budget

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation, The Conversation

    What’s the theme?

    Many budget measures are aimed at easing cost of living. The headline announcement is tax cuts: everyone will get one, but not until July 1 2026. Other major spends are on Medicare, medicines and energy bill rebates. If this seems familiar, it’s because the government has already announced most of these measures before budget day.

    Your tax cut calculator

    Key announcements:

    Read the full analysis from our experts:

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. At a glance: the 2025 federal budget – https://theconversation.com/at-a-glance-the-2025-federal-budget-252637

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why is the US group chat on Houthi attack plans so concerning? A military operations expert explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Fellow, Naval Studies at UNSW Canberra, and Expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University

    A report in The Atlantic today sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond: senior US officials shared military operations for a bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included the magazine’s editor.

    Military planning of this nature is highly classified, which is why some media outlets are characterising it as “an extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence”.

    Here are three key reasons why this incident is so concerning, and how such conversations are typically handled.

    What are the potential consequences of this kind of breach?

    From an operational and strategic level, this incident could have had significant implications.

    Had the Houthis or their Iranian backers managed to access this information, they could have moved the individuals or equipment that was being targeted, making the strikes ineffective.

    In addition, depending on what military assets the US was using to conduct the strikes – for example, ships and aircraft – the information could have given away their positions. This could have allowed the Houthis to pre-emptively target these assets, which is another significant concern.

    Or, the Houthis could have pre-emptively attacked something else, such as oil facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which they have targeted successfully in the past.

    At the strategic level, this breach provides an insight into the dynamics of the people involved in the key defence decision-making in the Trump administration. Many names were reportedly shared, including an active intelligence officer.

    If America’s adversaries were able to access this information, they could use it to target these people or people around them.

    More broadly, this incident is just a bad look. This is a classified discussion about military planning being conducted on an unclassified platform that was accessed by a journalist who didn’t have high-level clearances and shouldn’t have had access to the information.

    How are classified conversations usually conducted?

    During my time in the Australian Defence Force, I was a former director of operations of a 38-nation coalition of maritime forces in the Middle East.

    And I was quite surprised to see these US plans being discussed on Signal.

    Normally, operations of this kind are discussed strictly on secure, classified devices only, such as phones or laptops. Military commanders are contactable on these devices at all hours of the day or night.

    These devices are “cleaned” before they’re issued by the Department of Defence and regularly checked. You can’t plug a foreign device into them, which ensures they can’t be compromised in any way. Any communications that take place on these devices would also be encrypted.

    In addition, on a classified network, it would be impossible to add someone to a conversation in the way the Atlantic editor was, unless they had access to the same secure technology.

    I would be highly surprised if the US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, and the national security advisor, Mike Waltz, do not have access to these devices. They may have chosen to have this conversation on Signal for ease, but it clearly makes the information much more vulnerable.

    If high-level conversations do need to happen on an unclassified platform like Signal, the participants would normally use a code word that doesn’t give away what they’re talking about. This keeps a conversation encrypted to a degree until a secure device can be accessed.

    Should America’s allies worry about intelligence lapses, too?

    The US’ key partners and allies should seek to have a conversation with the Americans behind closed doors to understand the context of what happened.

    The big questions are: what does this kind of lapse mean and what is the US doing to address it?

    The US National Security Council has already said it intends to look at the situation in depth.

    So, at this stage, I don’t think America’s Five Eyes partners should necessarily be concerned about the potential for other intelligence breaches.

    Jennifer Parker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Why is the US group chat on Houthi attack plans so concerning? A military operations expert explains – https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-us-group-chat-on-houthi-attack-plans-so-concerning-a-military-operations-expert-explains-253029

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A budget splash to conserve 30% of Australia’s lands will save species – if we choose the right 30%

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Watson, Professor in Conservation Science, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland

    Hans Wismeijer/Shutterstock

    In 2022, Australia and many other nations agreed to protect 30% of their lands and waters by 2030 to arrest the rapid decline in biodiversity.

    Since then, the Albanese government has protected large new areas of ocean, taking the total up to 52% of territorial waters. In tonight’s federal budget, the government is expected to announce A$250 million in funding to protect an additional 30 million hectares of land over the next five years. At present, Australia protects 22% of its lands through its National Reserve System. This would take the total to 30%.

    You might expect conservationists to be ecstatic. But we’re not. Large new areas of desert and arid areas are likely to be protected under this scheme, because these areas have minimal population and are not sought after by farming. But these ecosystems are already well protected.

    We have to come back to the point of the 30 by 30 agreement: protect biodiversity. That means the government has to protect representative samples of all ecosystems – including in areas sought for farming or other human uses.

    This cropped map shows Australia’s protected lands and waters as of 2022. Subantarctic islands are not included.
    Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, CC BY

    Buying land is only a fraction of the task

    For years, Australia’s National Reserve System of national parks, state parks and Indigenous Protected Areas has languished. The last big infusion of funding and political interest came between 2007 and 2010 under a previous Labor government, when Peter Garrett was environment minister. Then, the government expanded the reserve system, grew Indigenous Protected Areas and ensured new reserves would preserve a representative sample of Australia’s ecosystems.

    Since then, conservation efforts have largely not been up to scratch. Funding has stagnated. National parks are riddled with invasive species and other environmental problems.

    On funding grounds alone, the $250m announced by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is welcome. It is, however, just a fraction of what’s needed to properly protect the right areas.

    In 2023, environmental organisations called for a $5 billion fund to buy and protect important habitat – and to pay for maintenance.

    The purchase of land represents perhaps 10% of the overall cost of conservation. If you buy land and do nothing, it can be overrun by invasive species. Australia’s ever-larger number of threatened species are often threatened because of these species, as well as the growing threat of land clearing in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Fire management is another cost.

    Feral pigs and other invasive species place pressure on many ecosystems.
    Russ Jenkins/Shutterstock

    Which lands actually need protection?

    As successive governments have backed away from conservation, non-government organisations such as the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, Bush Heritage Australia and Australian Wildlife Conservancy have stepped up. These organisations are doing fine work in protecting land and doing the necessary on-ground land management to safeguard threatened species and ecosystems, but they do not have access to resources at a government scale.

    So how will this government funding be used? It’s likely we will see further growth in Indigenous Protected Areas – areas managed by Traditional Owners alongside authorities to protect biodiversity.

    These areas are often located where low rainfall often means they are not viable for farming. This means there’s less conflict over what to do with the land. If our government is determined to meet the 30% target as quickly and cheaply as possible, we may well see more arid lands and desert protected.

    When you set a target of 30% protected land by 2030, governments often see the top-line figure and aim for that alone. But the text of the international agreement stresses the need to prioritise “areas of particular importance for biodiversity”.

    Governments have a choice: the easy, less effective way or the hard but effective way. The recent growth in marine protected areas suggests the government is taking the easy path. Even though the science is clear that marine parks bolster fish stocks in and outside the park, they are still controversial among fishers who believe they are being locked out.

    As a result, Australia’s marine park system has made greatest gains where there are very few humans who might protest, such as quadrupling the protected areas around the very remote Heard and McDonald Islands in the sub-Antarctic region. (The government has expanded marine parks at a smaller scale closer to population centres too.)

    This same story may well play out on land.

    What would it look like if our government was willing to do what was necessary? It would involve actively seeking out the ecological communities in clear decline, such as native grasslands, brigalow woodlands and swamps, and buying up remaining habitat.

    The oceans off Heard and McDonald Islands are now better protected – but was this the easy option? Pictured: Heard Island from satellite.
    zelvan/Shutterstock

    Saving here, clearing there

    On the one hand, 22% of Australia’s land and 52% of seas come under some form of protection. But on the other, over the last two decades an area the size of Tasmania has been cleared – largely for livestock farming and mining. Satellite analyses show land clearing is actually increasing in many parts of the country.

    Land clearing places further pressure on threatened species. In fact, most species considered threatened with extinction are largely in this situation because the land they live on has attributes prized by farmers or graziers, such as grass and water.

    Australia’s environment faces real challenges in the next few years. Intensified land clearing, worsening climate change and whiplash drought-flood cycles, to say nothing of ballooning feral populations.

    If we protect the right 30% of Australia, we have a chance to ensure most of our ecosystems have areas protected. But if we protect the wrong 30% and leave the rest open to bulldozers, we will only lock in more extinctions.

    James Watson has received funding from the Australian Research Council, National Environmental Science Program, South Australia’s Department of Environment and Water, Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as well as from Bush Heritage Australia, Queensland Conservation Council, Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society and Birdlife Australia. He serves on the scientific committee of BirdLife Australia and has a long-term scientific relationship with Bush Heritage Australia and Wildlife Conservation Society. He serves on the Queensland government’s Land Restoration Fund’s Investment Panel as the Deputy Chair.

    – ref. A budget splash to conserve 30% of Australia’s lands will save species – if we choose the right 30% – https://theconversation.com/a-budget-splash-to-conserve-30-of-australias-lands-will-save-species-if-we-choose-the-right-30-252918

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Technology has shaped human knowledge for centuries. Generative AI is set to transform it yet again

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Vivienne Bentley, Research Scientist, Responsible Innovation, Data61, CSIRO

    Cristóbal Ascencio & Archival Images of AI & AIxDESIGN/Better Images of AI, CC BY-SA

    Where would we be without knowledge? Everything from the building of spaceships to the development of new therapies has come about through the creation, sharing, and validation of knowledge. It is arguably our most valuable human commodity.

    From clay tablets to electronic tablets, technology has played an influential role in shaping human knowledge. Today we stand on the brink of the next knowledge revolution. It is one as big as — if not more so — the invention of the printing press, or the dawning of the digital age.

    Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a revolutionary new technology able to collect and summarise knowledge from across the internet at the click of a button. Its impact is already being felt from the classroom to the boardroom, the laboratory to the rainforest.

    Looking back to look forward, what do we expect generative AI to do to our knowledge practices? And can we foresee how this may change human knowledge, for better or worse?

    The power of the printing press

    While printing technology had a huge immediate impact, we are still coming to grips with the full scale of its effects on society. This impact was largely due to its ability to spread knowledge to millions of people.

    Of course, human knowledge existed before the printing press. Non-written forms of knowledge date back tens of thousands of years, and researchers are today demonstrating the advanced skills associated with verbal knowledge.

    In turn, scribal culture played an integral role in ancient civilisations. Serving as a means to preserve legal codes, religious doctrines, or literary texts, scribes were powerful people who traded hand-written commodities for kings and nobles.

    But it was the printing press – specifically the process of using movable type allowing for much cheaper and less labour-intensive book production – that democratised knowledge. This technology was invented in Germany around 1440 by goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg. Often described as the speaking of one-to-many, printing technology was able to provide affordable information to entire populations.

    This exponential increase in knowledge dissemination has been associated with huge societal shifts, from the European Renaissance to the rise of the middle classes.

    The printing press was invented in Germany around 1440.
    Daniel Chodowiecki/Wikipedia

    The revolutionary potential of the digital age

    The invention of the computer – and more importantly the connecting of multiple computers across the globe via the internet – saw the arrival of another knowledge revolution.

    Often described as a new reality of speaking many-to-many, the internet provided a means for people to communicate, share ideas, and learn.

    In the internet’s early days, USENET bulletin boards were digital chatrooms that allowed for unmediated crowd-sourced information exchange.

    As internet users increased, the need for content regulation and moderation also grew. However, the internet’s role as the world’s largest open-access library has remained.

    Computers set in motion another knowledge revolution, providing a means for people to communicate, share ideas, and learn at an unprecedented scale.
    Masini/Shutterstock

    The promise of generative AI

    Generative AI refers to deep-learning models capable of generating human-like outputs, including text, images, video and audio. Examples include ChatGPT, Dall-E and DeepSeek.

    Today, this new technology promises to function as our personal librarian, reducing our need to search for a book, let alone open its cover. Visiting physical libraries for information has been unnecessary for a while, but generative AI means we no longer need to even scroll through lists of electronic sources.

    Trained on hundreds of billions of human words, AI can condense and synthesise vast amounts of information, across a variety of authors, subjects, or time periods. A user can pose any question to their AI assistant, and for the most part, will receive a competent answer. Generative AI can sometimes, however, “hallucinate”, meaning it will deliver unreliable or false information, instead of admitting it doesn’t know the answer.

    Generative AI can also personalise its outputs, providing renditions in whatever language and tone required. Marketed as the ultimate democratiser of knowledge, the adaptation of information to suit a person’s interests, pace, abilities, and style is extraordinary.

    But, as an increasingly prevalent arbitrator of our information needs, AI marks a new phase in the history of the relationship between knowledge and technology.

    It challenges the very concept of human knowledge: its authorship, ownership and veracity. It also risks forfeiting the one-to-many revolution that was the printing press and the many-to-many potential that is the internet. In so doing, is generative AI inadvertently reducing the voices of many to the banality of one?

    Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can condense and synthesise vast amounts of information, across a variety of authors, subjects, or time periods.
    Ascannio/Shutterstock

    Using generative AI wisely

    Most knowledge is born of debate, contention, and challenge. It relies on diligence, reflexivity and application. The question of whether generative AI promotes these qualities is an open one, and evidence is so far mixed.

    Some studies show it improves creative thinking, but others do not. Yet others show that while it might be helping individuals, it is ultimately diminishing our collective potential. Most educators are concerned it will dampen critical thinking.

    More generally, research on “digital amnesia” tells us that we store less information in our heads today than we did previously due to our growing reliance on digital devices. And, relatedly, people and organisations are now increasingly dependent on digital technology.

    Using history as inspiration, more than 2,500 years ago the Greek philosopher Socrates said that true wisdom is knowing when we know nothing.

    If generative AI risks making us information rich but thinking poor (or individually knowledgeable but collectively ignorant), these words might be the one piece of knowledge we need right now.

    Sarah Vivienne Bentley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Technology has shaped human knowledge for centuries. Generative AI is set to transform it yet again – https://theconversation.com/technology-has-shaped-human-knowledge-for-centuries-generative-ai-is-set-to-transform-it-yet-again-252616

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Wage theft is now a criminal offence in NZ – investigating it shouldn’t be left to the police

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Irene Nikoloudakis, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Adelaide

    Getty Images

    Being robbed is a horrible experience under any circumstances. But being robbed by your employer involves a unique betrayal of trust.

    So it was a sign of real progress when “wage theft” finally became a crime in New Zealand earlier this month with the passage of the Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Act.

    Heralded by trade unions and the Labour Party as a victory for workers, the new law makes it a criminal offence under the Crimes Act for an employer to intentionally (and without reasonable excuse) fail to pay workers what they’re entitled to.

    Wage theft can include deliberately underpaying wages or holiday pay, or making unlawful deductions from pay packets. The question now is how well the new law will be enforced.

    While there is little research on how widespread wage theft in New Zealand is, we do know it all too often affects temporary migrant workers and those in labour-intensive industries such as hospitality, construction and horticulture.

    But if, as seems likely, the police are tasked with investigating allegations of wage theft, the new law may struggle to be enforced effectively.

    Who investigates wage theft?

    Until the law change, wage theft was only addressed through the civil system, not the criminal courts. Underpaid employees could take an employer to court to recover what was owed – if they had the means to navigate what could be a complex process.

    It took an initiative by former Labour MP Ibrahim Omer – who as a refugee in New Zealand had experienced wage theft – to begin the reform process. He introduced a members’ bill to parliament in 2023 seeking to make wage theft a criminal offence.

    Under the new law, the maximum penalties for wage theft are the same as for general theft. For serious offences, this means employers can be imprisoned for stealing their workers’ pay.

    The trouble is, the law doesn’t state which government agency will be responsible for investigating such crimes. This is important because adequately enforcing the law is the whole point.

    A 2024 report by the Ministry of Justice had suggested investigative responsibility might sit with New Zealand’s workplace regulator, the Labour Inspectorate. This seemed a logical move.

    But when the legislation was being debated in parliament, it became clear MPs assumed enforcement responsibility would lie with police. Confirming the law change this month, Labour MP Camilla Bellich said:

    Theft is theft, and before this bill was law workers had to take up a civil case. Civil wage claims are difficult for any employee to initiate and often time consuming and expensive. Now workers can go to the police and report wage theft as a crime.

    Former Labour MP Ibrahim Omer’s experience of wage theft as a refugee inspired him to change the law.
    Getty Images

    How Australia does it

    On the face of it, the police might seem like the logical enforcement agency. They investigate crimes and play an important role in crime prevention. But wage theft isn’t an area they have dealt with before. And uncovering wage theft in practice is very difficult.

    First, those most at risk – such as migrant workers and young employees – are the least likely to report it, often for fear of the consequences or because they simply don’t know how to make a formal complaint.

    Secondly, bad employers are good at covering their tracks, leaving no paper trail or fudging the books.

    Without specialised knowledge or experience in these areas – as well as dealing with their existing resourcing challenges – the police will potentially struggle to uncover wage theft offending.

    A better model might be Australia’s criminal wage theft regime, which came into effect at the start of this year. Overall, it is tougher and more targeted than New Zealand’s.

    The Australian law applies hefty maximum penalties for wage theft offences – up to ten years’ imprisonment and monetary fines in the millions. Investigations are the responsibility of the national workplace regulator, the Fair Work Ombudsman.

    This makes sense, because it’s the Fair Work Ombudsman which has significant experience in uncovering breaches of national employment laws, not the police.

    Put the Labour Inspectorate in charge

    The equivalent enforcement agency in New Zealand is the Labour Inspectorate, whose entire remit is to uncover breaches of employment standards.

    The Labour Inspectorate, far more than the police, will understand the intricacies of wage theft, including which workers and industries are most vulnerable, and what methods dodgy employers use to hide wage theft.

    If necessary, the inspectorate’s powers and resources could be reviewed and modified to ensure it has the tools to conduct criminal investigations, including the ability to search and seize evidence.

    Finally, empowering an agency with the right tools, knowledge and experience to investigate wage theft would leave the police to deal with the other serious crimes already demanding their attention.

    Irene Nikoloudakis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Wage theft is now a criminal offence in NZ – investigating it shouldn’t be left to the police – https://theconversation.com/wage-theft-is-now-a-criminal-offence-in-nz-investigating-it-shouldnt-be-left-to-the-police-252712

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ICC showed its might by arresting Rodrigo Duterte. Its reputation will take longer to fix

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria, Lecturer in International Law, Curtin University

    Only five days after the arrest warrant against former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was issued, he was apprehended and immediately put on a plane to The Hague to face charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The prompt action – and the fact he is the first former Asian head of state before the ICC – have been heralded as “a pivotal moment for the court”.

    While this is a rare success story in the court’s tumultuous history, many challenges remain. The successful arrest of one defendant will unfortunately do little to change negative perceptions of the court or remove the many obstacles it faces in prosecuting cases.

    A long history of criticism

    The ICC was conceived as a “court of last resort” in 1998 under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established it. The aim was to try individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression in cases where a state’s domestic courts refuse or are unable to do so.

    Shortly after it began its work in 2002, however, the ICC faced criticism for its perceived focus on Africa.

    In more recent years, it has also been criticised for its limited effectiveness, its perceived hypocrisy, and a lack of support from major powers, such as the US, China and Russia, which are not members.

    The court has long faced a public relations crisis it may never be able to resolve. When it does not investigate a potential case, it is said to be ineffective. And when it does initiate investigations, it is often said to be biased or acting beyond its capabilities.

    Putin and Netanyahu

    Currently, the ICC has 12 ongoing investigations, mostly in Africa and Asia. It has issued 56 arrest warrants, half of which have yet to be executed.

    As the focus of the court is limited to those who bear the greatest responsibility for international crimes, the cases frequently involve high-profile individuals.

    Current arrest warrants, for example, have been issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of allegedly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.

    These two cases have been among the court’s most controversial. Critics say the ICC lacks jurisdiction because:

    • the alleged crimes did not occur in their own states
    • their states are not parties to the Rome Statute
    • the UN Security Council did not refer these cases to the ICC for investigation.

    Others have accused the court of selective prosecution and bias for pursuing a case against Netanyahu, specifically, instead of prioritising cases in states run by dictators, such as Syria.

    And some complain the court should be focusing on crimes allegedly committed by Western leaders in places like Iraq.

    Indicting leaders of states raises additional legal challenges. International law dictates that heads of state enjoy immunity in other states’ courts – unless this immunity is expressly waived by their own governments.

    The ICC defends its actions as fair. It argues it does have jurisdiction in the cases against Putin and Netanyahu because the alleged crimes took place in Ukraine and Palestine, two states who have explicitly accepted its jurisdiction.

    And Article 27 of the Rome Statute says the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over people with state immunity, although it’s debatable whether this must be first waived for leaders of states not party to the Rome Statute.

    Cooperation remains key

    The ICC is not only constrained by these complex legal questions, but also by the limited cooperation of states around the world.

    It relies on close cooperation with its 125 state parties, among others. But some states have been reluctant or even refused to cooperate with the court in executing the arrest warrants of controversial figures.

    For example, Putin was not arrested when he visited Mongolia, an ICC member, last year, in part, because Mongolia relies heavily on Russian energy. South Africa similarly refused to arrest Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir when he visited in 2015.

    Even when state parties do cooperate, the political fallout can impact the court’s reputation.

    Following Duterte’s arrest last week, a Filipino senator (the sister of the current president) launched an urgent investigation to ensure due process was followed and Duterte’s legal rights were upheld and protected. She acknowledged the arrest has “has deeply divided the nation”.

    The lack of support from the US – arguably, still the world’s most powerful democracy – remains a perennial problem, as well.

    While the US has generally supported the court’s mandate over the years, it has been wary of its jurisdiction over American citizens and those of its allies accused of crimes. Last month, President Donald Trump authorised new sanctions against ICC officials in an attempt to paralyse the international organisation.

    Although 79 states did declare their support for the ICC following the sanctions, the Trump adminstration’s rejection of the court’s jurisdiction, legitimacy and authority has had significant consequences for its operations.

    It remains to be seen how the case against Duterte will play out. Securing a conviction is not assured.

    However, his arrest demonstrates the court can fulfil its mandate and remain a relevant force in the fight against the gravest of crimes. It is also a significant moment for the families of those killed during Duterte’s rule, who have long sought justice for their loved ones.

    Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The ICC showed its might by arresting Rodrigo Duterte. Its reputation will take longer to fix – https://theconversation.com/the-icc-showed-its-might-by-arresting-rodrigo-duterte-its-reputation-will-take-longer-to-fix-252509

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –