Welcome to our roundup of news and current events related to ethics and international affairs! Here’s some of what we’ve been reading this past month:
Chinese flag. Photo credit: Gary Lerude via Flickr
South China Morning Post: US confirms high-level meeting with Chinese officials in Alaska next week
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with China's top two diplomats on March 18 in Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting will take place just after President Biden's summit with the leaders of U.S.-allied Japan, India, and Australia. The Biden administration has a difficult job of deescalating Trump-era animosity with China while remaining firm in condemning its actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea.
Read more about the ethics of great power politics and the rise of China in Ethics & International Affairs:
Whither the Liberal International Order? Authority, Hierarchy, and Institutional Change (2020: Volume 34.4)
The Myth of the “Civilization State”: Rising Powers and the Cultural Challenge to World Order (2020: Volume 34.2)
China’s Global Identity: Considering the Responsibilities of Great Power (2019: Volume 33.3)
Then deputy secretary of state Antony Blinken speaking at an event in 2016. Photo credit: Paul Morigi via Flickr
AFP: Blinken condemns 'ethnic cleansing' in Ethiopia's Tigray
Testifying before Congress on March 10, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for accountability, reconciliation, and an independent investigation into the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Ethiopian troops and forces from neighboring Eritrea have carried out a campaign against Tigray's ruling party since last November, and reports by the UN and Amnesty International allege that Eritrean forces recently massacred hundreds of civilians in western Tigray.
Read more about the ethics of civil war and sovereignty in Ethics & International Affairs:
Secessionist Conflict: A Happy Marriage between Norms and Interests? (2019: Volume 33.1)
The Ethics of Insurgency (2017: Volume 31.3)
Legitimate Authority and the Ethics of War: A Map of the Terrain (2017: Volume 31.2)
Russian President Vladimir Putin with President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad. Photo credit: kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons
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Reuters: Turkey, Russia, Qatar to push for political resolution in Syria
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu recently announced a trilateral consultation process with Qatar and Russia to achieve "a lasting political solution in Syria." Turkey and Qatar have backed Syrian rebel groups throughout the ten-year civil war, while Russia's assistance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad was seen as critical in his retaking of most of the country. The three countries released a joint statement urging the UN and World Health Organization to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations and humanitarian aid to the war-weary Syrian population.
Read more about international intervention and aid in Syria in Ethics & International Affairs:
Towards a Westphalia for the Middle East (2020: Volume 34.1)
Humanitarian Action and Ethics (2019: Volume 33.3)
Ending Atrocity Crimes: The False Promise of Fatalism (2018: Volume 32.3)
Ishinomaki after the earthquake and tsunami in a field survey two weeks after the disaster. Photo credit: Direct Relief via Flickr
Japan Times: Japan mourns lost souls 10 years after earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis
Japan recently marked the ten year anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami which killed over 15,000 people and triggered the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The natural disaster and subsequent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima prompted an enormous international aid response and domestic development campaign. The Japanese government last year extended the mandate of its Reconstruction Agency until 2031, a decade longer than was initially estimated to rebuild.
Read more about environmental challenges and the ethics of sustainable development in Ethics & International Affairs:
Dwelling in the Age of Climate Change: The Ethics of Adaptation (2020: Volume 34.2)
From Sustainable Development Goals to Basic Development Goals (2020: Volume 34.2)
The Politics of the Anthropocene (2019: Volume 33.4)