What We've Been Reading

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:

AP News: Experts say Gaza is at ‘high risk’ of famine despite increased aid to the north

Despite increased aid operations in northern Gaza, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports that the whole territory is still at “high risk” of famine due to ongoing Israeli blockades and disruptions of aid corridors. According to the IPC, March 2024 saw a third of Gazans reach the highest level of starvation, classified as “Stage 5 Hunger” by the initiative. The U.S. and other nations have put pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the territory; however, as leaders of organizations like Refugees International have noted, even with a drastic increase in aid now, the forthcoming and long-lasting effects of prolonged starvation will be disastrous. Preventing or impeding the movement of humanitarian aid and relief personnel may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. U.N. agencies responsible for aid distribution in Gaza have reported that aid containers at Gaza’s main cargo terminal, Kerem Shalom, are inaccessible due to both fighting and Israeli restrictions, maintaining that the aid crisis in Gaza is impossible to confront without a complete ceasefire.

Read more about humanitarian aid and human rights law in Ethics & International Affairs:

International Law and the Humanization of Warfare (2023: 37-4)

Helping Refugees Where They Are (2021: 35-4)

Humanitarian Diplomacy: The ICRC's Neutral and Impartial Advocacy in Armed Conflicts (2019: 33-1)

New York Times: Extreme Wildfires Have Doubled in 2 Decades, Study Finds

A study by researchers at the University of Tasmania has found that 2023 was not only the hottest year to date but also saw the most extreme wildfires around the globe. From southeastern Turkey to the desert of the western United States, wildfires have claimed numerous lives just over the past week, and the Australian researchers behind the study say that it will likely get worse as the climate grows increasingly warmer and dryer. Not only are people and communities directly threatened by the fires themselves, but the smoke from the infernos can travel vast distances, negatively impacting those living far from the event. Colorado State University professor Jeffrey Pierce notes that for those without the “ability to clean air in your home or seek places that have air purification systems,” wildfire smoke can have strong health effects. As the demand for development, energy, and agriculture grow, humans burn more and more fossil fuels, a root cause of rising temperatures and global warming.

Read more about climate change and its relationship to humanity in Ethics & International Affairs:

Migration, Climate Change, and Voluntariness (2023: 37-4)

Hope, Pessimism, and the Shape of a Just Climate Future (2023: 37-3)

Introduction: Representing Vulnerable Communities and Future Generations in the Face of Climate Change (2022: 36-2)

Reuters: EU leaders sign security deal with Ukraine, to agree on top jobs, strategic agenda

At a two-day summit for European Union leaders in Brussels, the EU signed a security agreement with Ukraine to support the country both militarily and financially in its fight against Russia. The agreement highlights the increasing coordination between EU bloc countries regarding defense industries and investment, coordination that EU leaders want to replicate in other areas such as the ability to withstand economic pressure from the United States and China. The summit seeks to draft a strategic agenda to guide EU institutions and governments through 2029, which coincides with the EU Commission presidential term. The agenda outlines the importance of strengthening collaboration and coordination between the countries as the EU moves toward enlarging the 27-strong bloc by adding Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans, including the potential to build a “defense line” along the bloc’s border with Russia and Belarus. Although the details are subject to change until the final agenda is agreed upon, the European Council-designated themes of peace and security, economic competitiveness, and democratic values will be central in the development of EU policy over the next five years.

Read more about the European Union and international coordination in Ethics & International Affairs:

An Internationalist’s Manifesto: Principles for Statecraft in a Dangerous World (2023)

Global Power Shifts, Diversity, and Hierarchy in International Politics (2019: 33-2)

The Regional Path to Peaceful Change: What the Asian and European Experiences Tell Us (2020: 34-4)

Financial Times: Sri Lanka reaches deal with creditor nations over $5.8bn of debt

After two years, Sri Lanka has completed the restructuring of $5.8 billion in debt to a group of creditor nations including India, Japan, and France. The country is also looking to restructure at least $4 billion in debt to China’s Export-Import Bank. With an additional $13 billion to restructure before elections later this year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe attempts to convince the nation that it will be on its way out of its current economic crisis, announcing that the pending deal would “defer all bilateral debt payments until 2028 with time to repay extended to 2043.” The situation has been prolonged as the Chinese government has insisted on separate debt agreements with Chinese banks, as opposed to utilizing the traditional international frameworks for dealing with sovereign debt defaults. However, China’s foreign ministry insists that the separate deals have given Sri Lanka the financial leverage it needs in talks with international creditors. Finally, talks are set to resume soon regarding International Monetary Fund (IMF) targets for Sri Lanka’s economy—to be measured by GDP—and how reaching those may trigger larger payouts from international bondholders.

Read more about sovereign debt and ethical implications of international negotiations in Ethics & International Affairs:

Voice at the Point of Sovereign Default (2023)

Multilateralism and the Global Co-Responsibility of Care in Times of a Pandemic: The Legal Duty to Cooperate (2023: 37-2)

NGOs as Agents of Global Justice: Cosmopolitan Activism for Political Realists (2022: 36-3)