csmonitor--2020-06-04--With new crises, the world’s change agents embrace change

Ten days after Tunisia recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March , a bill was introduced in parliament to criminalize whatever officials deemed as disinformation about the pandemic on social media .
The bill ’ s sponsors claimed it would safeguard “ national law and order.
” But social activists and journalists saw it as yet another attempt to restrict their work in a fragile democracy .
Social media platforms exploded .
Within hours the bill was withdrawn .
Something similar happened in Brazil .
As the pandemic hit , activists banded together to counter President Jair Bolsonaro ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Armed with a hashtag , they are spreading accurate health information through the poorest communities on social media .
Across the globe , COVID-19 is rapidly weaving anew the tapestry of democratic activism .
Groups widely known as civil society have been nimbly stepping in to bolster and keep watch over the government responses to the crisis .
Some have partnered with state and local agencies to distribute food aid .
Others are changing their missions almost overnight to distribute masks , address pandemic-specific human rights concerns , and expose corruption in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society groups around the world have united to promote a comprehensive response from the United Nations , governments , and private donors .
One specific request is for more funding to aid women and marginalized people .
Other requests include safeguarding free speech and canceling national debts .
The pandemic along with the social distancing has forced nonprofits , community activists , and journalists to forge a new unity , especially via social media .
The shift may be transformative and permanent , bringing new ideas for reform .
Annie Theriault , chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a government-funded impact investing organization , told the online development community Devex , “ Everyone is noticing that we can do things quite efficiently when we coordinate and support each other.
” This rethink of private activism now has an additional driver .
The global backlash against police brutality in the United States following the death of George Floyd is galvanizing unity among groups .
They are advocating reform in law enforcement , addressing racism , and rebuilding minority communities .
Civil society is a broad term , ranging from human rights activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In stable democracies they function as a loyal opposition – sometimes partnering with governments , sometimes holding them to account .
Under more authoritarian systems , they are often targets of repression .
Yet their initiatives help bind almost all aspects of society for the common good .
In Ferguson , Missouri , for example , a group called the Ferguson Youth Initiative has drawn together the School Board , St. Louis-based companies , and others in a program to prepare disadvantaged youth for the workforce and place them in jobs specifically created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reforms have been made newly urgent by the recent crises .
Groups are bonding in different ways to support individual growth and prosperous communities – casting new light on people selflessly serving others .

Ten days after Tunisia recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March, a bill was introduced in parliament to criminalize whatever officials deemed as disinformation about the pandemic on social media. The bill’s sponsors claimed it would safeguard “national law and order.” But social activists and journalists saw it as yet another attempt to restrict their work in a fragile democracy. Social media platforms exploded. Within hours the bill was withdrawn.
Something similar happened in Brazil. As the pandemic hit, activists banded together to counter President Jair Bolsonaro’s ongoing attempts to downplay the coronavirus. Armed with a hashtag, they are spreading accurate health information through the poorest communities on social media.
Across the globe, COVID-19 is rapidly weaving anew the tapestry of democratic activism. Groups widely known as civil society have been nimbly stepping in to bolster and keep watch over the government responses to the crisis. Some have partnered with state and local agencies to distribute food aid. Others are changing their missions almost overnight to distribute masks, address pandemic-specific human rights concerns, and expose corruption in COVID-related funding.
More than 400 civil society groups around the world have united to promote a comprehensive response from the United Nations, governments, and private donors. One specific request is for more funding to aid women and marginalized people. Other requests include safeguarding free speech and canceling national debts.
The pandemic along with the social distancing has forced nonprofits, community activists, and journalists to forge a new unity, especially via social media. The shift may be transformative and permanent, bringing new ideas for reform. Annie Theriault, chief investment officer of Grand Challenges Canada, a government-funded impact investing organization, told the online development community Devex, “Everyone is noticing that we can do things quite efficiently when we coordinate and support each other.”
This rethink of private activism now has an additional driver. The global backlash against police brutality in the United States following the death of George Floyd is galvanizing unity among groups. They are advocating reform in law enforcement, addressing racism, and rebuilding minority communities.
Civil society is a broad term, ranging from human rights activists to charity groups to civic-minded bloggers. In stable democracies they function as a loyal opposition – sometimes partnering with governments, sometimes holding them to account. Under more authoritarian systems, they are often targets of repression.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Yet their initiatives help bind almost all aspects of society for the common good. In Ferguson, Missouri, for example, a group called the Ferguson Youth Initiative has drawn together the School Board, St. Louis-based companies, and others in a program to prepare disadvantaged youth for the workforce and place them in jobs specifically created for them.
These sorts of coordinated reforms have been made newly urgent by the recent crises. Groups are bonding in different ways to support individual growth and prosperous communities – casting new light on people selflessly serving others.


csmonitor--2020-06-02--‘The last person to know’: What the lockdown means for one deaf driver

Mr. Komakech can not help but get his hopes up that one day soon , the restrictions will ease .
For now , all he thinks about is the day ahead .
To survive it and see another – for now that will have to be enough .
Being a motorcycle , or boda-boda , driver in Uganda is tough work in the best of times .
Although motorcycles are allowed on the streets during the lockdown , drivers are only permitted to carry cargo , and only until 5 p.m. , before a nighttime curfew goes into place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to always be the last person to know about any serious issue because you are deaf ?
” he says in an interview with the Monitor through a sign-language interpreter .
Since he lost his hearing at the age of 2 , he has navigated the world without sound .
And that means he often misses important announcements , including the Ugandan government ’ s lockdown order in late March .
Denish Komakech felt like he was the last person in the world to learn about the coronavirus .
Most people would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduced more restrictive COVID-19 lockdown measures in late March , it was as though someone had turned down the volume on the entire country .
Gone were the throaty revs of cars starting and stopping in the choking rush-hour traffic , and the frantic voices of sports commentators spilling out the doorways of the city ’ s ubiquitous sports betting centers , the fresh eggs sizzling in pans at roadside omelet and chapati stands , the chatter of taxi touts and hawkers gathered on street corners .
But motorcycle driver Denish Komakech didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since he lost his hearing at the age of 2 , he has navigated the world without sound .
So what struck him that first day of the lockdown wasn ’ t the quiet but the stillness .
As he rode his motorcycle into town looking for passengers , he saw that the streets were nearly empty except for baby-faced soldiers with big guns and a few plucky vendors selling bits of soap , salt , or sugar to the occasional passerby .
Finally he stopped to ask a friend what was going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained in sign language .
To stop the coronavirus .
“ Do you know how it feels like to always be the last person to know about any serious issue because you are deaf ?
” says Mr. Komakech , speaking to the Monitor through a sign-language interpreter .
“ That is how I felt – like I had been that last person to hear about the lockdown and the pandemic.
” Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
Being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work in the best of times .
The country ’ s urban roads are choked with bikes , known locally as boda-bodas , swerving precariously through traffic as they rush to carry riders and the teetering stacks of their cargo across town as quickly as possible .
Profit margins are razor thin , and police harassment and accidents common .
( A 2010 study at the country ’ s largest hospital found that a full 75 % of patients admitted for trauma injuries sustained in traffic accidents had been involved in boda-boda crashes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been harder for Mr. Komakech , who communicates with his customers on slips of paper and via text messages .
And on top of that , these are certainly not the best of times .
In mid-March , before Uganda had even a single confirmed coronavirus case , President Yoweri Museveni announced a 32-day ban – since extended – on public gatherings , and closed schools , churches and restaurants .
He followed up at the end of the month by banning all public transport except for cargo , effectively shutting down business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boda-boda drivers .
Although motorcycles are allowed on the streets during the lockdown , drivers are only permitted to carry cargo , and only until 5 p.m. , before a nighttime curfew goes into place .
Police have been impounding boda-bodas from drivers who violate these restrictions , and ordering them to pay a hefty fine to have their bikes returned .
For Ugandans like Mr. Komakech , that creates a complicated situation .
He is part of the 80 % of Uganda ’ s workforce that works informally , according to government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , hawkers , and others who make their living day to day , in cash .
Most , including Mr. Komakech , have received no support from the government since the lockdown began .
And if they can ’ t work , many have asked , how will they eat ?
“ When I realized that we had been stopped from riding our boda-bodas , many thoughts ran through my mind , like how it was going to be tough to look after my family , ” he says .
But Mr. Komakech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was only two years old when he and his brother were diagnosed with measles .
His brother died .
Mr. Komakech survived , but lost his hearing .
Since then , he has relied on a combination of sign language , written notes , and lip-reading to get by .
He says he is often harassed by the police and cheated by his riders when they realize he will struggle to argue back .
Ugandan activists for people with disabilities say people like Mr. Komakech are especially at risk during the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because , doctors say , some disabilities compromise the immune system , but largely because people with disabilities have often had traumatizing experiences with the health care system , or are afraid to seek medical care .
And many , like Mr. Komakech , don ’ t have the same access to public service announcements , billboards , or other forms of public health messaging as the rest of their community .
“ The government failed to consider people with disabilities right from the beginning when they came up with lockdown restrictions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gulu district councilor representing persons with disabilities in local government .
“ Yet people with disabilities are the most vulnerable in this crisis.
” For now , though , Mr. Komakech is less worried about the disease and more worried about how he will keep paying his family ’ s bills .
Those thoughts press down hard on him as he rides his boda-boda into town each morning , looking for people who need items transported somewhere .
As Uganda ’ s government has begun to loosen restrictions on cars , buses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Komakech has listened hopefully for an announcement that boda-boda drivers will once again be able to carry passengers .
So far , however , President Museveni has said that motorbikes will still only be allowed to carry cargo because of the close physical contact required to ferry people .
Still , Mr. Komakech can not help but get his hopes up that one day soon , the restrictions will ease .
He has a large , unpaid bill for a recent hospital stay by his daughter , and soon his family will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear their small plot of farmland to prepare for the planting season .
Before the lockdown began , he had been taking driving lessons and saving to buy a secondhand car .
There is more money , after all , in driving taxis than in driving boda-bodas .
For now , however , the restrictions remain .
And so Mr. Komakech has tried to reign in his horizons .
For now , all he thinks about is the day ahead .
To survive it and see another – for now that will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

Mr. Komakech cannot help but get his hopes up that one day soon, the restrictions will ease. For now, all he thinks about is the day ahead. To survive it and see another – for now that will have to be enough.
Being a motorcycle, or boda-boda , driver in Uganda is tough work in the best of times. Although motorcycles are allowed on the streets during the lockdown, drivers are only permitted to carry cargo, and only until 5 p.m., before a nighttime curfew goes into place.
“Do you know how it feels like to always be the last person to know about any serious issue because you are deaf?” he says in an interview with the Monitor through a sign-language interpreter.
One of the ironies of the pandemic is that although the world faces a common challenge, everyone’s lived experience is very different. Our reporter explores what lockdown has meant for a deaf boda-boda driver in Uganda.
Since he lost his hearing at the age of 2, he has navigated the world without sound. And that means he often misses important announcements, including the Ugandan government’s lockdown order in late March.
Denish Komakech felt like he was the last person in the world to learn about the coronavirus.
Most people would have noticed the quiet. When Uganda introduced more restrictive COVID-19 lockdown measures in late March, it was as though someone had turned down the volume on the entire country. Gone were the throaty revs of cars starting and stopping in the choking rush-hour traffic, and the frantic voices of sports commentators spilling out the doorways of the city’s ubiquitous sports betting centers, the fresh eggs sizzling in pans at roadside omelet and chapati stands, the chatter of taxi touts and hawkers gathered on street corners.
But motorcycle driver Denish Komakech didn’t miss any of that. Since he lost his hearing at the age of 2, he has navigated the world without sound. So what struck him that first day of the lockdown wasn’t the quiet but the stillness. As he rode his motorcycle into town looking for passengers, he saw that the streets were nearly empty except for baby-faced soldiers with big guns and a few plucky vendors selling bits of soap, salt, or sugar to the occasional passerby. Finally he stopped to ask a friend what was going on. A lockdown, the man explained in sign language. To stop the coronavirus.
“Do you know how it feels like to always be the last person to know about any serious issue because you are deaf?” says Mr. Komakech, speaking to the Monitor through a sign-language interpreter. “That is how I felt – like I had been that last person to hear about the lockdown and the pandemic.”
Why We Wrote This One of the ironies of the pandemic is that although the world faces a common challenge, everyone’s lived experience is very different. Our reporter explores what lockdown has meant for a deaf boda-boda driver in Uganda.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
Being a motorcycle driver in Uganda is tough work in the best of times. The country’s urban roads are choked with bikes, known locally as boda-bodas, swerving precariously through traffic as they rush to carry riders and the teetering stacks of their cargo across town as quickly as possible. Profit margins are razor thin, and police harassment and accidents common. (A 2010 study at the country’s largest hospital found that a full 75% of patients admitted for trauma injuries sustained in traffic accidents had been involved in boda-boda crashes.)
But the job had always been harder for Mr. Komakech, who communicates with his customers on slips of paper and via text messages.
And on top of that, these are certainly not the best of times.
In mid-March, before Uganda had even a single confirmed coronavirus case, President Yoweri Museveni announced a 32-day ban – since extended – on public gatherings, and closed schools, churches and restaurants. He followed up at the end of the month by banning all public transport except for cargo, effectively shutting down business for most of the country’s boda-boda drivers.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Before the pandemic, in August 2019, the streets of Kamala, Uganda, were filled with boda-boda drivers. Motorcycle taxis, or boda-bodas, are one of the most popular, cost-effective, and timely ways of getting around.
Although motorcycles are allowed on the streets during the lockdown, drivers are only permitted to carry cargo, and only until 5 p.m., before a nighttime curfew goes into place. Police have been impounding boda-bodas from drivers who violate these restrictions, and ordering them to pay a hefty fine to have their bikes returned.
For Ugandans like Mr. Komakech, that creates a complicated situation. He is part of the 80% of Uganda’s workforce that works informally, according to government estimates – millions of cleaners, drivers, hawkers, and others who make their living day to day, in cash.
Most, including Mr. Komakech, have received no support from the government since the lockdown began. And if they can’t work, many have asked, how will they eat?
“When I realized that we had been stopped from riding our boda-bodas, many thoughts ran through my mind, like how it was going to be tough to look after my family,” he says.
But Mr. Komakech is no stranger to health crises. He was only two years old when he and his brother were diagnosed with measles. His brother died. Mr. Komakech survived, but lost his hearing.
Since then, he has relied on a combination of sign language, written notes, and lip-reading to get by. He says he is often harassed by the police and cheated by his riders when they realize he will struggle to argue back.
Ugandan activists for people with disabilities say people like Mr. Komakech are especially at risk during the country’s coronavirus lockdown: in part because, doctors say, some disabilities compromise the immune system, but largely because people with disabilities have often had traumatizing experiences with the health care system, or are afraid to seek medical care. And many, like Mr. Komakech, don’t have the same access to public service announcements, billboards, or other forms of public health messaging as the rest of their community.
“The government failed to consider people with disabilities right from the beginning when they came up with lockdown restrictions,” said Denis Lakwonyero, an activist and Gulu district councilor representing persons with disabilities in local government. “Yet people with disabilities are the most vulnerable in this crisis.”
For now, though, Mr. Komakech is less worried about the disease and more worried about how he will keep paying his family’s bills. Those thoughts press down hard on him as he rides his boda-boda into town each morning, looking for people who need items transported somewhere.
As Uganda’s government has begun to loosen restrictions on cars, buses, and taxis in recent weeks, Mr. Komakech has listened hopefully for an announcement that boda-boda drivers will once again be able to carry passengers. So far, however, President Museveni has said that motorbikes will still only be allowed to carry cargo because of the close physical contact required to ferry people.
Still, Mr. Komakech cannot help but get his hopes up that one day soon, the restrictions will ease. He has a large, unpaid bill for a recent hospital stay by his daughter, and soon his family will need to hire someone to help them clear their small plot of farmland to prepare for the planting season. Before the lockdown began, he had been taking driving lessons and saving to buy a secondhand car. There is more money, after all, in driving taxis than in driving boda-bodas.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
For now, however, the restrictions remain. And so Mr. Komakech has tried to reign in his horizons. For now, all he thinks about is the day ahead. To survive it and see another – for now that will have to be enough.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-05-25--Why New Delhi's Sikh kitchens cook 100,000 meals daily

At first , the kitchen at the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara cooked 40,000 meals each day for the hungry who live on the streets of India 's capital city , or who have lost their livelihoods to the coronavirus lockdown .
But the need was greater than that .
So workers at the golden-domed temple in central New Delhi made 80,000 meals daily .
Then 100,000 .
Soon , they expect to be making 300,000 – all provided free to the growing ranks of the unfortunate .
For centuries the faithful have flocked to the temple for its healing waters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the symbol of equality found at every Sikh temple complex and open to all visitors .
The Bangla Sahib Gurdwara has remained open through wars and plagues , serving millions of people simple vegetarian food on the cool marble floor of its enormous dining hall .
But during India 's ongoing lockdown – among the world 's most stringent – religious congregations are banned .
Bangla Sahib has kept its kitchen open , with the help of about four dozen men who sleep at the temple 's guesthouse .
To save time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid the risk of infecting loved ones , they have n't seen their families since the lockdown began on March 25 .
In colorful turbans and cloth bandanas tied over their noses and mouths , they work in the industrial kitchen in 18-hours shifts .
Head cook Balbir Singh stirs an enormous ladle through a potato and soybean stew , simmering with ghee and coriander in a giant cook pot .
A machine that every hour makes 5,000 chapati – thin , unleavened bread – whirs long before the sun rises and after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flames at 3 a.m. so that 35,000 lunches are ready for pickup by 9 a.m. '' If we serve at this time , God will give us more .
It 's a give and take system , '' Mr. Singh said .
Bangla Sahib is the largest of New Delhi 's 10 gurdwaras , whose kitchens together form a vital part of the city 's strategy to feed the poor during the pandemic .
The city government approached the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee just after India 's nationwide lockdown began in late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Manjinder Singh Sirsa .
Bangla Sahib , which usually prepares around half a million meals per week using donated ingredients and equipment , is quickly ramping up to produce six times that many , Mr. Singh Sirsa said .
The government sends trucks to pick up the meals each day and distribute them to a network of shelters and drop-off points , but pays nothing for the food .
Mr. Singh Sirsa struggles to protect his workers and collect donations to keep the enterprise going .
`` This is the biggest challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
Anticipating many months of hardship ahead , he appears nightly on the Bangla Sahib 's own TV channel to appeal for more donations .
A man from Montreal recently pledged $ 10,000 , another from London offered $ 100,000 , he said .
The dining hall heaves with sacks of rice , flour , lentils , and cans of oil – six months of supplies , said Jagpreet Singh , a temple clerk .
`` We believe in God .
He 's giving us this power , so we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story was reported by The Associated Press .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

At first, the kitchen at the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara cooked 40,000 meals each day for the hungry who live on the streets of India's capital city, or who have lost their livelihoods to the coronavirus lockdown.
But the need was greater than that. So workers at the golden-domed temple in central New Delhi made 80,000 meals daily. Then 100,000. Soon, they expect to be making 300,000 – all provided free to the growing ranks of the unfortunate.
For centuries the faithful have flocked to the temple for its healing waters and a free meal at the community kitchen, the symbol of equality found at every Sikh temple complex and open to all visitors.
The Bangla Sahib Gurdwara has remained open through wars and plagues, serving millions of people simple vegetarian food on the cool marble floor of its enormous dining hall. But during India's ongoing lockdown – among the world's most stringent – religious congregations are banned.
Bangla Sahib has kept its kitchen open, with the help of about four dozen men who sleep at the temple's guesthouse. To save time commuting to and from the temple and avoid the risk of infecting loved ones, they haven't seen their families since the lockdown began on March 25.
In colorful turbans and cloth bandanas tied over their noses and mouths, they work in the industrial kitchen in 18-hours shifts.
Head cook Balbir Singh stirs an enormous ladle through a potato and soybean stew, simmering with ghee and coriander in a giant cook pot. A machine that every hour makes 5,000 chapati – thin, unleavened bread – whirs long before the sun rises and after it sets.
Mr. Singh lights the flames at 3 a.m. so that 35,000 lunches are ready for pickup by 9 a.m.
"If we serve at this time, God will give us more. It's a give and take system," Mr. Singh said.
Bangla Sahib is the largest of New Delhi's 10 gurdwaras, whose kitchens together form a vital part of the city's strategy to feed the poor during the pandemic.
The city government approached the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee just after India's nationwide lockdown began in late March, according to the committee president, Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
Bangla Sahib, which usually prepares around half a million meals per week using donated ingredients and equipment, is quickly ramping up to produce six times that many, Mr. Singh Sirsa said.
The government sends trucks to pick up the meals each day and distribute them to a network of shelters and drop-off points, but pays nothing for the food.
Mr. Singh Sirsa struggles to protect his workers and collect donations to keep the enterprise going. "This is the biggest challenge for me in my entire life," he said.
Anticipating many months of hardship ahead, he appears nightly on the Bangla Sahib's own TV channel to appeal for more donations.
A man from Montreal recently pledged $10,000, another from London offered $100,000, he said. The dining hall heaves with sacks of rice, flour, lentils, and cans of oil – six months of supplies, said Jagpreet Singh, a temple clerk.
"We believe in God. He's giving us this power, so we provide," he said.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-05-28--For US-China relations, a day of reckoning

Neither side can afford to decouple completely .
But the forces pulling them apart are growing stronger .
But it ’ s a long way from there to the new Cold War some are predicting .
China is far more tightly tied into the world economy than the Soviet Union ever was .
Washington and Moscow used to partner only on arms control .
Today , a range of critical challenges such as climate change demand cooperation between the U.S. and China .
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how dependent many U.S. companies are on supply chains originating in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Congress about how this dependence might be lessened .
U.S. officials complain that China has used questionable means – ranging from illegal state aid for its businesses to industrial espionage – to become the second largest economy in the world .
And Chinese President Xi Jinping has imposed the strictest regimen of Communist Party rule since Mao Zedong ’ s day .
Tensions in Washington ’ s relationship with Beijing have been bubbling for some time , but now they seem to be coming to a head .
Although a complete break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would hurt both sides too badly , a fundamental reassessment seems inevitable .
No international relationship matters more .
And amid all the political tremors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , ties between the United States and China are about to enter their most fraught period in decades .
It may not prove the end of an era – a definitive halt to the process of engagement begun with the Nixon administration ’ s dramatic opening to Beijing in 1972 .
A full break would mean major economic and financial costs for both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious risk now , coming on top of the huge damage already done by shutdowns aimed at stemming COVID ’ s spread .
But at the very least , a fundamental reassessment seems inevitable .
And a series of recent developments – such as the way President Donald Trump has made criticism of China a centerpiece of his reelection campaign and Beijing ’ s move to impose tough new security legislation on Hong Kong – suggest we ’ re at a critical pivot point .
Tensions had been building long before COVID , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they were rooted in frustration over a growing imbalance in the relationship .
Where China had once been largely a source for lower-cost consumer goods , it had grown into a modern and increasingly high-tech economy : the world ’ s second largest .
Beijing was using state aid , exchange rate adjustments , strong-arm restraints on foreign companies , and industrial espionage to steal a march on competitors , U.S. officials charged .
There were other tensions , too , rooted in political changes .
In the U.S. , these were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his “ America First ” platform ; in China , by the shift from a collective , more rules-based and open system in the early 2000s to the rule of President Xi Jinping .
Since coming to power in 2012 , he has consolidated his authority , done away with presidential term limits and instituted the most pervasive regimen of Communist party control since the rule of Mao Zedong .
He has also moved to expand China ’ s influence and power abroad .
But sometimes in international relations , a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existing tensions .
Like a freeze-frame , it dramatically highlights the core issues behind them , and leads to a shift in direction .
One example : In 2014 , the toppling of the pro-Moscow government in Ukraine was followed by Russia ’ s military intervention , its annexation of Crimea , and a systematic tightening of Western sanctions .
For the U.S.-China relationship , COVID-19 has played a similar role .
In one sense , that may have been inevitable : The virus got its start in the Chinese city of Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hide it .
But the political and economic shockwaves that the pandemic spread in Europe and the U.S. also painfully underscored mounting concerns about the West ’ s relationship with China .
On the political front , once President Xi ’ s government got COVID-19 under control he resisted calls for an independent inquiry into its origins , while also reframing the public narrative to contrast China ’ s “ success ” with the failure of Western democracies to stem the pandemic effectively .
Economically , the initial Chinese shutdown underlined the dependence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on supply chains starting in China .
That dependence became even more starkly evident when countries and companies had to scramble for ventilators and personal protective equipment to deal with COVID-19 .
By far the majority of these items were now made in China .
There are already signs of reassessment .
A bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Congress is looking for ways to loosen these dependencies – and also now for ways to react if President Xi follows through on his move to end Hong Kong ’ s autonomy in matters like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the rule of law .
Europe , too , is looking at ways of strengthening its own capacity to produce strategically important goods , as well as to forestall possible efforts by Chinese firms to buy Western businesses weakened during the pandemic .
The longer-term question is whether we ’ re headed for something like the Cold War with the old Soviet Union .
In one sense , the parallel is illusory .
China is much more advanced economically , and more intricately connected with the international economy , than Soviet Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makings of a Cold War-style rivalry , however .
China has staked out a military presence in the South China Sea and , through its Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative , has made itself felt economically and diplomatically across central and south Asia and in Africa and Europe .
President Xi ’ s consolidation of power has also drawn a Cold War-style ideological dividing line between his increasingly totalitarian regime and democratic governments in the West .
Yet the world has changed since the Cold War in ways that could determine how any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , besides arms control , there were no major international issues requiring U.S.-Soviet partnership .
Now , in order to deal effectively with tomorrow ’ s top challenge – climate change – the U.S. and China will need to work together .
And the world economy as a whole would suffer heavily from a purely adversarial relationship between its two major powers .
There ’ s also been another change .
During the Cold War , the U.S. relied not just on its own strength .
It could count on strong military , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracies , and the international weight of its democratic example .
For now , at least , Washington seems much less interested in this “ soft power , ” and ties with its allies have been fraying badly .
China , on the other hand , shows every sign of a continued determination to widen its global influence .

Neither side can afford to decouple completely. But the forces pulling them apart are growing stronger.
But it’s a long way from there to the new Cold War some are predicting. China is far more tightly tied into the world economy than the Soviet Union ever was. Washington and Moscow used to partner only on arms control. Today, a range of critical challenges such as climate change demand cooperation between the U.S. and China.
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how dependent many U.S. companies are on supply chains originating in China, and a rethink is underway in Congress about how this dependence might be lessened.
As the U.S. relationship with China worsens, some are predicting a new Cold War. Such decoupling seems unlikely, but a shifting mood in Washington suggests a pivot point may be close.
U.S. officials complain that China has used questionable means – ranging from illegal state aid for its businesses to industrial espionage – to become the second largest economy in the world. And Chinese President Xi Jinping has imposed the strictest regimen of Communist Party rule since Mao Zedong’s day.
Tensions in Washington’s relationship with Beijing have been bubbling for some time, but now they seem to be coming to a head. Although a complete break in ties is unlikely, since that would hurt both sides too badly, a fundamental reassessment seems inevitable.
No international relationship matters more. And amid all the political tremors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ties between the United States and China are about to enter their most fraught period in decades.
It may not prove the end of an era – a definitive halt to the process of engagement begun with the Nixon administration’s dramatic opening to Beijing in 1972. A full break would mean major economic and financial costs for both sides. That’s an especially serious risk now, coming on top of the huge damage already done by shutdowns aimed at stemming COVID’s spread.
But at the very least, a fundamental reassessment seems inevitable. And a series of recent developments – such as the way President Donald Trump has made criticism of China a centerpiece of his reelection campaign and Beijing’s move to impose tough new security legislation on Hong Kong – suggest we’re at a critical pivot point.
Why We Wrote This As the U.S. relationship with China worsens, some are predicting a new Cold War. Such decoupling seems unlikely, but a shifting mood in Washington suggests a pivot point may be close.
Tensions had been building long before COVID, mind you.
On the U.S. side, they were rooted in frustration over a growing imbalance in the relationship. Where China had once been largely a source for lower-cost consumer goods, it had grown into a modern and increasingly high-tech economy: the world’s second largest. Beijing was using state aid, exchange rate adjustments, strong-arm restraints on foreign companies, and industrial espionage to steal a march on competitors, U.S. officials charged.
There were other tensions, too, rooted in political changes. In the U.S., these were embodied by the election of President Trump on his “America First” platform; in China, by the shift from a collective, more rules-based and open system in the early 2000s to the rule of President Xi Jinping. Since coming to power in 2012, he has consolidated his authority, done away with presidential term limits and instituted the most pervasive regimen of Communist party control since the rule of Mao Zedong. He has also moved to expand China’s influence and power abroad.
But sometimes in international relations, a single event or crisis does more than aggravate existing tensions. Like a freeze-frame, it dramatically highlights the core issues behind them, and leads to a shift in direction. One example: In 2014, the toppling of the pro-Moscow government in Ukraine was followed by Russia’s military intervention, its annexation of Crimea, and a systematic tightening of Western sanctions.
For the U.S.-China relationship, COVID-19 has played a similar role. In one sense, that may have been inevitable: The virus got its start in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the authorities initially tried to hide it.
But the political and economic shockwaves that the pandemic spread in Europe and the U.S. also painfully underscored mounting concerns about the West’s relationship with China.
On the political front, once President Xi’s government got COVID-19 under control he resisted calls for an independent inquiry into its origins, while also reframing the public narrative to contrast China’s “success” with the failure of Western democracies to stem the pandemic effectively.
Economically, the initial Chinese shutdown underlined the dependence of many U.S. and other Western businesses on supply chains starting in China. That dependence became even more starkly evident when countries and companies had to scramble for ventilators and personal protective equipment to deal with COVID-19. By far the majority of these items were now made in China.
There are already signs of reassessment. A bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Congress is looking for ways to loosen these dependencies – and also now for ways to react if President Xi follows through on his move to end Hong Kong’s autonomy in matters like free speech, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law. Europe, too, is looking at ways of strengthening its own capacity to produce strategically important goods, as well as to forestall possible efforts by Chinese firms to buy Western businesses weakened during the pandemic.
The longer-term question is whether we’re headed for something like the Cold War with the old Soviet Union.
In one sense, the parallel is illusory. China is much more advanced economically, and more intricately connected with the international economy, than Soviet Russia ever was.
There are still the makings of a Cold War-style rivalry, however. China has staked out a military presence in the South China Sea and, through its Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative, has made itself felt economically and diplomatically across central and south Asia and in Africa and Europe. President Xi’s consolidation of power has also drawn a Cold War-style ideological dividing line between his increasingly totalitarian regime and democratic governments in the West.
Yet the world has changed since the Cold War in ways that could determine how any new China relationship evolves. Back then, besides arms control, there were no major international issues requiring U.S.-Soviet partnership. Now, in order to deal effectively with tomorrow’s top challenge – climate change – the U.S. and China will need to work together. And the world economy as a whole would suffer heavily from a purely adversarial relationship between its two major powers.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
There’s also been another change. During the Cold War, the U.S. relied not just on its own strength. It could count on strong military, political, and economic bonds with other democracies, and the international weight of its democratic example.
For now, at least, Washington seems much less interested in this “soft power,” and ties with its allies have been fraying badly. China, on the other hand, shows every sign of a continued determination to widen its global influence.


csmonitor--2020-05-27--How Berlin is trying to avoid becoming another San Francisco for renters

“ Look at London and Paris , how expensive it is for really small living space , ” says Christoph Albrecht , an attorney who advises a Berlin tenant protection association .
“ We don ’ t want to reach that here.
” Sky-high housing prices aren ’ t unique to Berlin , but the feeling is that it ’ s still early enough in Germany ’ s capital city that there ’ s a fighting chance , while the ship has largely sailed in other places .
Earlier this year , the city-state capped the rents of 1.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as advocates hope Berlin can avoid becoming a London or San Francisco of unaffordability .
Advocates for affordable housing globally are watching what could be a milestone move .
Though a famously cheap city to live in not long ago , Berlin has seen its rental market explode in the last few years , threatening the hip urban culture that has grown up here .
In 2017 the city nabbed the honor of experiencing the world ’ s largest year-over-year property price increases at 21 % .
That amounts to a doubling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a city where four of five residents are renters .
When Kiddy Citny , an artist whose murals appeared on the original Berlin Wall , returned from a trip to Hong Kong a few months ago , he found a Europe transformed by the coronavirus pandemic .
But while the art world went into hibernation in the crisis , he found new purpose as an advocate of affordable housing , just as Berlin passed a historic rent freeze into law .
Though a famously cheap city to live in not long ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the last few years , threatening the hip urban culture that has grown up here .
“ Art is what ’ s made Berlin so big over the last 25 years ” says Mr. Citny , who dodged East German guards to paint the Berlin Wall before 1989 .
“ But few artists can really afford to have a studio anymore – everything Berlin has stood for is essentially disappearing.
” The city-state capped the rents of 1.5 million units for the next five years in a freeze that took effect in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid becoming a London or San Francisco of unaffordability .
But conservative politicians are contesting the policy ’ s constitutionality in court , and say rent freezes might actually prevent developers from expanding the housing supply .
Advocates for affordable housing globally are watching what could be a milestone move .
“ Berlin is sort of leading the way , ” says Hanna Wheatley , a housing economist at the London-based social justice think tank New Economics Foundation .
“ It ’ s massive that controls are getting pushed through , because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renters can be mobilized and activated as a pressure group , they might have real impacts on what the rental market looks like.
” For two decades , Mr. Citny has lived in a two-room apartment in the city-center neighborhood of Schöneberg .
Light streams in from both sides .
Rent is affordable .
“ It ’ s an apartment that you would never give up , ” says Mr. Citny .
Mr. Citny ’ s situation had already been helped by the rent cap law ; his landlord had planned to sell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change his mind because of the pending policy .
“ The law prevented the apartment from being sold out from underneath my feet , ” says Mr. Citny .
On the open market , Mr. Citny would have found rental rates unaffordable .
Indeed , property values have skyrocketed over the last decade ; in 2017 the city nabbed the honor of experiencing the world ’ s largest year-over-year property price increases at 21 % , according the Knight Frank Global Index Report .
That amounts to a doubling of rents over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the average Berlin household pulls in only €2,000 ( $ 2,200 ) a month after tax , and where four of five residents are renters .
A scarce 1 % of vacancies are affordable for a single person per Berlin standards , according to a 2019 study underwritten by the federal government .
With a few exceptions , the rent freeze law would fine landlords in violation up to €500,000 , says Katrin Lompscher , Berlin ’ s secretary for urban development and housing .
Mr. Citny ’ s landlord is a private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t face the profit pressure of newer investors .
Therein lies the problem with the rent cap strategy , says Berlin-based housing economist Pekka Sagner .
It puts some private investors in financial dire straits , while disincentivizing developers to build new housing stock .
“ And that ’ s ultimately the issue – we need more housing.
” Another problem ?
The law isn ’ t permanent , points out Christoph Albrecht , an attorney who advises Mieterschutzbund Berlin , the tenant protection association .
“ Renters have been given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative housing , ” Mr. Albrecht says .
“ Because what if the tenant doesn ’ t have more money [ in five years ] ?
” Because the law ’ s future is uncertain , renters ’ unions are counseling tenants to keep any rental refunds in a rainy day fund , in case they need to give it back .
Sky-high housing prices aren ’ t unique to Berlin , but the feeling is that it ’ s still early enough in Germany ’ s capital city that there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has largely sailed in other places .
“ Look at London and Paris , how expensive it is for really small living space , ” says Mr. Albrecht , the attorney .
“ We don ’ t want to reach that here.
” Homeless numbers have skyrocketed in Los Angeles , New York , and other cities .
Those with shelter aren ’ t necessarily less anxious , since watching rents jump around them creates housing insecurity , the economists say .
Solving this dilemma is key to maintaining vibrant societies , say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europeans already view housing as a human right , according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty .
The question is how to ensure affordable and accessible housing .
“ We ’ re entering uncharted territory , ” Secretary Lompscher writes in an email .
Having given renters a breather , she says , the city is well aware the next step is to “ strengthen the building sector ” and increase housing supply .
Though controversial , rent control has been the go-to measure in most large cities across North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything from how initial rents are set to rates of increase during tenancies to enforcement measures for wayward landlords .
San Francisco provides a cautionary tale ; it tried a rent freeze in the early 1990s , only to watch real estate become a buyer ’ s market that favored people with money .
“ Sellers were trying to realize profits by offloading properties , because they could no longer profit from rents , ” says the economist Mr. Sagner .
That paved the way for high-paid Silicon Valley types to jump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible , because simple teachers were driven out of the area , ” Mr. Sagner says .
Lisbon experienced a similar dynamic .
In New York , London , and Amsterdam , housing has become an asset that people buy for investment , rather than for shelter , explains the London economist Ms. Wheatley .
“ There ’ s a lot of unhealthy demand .
People aren ’ t buying houses to live in.
” Housing and art in the time of COVID During a pandemic , adequate housing – with proper services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Home has rarely been more of a life or death situation , ” says Leilani Farha , United Nations special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing .
Worldwide , about 1.8 billion homeless and inadequately-housed people are particularly vulnerable to contracting the illness , she says .
And , as governments try not only to stop COVID-19 but lessen economic fallout , they ’ re lowering interest rates .
That creates a potentially dangerous set of circumstances .
A similar situation allowed investors to take over the real estate landscape after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farha .
“ States must prevent the predatory practices of institutional investors , ” she cautioned in a press release .
Indeed , “ gone for profit ” is how Mr. Citny , the artist , characterizes what ’ s happened to his city , even as he ’ s hopeful the new law will have some positive effect on affordability .
With the coronavirus requiring social distancing and “ no one buying art , ” Mr. Citny is thankful he had the good timing to downsize his studio before the pandemic hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his apartment and his smaller studio , thinking about how to work the feeling of “ empathy ” into upcoming projects .
“ This rent freeze is a really important law , ” says Mr. Citny .
“ It helps preserve Berlin ’ s calling card .
Artistry is the highest form of community .
”

“Look at London and Paris, how expensive it is for really small living space,” says Christoph Albrecht, an attorney who advises a Berlin tenant protection association. “We don’t want to reach that here.”
Sky-high housing prices aren’t unique to Berlin, but the feeling is that it’s still early enough in Germany’s capital city that there’s a fighting chance, while the ship has largely sailed in other places.
Polls indicate that Westerners increasingly view housing as a basic right. So how do you stop the transformation of cities like Berlin, which once was known for its cheap rents, into places that only the truly wealthy can afford?
Earlier this year, the city-state capped the rents of 1.5 million units for the next five years, as advocates hope Berlin can avoid becoming a London or San Francisco of unaffordability. Advocates for affordable housing globally are watching what could be a milestone move.
Though a famously cheap city to live in not long ago, Berlin has seen its rental market explode in the last few years, threatening the hip urban culture that has grown up here. In 2017 the city nabbed the honor of experiencing the world’s largest year-over-year property price increases at 21%. That amounts to a doubling of rents over the last decade, in a city where four of five residents are renters.
When Kiddy Citny, an artist whose murals appeared on the original Berlin Wall, returned from a trip to Hong Kong a few months ago, he found a Europe transformed by the coronavirus pandemic. But while the art world went into hibernation in the crisis, he found new purpose as an advocate of affordable housing, just as Berlin passed a historic rent freeze into law.
Though a famously cheap city to live in not long ago, Berlin has seen its rental market explode in the last few years, threatening the hip urban culture that has grown up here. “Art is what’s made Berlin so big over the last 25 years” says Mr. Citny, who dodged East German guards to paint the Berlin Wall before 1989. “But few artists can really afford to have a studio anymore – everything Berlin has stood for is essentially disappearing.”
The city-state capped the rents of 1.5 million units for the next five years in a freeze that took effect in February, as advocates hope Berlin can avoid becoming a London or San Francisco of unaffordability. But conservative politicians are contesting the policy’s constitutionality in court, and say rent freezes might actually prevent developers from expanding the housing supply. Advocates for affordable housing globally are watching what could be a milestone move.
Why We Wrote This Polls indicate that Westerners increasingly view housing as a basic right. So how do you stop the transformation of cities like Berlin, which once was known for its cheap rents, into places that only the truly wealthy can afford?
“Berlin is sort of leading the way,” says Hanna Wheatley, a housing economist at the London-based social justice think tank New Economics Foundation. “It’s massive that controls are getting pushed through, because it’s been grassroots led. If renters can be mobilized and activated as a pressure group, they might have real impacts on what the rental market looks like.”
No longer affordable
For two decades, Mr. Citny has lived in a two-room apartment in the city-center neighborhood of Schöneberg. Light streams in from both sides. Rent is affordable. “It’s an apartment that you would never give up,” says Mr. Citny.
Mr. Citny’s situation had already been helped by the rent cap law; his landlord had planned to sell the unit last year, only to change his mind because of the pending policy. “The law prevented the apartment from being sold out from underneath my feet,” says Mr. Citny.
On the open market, Mr. Citny would have found rental rates unaffordable. Indeed, property values have skyrocketed over the last decade; in 2017 the city nabbed the honor of experiencing the world’s largest year-over-year property price increases at 21%, according the Knight Frank Global Index Report. That amounts to a doubling of rents over the last decade, in a city where the average Berlin household pulls in only €2,000 ($2,200) a month after tax, and where four of five residents are renters.
A scarce 1% of vacancies are affordable for a single person per Berlin standards, according to a 2019 study underwritten by the federal government.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/FIle View caption Hide caption People walk and cycle through a residential neighborhood, on March 3, 2017, in Berlin.
With a few exceptions, the rent freeze law would fine landlords in violation up to €500,000, says Katrin Lompscher, Berlin’s secretary for urban development and housing.
Mr. Citny’s landlord is a private party who bought decades ago, and doesn’t face the profit pressure of newer investors. Therein lies the problem with the rent cap strategy, says Berlin-based housing economist Pekka Sagner. It puts some private investors in financial dire straits, while disincentivizing developers to build new housing stock. “And that’s ultimately the issue – we need more housing.”
Another problem? The law isn’t permanent, points out Christoph Albrecht, an attorney who advises Mieterschutzbund Berlin, the tenant protection association. “Renters have been given a breather but they should look for alternative housing,” Mr. Albrecht says. “Because what if the tenant doesn’t have more money [in five years]?”
Because the law’s future is uncertain, renters’ unions are counseling tenants to keep any rental refunds in a rainy day fund, in case they need to give it back.
The “Berlin experiment”
Sky-high housing prices aren’t unique to Berlin, but the feeling is that it’s still early enough in Germany’s capital city that there’s a fighting chance, while the ship has largely sailed in other places.
“Look at London and Paris, how expensive it is for really small living space,” says Mr. Albrecht, the attorney. “We don’t want to reach that here.” Homeless numbers have skyrocketed in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. Those with shelter aren’t necessarily less anxious, since watching rents jump around them creates housing insecurity, the economists say.
Solving this dilemma is key to maintaining vibrant societies, say affordable housing advocates. Most Americans and Europeans already view housing as a human right, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.
The question is how to ensure affordable and accessible housing. “We’re entering uncharted territory,” Secretary Lompscher writes in an email. Having given renters a breather, she says, the city is well aware the next step is to “strengthen the building sector” and increase housing supply.
Though controversial, rent control has been the go-to measure in most large cities across North America and Europe, and policies encompass everything from how initial rents are set to rates of increase during tenancies to enforcement measures for wayward landlords.
San Francisco provides a cautionary tale; it tried a rent freeze in the early 1990s, only to watch real estate become a buyer’s market that favored people with money. “Sellers were trying to realize profits by offloading properties, because they could no longer profit from rents,” says the economist Mr. Sagner. That paved the way for high-paid Silicon Valley types to jump in. Freezes made gentrification “even more possible, because simple teachers were driven out of the area,” Mr. Sagner says. Lisbon experienced a similar dynamic.
In New York, London, and Amsterdam, housing has become an asset that people buy for investment, rather than for shelter, explains the London economist Ms. Wheatley. “There’s a lot of unhealthy demand. People aren’t buying houses to live in.”
Housing and art in the time of COVID
During a pandemic, adequate housing – with proper services – becomes even more critical. “Home has rarely been more of a life or death situation,” says Leilani Farha, United Nations special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing. Worldwide, about 1.8 billion homeless and inadequately-housed people are particularly vulnerable to contracting the illness, she says.
And, as governments try not only to stop COVID-19 but lessen economic fallout, they’re lowering interest rates. That creates a potentially dangerous set of circumstances. A similar situation allowed investors to take over the real estate landscape after the 2008 global financial crisis, says Ms. Farha. “States must prevent the predatory practices of institutional investors,” she cautioned in a press release.
Indeed, “gone for profit” is how Mr. Citny, the artist, characterizes what’s happened to his city, even as he’s hopeful the new law will have some positive effect on affordability.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
With the coronavirus requiring social distancing and “no one buying art,” Mr. Citny is thankful he had the good timing to downsize his studio before the pandemic hit. He’s been biking between his apartment and his smaller studio, thinking about how to work the feeling of “empathy” into upcoming projects.
“This rent freeze is a really important law,” says Mr. Citny. “It helps preserve Berlin’s calling card. Artistry is the highest form of community.”


csmonitor--2020-05-21--Lacking seasonal workers, Italy elevates its long-shunned migrants

“ The real problem is that the attention is only on growers ’ economic needs , [ and ] that hides human beings who are [ used ] as farm workers , ” says Gennaro Avallone , a sociology researcher at University of Salerno .
But while the move is a significant step for Italy , experts say that the underlying systemic problems that make cheap , exploitable labor necessary in Italian agriculture still need to be addressed .
“ We need to consider this as a first step for broader cultural changes in our country , ” says Paolo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 era , what is needed is that no one remains invisible.
” Italy has long been at the heart of Europe ’ s debates over migration , and has been markedly hostile to migrants in recent years .
But that stance has been challenged amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The inability to get seasonal workers from Eastern Europe during the crisis is threatening Italy ’ s agricultural sector .
So the Italian government has decided to allow some of the estimated 600,000 irregular migrants working in the sector to legalize their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crops from rotting in the fields .
The heart of Italy ’ s agricultural sector is concentrated in the southern regions of Calabria and Puglia , the country ’ s “ toe ” and “ heel ” respectively , in fields of tomatoes , lettuce , and orange trees .
And in a normal year at about this time , seasonal workers from Eastern Europe would be working in those fields to bring the produce to market .
But the coronavirus pandemic has made this far from a normal year – especially in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst affected countries .
With most nations in the European Union closing their borders to travel in order to prevent the virus ’ s spread , there are no seasonal workers coming to Italy from abroad .
And without those extra workers , the prospect of fields full of rotten tomatoes and unpicked citrus fruits loomed .
That has prompted the Italian government to rethink its frequently antagonistic approach to the estimated 600,000 irregular migrants working in its agriculture sector .
It has agreed to allow farm hands and domestic workers to legalize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six months , thereby both addressing Italy ’ s employment gap and improving the employment and healthcare opportunities available to migrants amid the pandemic .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
But while the move is a significant step for a country that has been markedly hostile to migrants in recent years , experts and migrant advocates say that it is only a small step in a much longer journey .
The underlying systemic problems that make cheap , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to be addressed , they say .
And migrants warn that the government ’ s decision will not necessarily help them .
“ The new decree is not a good decree , ” says Mohammed Konare , who picks oranges and tomatoes in Calabria .
“ Italians do not want immigration ; even to rent a house is a problem .
Nobody accepts me.
” Italy has long been at the heart of Europe ’ s debates over migration .
Although no longer in power , the right-wing League party remains the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of its popularity to a tough line on migration .
The southern European nation is keeping its ports closed to rescue ships loaded with migrants and asylum seekers from Libya .
And the question of what to do with unauthorized migrant farmers and caregivers caused acrimony between the governing coalition parties as they finalized a €55 billion ( $ 60 billion ) stimulus package .
Italian nongovernmental and civil society organizations have long called for a change to the country ’ s migration policy , asking for regular channels to access work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oxfam Italia ’ s humanitarian policy adviser , welcomes the government initiative as a step in the right direction , but regrets that it does not also reach irregular migrants working in other sectors such as construction or tourism .
“ We need to consider this as a first step for broader cultural changes in our country , ” he says .
“ In the COVID-19 era , what is needed is that no one remains invisible.
” Mr. Pezzati stresses that vulnerable Italians will also benefit from this initiative , which should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their contracts .
He notes that about 40 % of the agricultural work force in Italy is irregular , and that Italian laborers are often pressured to take low wages on the grounds that migrants are willing to work for less .
It will also help reduce the power of criminal organizations that connect irregular workers with farmers in need of labor .
And migrant workers are essential to Italian agriculture , says Aldo Alessio , the mayor of Gioia Tauro , a strategic port town in Calabria .
“ The agricultural productivity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guaranteed by underpaid migrant workers without rights , ” he says .
“ Our traditional agricultural laborers have almost completely disappeared .
...
Without the labor force of immigrant farm workers , agricultural productivity in our region would be zero.
” The bulk of the irregular migrants who work in Italy ’ s agriculture sector hail from Africa .
Often single men , they live in improvised cardboard or plastic sheet homes packed into ghettos or shanty towns with miserable hygiene conditions , and work for a day rate in the fields of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for years but no longer have a valid residency permit , if they ever did .
Mr. Konare , from Mali , is one of those .
He arrived in Italy five years ago when he was 17 years old .
He says he normally works seven days per week , earning a day rate of €35 ( $ 38 ) for seven hours of work .
But his contract , which expired and wasn ’ t renewed amid the coronavirus pandemic , stated that he worked only five days per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know if I will work again , the boss didn ’ t call me anymore , ” he says .
Mr. Konare has little faith that the six-month amnesty for unauthorized migrants will help improve his situation in practical terms or meaningfully shift public opinion .
He points out that the renewal of an expired residency takes more than a year in Italy , so even those who benefit from the amnesty will soon find themselves in the country illegally again .
Many unauthorized migrants live in makeshift camps and ghettos around Calabria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ghetto in the small town of Taurianova , for example , about 150 people had to manage without drinking water , toilets , or garbage collection during the pandemic , says Giorgia Campo of the trade union USB Calabria .
Migrants in the area found it largely impossible to keep social distance or hygiene rules .
Ms. Campo is among many who hoped the government would pass a sweeping emergency residence permit , normalizing the situation of irregular migrants across sectors , allowing them access to health care and thus controlling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is bitterly disappointed .
“ This decree can not be considered as a regularization , the people who will benefit from it throughout Italy will be at most 2,000 , ” she says , citing an estimate issued by the farmers ’ association Coldiretti .
Guido de Togni , cultural manager at Funky Tomato , an agricultural cooperative trying to ensure fair conditions along the tomato supply chain , also thinks the government has much left to do .
“ We do not believe the relaunch decree will solve the problem of labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , stressing that the issue is the outcome of unsustainable sales prices imposed by big processing brands and supermarket chains .
“ The real problem is that the attention is only on growers ’ economic needs , [ and ] that hides human beings who are [ used ] as farm workers , ” says Gennaro Avallone , a sociology researcher at University of Salerno in southwest Italy .
Italian policy-making , he adds , is strongly influenced by propaganda and frequent polling , which often mirrors racist attitudes .
A change would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprehensive movement for social justice , involving parts of the Italian and non-Italian populations together , he says .
But Dr. Avallone expects “ neither a change in racist attitudes nor in immigration policies by the Italian state.
” Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

“The real problem is that the attention is only on growers’ economic needs, [and] that hides human beings who are [used] as farm workers,” says Gennaro Avallone, a sociology researcher at University of Salerno.
But while the move is a significant step for Italy, experts say that the underlying systemic problems that make cheap, exploitable labor necessary in Italian agriculture still need to be addressed.
Broad, deep-seated distrust – even hostility – toward a social or ethnic group can be hard to change. But could pragmatic need, say due to shortages caused by a global pandemic, start the ball rolling?
“We need to consider this as a first step for broader cultural changes in our country,” says Paolo Pezzati of Oxfam Italia. “In the COVID-19 era, what is needed is that no one remains invisible.”
Italy has long been at the heart of Europe’s debates over migration, and has been markedly hostile to migrants in recent years. But that stance has been challenged amid the coronavirus pandemic. The inability to get seasonal workers from Eastern Europe during the crisis is threatening Italy’s agricultural sector. So the Italian government has decided to allow some of the estimated 600,000 irregular migrants working in the sector to legalize their status with a temporary residency to prevent crops from rotting in the fields.
The heart of Italy’s agricultural sector is concentrated in the southern regions of Calabria and Puglia, the country’s “toe” and “heel” respectively, in fields of tomatoes, lettuce, and orange trees. And in a normal year at about this time, seasonal workers from Eastern Europe would be working in those fields to bring the produce to market.
But the coronavirus pandemic has made this far from a normal year – especially in Italy, one of Europe’s worst affected countries. With most nations in the European Union closing their borders to travel in order to prevent the virus’s spread, there are no seasonal workers coming to Italy from abroad. And without those extra workers, the prospect of fields full of rotten tomatoes and unpicked citrus fruits loomed.
That has prompted the Italian government to rethink its frequently antagonistic approach to the estimated 600,000 irregular migrants working in its agriculture sector. It has agreed to allow farm hands and domestic workers to legalize their status with a residency valid for six months, thereby both addressing Italy’s employment gap and improving the employment and healthcare opportunities available to migrants amid the pandemic.
Why We Wrote This Broad, deep-seated distrust – even hostility – toward a social or ethnic group can be hard to change. But could pragmatic need, say due to shortages caused by a global pandemic, start the ball rolling?
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
But while the move is a significant step for a country that has been markedly hostile to migrants in recent years, experts and migrant advocates say that it is only a small step in a much longer journey. The underlying systemic problems that make cheap, exploitable labor necessary in Italian agriculture still need to be addressed, they say. And migrants warn that the government’s decision will not necessarily help them.
“The new decree is not a good decree,” says Mohammed Konare, who picks oranges and tomatoes in Calabria. “Italians do not want immigration; even to rent a house is a problem. Nobody accepts me.”
Essential to Italian agriculture
Italy has long been at the heart of Europe’s debates over migration. Although no longer in power, the right-wing League party remains the country’s largest party and owes much of its popularity to a tough line on migration. The southern European nation is keeping its ports closed to rescue ships loaded with migrants and asylum seekers from Libya. And the question of what to do with unauthorized migrant farmers and caregivers caused acrimony between the governing coalition parties as they finalized a €55 billion ($60 billion) stimulus package.
Italian nongovernmental and civil society organizations have long called for a change to the country’s migration policy, asking for regular channels to access work permits and renewals. Paolo Pezzati, Oxfam Italia’s humanitarian policy adviser, welcomes the government initiative as a step in the right direction, but regrets that it does not also reach irregular migrants working in other sectors such as construction or tourism. “We need to consider this as a first step for broader cultural changes in our country,” he says. “In the COVID-19 era, what is needed is that no one remains invisible.”
Mr. Pezzati stresses that vulnerable Italians will also benefit from this initiative, which should give foreign migrants more leverage when negotiating their contracts. He notes that about 40% of the agricultural work force in Italy is irregular, and that Italian laborers are often pressured to take low wages on the grounds that migrants are willing to work for less. It will also help reduce the power of criminal organizations that connect irregular workers with farmers in need of labor.
And migrant workers are essential to Italian agriculture, says Aldo Alessio, the mayor of Gioia Tauro, a strategic port town in Calabria. “The agricultural productivity of the Calabria region is currently largely guaranteed by underpaid migrant workers without rights,” he says. “Our traditional agricultural laborers have almost completely disappeared. ... Without the labor force of immigrant farm workers, agricultural productivity in our region would be zero.”
The bulk of the irregular migrants who work in Italy’s agriculture sector hail from Africa. Often single men, they live in improvised cardboard or plastic sheet homes packed into ghettos or shanty towns with miserable hygiene conditions, and work for a day rate in the fields of southern Italy. Some have been in the country for years but no longer have a valid residency permit, if they ever did.
Mr. Konare, from Mali, is one of those. He arrived in Italy five years ago when he was 17 years old. He says he normally works seven days per week, earning a day rate of €35 ($38) for seven hours of work. But his contract, which expired and wasn’t renewed amid the coronavirus pandemic, stated that he worked only five days per month.
“I don’t know if I will work again, the boss didn’t call me anymore,” he says. Mr. Konare has little faith that the six-month amnesty for unauthorized migrants will help improve his situation in practical terms or meaningfully shift public opinion. He points out that the renewal of an expired residency takes more than a year in Italy, so even those who benefit from the amnesty will soon find themselves in the country illegally again.
The problem of labor exploitation
Many unauthorized migrants live in makeshift camps and ghettos around Calabria, usually in poor conditions. In the ghetto in the small town of Taurianova, for example, about 150 people had to manage without drinking water, toilets, or garbage collection during the pandemic, says Giorgia Campo of the trade union USB Calabria. Migrants in the area found it largely impossible to keep social distance or hygiene rules.
Ms. Campo is among many who hoped the government would pass a sweeping emergency residence permit, normalizing the situation of irregular migrants across sectors, allowing them access to health care and thus controlling the spread of COVID-19. She says she is bitterly disappointed. “This decree cannot be considered as a regularization, the people who will benefit from it throughout Italy will be at most 2,000,” she says, citing an estimate issued by the farmers’ association Coldiretti.
Guido de Togni, cultural manager at Funky Tomato, an agricultural cooperative trying to ensure fair conditions along the tomato supply chain, also thinks the government has much left to do. “We do not believe the relaunch decree will solve the problem of labor exploitation in agriculture,” he says, stressing that the issue is the outcome of unsustainable sales prices imposed by big processing brands and supermarket chains.
“The real problem is that the attention is only on growers’ economic needs, [and] that hides human beings who are [used] as farm workers,” says Gennaro Avallone, a sociology researcher at University of Salerno in southwest Italy. Italian policy-making, he adds, is strongly influenced by propaganda and frequent polling, which often mirrors racist attitudes.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
A change would happen if anti-racist solidarity increased in a comprehensive movement for social justice, involving parts of the Italian and non-Italian populations together, he says. But Dr. Avallone expects “neither a change in racist attitudes nor in immigration policies by the Italian state.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-05-26--As virus halts fashion calendar, designers seek a slower rhythm

Gucci and Saint Laurent are two of the highest profile luxury fashion houses to announce they will leave the fashion calendar behind , with its relentless four-times-a-year rhythm , shuttling cadres of fashionistas between global capitals where they squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder around runways for 15 breathless minutes .
The coronavirus lockdown , which has hit luxury fashion houses on their bottom lines , has also given pause to rethink the pace of fashion , offering the possibility to return to less hectic , more considered periods of creativity and production – and perhaps consumption .
Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele imagines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall and one in the spring – to present co-ed collections , getting away from the hyped-up calendar which has come to require pre-season collections before the major women ’ s and men ’ s runway shows and a one-off cruise collection , increasingly in exotic locations .
“ Two appointments a year are more than enough to give time to form a creative thought , and to give more time to this system , ” Mr. Michele said in a video conference Monday , expanding on an idea he launched over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his own lockdown diaries .
The virus-imposed shutdown – while stopping production and consumption that feed the fashion cycle – also recharged creativity among those who found new time for reflection .
`` It is a great gift that our planet gave us , a great gift that can not be discarded , ’ ’ Mr. Michele said .
Mr. Michele said he hopes that a new calendar and new rhythms would be decided within the fashion system and in cooperation with other designers .
It has been clear for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been suffering under the current pace : More luxury houses have been combining men ’ s and women ’ s shows as genderless and even seasonless dressing becomes a global theme ; it has n't been unheard-of for major brands to skip a season or to venture away from their fashion cities to expand their audience .
Saint Laurent hasn ’ t articulated its intentions , but said in a statement last month that it would “ take control ” of the fashion schedule “ conscious of the current circumstances and its waves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the first industries to suffer from coronavirus , first with the China shutdown that closed boutiques and blocked travelers already in January from a region responsible for a third of global luxury .
And the pandemic appeared in Europe just as Fall-Winter 2020-21 shows were underway in Milan and then Paris .
Illustrating just how vulnerable the show system is in the face of a fast-spreading global virus , Giorgio Armani showed his collection in a closed theater on Feb. 23 – just two days after Italy became the first Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armani also has called for a major rethink of changes in luxury fashion during his 45 years as a stalwart of Milan fashion .
In a letter to Women ’ s Wear Daily last month , Armani said he found it “ immoral ” for luxury fashion to adopt the pace of fast fashion – the drive to deliver more in pursuit of profits “ yet forgetting that luxury takes time , to be achieved and to be appreciated.
” That has included moves toward see-now , buy-now capsule collections by some brands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notions of “ timeless elegance.
” “ It makes no sense for one of my jackets or suits to live in the shop for three weeks before becoming obsolete , replaced by new goods that are not too different , ” Mr. Armani said .
Mr. Armani , who opened his Milan boutiques last week as the Italian economy slowly reopens , said he would keep summer collections in stores until September – running counter to recent practice that put linen dresses in stores in winter and Alpaca coats in the summer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Fashion Designers of America also have endorsed resetting “ the way in which we work and show our collections.
” They encouraged brands “ to slow down , ” and reconsider how much merchandise they produce .
The Italian Fashion Chamber is promoting three days of online presentation of men ’ s and women ’ s collections in July to substitute the regular June calendar .
Gucci will participate with a collection called “ Epilogue , ” to represent the end of an era .
When the fashion communication rebirth that Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen .
He said September is too soon , while Saint Laurent only said it would n't participate in any previously scheduled events this year .
Fashion chamber president Carlo Capasa can ’ t say when live shows might return to the agenda – but he says they are irreplaceable .
“ I believe that the digital experience is important , but it should be tied with a physical experience , ” Mr. Capasa told AP .
“ Whoever has been to a fashion show knows the importance of the setting and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press .
Thomas Adamson reported from Leeds , England .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

Gucci and Saint Laurent are two of the highest profile luxury fashion houses to announce they will leave the fashion calendar behind, with its relentless four-times-a-year rhythm, shuttling cadres of fashionistas between global capitals where they squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder around runways for 15 breathless minutes.
The coronavirus lockdown, which has hit luxury fashion houses on their bottom lines, has also given pause to rethink the pace of fashion, offering the possibility to return to less hectic, more considered periods of creativity and production – and perhaps consumption.
Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele imagines two yearly appointments – one in the fall and one in the spring – to present co-ed collections, getting away from the hyped-up calendar which has come to require pre-season collections before the major women’s and men’s runway shows and a one-off cruise collection, increasingly in exotic locations.
“Two appointments a year are more than enough to give time to form a creative thought, and to give more time to this system,” Mr. Michele said in a video conference Monday, expanding on an idea he launched over the weekend in a series of Instagram posts from his own lockdown diaries.
The virus-imposed shutdown – while stopping production and consumption that feed the fashion cycle – also recharged creativity among those who found new time for reflection. "It is a great gift that our planet gave us, a great gift that cannot be discarded,’’ Mr. Michele said.
Mr. Michele said he hopes that a new calendar and new rhythms would be decided within the fashion system and in cooperation with other designers.
It has been clear for the last few years that the fashion world has been suffering under the current pace: More luxury houses have been combining men’s and women’s shows as genderless and even seasonless dressing becomes a global theme; it hasn't been unheard-of for major brands to skip a season or to venture away from their fashion cities to expand their audience.
Saint Laurent hasn’t articulated its intentions, but said in a statement last month that it would “take control” of the fashion schedule “conscious of the current circumstances and its waves of radical change.”
Luxury fashion was one of the first industries to suffer from coronavirus, first with the China shutdown that closed boutiques and blocked travelers already in January from a region responsible for a third of global luxury. And the pandemic appeared in Europe just as Fall-Winter 2020-21 shows were underway in Milan and then Paris.
Illustrating just how vulnerable the show system is in the face of a fast-spreading global virus, Giorgio Armani showed his collection in a closed theater on Feb. 23 – just two days after Italy became the first Western country with a coronavirus outbreak.
Mr. Armani also has called for a major rethink of changes in luxury fashion during his 45 years as a stalwart of Milan fashion.
In a letter to Women’s Wear Daily last month, Armani said he found it “immoral” for luxury fashion to adopt the pace of fast fashion – the drive to deliver more in pursuit of profits “yet forgetting that luxury takes time, to be achieved and to be appreciated.” That has included moves toward see-now, buy-now capsule collections by some brands, running in direct opposition to his notions of “timeless elegance.”
“It makes no sense for one of my jackets or suits to live in the shop for three weeks before becoming obsolete, replaced by new goods that are not too different,” Mr. Armani said.
Mr. Armani, who opened his Milan boutiques last week as the Italian economy slowly reopens, said he would keep summer collections in stores until September – running counter to recent practice that put linen dresses in stores in winter and Alpaca coats in the summer.
The British Fashion Council and the Council of Fashion Designers of America also have endorsed resetting “the way in which we work and show our collections.” They encouraged brands “to slow down,” and reconsider how much merchandise they produce.
The Italian Fashion Chamber is promoting three days of online presentation of men’s and women’s collections in July to substitute the regular June calendar. Gucci will participate with a collection called “Epilogue,” to represent the end of an era.
When the fashion communication rebirth that Mr. Michele envisions will happen remains to be seen. He said September is too soon, while Saint Laurent only said it wouldn't participate in any previously scheduled events this year.
Fashion chamber president Carlo Capasa can’t say when live shows might return to the agenda – but he says they are irreplaceable.
“I believe that the digital experience is important, but it should be tied with a physical experience,” Mr. Capasa told AP. “Whoever has been to a fashion show knows the importance of the setting and the emotions.”
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Thomas Adamson reported from Leeds, England.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.