Welcome to the weekly world briefing, a Tuesday feature to help you stay up to date with major happenings around the globe. Here, we dive into some of the world’s biggest issues and how they affect travelers. Is there something you think should be added to the next briefing? Tell us on Twitter.
In the United States…
President Trump declared support for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, saying, “If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake. We’re with Saudi Arabia. We’re staying with Saudi Arabia.”
Earlier this month, the CIA concluded that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump’s defense of the kingdom shows he values a Saudi alliance for business deals and joint hostility against Iran above all.
“The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone,” Trump said on Tuesday.”The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region.”
Seventeen Saudi nationals have been sanctioned as a result of the killing, but Trump has said he does not want any additional punishments carried out.
We’ve covered Khashoggi’s murder repeatedly in this briefing, but as a refresher, Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist living in the United States, where he wrote for the Washington Post and other publications and was sometimes critical of the Saudi government and the crown prince. On October 2, he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and was murdered. Saudi Arabia says he was killed on the orders of an intelligence officer, while the CIA and Turkish officials say the killing was approved at the highest level. Saudi Arabia has changed the story a few times, from denying the murder to saying Khashoggi died after a fight to calling the murder a “rogue operation.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is supporting the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has led to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. An estimated 85,000 children might have died in Yemen since the war began in 2015. “For every child killed by bombs and bullets, dozens are starving to death — and it’s entirely preventable,” Save the Children’s country director Tamer Kirolos said in a statement. “Children who die in this way suffer immensely as their vital organ functions slow down and eventually stop.”
Khashoggi’s murder has made the war even more contentious in the United States, where the Senate is voting this week on whether to withdraw U.S. military support for the war.
While travel to Saudi Arabia is already low, now is a good time to consider where your tourism dollars go. Do they go to a government that carries out human rights atrocities? If so, you might want to travel elsewhere. Sometimes, tourists want to visit places like Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and other seemingly off-limits places simply to say they’ve been there, without thinking about the ramifications.
Our take: While there are some places you should never visit (see the story below) we generally don’t like to warn against travel. However, we encourage you to research the government of the place you’re visiting as well as where your money goes while you’re there. Does it go to private businesses or the government? If the latter, are you comfortable enough with the government’s initiatives to know you’re funding them, even in a small way? Why are you visiting? Is it for work, for education, to see family, or for the shock value? We want readers to think hard about why they travel to certain destinations and the impact their dollar has before planning their next trip.
In North Sentinel Island…
John Chau, an American tourist and missionary, was killed in North Sentinel Island last week. Chau arrived with the goal of bringing christianity to the Sentinelese people. A journal entry of his reads, “Lord, is this the island Satan’s last stronghold where none have heard or even had the chance to hear your name?” Further journal entries show that Chau was confused when the Sentinelese people reacted to his visit with violence. On his second day on the island, tribesman shot and killed Chau with a bow and arrow.
North Sentinel island is a remote piece of land about the size of Manhattan in the Bay of Bengal. Its inhabitants are thought to have arrived from Africa around 50,000 years ago. Their numbers have declined dramatically since first encountering British and Indian explorers in the 1800s. In 1880 when a British naval officer kidnapped six islanders, two died rapidly from disease. With an estimated population of fewer than 100, the Sentinelese are wary of outsiders. Though officially under Indian control, the Sentinelese live autonomously and it is illegal to travel to the island.
Around the world, isolated groups of people are in danger of losing their ways of life. Chau exemplifies the colonial mindset that has plagued tribes for centuries, but now the Sentinelese and those like them face even larger challenges. In Brazil, which hosts the largest population of uncontacted indigenous people, president Jair Bolsonaro has pledged to eliminate all tribes to expand the logging industry. Industries such as logging and fishing, as well as climate change, may wipe out entire populations like the Sentinelese.
Our Take: Being a good traveler means respecting the customs of the places you would like to visit, even if that means never visiting. It is inappropriate to enforce your beliefs on people who invite you to visit their home, and even more disrespectful to show up uninvited.
Worldwide…
Climate change may entirely erase the people of North Sentinel island and is likely to disproportionately affect developing countries. However, even wealthy countries such as the United States will feel the devastating effects, according to a new U.S. climate report. The report follows many others released this year that detail a dire future unless we drastically reduce our carbon emissions.
By 2100, the U.S. could lose up to 10 percent of its GDP, or double the amount lost during the Great Recession, due to climate change. The findings are in direct contrast with the policies of the Trump administration. Since being elected, Trump has loosened regulations on coal production and pollution while withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement in efforts to boost the economy. The report was released on the afternoon of Black Friday, possibly in an effort to bury the news during the busiest shopping day of the year. After it’s release, Trump said, “I don’t believe it.”
Like recent reports, the study warns of increased devastation due to climate disasters such as hurricanes in the Southeast and wildfires in Western states. The farming sector is expected to be hit especially hard. Both corn and soybean production could be reduced by more than 25 percent. Energy is also expected to suffer. Production of energy in all forms will be stunted while warmer summer temperatures force people to use more energy. And power lines will likely be impaired due to climate disasters and heat waves. Increased chances of damaged infrastructure and health emergencies will also require more government spending.
The tourism industry will not be spared. Some cities like Miami are already feeling the pain. The “Miami Forever Bond” aims to use almost $200 million to curb sea level rise. But local efforts may not be enough. South Florida could go the way of coastal Louisiana, which has seen some of its population retreat in recent years. The Florida Keys are still struggling to rebuild after last year’s devastating hurricane Irma, parts of Puerto Rico spent almost a year without power, and tourists in San Francisco were advised to wear masks to protect themselves from wildfire smoke last week.
Economic problems require economic solutions, and the report outlines a few options. From a carbon tax to emission limits, each solution comes at its own cost, but the authors argue those costs are minimal compared to the damage that will occur if no action is taken.
On the U.S.-Mexico Border…
Many of the Central American asylum seekers that have been traveling as a caravan have reached the U.S.-Mexico border between Tijuana and San Diego. Around 5,000 migrants are taking refuge in a Tijuana sports stadium while they await a solution or find one themselves. Some of the asylum seekers took to the streets on Sunday to protest the United States’ asylum application process. The U.S. is currently processing fewer than 100 claims a day and the waiting list is over 3,000 names long. The protest turned violent when some demonstrators attempted to rush the border. Some threw rocks at U.S. Border Patrol Agents who responded with tear gas. The main border crossing was closed for a period of time until the situation cooled.
Images of children in diapers being tear gassed have angered Americans critical of the United States’ immigration policies. But on Monday, President Trump defended the use of force to protect the border. Meanwhile, Tijuana’s mayor has called the situation a humanitarian crisis and asked for UN aid to deal with the influx of migrants. Since the U.S. is preventing the asylum seekers from entering the country, many of the migrants are rethinking their original goal and considering staying in Mexico. The government of Baja California has been providing food and shelter, and recently identified 7,000 job openings for those who qualify.
On October 12th, around 160 Hondurans decided to make the trek to the United States as a group. As they traveled through Honduras and Guatemala, their numbers grew rapidly. By the time they reached Mexico City, they were 7,000 strong. Traveling in groups can make the long journey north safer, especially for women and families. The migrants are fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Known collectively as the Northern Triangle, the three nations are some of the most violent in the world. Drug-related gang violence is rampant in the major cities, and prospects for young people are grim. Companies refuse to hire young men from the some of the worst neighborhoods, leaving them with few survival options outside of joining a gang. Strong government intervention over the last decade has curbed violence, but many are still desperate to escape.
Guatemala and El Salvador both endured civil wars and political unrest from the 1960s through the 1990s. The United States embroiled itself in Central American conflicts by supporting right-wing rebel groups and governments. Following the wars, there was a surplus of weapons and unemployed men. The new governments could do little to stop the proliferation of gangs.
Freedom of movement throughout North America is a contentious issue right now. As the Trump administration enforces its “America First” policies, his opponents criticize his administration for dismissing those who are fleeing violence and ignoring the role the U.S. played in destabilizing these countries decades ago.
In Hungary…
The Hungarian media is in trouble. More than 500 Hungarian media titles are controlled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his allies, up from only 23 of them in 2015, according to investigative website Atlatszo.
Take Origo, Hungary’s leading news website that in 2014 ran critical stories about Orban. Today, it mocks his political opponents and lauds his accomplishments, thanks to a business deal that ended with Origo in the hands of Orban’s former finance minister’s family.
“When Orban came to power in 2010, his aim was to eliminate the media’s role as a check on government,” Attila Mong, a former public radio anchor told the New York Times. “Orban wanted to introduce a regime which keeps the facade of democratic institutions but is not operated in a democratic manner — and a free press doesn’t fit into that picture.”
Other news outlets have been shut down, and journalists see a bleak future ahead. “They will try to discredit us through personal smear campaigns, close us off from interviews and vital information,” editor Szabolcs Panyi told the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Orban isn’t alone. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president-elect, has said he will pull state advertising from newspapers and has “declared war” on critical press. President Donald Trump has called the press the “enemy of the people.” Saudi Arabia recently had a journalist killed.
A free press is vital to democracy, as a Pew survey showed. It found that Hungarians were less likely than other Europeans to closely follow local and national news. When attacks on the press get worse and news media ceases to provide valuable information, readers (who are also voters) stop paying attention.
As accusations of “fake news” from presidents, and actual misinformation websites fill the conversation, it’s crucial to remember the importance of facts and the role of a free press worldwide.
