The World Today for November 21, 2023

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Prelude and Epilogue to War

GEORGIA

Russian soldiers, currently occupying some 20 percent of the former Soviet republic of Georgia’s territory on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, recently killed Tamaz Ginturi, a Georgian citizen, as he visited a cemetery and a church near the village of Kirbali. “He was shot dead by Russia’s occupation forces for driving in his own country,” wrote the US Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “We condemn this killing.”

Russian troops have occupied the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since the 2008 invasion that Atlantic Council analysts claimed the West did little to oppose. The non-response might have helped convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that the US and Europe would not come to the defense of Ukraine, either, if he ordered an attack on that enormous former Soviet republic. That prediction was arguably wrong, of course, given the $100 billion that the Western governments have given Ukraine, as CNN explained.

Memorial services and the transfer of remains are routinely observed in the country, noted Agenda.ge, a local English-language news website. But the real legacy of the 2008 war is instability, the Strategist, a publication of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, wrote.

Russia recently announced plans for a new naval base in Abkhazia, a move that NATO leaders condemned, according to the Kyiv Independent. Such a move would dramatically expand the Russian footprint in the country.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who led the country during the Russian invasion, has been in jail since 2021 serving a six-year sentence on abuse of power charges that he strenuously denied, Radio Free Europe added.

The ruling Georgian Dream political party, meanwhile, has been increasingly authoritarian and illiberal, or following in the footsteps of other European leaders who use their parliamentary majorities to seize control of the judiciary, press, and other levers of power to retain maximum control, wrote Carnegie Europe.

The developments should please Putin because an unstable Georgia faces much higher hurdles to joining NATO and the European Union. Yet the European Commission, or the officials who run the bloc’s offices and agencies, recently voted to recommend that EU leaders grant Georgia candidate status to the EU, the first step in joining, reported the Financial Times.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also avoided impeachment charges when Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his allies in the Georgian Dream party sought to oust her for campaigning in favor of EU membership, wrote Global Voices. Zurabishvili has sought to maintain good relations with Russia, a massive neighbor whom she doesn’t want to provoke.

Good relations with Russia seem difficult when Russian troops are shooting your citizens as they visit churches, however.

THE WORLD, BRIEFLY

Hold Tight

ARGENTINA

Libertarian Javier Milei won Argentina’s presidential runoff Sunday by a landslide, a victory that could cause a major shake-up in the South American country’s economy amid soaring inflation and rising poverty, CBS News reported.

With nearly all the votes counted, Milei secured almost 56 percent of the vote, defeating his Peronist rival, the Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who conceded after receiving a little more than 44 percent.

Milei came in second during last month’s first round of voting.

His victory will swing the country to the right, with analysts noting that the election’s outcome also underscores public discontent with the current government over economic woes.

Self-described as an “anarcho-capitalist,” Milei vowed to reduce inflation, dollarize the Argentine economy and abolish the country’s central bank.

Massa’s campaign focused on warning voters about the dangers of his opponent’s policies, saying they would threaten public services and welfare programs many people rely on. Milei accused the minister and his allies of fear-mongering, while he also walked back on some of his divisive policies, such as loosening gun control and privatizing healthcare.

Even so, many analysts told CNBC that the shock result leaves Latin America’s third-largest economy in uncharted territory.

They noted that the president-elect will inherit a country with a deep economic crisis.

The South American nation’s purchasing power has been severely impacted by an annual inflation rate exceeding 140 percent. Around 40 percent of Argentines now reside in poverty, and crucial agricultural regions are grappling with an unprecedented drought.

Dollarizing the economy would mean Argentina would drop its own currency, the peso, and use the US dollar. Supporters of the plan believe that changing the currency could help Argentina manage high inflation and stabilize its economy. However, opponents counter that such a move would take away the country’s control over its own economic decisions, including managing interest rates.

Jimena Blanco, the head of Americas at Verisk Maplecroft, noted that significant structural reforms are necessary for Milei to fulfill his promises. She cautioned that the immediate implementation of dollarization is unlikely because of the lack of US dollars in the country’s central bank.

A Tragic Tally

ITALY

Italians expressed outrage at the death of a young woman allegedly murdered by her former partner, a killing that prompted calls to address the issue of gender and domestic violence in the European country, Euronews reported.

On Saturday, authorities found the body of Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old engineering student, in a ditch near Lake Barcis, north of Venice. Police said Cecchettin had at least 20 stab wounds to the neck and head, and her body was covered with plastic bags.

Over the weekend, German police arrested her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, near the city of Leipzig in Germany – more than 600 miles away from the scene of the crime.

Turetta, 22, had been on the run since Nov. 11, when he was last seen fighting Cecchettin, hitting her in a physical attack that was captured by roadside video cameras, according to the Associated Press.

He will be extradited to Italy where he is expected to face trial for voluntary homicide.

In the week spent searching for the two individuals, details emerged about their relationship, including claims that Turetta was jealous and controlling, and did not accept Cecchettin’s decision to end the relationship.

The case prompted anger from many Italians, who are calling the killing a “femicide” – even though Italy does not legally recognize the murder of a woman because of her gender as a distinct crime.

Numerous protests and vigils took place throughout Italy on Sunday, with a larger demonstration scheduled for Nov. 25 in Rome, marking the International Day Against Gender Violence.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced deep concern about Italy’s persistent issue of violence against women by their current or former partners, emphasizing that the situation seems to be deteriorating.

Citing government data, Meloni noted that out of the 102 women who lost their lives in Italy this year, 53 tragically fell victim to violence inflicted by their partners or ex-partners.

Meanwhile, the Italian leader said she will launch a new educational initiative in schools to eliminate the persisting toxic culture of violence in the country. She also highlighted that she has already augmented funding for women’s shelters and anti-violence centers.

At the same time, a bill supported by the government is heading to the upper chamber of parliament later this month. It aims to enhance preventive measures for the protection of domestic violence victims.

Reshuffling the Cards

MALDIVES

Maldives’ new president officially requested Saturday that India withdraw its troops from the country, a move seen as an effort to bring the archipelago closer to China, the Associated Press reported.

President Mohamed Muizzu made the announcement shortly after he was sworn in. His statement also implied that withdrawing would signify India’s respect for Maldivian democracy.

Muizzu was elected in September and made the eviction of Indian military personnel a key campaign promise. He also pledged to balance trade, which was heavily in favor of India under his predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The number of Indian soldiers in the country is unknown. Some opposition politicians even told the Times of India there were none, apart from the personnel sent to operate two helicopters that India had gifted the Maldives.

The helicopters are a delicate point as they assist Maldivian authorities with ensuring the security of tourists and tackling drug trafficking. India is also collaborating with the Maldives on a number of infrastructural projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, for which Muizzu expressed support.

The Maldives is strategically located south of India, at the crossroads of Eastern and Western trade routes. This makes it a valuable partner for India and China, which are battling for influence in the region.

Observers described the September presidential election as a referendum on which power gets to have the biggest influence in the Maldives. Muizzu’s pledge to oust India was seen as a pro-Chinese stance by international media.

His ally, former President Abdulla Yameen, made the archipelago join the Belt-and-Road Initiative during his presidency that ran from 2013 to 2018. This China-led project aims at developing infrastructures in participating states to connect Asia, Africa, and Europe, and is a crucial part of China’s geopolitical strategy.

DISCOVERIES

Mind Maps

Scientists discovered that rats could be capable of dreaming giant cheese platters or imagining ways to avoid traps, the Guardian reported.

A new study showed that the small mammals can, using their thoughts alone, navigate their way through spaces and areas they previously explored.

The research team explained that the brain’s hippocampus contains a type of mental model – or map – that depicts previously explored environments. In humans, certain neurons fire up in that region when an individual moves through previously visited places.

Humans are also capable of imagining moving through such places, so researchers sought to explore whether rodents can do the same.

In their experiments, they used a brain–machine interface with implanted electrodes in the rats’ noggins. The rats were then placed on a treadmill ball in a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) arena and were given an on-screen goal to reach.

As they moved, their virtual location was updated on the screen. Neural activity in the hippocampus was recorded and translated to specific locations in the VR environment.

The treadmill was later decoupled from the VR setup, which meant the animals could only reach their goals using their brain activity to move through the virtual environment.

The team said the findings showed evidence that the rodents could get to the goal just by using their brain activity.

In another experiment, the rats were stationary and tasked to direct an on-screen object to a specific goal using only brain activity. They were also successful in this endeavor, prompting co-author Tim Harris to quip that humans aren’t the only ones blessed with imagination.

“To this end, it is fair to say the rats do imagine,” he said.

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