What’s Going On? Right of Reply Season 8
Isabella Miller, External Affairs
April 14, 2022
In light of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is no wonder that everyone has tuned in to international affairs and political relationships. The podcast run by the Queen’s International Affairs Association, Right of Reply, hosted by Zander Van Asperen and Jason Anderson, covers these current events and more with a focus on political relations.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opened an international conversation regarding political avenues for governmental protest. The United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia participated in a democratic boycott in response to human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities. Participating countries still sent athletes to compete, but neither ministers nor officials joined them. Boycotts are not a novel tactic, found previously during the Cold War and the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Since the 1950s, China has had a contentious relationship with the Uyghur minority, which has only gotten worse in recent years. International watchdogs have become more aware of the situation since China’s 2014 crackdown on religious freedoms under the guise of managing terrorism. This initiative increased surveillance and restricted travel freedoms for citizens, specifically Uyghurs. These actions came to a head in 2019, as widespread reports of internment, forced labour, and sterilizations have made the issue unignorable. It is estimated that between 1and 3 million Uyghurs were detained at one point. In 2019 China issued statements that the 380 camps were established for voluntary vocational training and that they were being shut down, but satellite images in 2020 show they are still running in full force. Enough has been learned to compare these events to a genocide.
Some believe that in this instance, diplomatic boycotts are not a significant enough measure. Given the severity of the atrocities conducted against ethnic minorities in China, direct action must be taken. Due to China’s opaque governing practices, it is extremely difficult for international organizations to gauge the full scope of the country's actions. In an article for CBS, Uyghur activist Zumretay Arkin states that the diplomatic boycotts are doing no more than saying: “We know that you’re suffering … but let’s just pause for, you know, just two, three weeks just to focus on the Olympics, and then we’ll get back to your genocide.”.
Furthermore, as discussed by Zander and Jason, COVID-19’s Chinese origins have caused many countries to be wary of the Olympics. Investigations into disinformation surrounding Wuhan’s wet markets continue as nations become increasingly skeptical of the Chinese government.
The same sentiment surrounding diplomatic boycotts has been felt more recently by Ukraine and its bordering European countries regarding Russian economic sanctions. Russia officially invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022 after months of military escalation. At the time of this episode’s publication, Ukraine had just launched the first javelin missile at the Russian troops on the border. Now, there are over 2,000 civilian and at least 5,000 military casualties due to constant shelling and combat. No other countries have become directly involved just yet, but NATO has positioned troops in Poland and Bulgaria. Their current strategy of involvement is in the form of economic and political sanctions, rather than military action against Russia.
Although devastating, many are voicing that the sanctions against Russia are not enough to deter President Putin from his warpath. Since the beginning of the invasion, the Russian ruble has decreased by roughly 40% as many western banking institutions have completely pulled out of the Russian market. Corporations such as Mcdonald's and Ikea have shut their doors, Paypal, Netflix, and Mastercard are no longer available to citizens in Russia, and oil exports have dramatically slowed. Even with these intense, globally coordinated sanctions, Russia has continued to push forward with their military invasion.
Unfortunately, there may not be another way for countries to involve themselves. Yes, the economic sanctions are not as effective and are mainly penalizing ordinary citizens, but there is not much more that can be done. Many countries that are not participating in oil sanctions are dependent on Russian energy production, unable to take part or else their citizens suffer. As well, similarly to the issues with diplomatic boycotts during the Olympics, the secrecy surrounding the Russian government blocks many international organizations from further action.
The situation in Ukraine is as precarious as ever. As Russian forces are pulling out of shelled cities, the atrocities of war are constantly being revealed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zolinsky has begun pleas to the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes, such as executions of evacuating citizens, detentions, and ‘forgotten’ landmines in the de-occupied cities. Diplomatic conversations have been started between the USA, India, Russia, Ukraine, France and others, but no headway has been made and the future of Ukraine still remains uncertain.
When analyzing the political structures of China, Russia, and other countries such as Turkey, the overall international conversation surrounds the preservation of democracy. Democratic backsliding is a term analogous to each of these countries’ current governmental affairs, but the international community can do little more than sit back and watch. Small actions can be taken through diplomatic boycotts and sanctions, but as independent countries, any other action could warrant military retaliation. As per many international conflicts, only time will tell the true outcome, and nothing more can be done other than staying informed as to What’s Going On?