The Week of October 19th, 2015

Care

1. Canadians go (politely) to the polls

Canadian elections

Canadians woke up this week to a bright new face in charge of the country: 43-year-old Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the head of the Liberal Party and son of former PM Pierre Trudeau. The Liberals now control a majority of parliament with 184 seats, up from just 36 in a 338-member body. The Conservative Party’s rule in Canada lasted about a decade under Stephen Harper, but they were never overwhelmingly popular. They owed their dominance to the Canadian electoral method of “first past the post” voting which, similar to the system of the US Electoral College, allows those who win a plurality of districts to take office without a popular majority. Of course, the same is true for this Liberal government, which won only about 40% of the popular vote and came into power largely based on a desire for a change from Harper, rather than their specific appeal to voters.

Mr. Trudeau had success by running as a less divisive figure, emphasizing the unity of the country and his optimistic view of Canada’s future, which many have called “Obamaish.” Some are skeptical that these “sunny” politics will continue now that he and the Liberals have to govern the country, but this shift is an important one nonetheless. Mr. Trudeau's message contrasted sharply with Mr. Harper’s: In the run-up to the election the Prime Minister made controversial remarks regarding the wearing of the niqab in public, a contentious cultural and political issue in Canada. His remarks were seen by some as a means of ginning up support from right-wing Canadians amidst a slumping economy. Either way, his comment was decried as insensitive to Muslims and ignorant of Canada’s history of multiculturalism. Naturally, Mr. Trudeau, a “Francophone Quebecer,” seized the opportunity to extol the virtues of diversity.

In terms of domestic policy, Mr. Trudeau’s center-left Liberal Party has made a lot of liberal promises. Those include possibly legalizing marijuana, some deficit spending, greater infrastructure spending, and steps to combat climate change. Still, he did not repudiate the Keystone pipeline, which is one stance more palatable to business interests but one that might invite criticism from environmentalists.

Despite its neighbor to the south hogging much more international attention, Canada has actually been more involved overseas than one might think. Mr. Harper pushed an agenda focused heavily on the use of hard power, evidenced by his military engagement in the Middle East, whereas Mr. Trudeau wants to scale such intervention back and make good on his country’s glowing international reputation as a polite and kind country. Overall, the wider effects of the Liberal Party’s election are uncertain, but with a majority in parliament and a long list of promises, one needs to pay attention to the Great White North.

2. Falling on its sword

Constitutional reform in Italy

In antiquity, the Roman Empire often persuaded rebels to kill themselves in exchange for their families’ safety. In a modern reprisal, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has managed to convince Italy’s often-obstructionist Senate to cripple itself by voting for a constitutional reform. The reform would reduce the size of the Senate by two-thirds (from 315 to 100), and under it the Senate would no longer be necessary for the formation of governments or allowed to veto most legislation. Senators would be chosen by regional bodies rather than direct election and compelled to focus on local matters. Because the bill reforms the constitution, it must pass two more votes in the lower house (where it is expected have little trouble), another vote in the Senate, and a national referendum; but the first vote in the Senate was seen as the biggest and most decisive hurdle. Mr. Renzi and his minister for reform, Maria Elena Boschi, overcame both dissidents from within Mr. Renzi’s Democratic Party and senators uninterested in voting themselves out of a job. In a fitting example of why Mr. Renzi wants to disarm this institution, senators from the right-wing Lega Nord attempted to stall the bill’s passage by using computer software to generate 82.7 million amendments to the bill.

In addition to Lega Nord and their computer systems, other opponents of the reform include the Five Star Movement (M5S), the largest opposition party. This is interesting in that the Senate has traditionally represented the interests of the elite, while the M5S is a populist, antiestablishment, and relatively new political party. But members of the M5S worry that eliminating the Senate’s check on the government could empower dictatorial tendencies.

Concerns like these were the original basis for the Senate’s powers – following World War II, Italians feared the rise of another Benito Mussolini. But such anxieties have faded, and the Senate has often used its powers to block legislation and topple governments. Unlike in other European parliamentary democracies, Italian governments are required to have a vote of confidence from the upper chamber as well as the lower chamber. This reform, combined with other laws the government has passed, would greatly strengthen the government by streamlining the process for passing and implementing laws. And while the victory required support from some defectors from Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, it gave more political capital to Mr. Renzi, who has promised to resign if the reform fails to pass. But overcoming its biggest obstacle has created momentum for the bill, which would be another victory for an ambitious Mr. Renzi.

3. A light at the end of the tunnel

Gender studies program in Afghanistan

Kabul University, the oldest and largest institution for higher education in Afghanistan, recently instated its premier gender and women’s studies master’s degree program. This program is not simply the first but also the only one of its kind in Afghanistan and reflects a progressive shift in favor of women’s education rights and accessibility following years of restriction under the Taliban. 28 students – 18 women and 10 men – have enrolled in the first session of what will be a two-year program funded by the South Korean government. The program will center on themes of women’s legal rights, the ways in which women can facilitate development work and mitigate poverty, and participation in the political process. Women have endured countless obstructions in their ability to properly integrate into the public sphere. The Taliban barred women not only from receiving education, but also from receiving health care, being able to vote, maintaining jobs and careers, and moving freely around the region. All of this occurred despite the fact that the Afghan constitution grants women equality in the public sector.

The past two decades for women in Afghanistan have been marked by violence, abject poverty, and lack of access to healthcare, making it one of the most dangerous regions for women. Though woman casualties jumped by 21% in 2014, this new program brings a breath of fresh air in the wake of gradual social reform across Afghanistan; 2.5 million women are currently receiving an education. This is promising for Afghan women’s endeavors in the future – the door for women’s opportunities and social revolution has opened.

4. Nothing doing

Libyan peace deal rejected

To the surprise of many congressional Republicans, news came out of Libya this week that did not involve Hillary Clinton. On Tuesday, Libya’s peace process suffered a major blow when the internationally recognized parliament of Libya (known as the Council of Deputies) rejected a UN-proposed power-sharing arrangement with their main rivals, the Islamists. Their reasoning was simple: the UN refused to exclude amendments added by Islamist authorities without the consent of the parliament. This is a particularly tough blow because there was international hope that after months of stalled negotiations, the proposal might lead the warring factions to form a unity government. However, according to the UN, the agreement is not open for revision. “We are not reopening the text and our hope remains that all sides will agree to the text for the good of the people of Libya,” said Farhan Haq, a UN deputy spokesman.

The protracted affair in Libya began 2011 with the fall of their former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Since last year Tripoli, Libya’s capital, has been controlled by a loose alliance of armed factions known as Libya Dawn. They have set up their own self-declared government and reinstated the former parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), while the internationally recognized Council of Deputies operates out of the eastern city of Tobruk. Leading the Tobruk government is a divisive ex-Gaddafi general, Khalifa Haftar, who has returned from exile in the United States and is fiercely anti-Islamic. The GNC refuses to concede any role for Mr. Haftar in a new unity government. The growing presence of the Islamic State only adds to the chaos. Moreover, a commander in Mr. Haftar’s government recently broke ranks with the general, taking with him two major oil ports. Though the UN has warned that those undermining the peace process could face sanctions, Libya’s future remains unclear.

5. To a non-screeching halt

Oslo bans cars

On Monday, the city council of Oslo announced that cars will be banned from the city center by 2019. Buses and trams will continue to operate in the city center, and an additional 60 kilometers (approximately 35 miles) of bicycle lanes will be added to the area by the time the ban is fully implemented. Oslo’s ban will be the first of its kind to go into effect, although Madrid announced its own city center car ban last year, covering 500 acres of the Spanish capital, for implementation by 2020.

The council’s car ban is part of a greater move towards environmentally friendly policy in oil-rich Norway. Oslo plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50% of 1990 levels by 2020 and 30% by 2030, as well as to divest from fossil fuels. The city is already a prime example of urban sustainability; a quarter of the city’s population commutes by bicycle or on foot, and 83% of residents have easy access to public transportation.

The ban faces stiff criticism from business leaders, who worry that cutting off car access to the 11 shopping centers in the proposed car-free zone will harm retailers. Despite business interests’ concerns, the scope of the ban is relatively small; only about one thousand people live in the car-free zone, and several tens of thousands travel in and out each day, a small portion of the city’s 600,000 residents. Nonetheless, Oslo’s city center car ban represents a major move towards environmental sustainability in a European capital.

Don’t Care

0. Bye, then

Joe Biden’s non-candidacy

Vice President Joe Biden has officially announced that he will not be pursuing the 2016 Democratic Party nomination, much to the disappointment and supposed surprise of groups ranging from the national media to his own staff. The vice president’s main reason for not entering the sparsely populated race on Hillary Clinton’s left is one of time; he believes he has missed the window of opportunity to assemble the requisite political machinery for winning the nomination. While many bemoan this announcement, citing the lack of competition left in the race, not much has significantly changed. Despite some difficulties, many of those who would have supported Mr. Biden’s candidacy will switch over to the former secretary of state’s.

The time now comes for the cessation of speculative headlines over each and every meeting the vice president takes and a move towards the coverage of the main contest on the left: can Senator Bernie Sanders form a progressive bloc large enough to contend with the more mainstream Democratic candidate, Ms. Clinton? Despite Mr. Biden’s hitherto uncertainty, this has been the central question Democrats must face as the primaries approach.

Ryan McGinnis, Wooyoung Lee, Leah Downs, David Gernon, Alexi Stocker, and Liam Conway-Pearson contributed