Doctors and specialists in endocrinology ask to recognize obesity as a chronic disease, provide more adequate treatments and create prevention programs. March 4, World Obesity Day
Sports activity favors the prevention of obesity. Photo courtesy of Nacho Bazarra
According to the World Health Organization, obesity has tripled since 1975 worldwide. In 2020, 16% of the Spanish population suffered from this disease, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
Obesity is a chronic disease of pandemic dimension. Currently, more than half of the world’s population is overweight. In Europe, one in 5 people.
In Spain, the prevalence of overweight is 39.3% in adults and 21.6% of obesity. However, numerous factors prevent an effective and multidisciplinary approach.
Within the framework of World Obesity Day, the Spanish Society of Endicronology and Nutrition (SEEN) has launched a series of warnings about this pathology, as well as recommendations and requests for the approach and treatment of the disease.
little recognition
The lack of recognition by society and health professionals is one of the factors that makes an adequate approach impossible.
According to the ACTION-IO study, 59% of people with obesity recognize that it is a chronic disease and 80% believe that treatment is their responsibility.
From the association they denounce that many affected take up to 6 years to go to a health professional to request treatment.
In addition, only 44% of patients receive a diagnosis from their doctor and 24% have a follow-up.
This lack of attention is mainly due to factors such as stigmatization, lack of resources, difficult economic access to pharmacological treatment and long waiting lists for surgical treatment.
For this reason, experts ask that obesity be considered as a chronic disease and that a multidisciplinary approach be taken.
Likewise, the SEEN believes that it is necessary to carry out a strategic plan for prevention, diagnosis and treatment and recalls that the origin of obesity is complex and multifactorial.
Physical activity, the best prevention
Genetics, stress and a sedentary lifestyle are some of the causes that can produce this disease.
The health professionals explain that an adequate treatment of obesity can prevent the incidence of cancer, general mortality, cardiovascular problems and remit diabetes.
Similarly, physical activity and following a varied and balanced diet are key to preventing obesity.
For this reason, from the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition they propose to involve the ministries of health and the different institutions to promote health and the creation of a healthier environment.
Its purpose is to promote greater knowledge and understanding of this disease to improve access to treatment and end stigma.
Photograph of a person weighing himself. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
Main recommendations
The high prevalence, the pleasure that food can bring, the aesthetic pressures, hoaxes and pseudosciences pose a challenge for the health approach.
On the other hand, many professionals lack training in healthy eating and there is a huge shortage of multidisciplinary teams that know how to treat this disease.
However, prevention is the best treatment.
From the medical team of Melio.es, an online blood analysis platform, they launch four recommendations to avoid obesity:
Don’t go hungry: eat five meals a day to avoid binge eating and limit snacking. Choose healthy and filling snacks like nuts, dairy products and fruit.
Increase the consumption of fruit: fruits provide essential vitamins and minerals for the functioning of the body. They are also rich in fiber and water, so they favor hydration and appetite regulation.
Increase physical activity: start gradually with small challenges to keep you active. Change small habits like using the car and change them for a walk. Little by little you can increase the time and introduce more activity.
Check your health: carry out regular check-ups of blood tests to determine the existence of dyslipidemia, diabetes or other diseases.
Self-driving vehicles may someday make transportation safer and less expensive, but they’re not doing so yet. To check out how it’s coming along, a skeptical transportation scientist recently joined two other experts for a ride on a mostly autonomous shuttle. Shelley Schlender reports.
A major initiative to strengthen and cement America’s ties with Asia and counterbalance China’s expanding influence lacks robust trade incentives that are viewed as politically perilous in the United States, where protectionist sentiment runs high, experts told VOA.
The United States needs to intensify its focus on the Indo-Pacific region because of the “mounting challenges” posed by the rise of China, according to a strategy document released by the Biden administration last week.
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] is combining its economic, diplomatic, military and technological might as it pursues a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and seeks to become the world’s most influential power,” the strategy document said.
That description of China largely mirrors the view taken by the former Trump administration, which often took a bluntly adversarial stance toward Beijing. Beyond rhetoric, however, Biden’s strategy seeks to shore up regional alliances and partnerships that many see as critical to U.S. strategy in Asia.
It responds to the desire of many countries in the region for the United States to play a galvanizing role in addressing common challenges such as public health, climate change and anti-corruption, Ryan Hass, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told VOA.
“It is a welcome departure from the America-first mindset during the Trump era,” Hass said.
No economic framework, leadership
The new strategy calls for advancing freedom and openness, building collective defense capacity within and beyond the region, and building regional resilience. It also embraces what the administration calls “promoting shared prosperity.”
But Hass and other observers say the Indo-Pacific strategy lacks a coherent trade framework that gives countries in the region a good economic reason to deepen relations with the U.S. They say Washington’s international economic agenda should match the leadership role the United States seeks for itself in the region.
Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, told VOA the strategy suffers from a fundamental contradiction in that it implies that the U.S. will engage in a high degree of global activism, following years of far more isolationist foreign policy under the Trump administration. At the same time, the Biden administration has not primed the American public to shift away from the Trumpian critique of globalization.
“They’ve put themselves in a box where they, for political reasons, seem to accept the Trump view that globalization is the playground of self-indulgent coastal American elites who don’t care about the heartland [of America],” Daly said. “What was needed was a better form of globalization that serves American interests — the Biden administration has chosen not to take that on.
Preceding Trump, the former Obama administration championed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a massive trade agreement with 11 other countries designed to be the cornerstone of U.S. economic policy in the region. The Trump administration withdrew from the TPP in 2017, leaving the other members to sign a revised deal, called Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
With no public support for multilateral trade agreements, the Biden administration has said it has no plans to join the CPTPP and has made clear it intends to continue its predecessor’s protectionist trade policies.
The White House has not yet shared details of its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a component of the larger Indo-Pacific Strategy. The framework, which they billed as a “multilateral partnership for the 21st century,” was scheduled for launch early this year.
“As we consult with the Indo-Pacific partners, Congress and other stakeholders, we will have more to share as the process is ongoing,” deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told VOA on Thursday. “It’s underway.”
The administration said the framework would “promote and facilitate high-standards trade, govern the digital economy, improve supply-chain resiliency and security, catalyze investment in transparent, high-standards infrastructure, and build digital connectivity — doubling down on our economic ties to the region while contributing to broadly shared Indo-Pacific opportunity.”
But officials have acknowledged the framework will not include opening up American markets, the economic carrot that analysts say is missing from the strategy.
“Why would regional states agree to serious concessions on climate or labor standards if the United States is unwilling to discuss trade or investment liberalization?” asked Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “It appears that Washington is content to remain on the sidelines as Beijing integrates more deeply into the region’s economic order.”
In a briefing to reporters this month, a senior administration official acknowledged that regional countries want more but are “very realistic” about the constraints and challenges that shape the Biden trade policy.
Build Back Better World
Some analysts see the potential for incentives beyond market access.
“The promise of this [Indo-Pacific] initiative is that it will offer some other things that aren’t market access,” said Matthew Goodman, senior vice president for economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Goodman told VOA those may include improving international trade regulations or investing in infrastructure as promised in the Build Back Better World initiative.
Biden launched his Build Back Better World plan (B3W) during the June 2021 Group of Seven summit, with the goal of creating “a values-driven, high-standard and transparent infrastructure partnership” to help finance projects in developing countries.
U.S. officials led by Daleep Singh, the deputy national security adviser for international economics, have scouted several countries in Latin America and Africa to identify potential infrastructure projects, particularly those that focus on climate, health, digital technology and gender equality.
“There’s been enormous enthusiasm in every country we visited, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Ghana, Senegal, DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], parts of the Middle East, Indonesia, Thailand, and other parts of the world,” Singh told VOA Friday.
B3W has been framed as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s international development program that has financed infrastructure projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America and has made inroads in Europe. China’s BRI investments have been criticized by outside groups for not assessing environmental and social impacts, lacking financial transparency and leaving some governments struggling to pay for costly infrastructure.
“The reason there’s so much enthusiasm is that countries do want a choice,” Singh said. “For a long time. China has been the only game in town for many of these countries, and in many cases, they have buyers regret.”
Last year the administration promised to include details of some initial projects during the formal launch of the initiative, originally scheduled for early 2022.
“We will have more details to come in the coming months on how to continue to implement this initiative, and the projects the U.S. government is investing in with allies and partners,” Jean-Pierre said to VOA Thursday. “This is something that the president is committed to.”
FILE – From left: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, and Foreign Minister of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi participate in the Quad foreign ministers’ press conference in Melbourne, Feb. 11, 2022.
Allies and partners
Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy promises steps to deepen America’s existing treaty alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. It also aims to strengthen relationships with regional partners such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Pacific Islands.
Continuing Trump’s approach, the administration is putting strong emphasis on the Quad – a regional grouping among the U.S., India, Japan and Australia.
Much of the strategy rests on the presumption of what the other actors will do, according to Aparna Pande, director of the Hudson Institute’s Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia.
“Japan and South Korea should get along, ASEAN should remain central, India should play a bigger role,” she told VOA, pointing out that with India’s plummeting economic growth, New Delhi may not be able to accept that challenge.
The strategy also aims to strengthen deterrence of military threats, with Japan and South Korea to pursue denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang has taken a series of provocative steps while ignoring Washington’s offer of talks without preconditions.
North Korea conducted 11 missile launches in January, a record in a single month, including a new type of “hypersonic missile” able to maneuver at high speed. It has also raised the possibility of restarting nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
FILE – In this U.S. Navy photo, the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri departs Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Sept. 1, 2021. Australia decided to invest in U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and dump its contract with France to build diesel-electric submarines because of a changed strategic environment.
Military deals
While the Biden administration is not offering greater access to American markets, it has been handing out military deals.
Earlier this month, the administration approved a possible $100 million sale of equipment and services to Taiwan to “sustain, maintain and improve” its Patriot missile defense system.
The sale is in line with the Indo-Pacific Strategy goal of supporting Taipei’s self-defense capabilities in hopes of promoting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, it has triggered an angry threat of retaliation from Beijing, which claims the democratically self-governed Taiwan as its breakaway province.
Earlier this month, the administration also approved the potential sale of F-15ID aircraft and related equipment to Indonesia in a deal valued at up to $13.9 billion, despite human rights concerns that have delayed previous arms sales to the country. The last arms deal made by Washington and Jakarta was in 2011.
Other deals include AUKUS, the September trilateral security pact with Australia and the United Kingdom to provide Canberra with nuclear-powered submarines.
More deals are expected and sharper contours of the Indo-Pacific Strategy may take shape as Biden hosts ASEAN leaders in Washington in the coming months and travels to the region for summits later in the year.
Health, environment and air quality are strongly connected and related. The air we breathe is essential for health, well-being and quality of life. In the document “Air quality and health prevention”, twenty experts analyze ambient air from three angles: in the community, in the workplace and in the hospital environment
In this reflection document, promoted by the Health Sciences Foundation, specialists in infectious diseases, epidemiologists, microbiologists, pulmonologists and experts in preventive medicine, the environment, pharmacy and occupational safety and hygiene have collaborated.
Through questions to specialists, the report offers a panoramic view of the interrelationship between air quality and health care and protection.
The work, presented this week in a webinar, has been coordinated by Professor Emilio Bouza, patron of the Health Sciences Foundation, Professor of Medicine at the Complutense University and former head of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Service of the General University Hospital Gregorio Maranon of Madrid.
Among the experts is Professor Diego Gracia, president of the Health Sciences Foundation and professor emeritus of the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University, who offers a conclusion.
Professor Diego Gracia (d) during one of the Foundation’s conferences. On the left, Professor Emilio Bouza/Photo provided by the Health Sciences Foundation
Environmental pollution and health
“Environmental pollution is a global threat that has a high impact on human health and ecosystems, with emissions and concentrations that have been progressively increasing in recent years throughout the world,” says the report.
Atmospheric pollution, highlights the document, is currently considered the most important environmental risk factor for human health, being a leading cause of premature death and disease.
For experts, in Europe, “air quality remains below the level considered optimal in many areas, despite efforts to reduce emissions and air pollutants.”
What are the effects of environmental pollution on human health?
According to the WHO, currently 90 percent of the planet’s population lives in areas where acceptable levels of environmental pollution for health protection are exceeded.
The report makes explicit due to the effect of environmental pollution premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, among which are ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, followed by deaths due to respiratory disease and lung cancer.
It is estimated that around 500,000 deaths from lung cancer and 1.6 million deaths from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) in the world can be attributed to air pollution.
Both short-term and long-term exposure to environmental pollution can lead to reduced lung function, increased individual susceptibility to respiratory infections and aggravation of bronchial asthma, it is claimed.
The document also states that exposure to environmental pollutants is associated with negative impacts on fertility, pregnancy, newborns and children.
In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified air pollution as a first-order carcinogen and in 2018 a review study was published with data from different cohorts in Europe that related air pollution to breast cancer.
Other studies point to the existence of a link between the concentrations of suspended particles and mortality from cancer of any origin, especially in the upper tract of the digestive system.
Pollution is also related to diabetes and metabolic dysfunctions and, at the behavioral level, with the risk of anxiety and depression, as well as with cognitive capacity in adults.
Especially important, the document points out, is the impact of air pollution on children’s health.
Some data
The most recent data available for Spain indicate that 15.3% of the urban population is exposed to ozone levels above the standard recommended by the EU and 3.6% to levels above the recommended standard for nitrogen dioxide. .
The report values that the exposure of these environmental contaminants has suffered a progressive decrease in the last decade thanks to the efforts of the different governments, but specifies that there is still much work to be done.
According to data from 2018, the estimate in Spain of deaths attributable to environmental pollution in one year rises to 31,600 people.
Estimates at the European level indicate an excess mortality attributed to air pollution of 790,000 deaths per year.
The latest study on “The global burden of disease”, published in The Lancet, indicates that exposure to polluted air is the fourth risk factor for mortality on a global scale, behind high blood pressure, tobacco and improper diet.
This impact also has an associated economic effect that is estimated at an expense of 4% of global GDP, according to the World Bank.
The impact that environmental contamination has on the spread and prognosis of COVID-19 has yet to be elucidated, the document points out.
Culture of respect for nature and its balance
In his final conclusion, Professor Diego Gracia points out that “the current health crisis is not a mere fortuitous event, but a consequence of the way in which human beings are preying on nature and altering its balance”.
“In the face of a predatory culture, it is necessary to promote another based on respect for nature and the maintenance of its balance. If this is not done, this pandemic will have been nothing more than a first warning, after which others will come, probably more serious”, predicts the president of the Health Sciences Foundation.
At 6:20 in the morning of this February 8, a slope of land that fell on the Otún river destroyed at least six houses, leaving -at the moment- 16 dead and is the cause of one of the largest natural tragedies in The Department of Risaralda. But she is not the only one who has lived in the apartment in this area.
Six blocks below where this tragedy occurred, between 33rd and 34th streets and Avenida del Río in Pereira, In 1976, a similar event occurred that left 80 dead.. And 50 years earlier, in 1926, there was another similar tragedy. A few meters below where the railway was, another landslide killed many people. Press clippings from El Diario, at that time, speak of ‘innumerable deaths’.
Repeating the cycle almost every 50 years, Pereira and Dosquebradas relive the inclemencies of nature in flesh and life. According to what was reported by the risk management authorities, the trigger for the collapse was “a rupture in the ditch channel that, when it collapsed, generated an accumulation and constant flow of water towards the hillside.”
Some people point out that what happened was predictable, because of their background. However, Juan Mauricio Castaño, professor at the Technological University of Pereira and member of the Risaralda Hydroclimatological Network and the Early Warning System, went further and assured that it was, but that there were multiple factors.
Three similar tragedies have occurred in this sector of the Otún River with intervals of between 45 and 50 years. These catastrophes have claimed more than 100 lives.
“The configuration of threats of landslides, floods or other circumstances, combined with people located in unsuitable areas, are input to say that the disaster is probable. Thus, if one looks for guilt, it must be extended to the creation of cities, because have done on hillsides, not only Dosquebradas and Pereira, many in the region and the country,” said the teacher.That probability was clearly identified after the avalanche of 1976. At that time, 1,800 families were relocated, but over time others arrived.
This is how the newspaper El Diario recorded the third anniversary of the Otún River tragedy in 1926.
People forget the tragedies and take the risks, they live there thinking that it will not happen again, but it is the responsibility of the authorities to exercise control to protect them
“After that tragedy, the Risaralda Regional Autonomous Corporation (Carder) was born. Its main function was to solve the critical problems of the river. Between the 1980s and 1990s, 150 million dollars were obtained to relocate 1,800 families, stabilize slopes and others, several neighborhoods were created as a result. But it didn’t last,” said Ernesto Zuluaga, director of Carder at the time.
Over the years, Zuluaga maintains, Carder took on new responsibilities and what happened to the river became one of many issues.
“I find it unfortunate that the controls disappeared. People forget the tragedies and take the risks, they live there thinking that it will not happen again, but it is the responsibility of the authorities to exercise control to protect them,” added Zuluaga.
This is what the area looks like this February 9, without the rain.
For his part, the current director of the Carder, Julio Gómez, pointed out: “Unfortunately, the illegal constructions that are on the hillside make it discharge its sewage. A slope of almost 90 degrees, with rain, sewage and farming activities has all the conditions to cause a phenomenon like this“said the official.
Gómez commented that the municipal administrations, in this case those of Pereira and Dosquebradas, are responsible for preventing illegal settlements.
“It is a difficult issue, because everyone reacts to an eviction. It is complex and the municipalities do not have the resources. When these tragedies arrive, we begin to look for those responsible without recognizing that it is a sum of errors and a historical accumulation of omissions from various parties. Gomez noted.
The community was not unaware of the risk of the collapse occurring, but they assure that they have no other options to locate themselves.
“The million dollar question is how we live now with that fear, but one cannot leave because: where? We would have to go to pay rent and the government does not help with anything. This was an invasion 60 years ago, and since then they have been relocating us,” said Pedro Lugo, an inhabitant of the sector who lost all his business and part of his house.
The tragedy was caused by a saturation of the land after more than 12 hours of rain.
At one point they did talk about moving through the floodwaters of the river, but that has been quiet for a long time
In addition, the communities assure that they had noticed some changes in the slope, and some feared the worst, which finally ended up happening.
María Camila Restrepo, a resident of the sector, pointed out that in recent days they had seen a crack, but many did not pay attention to it. She too, she talked about a relocation that they were promised and that has never come. “At one point they did talk about moving through the floodwaters of the river, but that has been quiet for a long time,” she added.
In this regard, the Pereira Mayor’s Office indicated that since 2020 they are working to recover the territory. “We have made, from 2020 to date, 131 urban control visits and we have recovered 283 meters. This, added to the Otún river boardwalk project, a project that includes in one of its phases the relocation of families in the area they said.
Now, after the tragedy, they announced support for those affected. “In Pereira we evacuated 15 houses to avoid the risks. From now on we will give support to temporary shelters or hotels. Of course we think, in the long term, in a process of relocating these families,” said Mayor Carlos Maya.
Winter tragedy in Risaralda left 16 dead and 34 injured..
For its part, the Mayor’s Office of Dosquebradas, where the La Esneda neighborhood was affected, indicated that in 2021 71 relocation processes were carried out and that they hope to continue with them this year.
“The national government is going to help us with leases and other aid. We are going to continue knocking on doors to be able to transfer the 52 families that we have to evacuate in this sector“added Mayor Diego Ramos.
Meanwhile, the National Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) said yesterday that they will also provide long-term support.
“Complementary works and studies will come to the channel that passes above. We are going to jointly start studies for the intervention. In addition, with a view to the future, we will review the relocation of families, which these studies will tell us,” said the director of the UNGRD Eduardo Jose Gonzalez.
They are only taking a census of where there was damage or they are already dead; that they also help those of us who are alive
Finally, Angelly Granadas, a resident of the sector on 30th Street, demands that the support also be for surrounding areas that are also at high risk, not only in the affected houses.
“At this time, We are in a very difficult situation, we have children, we are mothers who are heads of households and we have not received help from the Mayor’s Office because they have not surveyed us, according to them, we are not in a high-risk sector. They are only taking a census of where there was damage or they are already dead; that they also help those of us who are alive,” said the woman.
Grenada added that he hopes they will be relocated soon and avoid further tragedies. “This already happened 50 years ago and you (Government) cannot let there be another tragedy to act there,” he noted.
Continue the search for possible survivors in the area
At this time, search and rescue efforts continue for missing persons at the scene. Relief agencies reported that there are two missing persons in Pereira and another two in Dosquebradas. The Minister of the Interior, Daniel Palacio, will visit the emergency zone this morning.
Although there is still no census of the victims, seven families are housed in a school near the area where the tragedy occurred.
LAURA USMA CARDONA Special for WEATHER in PEREIRA On twitter: @Laurau_C
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Landslide in Pereira buried several houses, 16 dead
U.S. experts agree on the need for Washington to rethink its strategy for Central Asia in light of its withdrawal from Afghanistan but are divided on what shape that new strategy should take.
Until 2001, few Americans knew this remote region. But it played a key role in U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan hosting air bases and helping the coalition transport critical goods.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lesslie Viguerie said Central Asia is still strategically important, despite the U.S. exit from Afghanistan. “Many things have changed over decades, but our overarching goals remain the same: sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” Viguerie said.
Lesslie C. Viguerie, the U.S. State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for Central Asian and Pakistan Affairs.
At a recent U.S. Institute of Peace forum, Viguerie said the nations of Central Asia— which include Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — have become more concerned about their own security since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
As the State Department’s top official for the region, he said Washington steadfastly supports political, economic and social reforms.
“Pluralism and democratic governance are the foundational bedrock for a free and prosperous society,” he said. “We continue to advance the rule of law, promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and fight corruption.”
In 2015, Washington created the regionally focused C5+1 forum to discuss common challenges and “to enhance connectivity, economic integration and energy linkages.” That discussion included links with Afghanistan, but whether that continues will largely depend on the actions of the Taliban, officials said.
Viguerie said regional cooperation could help the five nations to deal more effectively with problems as diverse as the pandemic, climate change and disinformation campaigns.
“Recent events in Kazakhstan remind us of the importance of addressing the underlying social and economic factors that can lead to instability,” he said in reference to nationwide protests sparked by a sharp spike in fuel prices.
“We continue to highlight the positive role civil society can play in examining the root causes of economic and social frustrations.”
Mistaken presumption
Richard Hoagland, a former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, said that while Washington speaks publicly about democracy and economic development, it is more quietly focused on countering Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
In the 1990s, Hoagland recalled, U.S. policy presumed that the nations of Central Asia “would surely become free market democracies if only we could offer enough assistance. But they didn’t. And in retrospect, that’s not the least bit surprising.”
The ways of the West were too foreign to Central Asians who had long lived under repressive rulers, Hoagland said.
Going forward, he said, these five countries will need to resist outside pressure in order to balance their relationships with Moscow, Beijing, Brussels and Washington. “Russia would not be at all displeased to see the West and especially the U.S. pack up its bags and go home.”
Leaders of five Central Asian states hold a virtual forum with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Jan. 25, 2022. (president.uz)
Beijing, the largest investor in the region, made further commitments during a virtual meeting last week between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the five Central Asian presidents. India showcased its own interest in investing in the region during a similar summit a day later.
Presidents of five Central Asian states hold a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jan. 27, 2022. (president.uz)
Hoagland argued that U.S. concerns over governance and human rights problems should not lead Washington to dial back its relations with the region.
“We need patience,” he said, noting the rise of a new generation in Central Asia, including some with Western education and values.
Jennifer Murtazashvili, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said U.S. strategy for the region does not take current realities into account.
“The U.S. can play a very constructive role in Central Asia but has to understand their needs, desires and goals,” she said at the USIP forum.
She urged Washington not to look at the region through the lens of Russia or China, saying, “We can’t be reactive to what other countries are doing, but proactive.”
Murtazashvili said U.S. engagement with the region should focus on the intersection between economic development and public administration, including efforts to combat corruption and work with emerging civil society. “Without reforms in these areas, it will be difficult for Central Asians to achieve their goals,” she said.
She considers education the biggest area of demand for cooperation with the U.S. because of youthful populations.
Security cooperation first
But Fred Starr, chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, contends that security cooperation should instead be front and center. “A discussion with the countries that honestly includes security, sovereignty, self-government and self-determination is what’s been missing,” he said.
Speaking at the same virtual forum, Starr said Central Asia is the only region in the world that doesn’t have its own intraregional organization without outsiders and urges Washington to support such initiatives.
“The C5+1 is thin. The concept is good, they have meetings, but it’s been very passive by comparison to what China and Russia are doing,” Starr said.
“We have to be more patient and tenacious with those who are underperforming in areas that are important to us,” he added. “Treat them as a region, treat them with respect, foster a regional thinking in our programs.”
Murtazashvili sees Afghanistan as a place with potential to foster positive relationships among Russia, China and the United States. Now that the geopolitical implications of a major foreign presence in Afghanistan no longer overshadow more immediate regional interests, she said, major powers could collaborate on development and investment opportunities in this part of the world.
Afghans wait for food rations from the World Food Program in Pul-e-Alam, Logar province. Afghanistan, Jan. 18, 2022. The Taliban’s sweep to power in August drove billions of dollars in international assistance out of the country.
“Having a Central Asian strategy that was so dependent on what happened in Afghanistan was a huge risk,” she said. “We weren’t seeing the strong mutual interests that many countries in Central Asia had with Afghanistan regardless of who is in power.”
Starr and Murtazashvili recommend the United States make Afghanistan part of a renewed strategy. “Central Asians are more confident in dealing with Afghanistan than we are,” said Murtazashvili, specifically referring to Uzbekistan’s humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.
Values-based approach
Steve Swerdlow, professor of human rights at the University of Southern California, argues for a values-first strategy toward the region. In an interview with VOA, he said America’s reputation as a defender of human rights and democracy has been damaged in recent years but argued that the Afghan withdrawal frees up the U.S. to reclaim a more values-based approach to Central Asia.
“Washington should speak out more about the harassment of journalists and create greater recognition that support for civil society is a core national interest of the U.S.,” he said.
“Global Magnitsky sanctions against bad guys should be used more in Central Asia in a strategic way,” he added. “Go after corrupt individuals; curtail some of the globalized, offshore asset holdings by” a close circle of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Swerdlow said Washington should utilize the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations to raise human rights issues in Central Asia and negotiate with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as members of the U.N. Human Rights Council about their obligations.
Criticism of Hong Kong’s judicial independence has no “value” according to the special administrative region’s chief justice, but law experts say many questions remain.
Since Beijing imposed a national security law on the region 18 months ago, Hong Kong has endured major changes to its political system and media environment.
Now, attention has turned to whether Hong Kong’s judiciary can remain freestanding as Beijing tightens its grip.
In December, Britain released a six-month report about Hong Kong that outlined the city’s eroding freedoms after the implementation of the security law. The report included the accusation that Hong Kong’s “judicial independence is increasingly finely balanced.” The Hong Kong government rejected the finding.
Concerns remain, though, as to whether Hong Kong will maintain its British-style justice system or eventually replace it with China’s opaque system.
Speaking at the opening of the legal year Monday, Hong Kong’s Chief Justice Andrew Cheung said the territory’s judicial independence is “fact,” RTHK reported.
“Criticisms of court decisions, which are made without first ascertaining the facts in a case or reading and understanding the reasons for the court’s decision, are as meaningless as they are hollow – so is any unsubstantiated doubt over the court’s independence. Judicial independence in Hong Kong exists as a fact. And we are here today to bear witness to this fact.”
But one lawyer formerly of Hong Kong, who chose to remain anonymous, told VOA that Cheung hasn’t taken into account criticism of the judiciary.
“The Chief Justice’s comments at the opening of the legal year are thoroughly underwhelming. (The) dismissal of critics of Hong Kong’s rule of law as being motivated by ‘surmises, political stances or geopolitical considerations’ also smacks of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) propaganda. I would expect a Hong Kong judge to stick to analytical reasoning, and weigh these criticisms for their merits, rather than attack the critics for ulterior motives,” the lawyer said.
The national security law prohibits acts deemed as secession, subversion, foreign collusion and terrorism, with punishments of up to life in prison. Critics of the security law – including pro-democracy opposition and Western governments – have said the legislation threatens Hong Kong’s unique autonomy, promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997.
Out of at least 150 people who have been arrested under the security law, five have been convicted and three have been sentenced to jail.
Those sentenced include former waiter Leon Tong Ying-kit, 24, who received nine years in prison following his conviction for terrorism and secession in July. November saw pro-democracy protester Ma Chun-man sentenced to nearly six years in prison for inciting secession, and pro-independence youth activist Tony Chung sentenced for secession and money laundering.
For Hong Kong’s national security law cases, Chief Executive Carrie Lam has handpicked judges to oversee the proceedings, a move that has angered legal experts.
“What about the existence of the appointment system in the first place? Why should there be national security law judges? How does that serve the rule of law or ensure a fair trial?” asked the lawyer who was formerly in Hong Kong.
Eric Yan-ho Lai, a law analyst and fellow at Georgetown University, also questioned the way judges are selected to preside over national security cases and whether there are any checks on the chief executive’s power to choose them.
Cheung said Monday the impartiality of the courts was not affected because all designated judges are bound under judicial oath to pass justice without fear or favor, self-interest or deceit.
But Yan-ho Lai told VOA, “Andrew Cheung could not explain why the chief executive picking the national security law judges would not affect impartiality, especially when Cheung himself visited the chief executive for a meeting just before the Court of Final Appeal hearing on Jimmy Lai’s bail appeal.”
Media mogul Jimmy Lai is in jail facing a slew of criminal charges and facing the possibility of life in prison. Reports said Lam met with Cheung ahead of a bail hearing for Lai in February. Lam denied discussing court cases with Cheung, reiterating her commitment to judicial independence, the South China Morning Post reported.
Since the security law has been in force, Hong Kong authorities have arrested pro-democracy activists, journalists and former lawmakers with the crackdown paving the way for a political revamp in the city.
Last month, Hong Kong’s mini parliament, the Legislative Council, saw its first-ever “patriots only” elections in which all but one of the seats were won by pro-Beijing candidates.
Beijing restructured the legislature last year by reducing the number of directly elected seats voted on by the public. A vetting committee comprising Beijing loyalists also has been installed to determine whether political candidates are loyal to China. No member of the pro-democracy opposition ran in the elections.
Those arrested under the security law include dozens of pro-democracy political figures who remain in pre-trial detention after being charged under the law in February.
“Although Andrew Cheung shared his beliefs, he could not explain why fair trial can be upheld when dozens of national security law defendants are being remanded in pre-trial detention for almost a year. When Cheung’s words and deeds are not consistent, the public might be less convinced that the integrity of the court in Hong Kong can be upheld in the post-national security law era,” Yan-ho Lai added.
Additionally, Hong Kong’s media have taken a downward turn since pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily closed in June when several of its executives were charged under the security law and authorities froze the company’s financial assets.
And pro-democracy news outlet Stand News closed its doors on Dec. 29 as part of a sedition investigation. Independent news sites Citizen News and Mad Dog Daily also decided to fold, citing uncertainty in the region.
At least 50 civil society groups also have disbanded in Hong Kong since last year.
