War in Gaza, A Looming Second Front, Egypt's Game of Chicken, and More
This week on Inkstick Media.
Hello everyone,
Following the news has been tough this week. As Israel continues to bomb Gaza, citizens are attempting to flee and being turned away. Rice University’s Director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees program Kelsey P. Norman and Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Maine Nicholas R. Micinski explained how Egypt’s long, troubled history with Palestinian refugees, along with failed attempts at “refugee blackmail,” make it politically impossible to open its border to all Palestinians in Gaza. The war is also at risk of spilling over to Lebanon. Journalist and Creative Capsule resident Hunter Williamson reported that clashes are becoming more intense along the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of escalation.
The United States and several other governments have pledged their support for Israel but Quincy Institute’s Ananya Agustin Malhotra pointed out that the Biden administration should make an unambiguous distinction between supporting self-defense and being complicit in war crimes. After all, international humanitarian law applies equally to both sides of a conflict: war crimes committed by one side do not excuse war crimes committed in response.
In the latest episode of Things That Go Boom, host Laicie Heeley and reporter Katie Toth spoke to Katarzyna Nowak of University of Warsaw, Michał Żmihorski of the Mammal Research Institute, Maciej Kisilowski of Central European University, and Eliot Higgins of Bellingcat about how AI is empowering civilians to challenge their governments in all kinds of ways, such as rising militarization along borders. AI is also helping to fight disinformation. Our columnist, Olatunji Olaigbe, reported on AI-powered fact-checking softwares in Africa.
There’s more, so check out the rest of the pieces below.
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This week on Inkstick Media:
“Least Cost Paths” by Things That Go Boom (Oct. 16)
Last week, the people of Poland cast their votes in an election that some have called a battle for the country’s soul. Experts told Things That Go Boom that no matter who wins, one thing is likely to stay the same: Poland’s hardline approach to refugees from its eastern border with Belarus. But what does that have to do with AI? Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts to receive a new episode every two weeks.
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“Can AI Help Combat Disinformation?” by Olatunji Olaigbe (Oct. 16)
Across the world, AI-powered fact-checking systems are springing up to aid the fight against disinformation. But they aren’t the only tools. In 2019, a team combining members from Full Fact, Africa Check, and Chequeado won the Google.org AI Impact Challenge for an AI tool that aided newsrooms in fighting disinformation by tracking fake news, cross-referencing claims with fact-checks, and even transcribing and checking live television and radio.
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“The Aftershocks of the ‘October 17’ Uprising in Lebanon” by Hantong Wu (Oct. 17)
Hantong Wu, Creative Capsule resident and freelance photojournalist based in Hangzhou, China and Beirut, Lebanon explained that four years after the “October 17” revolution, the call for change has interwoven with politics in Lebanon. It’s not just “John Cena” and Mohamed, garish activists vying for a mayoral post. Political parties have begun to include the activists’ demands in their political programs.
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“US Officials Should Respond to Israel’s Violations of International Law in Gaza” by Ananya Agustin Malhotra (Oct. 17)
As human rights groups have rightly pointed out, the taking of hostages, murder, and torture of civilians by Hamas last weekend constitute clear-cut, unambiguous, and undeniably grave war crimes. But international humanitarian law applies equally to both sides of a conflict: war crimes committed by one side do not excuse war crimes committed in response. Turning then to the lawmakers’ letter to Biden regarding Israel’s ongoing response, do Israel’s most recent actions in Gaza violate international humanitarian law?
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“Senator Dianne Feinstein, A Woman of Valor” by Robert Levinson (Oct. 18)
The senator's legislative assistant remembers not only that she got stuff done, but did it with unparalleled grace. He writes: “Feinstein never shied away from a fight for what she knew to be good and right and just in the world. And she did it with such grace, dignity, and goodwill. On her last day with us, she did what she knew was her duty and walked on the floor of the Senate and cast a vote to keep the government open.”
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“Southern Lebanon Looms in Fears of Second Front in the Hamas-Israel War” by Hunter Williamson (Oct. 19)
An estimated 80 of Aalma El Chaeb’s pre-conflict population of some 800 residents have fled, according to Milad and other residents. If a full-scale war erupts, those remaining plan to shelter in the church’s bunker. Milad hopes the situation will calm down, but he and those still left expect a war to begin at any moment. Hezbollah and Iran have threatened to retaliate hard if Israel does not back down from its assault on Gaza. But as Israel heads towards a ground invasion of the strip, many in Lebanon fear that the situation along the border will escalate.
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“A Desert Called Peace: Part II” by Kelsey D. Atherton (Oct. 19)
In this week’s Deep Dive, originally featured in Critical State, Kelsey D. Atherton, looks at research that asks: Is there ever an advantage to escalating violence and brutality? The answer is complicated. Some but insufficient repression, the study suggests, places a government in the worst position of all: Rebel groups will have the capacity to escalate further, and the government will have done too much violence to regain its authoritative hold on the populace.
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“Why Won’t Egypt Accept Palestinians?” by Kelsey P. Norman and Nicholas R. Micinski (Oct. 20)
If Egypt does agree to accept Palestinians willing to leave Gaza, it may reportedly restrict them to a five-kilometer “buffer zone” near the border in the Sinai. But even for those who could enter Egypt, there is the added difficulty of their legal status and access to services once inside the country. Once out of Gaza, delivering aid to Palestinians would be complicated. The overarching imperative of international diplomacy should be to save lives. Egypt’s complicated history with Palestinians and the perceived security risks of hosting them mean that the el-Sisi government is unlikely to accept mass numbers of Palestinian refugees.
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–From the desk of Sahar Khan, managing editor of Inkstick Media.