RADAR - Geopolitics, Political Anthropology & New ideas

02/05/2023

THE RISE OF INDIA IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST POPULATION

For many people, India is a luring country. Cultural and civilizational defaults like Yoga, Buddhism, mathematics tradition, architecture, and other distinctive contributions become this country attractive. On the other hand, India is often identified with its structural problems, issues like poor people, pollution, and horrible living conditions. However, there is good news about India in significant aspects. India got to accomplish something nobody forecasted. During the last 31 years, Indians amounted to a 3 trillion GDP; in the next seven years, experts state will be more than 3 trillion. India is nowadays the 5th GDP of the planet. In 2030, it will be the 3rd, only after USA and China. The digital reality explains these surprising facts and, besides, a population's wide bancarization, payment services inclusion, and decreasing poor population. The country did not overcome all its problems, but we need to know this new reality. India is the focus of the Polish Good Times documentary. Access:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7BXxGmFkZM&t=183s

08/06/2022

RUSSIAN NAVAL BLOCKADE THREATENS MILLIONS TO STARVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb0f-fjs58&t=73s

Every day Putin shows his brutal face to the world. Besides maternities bombing, schools and hospitals, Ukrainian national infrastructure destruction, and the civil population massacres, the Russian intruders always have a new atrocity to do in your imperial war against the Ukrainian people.

Today the situation is grotesque: in Ukraine, there are 25 million tons of grain ready for export, which could reach countries with serious food problems like Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Kenia, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

However, Russia blocked Ukrainian ports such as Odesa and Mykolaiv, a blatant demonstration of using food to achieve political goals. It is mandatory to remember that in 2021, Ukrainian ports handled more than 40 million grain tons. The grain exports to countries abroad depend on a purely political decision, that is to say, Putin's decision.

The Kremlin puts a price on this decision: removing the western economic sanctions. Translating the whole situation in a simple language, Russia will allow millions of people in Africa and Asia not to die of hunger if the Western world removes the sanctions. Of course, the sanctions received for the criminal invasion of another country.

This situation is not much different from a terrorist who sets expectations while putting a gun to the victim's head. The only answer is not to negotiate with terrorists and not discuss on the food weaponization basis. Global cooperation is the only antidote to this Russian blackmail.

This message is the central idea of the video "Russian Naval Blockade Threatens Millions to Starve," whose link follows for the interested audience:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb0f-fjs58&t=73s

Best Regards
PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher - Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapest, Hungary
Post-Doctoral Research - International Relations University of São Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research - Geography`- Instituto de Geociências UNICAMP
Post-Doctoral Research - Environment and Development PNPD / CAPES
Ph.D. Human Geography - University of São Paulo

Try Speakly with first 7 days for free - https://speakly.app.link/Speakly📌 Support GTBT on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/GTBT➡️ Paypal: paypal.me/GoodTim...

23/03/2022

WAR STAGNATION SIGNALS UKRAINE IS FIGHTING FOR FULL STAKES? DAY 25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOlkW9WvNYA&t=24s

Phenomenal briefing, well resourced and without dramatization. This is a minimum about the Good Times Bad News YouTube Channel video. Good Times Bad News is a political channel that tackles global issues from the fields of geopolitics, international relations, economy, technology, which shape the world of today.

About the video, here are some high video points to comment on:

1. Ukraine will strive to regain all its territory in line with the 1991 borders. Why would they go through all this war to maintain the status quo? Once they get the upper hand, however slight it may be, they will drive the Russians completely out of Ukraine.

Anything less than a return to the 1991 borders will be a victory for Putin. But Russia must not be rewarded again for its aggression. It has to end here.

2. Another point to mention is the training of the soldiers on the field. The Russian soldiers need to be told what to do. The Russian soldiers and officers do not know what is going on on the battlefield. The Ukrainian army has blocked the communications between the ordinary Soldier and his superior. So the General has to go look. That is why there are so many dead Russian Generals. The Ukrainian Army was trained from the West. That means from the ordinary Soldier to the Officer in the field are trained to think independently. They do not wait for orders or act in the framework given to them by an officer who might not be present. On the battlefield, this makes the difference.

3. Surprisingly, President Zelensky's advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, is the big star of the video. He predicted almost this entire conflict and the time it would happen, except for Belarus not immediately joining the war, which no one really expected. Kinda scary and also impressive at the same time (unmissable!). Moreover, during watching him summarise the last days of the war with another streamer, I've seen Alexey mention counterattack in spring when it all landscape turns "green," as he said. Agreed that he has probably been quietly preparing for this for years. Therefore, it is why Arestovych is occupying such a prominent place in the Ukrainian government.

Follows the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOlkW9WvNYA&t=24s

Best Regards

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher - Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapest, Hungary

Post-Doctoral Research - International Relations University of São Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research - Geography`- Instituto de Geociências UNICAMP
Post-Doctoral Research - Environment and Development PNPD / CAPES
Ph.D. Human Geography - University of São Paulo

War. Day 25. Special Report Call Russia:www.callrussia.orgMap 1 - Nathan Ruser:https://twitter.com/JominiWMap 2 - UK Ministry of Defencehttps://twitter.com/D...

08/03/2022

GLORY TO UKRAINE!

After twelve days, the Ukrainian people resisted and maintained stiff opposition against the Russian aggressors. In a few days, the Ukrainian army and people militias may do a firm counter attach in the Front North and stabilize a frontline in South Ukraine.

This war is the outcome of Putin's ambitions, a dangerous politician that must be curbed. The Russian blackmail concerning gas supply is unacceptable. The West's only clear response must be total and unconditional support to the Ukrainian people.

I have watched various videos on the web. I selected two sources of information: the Good Times Bad Times website and the Johnny Harris. I liked both of them. Follow:

Protests in Russia threaten the country's stability. Day 11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPZsas53QeU

PUTIN WILL LOSE, HERE'S WHY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ4hvLqNfqo

Best Regards
PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher - Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapest, Hungary
Post-Doctoral Research - International Relations University of São Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research - Geography`- Instituto de Geociências UNICAMP
Post-Doctoral Research - Environment and Development PNPD / CAPES
Ph.D. Human Geography - University of São Paulo

24/11/2021

WHAT WAS LOST WHEN THE LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA BURNED? - DOCUMENTARY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFI2kQpk5g

The Library of Alexandria is a mandatory mention of Western cultural history. Located in Hellenistic Egypt, this institution is indissociable of the most fabulous creations and scientific feats of the Classic Period inaugurated by old Greeks.

Nevertheless, how much was it lost when the Library ended up? It is precisely this question that the video "What was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned?" looks for to answer. In a Kings and Generals production, the video summarizes a persuasive locus of the history of this magnificent Library in a few minutes.

The video account draws attention to the numerous philosophers, physicians, mathematicians, writers, poets, geographers, and experts in all knowledge domains whose books and intellectual production were entirely lost. It is impossible do not to be shocked by the copious examples shown in the video.

This grim event provoked a wide outage in the scientific field. It is possible to think that later, in the Renaissance, science would be much more advanced if the Alexandria Library did not end up, because, in this way, the process Renaissancist ould have a more sophisticated starting point.

However, contrary to the common-sense vision, the decline of the Mouseion was not a single destructive event (or even two or three) but a gradual process caused mainly by neglect.

As the video informs, science and knowledge only survive when society realizes the value of one intellectual production. When this pre-condiction does not exist, books, texts, information, and entire libraries are destroyed forever.

It is a stern message to the believers of the modern Information Era: computers, pen drives, and digital cloud will not save knowledge because knowledge is about people.

LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFI2kQpk5g

Best Regards

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher - Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapest, Hungary

Post-Doctoral Research - International Relations University of São Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research - Geography`- Instituto de Geociências UNICAMP
Post-Doctoral Research - Environment and Development PNPD / CAPES
PHD Human Geography - University of São Paulo

22/11/2021

BELARUS-EU: IS THE MIGRANT CRISIS A HYBRID ATTACK?

During the last twenty days, the newspapers and the digital media began to comment about the Poland/Baltic States-Belarus border crisis. Involving thousands of people flying from Syria, Iraq, UAE, and Afghanistan with Belarus visas concentrated with Belarusian government acquiescence mainly on the Polish frontier (that is an EU border too), these people intended to cross illegally the boundary.

However, under the direct orders of Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland, the Polish officials hampered and curbed several times the aggressive attempts of a hundred illegal migrants to enter Polish territory.

These clashes have a complex geopolitical background, combining hybrid warfare tactics, divergences between EU and the Belarus/Russian Federation, the prospects concerning the so-called "Europeans values," the economic weight intertwined with the migratory crisis, the political manipulation of the migration by Belarus. Beyond these questions, numerous truly criminal features took over the migration into the European space.

James Ker-Lindsay, the international relations expert, explains the endpoints about the various consequences of the crisis. Follow the link of Ker-Lindsay video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=new-n64CruI

Best Regards

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher - Africa Research Institute
Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences
ÓBudai University - Budapest, Hungary

Post-Doctoral Research - International Relations University of São Paulo
Post-Doctoral Research - Geography`- Instituto de Geociências UNICAMP
Post-Doctoral Research - Environment and Development PNPD / CAPES
PHD Geography University of São Paulo

14/07/2021

THE LEBANESES CRISIS

Lebanon is a tiny nation on the Levant coast, whose weakness explains why the country became a target of the convulsions of the Middle East. The social and political internal division on sectarian groups, mainly on a religious basis, induced several conflicts without solution until now.

Since the independence (1943), the harsh opposition between Christians (Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Melchites, Armenians), Shiite, and Suny Muslims, besides the social disparities and ideological differences, transformed the country into a powder barrel.

This barrel burst in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), which did not change the structural dysfunctionality of the Lebanese State, that is to say, the politics modus operandi based on ethnoreligious sectarian groups.

This strange matrixial context aggregated with immoderate corruption, lousy governance of public services, and the steadily increasing Hezbollah influence (an Iran branch that is a powerful parallel State) put Lebanon in a dilemma where the question is the capability proper of the country to carry on as a viable country.

Today Lebanon is soaked in an uncontrollable process of social and economic disintegration, and the political elite has demonstrated total incompetence to do the more basic measures, which iconic example was the Beirut Blast last year.

Follows five recent videos about this tragic moment in Lebanese life:

Lebanon economic crisis among world's worst in 150 years | DW News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-vB3WlAk2c

Young medics leaving Lebanon as country teeters on brink of collapse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2j4-DdQrSg

Lebanon days away from ‘social explosion’, PM Diab warns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-o2xCa0xA

Caretaker PM: Lebanon is days away from 'social explosion'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOi2q3ThzGA

Economic crisis grips Lebanon: Army gives out paid helicopter rides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2abM1AfrDtI

Best Regards,

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher of Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapeste, Hungria

Pós Doutor em Relações Internacionais Universidade de São Paulo
Pós Doutor em Geografia Instituto de Geociências da UNICAMP
Pós Doutor em Meio Ambiente PNPD - CAPES
Doutor em Geografia Humana USP

27/05/2021

DJIBOUTI: A BRIEF PRESENTATION

Djibouti (or officially the Republic of Djibouti) is a tiny country located in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is situated on the most actives maritime ways of the world, a path to the strategic Suez Canal.

Somalia borders the country in the south, Ethiopia in the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the east (Yemen is across the Gulf of Aden). The country has a total area of 23,200 km² (slightly larger than Slovenia, one of the smallest countries in Europa).

Djibouti has no strategic minerals, oil, arable land. It is extremely dry, one of the more severe cases of hydric stress around the world. The country depends on desalinization plants to provide water to its inhabitants. One of these projects is a large-scale operation to industrialize the great salt in Djibouti's Lake Assal region and provide fresh water for the residents.

Djibouti has about one million inhabitants, basically concentrated in the capital, the eponymous city of Djibouti. Although a multiethnic country, the two largest ethnic groups native compound the population's majority: the Somalis (Issa Clan, 60%) and the Afar (35%).

At the same time, the country rents its territory to several foreign military bases: the USA, Japan, France, Italy, and recently China. The hosting of foreign military bases is an essential part of Djibouti's economy. The lease payments added up to more than 5% of Djibouti's GDP of US$ 2.3 billion in 2017.

These military bases, combined with the country's rapid urbanization, have caused the prizes to skyrocket. Djibouti has one the most life cost in the world.

As such, Djibouti is a country that deserves the geopolitical attention of the global order. The backpacker Drew Binsky presents one brief presentation of this exciting country. Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igNjGlW2LAo

Best Regards,

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher of Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapeste, Hungria

Pós Doutor em Relações Internacionais Universidade de São Paulo
Pós Doutor em Geografia Instituto de Geociências da UNICAMP
Pós Doutor em Meio Ambiente PNPD - CAPES
Doutor em Geografia Humana USP

https://www.instagram.com/drewbinskyHave you ever heard of the country called DJIBOUTI? If not, don't feel embarrassed... because it's a very tiny country on...

26/05/2021

ALTERNATIVE ISRAELI PROJECT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL

In March 2021, the ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, provoking numerous international trade and traffic problems. The Suez Canal, open in 1869, crosses the Suez Isthmus along 162 kilometers, and as all people know, links the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea.

Several data prove that demand for Red Sea-Mediterranean transit has been rising. Last year, 19.000 ships used this strategic transoceanic pass, a number astonishing. Therefore, the possibility of a new accident is obvious.

The Ever Given case resuscitated an old plan of Israel to construct a further canal, linking the Akaba Gulf (a branch of the Red Sea) to the Mediterranean. In the 1960s, United States specialists advocated using 520 nuclear bombs to cave an alternative maritime canal in Israeli territory. Of course, no one today thinks of this option. The new canal would demand strong economic strive and several thousands of workers during several years.

About this, the Jerusalem Post Journal argues: "In technological terms, Israel has always been absurdly ambitious. Irrigating its desert, designing microprocessors, developing drones, shooting down rockets, being – by far – the smallest country to launch its own satellites: Israel is a superpower of science and engineering. So proposing Israel undertake absurdly complex infrastructure projects is not altogether absurd".

There is some criticism about the work plan (the plan would be expensive because the Israel route is through mountains and much longer). Nevertheless, the international trade consensus is who decides. Undoubtedly, whatever be the difficulties, Israel will construct this canal with the same functions as Suez Canal. According to some specialists, with lower prices and better service.

According to a report by al-Araby Al-Jadeed (The New Arab) online newspaper on Friday, a significant dispute between the UAE and Egypt has erupted due to "preliminary arrangements and consultations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv regarding the digging of a new water canal, similar to the Suez Canal, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean."

The planned digging of a new canal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has reportedly enraged Egypt, which views the project as a threat to its strategic Suez Canal. The question emerges when Cairo is making noticeable efforts to serve the interests of the two states, openly supporting the Abraham Accords.

This proposal has to do with a large spectrum of tendencies and questions. In order to understand the problem, there is an exciting video. Follows the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcVwajP8z1o

More information in the Middle East Press:

Can Israel's Eilat Become an Alternative to Suez Canal?
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/suez-canal-ship-eilat-can-t-become-alternative-global-shipping-1.9668705

Arabic press review: Plans for Israel-UAE canal enrage Egypt
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-digging-canal-israel-triggers-dispute-between-uae-and-egypt

An Israeli Suez Canal
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/an-israeli-suez-canal-393225

Best Regards,

PROFESSOR MAURÍCIO WALDMAN
Senior Researcher of Africa Research Institute - Doctoral School for Safety and Security Sciences - ÓBudai University - Budapeste, Hungria

Pós Doutor em Relações Internacionais Universidade de São Paulo
Pós Doutor em Geografia Instituto de Geociências da UNICAMP
Pós Doutor em Meio Ambiente PNPD - CAPES
Doutor em Geografia Humana USP

Israel can change the world of shipping, and erase its desert.