Day: July 22, 2020
The virus is not the only epidemic
A friend in Serbia has called this statement by the European Movement International to my attention. Parts of it apply as well to the United States, as well as elsewhere:
Ever since the start of the COVID pandemic, regimes in Europe and around the world have used the current crisis to compromise democratic principles. Recent events in Serbia are consistent with that trend and constitute a negative development for democracy and civic space in a country that has been on the path to EU accession for a while but where democracy has been in rapid decline for years.
The Serbian government’s management of the health crisis has raised many questions. Its decision to hold large public events and go ahead with the national elections, in the peak of a health crisis, confounded many and made the imposition of draconian lockdown measures right after the elections seem politically motivated. In a country ablaze with suspicion that the data on infections and deaths caused by COVID-19 has been manipulated by those in power, trust was already low.
In such an atmosphere, it is citizens’ fundamental right to hold their government to account. The wave of protests instigated by young people and joined by citizens from all walks of life, is a manifestation of the Serbs’ wish to voice their legitimate concerns about the government’s handling of its response to the pandemic. Their right to protest should neither be denied, nor met with violence. Trying to silence protesters and journalists through the exercise of force is a violation of fundamental rights. Similarly, the freedom to protest should not be highjacked by a small minority of protesters’ intent to soil that right with the use of violence.
After years of steady descent away from European democratic norms, the current political unrest that has engulfed Serbia is not a symptom of the health crisis. It is the result of deeper, much further-reaching structural and democratic shortcomings in the country.
It is imperative that measures adopted by the Serbian government during the health emergency remain proportional to the threat of the crises and that they respect democratic values. Citizens require openness about the decisions that affect them and wish to be involved in the response to a health crisis that has cost far too many lives. Civil society and the media should be given a strong, independent role in keeping in check the country’s path towards recovery.
Beyond the pandemic, democratic and structural reforms, that will safeguard inclusive and transparent decision-making, strengthened by an independent media and permitting dialogue with civil society, are vital to regain citizens’ trust and keep a trajectory towards a European future.
The transformative power of European integration has at its core the need for demonstrating respect for the rule of law and fundamental democratic principles in Serbia, according to the EU’s founding values. The EU must ensure that the Serbian government lives up to its responsibilities in the context of the accession negotiations.
The European Union is a community of values based on fundamental and human rights. The EU and its institutions as well as member states and non-state actors must make a stronger and more targeted effort to uphold and promote European values and fundamental rights in member states and candidate countries.
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Stevenson’s army, July 22
– Despite the Constitution’s requirement that the census count “the whole number of free persons” but “excluding Indians not taxed,” the Trump administration wants somehow to exclude noncitizens from the count. NYT explains the politics.
– The administration also wants to send agents in DHS to act as local police in Democrat-controlled cities. Lots of push-back on that — from James Comey, from the heads of Lawfare, from the Atlantic’s David Graham. Even SecDef Esper worries that agents in camouflage gear might be mistaken for active duty troops. I give all these articles because I am outraged by this — and I’m not usually outraged. I will acknowledge that law prof Steve Vladeck calls it “lawful but awful.” Drezner also weighs in.
More on the media focus from CJR: In recent days, media critics have argued that federal agents in Portland were trying to get national attention—namely from right-wing media. Right-wing outlets have been on top of the story. Sean Hannity and others have provided wild descriptions of Portland as a warzone where the Trump administration has bravely fended off leftist mobs hellbent on anarchy. As The Oregonian’s Eder Campuzano reported over the weekend, that’s nonsense: a majority of protesters have been peaceful; violent clashes have been limited to a small section of the city during nighttime hours. Since the truth does not match Trump’s preferred narrative—that Democratic-led cities are on fire, and only he can put out the flames—it appears that his administration is using blunt force to put on a show of his law-and-order bonafides. On Sunday, Anne Applebaum, of The Atlantic, told CNN that the crackdown on Portland amounts to “performative authoritarianism.” Will Bunch, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, called it “made-for-TV fascism.”
After a 20 month hiatus, reportedly to avoid contradicting the president, DNI Ratcliffe has agreed to testify on global threats before the Senate Intelligence Committee early in August.
AEI’s Norm Ornstein predicts election day shambles
Politico details the pre-election measures against China, most recently ordering closure of its Houston consulate.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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