THE GLOBALIZATION OF INDIFFERENCE

Even while serving as an altar boy in The Netherlands for more than a decade, I seldom really listened carefully to Papal communications emanating from the Vatican. It was not until I recently became aware of Pope Francis' plea to resist the world's temptation to descend into a state of globalized indifference that I paid attention to what he had to say. During a speech on the Italian island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Tunisia, on July 8 of 2013, the pontiff claimed solidarity with the many African migrants who had sought refuge there and remembered those who lost their lives in the attempts. He lamented that we had fallen into a global state of indifference. "We are now accustomed to the suffering of others , but it does not concern us - it is none of our business." This speech was given 11 years ago. Since then international migration has grown exponentially. The estimated number of international migrants has steadily increased over the past five decades. Estimates are that by 2020 281 million migrants - about 3.6% of the global population - were on the move, seeking freedom from war and conflict, to escape hunger and poverty, to find new economic opportunities and employment, or to flee from religious intolerance or political repression. On September 2 of 2015 the world was exposed to and shocked by a photograph of the body of a 2 year old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea during his family's attempt to reach Europe from Turkey. We even know his name - Alan Kurdi. Readers were aghast. Many expressed concerns about the mortal dangers confronting refugees traveling in that part of the world. Since then almost 30,000 deaths have been recorded. And between 2014 and 2018 another 12,000 people who died were never found. In 2023 alone, 8,565 refugees died on migration routes. In the U.S., between 1998 and 2020, 8,050 people died crossing the U.S. - Mexican border. And no, we did not know their names. The sheer numbers are overwhelming. However, empathy for the well being of migrants has generally been converted to populist and nativist anxiety about polluting traditional cultures or taking jobs and other resources away from domestic populations. The conversation has changed compassion into the logistics of managing the onslaught and the political calculations behind any kind of response. President Biden only recently issued a set of policies catering to both ends of the political spectrum during this election year. On one hand he announced new protections for undocumented spouses of American citizens, which affected about 500,000 people. On the other hand he installed restrictions on the flow of asylum seekers at the border. His likely adversary in this year's election, former President Donald Trump, has used border control as centerpiece of his campaign, designed to cement his political base. His significant promise has been that, if elected, he will use the power of his presidency to deport as many as 20 million undocumented people from the United States. He also laid out plans to build "vast holding facilities that would function as staging centers" for immigrants, essentially internment camps. His mantra is that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country." Periodic mass migrations of people have taken place throughout history. We are aware of the Barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire, the great migration from England of the 1630s, and the estimated 14 million Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims that were displaced during the partition of India in 1947 at the beginning of the dissolution of the British Empire, just to mention a few. For as long as immigration has existed, it has generated anti-immigrant sentiment. However, this time around the vast numbers of migrants paired with the effects of climate change, the pandemic and influenced by the political calculations of a growing nativist electorate have turned compassion into indifference. In the words of Pope Francis: "[Migrants] seek to leave difficult situations in order to find a little serenity and peace. They seek a better place for themselves and their families. How many times do those who seek this do not find understanding, do not find welcome, do not find solidarity? Instead of a better place, sometimes they found death." "We have lost the sense of fraternal responsibility. We are accustomed to the suffering of others, but it does not concern us. It's none of our business. We have forgotten the experience of weeping. We seem to have lost our capacity for empathy." Theo Wierdsma

TRUMP CONVICTION GENERATES DIVERSE REACTIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD

Donald Trump, our 45th president, was convicted of all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to conceal a hush payment to an adult porn star in a New York State court a few days ago. His conviction generated a barrage of responses, not only at home, but across the globe. Predictably, domestic responses followed party lines. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the verdict a “shameful day in American history.” Ohio Senator J.D. Vance referred to it as a “disgrace to the judicial system.” The operative words have been “historic” and “unprecedented.” As a result, Republicans in Congress have been quick to enlist themselves to Mr. Trump’s campaign of vengeance and political retribution. Non Trump supporters like John Bolton and former Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who suggested we respect the verdict and the legal process, were instantly bullied by Trump’s enforcers and told to “leave the party.” Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger summarized that: “The GOP is about to have a front runner or a nominee, who can’t vote for himself, who would be immediately discharged from the military in less than honorable conditions, [and] who can’t own a firearm.” However, what happens in the U.S. is consequential for what happens to the rest of the planet. Trump’s felony convictions in the middle of a closely contested election has become front-page news in many countries across the lobe. Foreign observers have already begun wondering if Mr. Trump, already a volatile force, would become even less likely to stay within the guardrails of normal politics and diplomacy if he wins the presidency again in November. As president, Trump often angered, flummoxed, or frightened national leaders around the world with sudden policy changes or unexpected announcements. But his brand of nationalist politics has won supporters on the global stage - particularly in parts of Europe on the political right. Right-wing anti-immigrant, nationalist politicians were quick to come to his defense. Viktor Orban - Prime Minister of Hungary - called him a “man of honor.” Matteo Salvini - Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister - expressed “solidarity and full support.” Nigel Farrage - pro brexit Trump supporter in the U.K. - suggested on social media that “Trump will now win big.” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov elaborated that it was now clear to the entire world that U.S. authorities were trying to eliminate political rivals “by all possible legal and illegal means.” Most European and Asian countries appeared to hold off expressing strong opinions. Many in Europe reacted cautiously, remaining anxious about a possible Trump victory in November and remembering his unpredictability and undermining of existing alliances. The news did dominate newspaper coverage across Europe. Many giving the conviction front-page, above the fold, treatment. Most focused on how the guilty verdict would galvanize Trump supporters rather than discussing the historic nature of the conviction itself. Dear Spiegel - (Germany) - headlined “guilty!” Repeated 34 times. Build - a German tabloid - - asked: “Victory for justice, or dark days for America?” The U.K. Daily Star proclaimed: “Orange Manbaby is guilty on all counts.” The Economist remained very sober with a headline: “Guilty as charged: the Disgrace of a Former American President.” Many of us consider the historically significant importance of this judicial event, not having had a U.S. president convicted in a court of law. However, depending on how we look at this, it is not entirely unusual. All of our Founding Fathers who signed off on the Declaration of Independence were essentially convicted felons, accused of high treason and sedition by the British crown and sentenced to death. Besides, Mr. Trump is not alone among political leaders who face legal trouble and who are convicted by the judicial systems in their own country: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of illegal campaign financing and given a one year sentence. Silvio Berlusconi, who served Italy multiple times as Prime Minister was convicted repeatedly for tax evasion and sex crimes in Italian courts. And Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, who presided from 2003 to 2011, was convicted of bribery and spent 580 days in prison. He was re-elected to the presidency in 2022. Friend or foe - American voters will announce their verdict in November. Theo Wierdsma