TOP 10 GLOBAL NEWS STORIES OF 2022

December 2022

G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice provides daily Global News summaries of key headlines of critical news stories. At the end of each year we provide a Top 10 news stories of the year from the news we have highlighted throughout the year. While this summation could not possibly highlight all significant news and events from 2022, we present the following as some of the most significant. As with every year, 2022 presented many challenges locally and globally on many fronts and noteworthy geopolitical events with implications for 2023 and the years to come. 

10. Elon Musk and Twitter

Recently noteworthy for 2022, is Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Users and individuals across the world have strong opinions about the changes that have taken place and the information he has revealed about Twitter’s previous policies including the censorship of particular viewpoints and news in the 2020 elections. The EU and UK have threatened sanctions against Twitter because of the changes in policies. Regardless of personal viewpoints, Elon Musk has impacted and sparked conversations regarding free speech and the role of social media in 2022. 

9. Changes in COVID-19 Policies 

COVID-19, its implications, and policies continue to be a top news topic in 2022. In the United States, the District of Columbia and states such as New York ended vaccine requirements for restaurants and other public places early 2022. Other states, like California have increased vaccine requirements for state employees such as public school teachers. Most recently, China faced rare protests against it’s zero COVID-19 policies that had left thousands locked in their homes which resulted in increased deaths due to lack of medical care or food insecurity. As a result, many of these policies have at least for now been lifted and the citizens of China are navigating a way of life that is dramatically different than the last two years. 

8. Death of Queen Elizabeth II 

One of the most notable deaths of 2022 is the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth the II died in September of 2022 at the age of 96 after serving as the United Kingdoms longest serving monarch, after reigning for 70 years. Throughout her reign, fifteen prime ministers served the United Kingdom, including Winston Churchhill. Her son, son King Charles III became King with his wife Camila becoming Queen. The Queen’s death was marked by leaders around the world who offered their respects to the Queen as well as mourners who lined up for days to pay their respects. 

7. Migration Surge and Response in the United States/Globally

While each year has had its fair share of migration increases/concerns, in 2022 the world experienced an increase as a result of various crises around the world. Nations have responded to this increase in different ways, either decreasing or increasing their willingness to host refugees and asylum seekers. Pakistan experienced an increase in Afghan refugees due to the Taliban and humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan. The United Kingdom faced criticism for its plan to refoul asylum seekers back to Rwanda. As in other years, in many instances, individuals fleeing to seek refuge in other nations in 2022 perished on their journeys. The United States in particular saw a surge in migrants from South America and Ukraine seeking asylum at the southern border. The Biden administration continued to enforce policies at the border put in place under President Trump to the criticism of many. Cities facing an increase in migrant needs along the southern border with no increase in resources sent migrants to other cities to the criticism of many and even accusations of human trafficking. 

6. Global Supply Chain Concerns/Inflation - Chip Shortage, Railroad Strike, Fuel Prices, and Diesel Shortage 

While 2020 and 2021 had their fair share of supply shortages and concerns around the world, in 2022 individuals experienced an increase in these concerns. Chip shortages resulted in shortages with various electronics as well as the production and supply of vehicles. Countries around the world have felt a sharp increase in the cost of living due to inflation and increased government spending. Supply concerns were also impacted by threatened railroad strikes in the United States and other nations as well as fuel concerns in part due to the war in Ukraine as well as policies enacted. Households in Germany and other European nations were particularly impacted. Fuel prices also jumped in the United States but eventually began to drop as the United States approached our midterm elections. 

5. Continued Conflicts and Crises Around the World

In addition to the war in Ukraine and the Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan, many parts of the world continued to face food shortages, war, environmental, and other crises. Pakistan faced extreme flooding leading to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands. Somalia and Sudan continued to face conflict and famine. Ethiopia and Eritrea continued to be in conflict resulting in deaths related to the war including civilians. Haiti along with other South American nations faced increase gang violence and civil unrest. Nigeria faced flooding that killed hundreds and displaced thousands while also seeing an increase in violence against Christians. 

4. Afghanistan - Status of Vulnerable One Year after the U.S. Withdrawal

While the United States evacuated Afghanistan in 2021, the humanitarian conditions of the rights of the vulnerable in Afghanistan and the status of Afghan refugees around the world was one of the direst in 2022. Open Doors U.S.A. determined that Afghanistan was the most dangerous country for Christians in its annual review, the first time North Korea has been displaced from most dangerous to second most dangerous nation for Christians. Other minority groups such as the Hazara are facing increased violence at the hands of the Taliban. Women and girls have continued to be removed from public life including school and work - women in particular are punished if they go out in public without a suitable male escort and girls as young as four are reportedly being sold into marriage to provide for other family members. Thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated by the United States are still in the Humanitarian City in UAE without a path forward. Afghans paroled into the United States are facing an end to their temporary permission to stay, and thousands do not have a path forward through our immigration system. 

3. Iran Protests

Protests have been ongoing in Iran since the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini when she was in custody of the country’s morality police just three days before she died. She was arrested for not wearing her hijab correctly and for wearing skinny jeans. The government denied that her death was their responsibility. Iranians of all ages, religions, and genders have demonstrated in her death - but primarily young people - women in particular. As of December 2022 at least 100 people who were detained are facing the death penalty. At least two younger protesters have already been executed. The result of these protests for the government and the people of Iran will continue to evolve in 2023. 

2. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 

The leaked draft Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision from the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey sparked protests and rallies at the Supreme Court and Capitals across the nation. Both pro-life and pro-abortion advocates were rallied to express their support or opposition to the leaked decision. Conservative Supreme Court Justices were threatened and protests were held in front of their private homes. Months later, the Supreme Court released the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey returning the issue of abortion access to the states. This provided the opportunity not only for greater regulation of abortion access but also the expansion of abortion access. States have responded in a range of ways - codifying existing abortion rights, expanding abortion rights, and restricting abortion rights. Whether the Dobbs decision decreased or increased abortion access will continue to be determined in 2023. 

1. Ukraine/Russian War

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting war is perhaps one if not the top news topic of 2022. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, civilians in Ukraine have fled their homes - disproportionately women and children, both Russia and Ukraine have sustained significant losses, and the world has provided billions of dollars of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. While there have been talks between Russia and Ukraine with the assistance of the United States and other western nations, no resolution has been reached between the two nations. 

Look back on all top news of 2022 and follow along with G.L.O.B.A.L. in 2023 for our daily Global News here.

PROMOTING A CULTURE AGAINST VIOLENCE

By Sosamma Samuel-Burnett, J.D.

What happened in Uvalde, TX is heartbreaking, devastating, and beyond sad - the second worst school shooting in U.S. history.  But what happened in Uvalde is also not an isolated incident of violence, nor the only instance of violence in schools.  It follows a long line of school shootings over recent years.  And it should make us pause to consider why this happened, or more specifically why this is continuing to happen.

Senseless violence never fully has an answer. But it does have a combination of factors that either promote and limit its likelihood.  Those factors in America have remained the same for some time and have created a pattern even when each instance of violence has had its distinct set of contexts.

The factors that we must consider:

Weapons: Guns are the major source of violence and of school violence. While it is true that the weapons themselves may not be the cause, and also true that other forms of weapons could and would be used by some one who wanted to cause harm, still guns make it “easier” for most perpetrators to cause that harm.  Guns are more likely to be used because of the ease of accessing them.  And shootings are more likely to cause death since it only takes one bullet to kill.  And in the case of assault weapons, they are geared toward killing and injuring severely. Without clear methods to limit the access and use of guns and other weapons, they will continue to be readily available for harm.

Culture of Violence: Besides weapons themselves, our American culture has promoted violence in every form through television, movies, social media, traditional media, sports, etc.   American culture has been fixated by violence, particularly in shows, films and video games about war, conflict, crime, etc.  We are hard pressed to find films, for example, that don’t somehow depict and even promote violence. Like weapons, they may not be the direct cause for the violence, but they promote violence in a way that attaches to our psyches, and certainly to those individuals who are intent to do harm.

Lack of Political Will: Neither the Left/Democrats nor the Right/Republicans has fully demonstrated a political will to curb violence.  The Left has been rallying for gun control but has not wanted to control violence in other contexts, including in media.  The Right has skirted gun control but has not offered an alternate solution that would prevent violence using guns and other weapons. Without bipartisan efforts to create constructive systems to protect against violence, the violence will continue unchecked.

Lack of Adequate Security:  While we all want our children to go to school and enjoy their childhood without encumbrances, we live in an age when a certain degree of encumbrance may be necessary to protect our children. Whether background checks, security systems in schools, and/or security guards in school, each school can and must create a context where children can still play and learn freely, but with a higher level of certainty of their security.  It does not need to be either/or; it can be both/and.

Mental Health Awareness & Treatment: In every case of school violence, we are dealing with individuals with mental health issues.  No sane person would harm others, particularly children.  The perpetrators  disturbed minds lead them to disturbed behaviors.  And the younger they are, the more likely they will use the school context to manifest disturbed actions.  Even without great details of the perpetrator in the Uvalde community, we can gather that he has been dealing with mental health issues.  But it raises many questions: What is the source of his mental health concerns? Were these concerns previously identified, and if not, why not? How were they being or not being addressed, and also why not? Unless and until we can monitor, support, and provide treatment for people suffering from mental illness, we run the risk of allowing any one of them to snap.  And the result is either harm to themselves and/or others.  

Fraying Family and Community Bonds: For decades the American family and community have steadily shifted and declined with increases in single parent or no parent households where other family or community members step in or no one is there to step in on behalf of kids. Without the strong family and community bonds, children are becoming more isolated and less able to fit into society and social structures within society. The disconnect from family and community creates a disconnect for caring about oneself or others, which in turn increases the likelihood of causing harm to oneself or others.

Lack of Spiritual Foundation: While religion and religious groups can have its problematic elements, spirituality is a centering concept that gives individuals and communities purpose. That purpose also gives people hope. Fundamentally what is lacking from many individual lives is the sense that they matter and have a purpose for being, and as such, they lack hope. While I would advocate that Christ is the reason we have purpose and value, other faith traditions also help individuals find a sense of that purpose as well. But increasingly, our society and especially our youth are lacking that spiritual foundation.

While many other factors can also influence the perpetrator and the context for violence, these particular factors have persisted.  Without legislative, educational, and mental health changes and advances, as well as family, community, and spiritual grounding, the patterns of violence that we have seen through the years will continue.  Every school shooting is a tragedy, but every school shooting is potentially preventable.  We can not just be sad, but we can also take action. 

Our responses have to include prayer, emotional and financial support for victims and families, direct advocacy, legislative action, and other modes of action.  But we can be more than responsive to crises, but also proactive on prevention. We can be more concerted in our efforts to not only protect our children but create a culture that does not promote violence, does not allow violent means and weapons to be easily accessed, and does not allow mental illness to go unchecked.

Certainly in this fallen world, we can not prevent every crime and every violent act.  But if we can minimize the likelihood of violence, and especially against innocents and children, we can make an impact that can ensure that more of them can grow, learn, and thrive with freedom from violence. 

A CRUCIBLE FOR AN INTEGRATED GLOBAL ECONOMY

By Randall Margo, Ph.D., G.L.O.B.A.L. Board Director/Treasurer

05/17/2022

To paraphrase Clausewitz, it appears NATO's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine is to pursue economics as a continuation of war by other means. Whether this approach will yield a triumphant outcome is yet unknown, but it clearly is impeding the progress of economic integration that flourished almost unabated since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, and accelerated with China's inclusion in the World Trade Organization in 2001. The war along with the covid-19 pandemic signals a potential damaging risk to the global economy that should not go unheeded.

Globalization, for all of its perceived shortcomings raised hundreds of millions of people out of the clutches of abject poverty, generally defined as $1.90 daily income. Regrettably, hundreds of millions remain impoverished below even this meager level of subsistence. Meanwhile, global trade enabled middle class and even working class residents within developed economies the ability to purchase smart phones, computers and other items formerly considered luxury items. This mutual benefit of an integrated global economy as with all things in life came with tradeoffs, evidenced by the off shoring of manufacturing products, certain services such as call centers and computer programming, and violation of technology patents by China among others. Yet, globalization's upward trajectory seemed unrelenting, expanding by 4,100 percent, according to WTO statistics, as capital from multinational corporations and investors exploited labor savings and tax advantages by locating in developing nations. World Bank data estimated that prior to covid-19, $19 trillion of value occurred from trade in 2019, or more than one-fifth of the world's combined gross domestic product of $87 trillion.

Covid-19 provided the first assault on globalization as the world's foremost nations closed their borders and deliberately shrunk economic activity to limit the virus from spreading. It soon became apparent, however, that this approach provided a false security as most nations were critically reliant upon others for personal protective equipment and other vital products, including the ultimate development of vaccines. Consequently, placing a full moat around a national economy, even one as large and diverse as America's became unfeasible. An undesirable and unintended byproduct of these shutdowns was the breakdown of supply chains, which had evolved over decades into a smooth and inexpensive movement of goods, to accommodate a world predicated upon just-in-time inventory management practices. Struggling to regain their efficiency amid the imposition of daunting health restrictions and accompanying labor shortages, a KPMG study last year confirmed that two-thirds of corporations were rethinking and  reconfiguring business requirements to adjust for inventory shortages and rising transportation costs by adopting multiple sources for supplies closer to their major markets and a level of redundancies that will surely lead to higher costs and slower growth.

Then, just when most national economies began shedding their severe covid-19 restrictions and the global economy was starting to rebound, Russia invaded Ukraine. NATO's decision to impose economic sanctions against Russia is likely to create more serious and long-term ramifications to an integrated global economy then even the formidable covid-19 constraints. Here's why.

Although the NATO nations aligned against Russia rightfully perceive economic sanctions as a preferred alternative to direct military conflict with a country possessing a fearsome nuclear arsenal, other nations throughout the world now see how the major economic powers led by the United States can and will impose devastating financial sanctions on a particular country, even when not under specific attack themselves, or united through treaty with another sovereign country for its defense. From the standpoint of China, India, Brazil, or Iran, and multiple other nations, they sense, and in Iran's case know firsthand that what happened to Russia can happen to them. Therefore, their interest in supporting NATO sanctions at the expense of their own economic well-being is problematic, to say the least. It further raises a larger issue. Must countries that don't share the cultural and democratic values of western powers undertake their own self-interest, by either forming partnerships separate from NATO countries, or reducing their reliance on NATO countries for economic sufficiency. If the answer is yes, it's easy to envision a shrinkage in global growth, resulting in higher costs and subsequently, lower living standards for all nations. An inadvertent but likely outcome of this situation could be greater numbers of migrants attempting to flee the more impoverished countries to gain entrance to nations with greater economic wealth and opportunity.  

The case for an integrated global economy has always been that mutual benefits accrue to both consumers and buyers of all nations based on price and quality of goods and services being traded. It is truly remarkable that following the devastation of World War II, independent nations led by the United States would establish a world trade organization to facilitate an integrated rules based global economy. A popular theory during the post World War II era was that economic integration among nations would make military clashes less likely, given the substantial costs to a specific country's prosperity. Until now, that concept has generally held up among the world's more affluent nations. But, what happens when nations calculate that their independent national interests could be challenged or harmed by  economic warfare. Economic self-reliance then becomes a salient and perhaps overriding consideration.  Thus, expanding the integration of global economies in the near future will be a monumental task, as multinational corporations and independent minded nation states attempt to navigate in a world where the next pandemic or economic war can create immediate disruption. An integrated economic system that provided unparallel global growth and prosperity in human history is now being jeopardized by its own success, leaving individual nations vulnerable to Darwinian economic measures when conflict among nations occurs. Much of the world's future economic growth rests on how businesses and governments of the world  meet this changing environment.       

Dr. Margo is the author of Less Work for Less Pay: Previously served as an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University, Research Fellow at William Jessup University, and local government administrator.