Distrust | Jotup

France in Africa: why Macron's policies increased distrust and anger

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The perpetrators of these coups have, among their justifications, mentioned the overbearing influence of France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, in their affairs.

Key Points:

The perpetrators of these coups have, among their justifications, mentioned the overbearing influence of France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, in their affairs.
The influence of France in military affairs and maintenance of dominance in business has been a key cog of the Macron agenda.
Macron’s approach has only increased distrust and anger because a large military presence has not been replaced by a new international economic order, but with small-scale business deals and start-ups.

Neoliberal values are French values

But what Macron wants observers to notice is that increasingly, French development aid in Africa has to be run by French businesses.
French corporations are no longer making money in secret, as in the era of Françafrique.
Rather, Macron’s speeches put forward business activities and neoliberal values as French values that benefit the continent.
This reliance on French culture and values can be seen as a continuation of a strategy that started with the French colonial project.

The free market as the dividing line in west Africa

The belief in the free market as an engine for development has redrawn the battle lines in west Africa.
The juntas that have come to power therefore do not only present themselves as caretakers who are trying to do the job politicians will not do.
It is African leaders who demand big structural change, but are met with small business efforts to maintain French influence on the cheap.

As Australia strengthens its ties with the Philippines, it's wading even further into the dangerous South China Sea

Retrieved on:

Monday, August 28, 2023

White House, Partnership, World war, Distrust, Marcos, Public opinion, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, United Nations Convention, The Hague, Sea, Government, White, Risk, Richard Marles, Shipbuilding, Whaling, Drug, Second Thomas Shoal

Their mission: simulating the retaking of an island by a hostile force, presumably in the South China Sea.

Key Points:

Their mission: simulating the retaking of an island by a hostile force, presumably in the South China Sea.
Marles then announced Australia would begin joint maritime patrols with the Philippines in the contested South China Sea very soon.
So, with tensions running so high in the sea, why is Australia getting involved by deepening its military ties with the Philippines?
Read more:
Explainer: why is the South China Sea such a hotly contested region?

Marcos solidifies defence commitments from the US

During a visit to the White House in May, Marcos and US President Joe Biden agreed to new guidelines on the countries’ 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty.
This year, the Philippines also agreed to add four more military bases the US can access under a separate defence agreement.
This lack of trust towards China is shared by many in the Philippine government, defence establishment and legislature.

Why deeper ties with Australia matter

At the same time it has re-pivoted towards the US, the Philippines government has also been busy enhancing its defence and diplomatic ties with Australia.
Marles pointed out last week that much of Australia’s trade goes through the South China Sea and Australia is committed to upholding the international rules-based order in the region.
These will cover defence and maritime security cooperation, as well as enhanced economic, trade and cultural ties.
Given Australia has recently sought to steady its rocky relationship with China, this cooperation with the Philippines could come at a cost.

Niger is a key player in the Sahel region - 4 security implications of the coup

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

The complexity of the Sahel means that the Niger coup has major implications for security in the entire region.

Key Points:

The complexity of the Sahel means that the Niger coup has major implications for security in the entire region.
Based on years of research and analysis, I see four main potential effects of the Niger coup on the Sahel region and west Africa.

None of these would be good outcomes. They would worsen existing humanitarian crises, including food insecurity, environmental disasters, transnational crime, population displacements and widespread poverty.

Cross-border development projects

The Sahel region is home to several critical transnational development projects, many of which involve Niger.
An example is US$25 billion Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, one of the most ambitious projects in west Africa.
The collapse of trust between countries will severely compromise the future of these projects and agreements.

Regional rifts and a divided Ecowas

Growing mistrust among west African countries would weaken the regional bloc Ecowas, while the possibility of future coups remains.
Ecowas has insisted on forcing the junta in Niger to reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, including threatening military intervention.
A weakened and divided Ecowas could undo regional economic agendas like the West African Economic and Monetary Union.

Shifting alliances

The Niger coup is threatening to shift alliances.
This could trigger security priorities and responsibilities being outsourced even more than they are now.
Several western countries – the US, France and their EU partners – have scaled back their support for Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in response to coups.
The second is that it is the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium and the second-largest supplier of uranium to France.

Chaos and counter-coups

The coup could hurt cooperative efforts across the Sahel to respond to extremist groups and terrorism.
Each coup creates a new vacuum and adds new layers to the environment of distrust.
The danger is that security forces are spread thinner, allowing extremist groups to expand their territories and influence.

Data breaches seen as number one privacy concern, survey shows

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

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Jerry Makes American Drivers Carsmart: AllCar™ App Doubles Services to Inform Drivers and Increase Safety with Launch of GarageGuard™ and DriveShield™

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Key Points:

And with lethal accidents up 27% over the past decade, DriveShield™ helps drivers improve by informing them of unsafe habits and rewarding them when they drive safely.
Who it's for: American drivers looking to maintain the value of their car, stay safe on the road and save time and money with ease.
With car diagnostic and repair estimate tools, GarageGuard™ demystifies the details and costs of maintenance and repair services.
This app expansion was accelerated when Jerry quietly secured an additional $110 million in equity and debt financing in Q2 2022.

The world's most powerful democracies were built on the suffering of others

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 31, 2023

Democracy is supposed to base a state’s legitimacy in its accountability to its people.

Key Points:

Democracy is supposed to base a state’s legitimacy in its accountability to its people.
But it’s clear the U.S. is no longer a credible champion for, or exemplar of, democracy.
In fact, it has a long history of overthrowing and undermining democracies abroad.

A troubled record with democracy

Barack Obama’s administration, for example, greenlit the military coup that overthrew Egypt’s democracy and ended the Arab Spring uprisings in 2013.
It has made it clear that being authoritarian does not impede any country from joining its coalition against China.
The U.S. itself is a failing democracy — or perhaps a better description is a plutocracy with democratic embellishments.
In 2021, only 50 per cent of Americans said they believed they live in a democracy.

Western democracy’s grim origins

This is not the only way the concept of democracy has been misused by the United States and other western nations.
Many countries in the West provide their citizens with the highest living standards and freedoms in the world.
The western world’s tendency to see itself as the pinnacle of civilization and morality has been used to justify global domination and intervention in the rest of the world.
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill deliberately implemented policies that created and exacerbated the Bengal Famine that killed more than three million Indians.

Hiding the truth

Belgium hid the truth of King Leopold’s vicious exploitation of the Belgian Congo that involved the murder of 10 million people.
In the U.S., the political right’s campaign against critical race theory stifles the historical reality and legacy of American racism.
Most western states can only offer examples of democracy-building that have relied upon extreme military, political and social violence.
Western states argue that only democracies are legitimate states because they are supported by the consent of their citizens.

Chinese prosperity

This support may reflect, in part, China’s cultural and historical norms and experiences but it is mostly attributable to how much the lives of the Chinese people have improved.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has overseen 40 years of economic growth and technological development unprecedented in world history.
Chinese GDP per capita increased from US$195 in 1980 to US$12,556 in 2021.

Announcing the Formation of Building CommUnity; Novel Multimedia Communications Organization

Retrieved on:

Friday, July 28, 2023

NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Co-Founders Aaliytha Stevens and Amy Sprecher, distinctively melding their own diverse backgrounds and perspectives, have launched Building CommUnity LLC, specializing in cultural transformation and narrative change strategy by underscoring the mission of building a purposeful multicultural and multiracial CommUnity with the belief that together, we can build equitable opportunity and prosperity.

Key Points:

Building CommUnity services non-profit and for-profit organizations, including business, education, community organizations and activism environments.
Building CommUnity is currently working with the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE – www.nationalcollaborative.org ) involving communications and narrative change research and marketing strategy.
Stevens and Sprecher believe that building awareness of the positivity of coming together is a key element to lifting all people, and especially traditionally marginalized and low-income communities.
Join us on this transformative journey to unlock the full potential of your organization.

cheqd Introduces Creds: A Private & Secure Solution To Build Trust and Protect Against AI

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 24, 2023

DIDS, NFT, Distrust, Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, Trust, Privacy, Organization, Sybil attack, Discord, Non-fungible token, Community, Acquisition, Collection, Personhood, SBT, News, Cryptocurrency, Cred (company)

Creds addresses a number of Web3 challenges, in particular, community security, engagement, trust, the wave of distrust created by generative AI, and privacy concerns.

Key Points:

Creds addresses a number of Web3 challenges, in particular, community security, engagement, trust, the wave of distrust created by generative AI, and privacy concerns.
One report shows that crypto scams wiped out nearly $150M in a single week and mass scale distrust in communities.
Fake content, news and even people are being supercharged with the advent of generative AI, compounding the issues.
Meaning that individuals should be able to build their verifiable reputation and port it across different communities and platforms.

Atly Reveals a Third of People Don't Trust Google Maps

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Location-based recommendation, Distrust, Friends, Google Play, App Store (iOS/iPadOS), Web browser, TEL, Google Maps, Trust, Restaurant, Entrepreneurship, Ageing, ROI, Family, Social media, Online shopping, Jón Atli Benediktsson

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atly, the user-generated social mapping platform revolutionizing location-based knowledge sharing, today unveiled consumer survey results in a data report entitled "Location-Based Recommendations: Mapping Trust & Digital Discovery in 2023." The report reveals that one in three people (30%) have little to no trust in Google Maps when it comes to discovering places that best fulfill their needs.

Key Points:

The report reveals that one in three people (30%) have little to no trust in Google Maps when it comes to discovering places that best fulfill their needs.
The survey revealed that 72% of respondents trust recommendations for destinations and restaurants from family and friends most – over social media influencers, online review sites, and Google Maps.
Only 11% firmly trust Google Maps to suggest places that meet their needs.
Download Atly in the App Store or Google Play Store by clicking here .

Religion shapes vaccine views – but how exactly? Our analysis looks at ideas about God and beliefs about the Bible

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 17, 2023

“I never saw that coming,” Francis Collins, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, commented in 2022.

Key Points:

“I never saw that coming,” Francis Collins, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, commented in 2022.
Even today, three years after the start of the pandemic, about 1 in 5 Americans have not received a single dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
Someone’s feelings about vaccines in general might differ from their feelings about one specific type of vaccine, for instance.
However, Christians represented the bulk of the sample, given their larger share of the American population, and so our research focuses heavily on on their views.

Bible beliefs

One part of religious life that social scientists are often interested in is people’s views of the Bible.
We found that respondents who see the Bible as either the “inspired” or “the actual word of God” were less likely to see vaccines in general – not the COVID-19 vaccine in particular – as safe and effective, compared with those who see the Bible as just a book of history and morality created by humans.
All else being equal, those who said that the Bible is the literal word of God, for instance, scored 18% higher on our measure of general vaccine skepticism than those who see the Bible as having no divine source or inspiration.

God and country

One factor could be Christian nationalism, which has been increasingly visible in the public sphere since Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency.
A 1-point increase in agreement meant someone was 17% less likely to have received or plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Another of our studies focused on how people view God.
Our data showed that simply believing there is a God, or a higher power that supervises the world, does not make an individual less likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
On the other hand, believing that God can and will actively intervene in the world does make a difference.