Circumstances: Looking at the Newspapers, 2/4/19 (International)

Nikkei Asian Review, "Apple held hostage by its Chinese puzzle": How iPhone maker's success manufactured the rise of Huawei

TAIPEI/ HONG KONG -- Soon after Tim Cook was hired by Apple's founder Steve Jobs in 1998 to whip the company's U.S.-focused supply chain into shape, he made a bold decision. Within two years he began shutting Apple's U.S. factories and outsourcing production to China. His decision drove down costs and gave Apple the resources it needed to develop its next blockbuster products, the iPod and iPhone. It also created a competitive manufacturing base, capable of mobilizing hundreds of thousands of workers with just a phone call. But eight years after Cook became CEO, this strategy is being called into question. Not only has it left Apple dangerously exposed in the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing, but the highly complex supply chain that Apple built in China over 20 years has given rise to one of its fiercest competitors: Huawei Technologies. [link]

Vatican Insider, “'You don’t immediately criticise, you establish trust,' Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald on dialogue with Islam”

The Church should reject ideas about a clash of civilisations between Islam and Christianity and instead work on building relationships of trust with Muslim leaders, says Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald. The 81-year-old British prelate, a former leader of the Holy See’s interfaith dialogue office, was speaking ahead of Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United Arab Emirates, the first by a Roman Pontiff to the Gulf peninsula. “I never accepted this idea of a clash of civilisations," he says in an interview with The Tablet. "First of all, Islam is not a 'civilisation', and Christianity is not a 'civilisation.' We British Catholics differ from Sicilian Catholics, or Swedish Catholics. We have our faith in common, but the culture is different. It’s the same with Islam, there are immense cultural differences in Islam.” The Pope’s aim, he explains, is to try and open channels of dialogue before tackling issues around religious freedom. [link]

BBC News, "US-Mexico border: Pentagon to deploy an extra 2,000 troops"

The US is to send an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Mexico, the Pentagon has announced. It will bring the total number of troops stationed on the southern border to about 4,300. The Pentagon said the soldiers would help border-patrol agents, carry out surveillance work and install miles of razor wire. It comes as President Donald Trump battles Congress for funds to build a wall along the border. He says such a measure is needed to stop illegal immigration. [link]

Crux, "Philippines shows folly of ‘Casablanca defense’ on anti-Christian violence"

ROME - A bombing on Sunday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, the capital of Sulu Province in the southern Philippines, left 20 people dead and 81 wounded. One of the IEDs exploded inside the church as Mass was going on, while another went off in the parking lot outside where most churchgoers had fled after the first blast. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, it’s widely assumed that the Islamist terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf, or some similar faction, was behind the attack. The pastor of the parish, Father Jefferson C. Nadua, restricted himself to calling for prayers and begged off giving any further comment, while the bishops’ conference of the Philippines urged unity in the wake of the violence. The carnage generated immediate outrage around the world, and so far has been condemned by the Filipino government, Pope Francis, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Those leaders have expressed “indignation” (Yousef Al-Othaimeen, head of the OIC), the “firmest reproach” (the pope) and outrage at such a “dastardly crime” (Filipino authorities.) The one thing absolutely no one should be, however, is surprised. [link]

The New York Times, "End the War in Afghanistan: It is time to bring American soldiers back home"

On Sept. 14, 2001, Congress wrote what would prove to be one of the largest blank checks in the country’s history. The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists gave President George W. Bush authority to attack the Taliban, the Sunni fundamentalist force then dominating Afghanistan that refused to turn over the mastermind of the attacks perpetrated three days earlier, Osama bin Laden. In the House of Representatives and the Senate combined, there was only one vote in opposition: Barbara Lee, a Democratic representative from California, who warned of another Vietnam. “We must be careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target,” she said. “We cannot repeat past mistakes.” Days later, Mr. Bush told a joint session of Congress just how broadly he planned to use his new war powers. “Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there,” Mr. Bush declared. “It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” More than 17 years later, the United States military is engaged in counterterrorism missions in 80 nations on six continents. The price tag, which includes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and increased spending on veterans’ care, will reach $5.9 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2019, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. Since nearly all of that money has been borrowed, the total cost with interest will be substantially higher. [link]

Asia Times, "UAE’s art world is more international than it is Arabic"

Over the past few decades, the UAE has positioned itself as the stable exception to the politically fraught Arab region: a safe haven for investment, capital and people. As many jokingly call it, the United Arab Emirates is “Middle East-lite.” The UAE art scene has followed a similar storyline. Conflicts in the Middle East since the Gulf War have caused major collections of Arab modernist paintings to be dispersed. Since 2008 many of these have been sold – either at auction or at fairs – in Dubai. Patrons such as Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi have assembled substantial collections, establishing a permanent home for Arabic modernism in the country and giving the UAE the role of Arab cultural safe haven. But as the contemporary art scene matures, it has become clear that the UAE art world is as globalized as its demographics – in some ways, exactly as globalized as its demographics. A key focus is emerging on South Asia, the region from which around 70% of Dubai’s population hails. Despite cultural and linguistic ties to Arab nations on the level of government, the grassroots art scene reflects a different reality. [link]