Musk to Step Down as Twitter CEO
On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would resign as Twitter's CEO as soon as he finds a replacement, having agreed to either stay on or step down from the role based on a Twitter poll launched on Sunday.
The poll ended with 57.5% of more than 17M users voting for Musk to leave his role. However, the vote is informal, and it's unclear when he will step down.
Narrative A
Since Musk took control, Twitter has been subjected to reckless decisions, leaving it in a chaotic state. Stepping down as CEO would be the start of cleaning up the mess he has made. However, his replacement needs to be someone who understands that the protection of users comes before the whims of an erratic billionaire.
Narrative B
While Musk has made some questionable decisions, this latest move isn't one of them. Involving users in key decisions is a refreshing overhaul to Twitter's — and the broader tech world's — policymaking, which is dominated by only a select few. Others should take heed.
Cynical narrative
Given that Twitter is mainly made up of software and servers, Musk is set to keep de-facto control of the company even if he's not CEO. As is the case with his other companies, it's unlikely a change in his title will bring an end to his leadership.
Nerd narrative
There is a 3% chance that Elon Musk will hold major political office in the US before Feb. 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Algeria Slams EU Gas Price Cap
On Tuesday, Algeria, Africa's largest gas exporter, criticized the EU's recent decision to cap natural gas prices as an intervention disrupting the international energy market.
The North African country's energy minister, Mohamed Arkab, rejected the EU's "idea of limiting prices" for natural gas amid increased energy costs, noting that the move would have a negative impact on the flow of investment into the industry.
Establishment-critical narrative
The EU's price cap not only destabilizes the energy market but is also set to exacerbate the EU energy crisis and expose Europeans to supply shortages, as liquified natural gas suppliers may favor Asia if prices are higher there. While the EU celebrates itself for finally agreeing on the price brake, the ill-considered mechanism may help prevent extreme price hikes, yet it might ultimately undermine the EU's prosperity and social cohesion.
Pro-establishment narrative
The destabilizing factor is not the EU price cap but Algeria's geopolitical games and its proven willingness to weaponize its gas supplies. This is especially true in light of its growing ties with Russia and Iran. It's counterproductive and even dangerous for the EU to increase its dependence on Algeria to break away from Russia. The time has come for Washington and the EU to hold Moscow's ally accountable with sanctions.
Narrative C
By agreeing on a temporary price cap, the EU not only proved its ability to act but also lived up to its responsibility to shield its citizens from spiraling gas prices. Moreover, the deal provides a suspension mechanism if risks to the security of energy supply, financial stability, intra-EU flows of gas, or risks of increased gas demand come to light. With this breakthrough achievement, a united EU has shown shrewd strategic foresight.
Day 301: Zelenskyy Arrives in Washington
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on Wednesday, where he met with US Pres. Joe Biden with the aim of strengthening the resilience and defense capacities of Ukraine. During his first foreign trip since the start of the invasion, Zelenskyy thanked "ordinary people, Americans." He is set to give a speech to Congress and hold a number of meetings later in the day.
Meanwhile, just hours before Zelenksyy landed in the US, the Biden admin. announced a further $1.85B package in military support for Ukraine, along with the first-ever shipment of a Patriot missile battery to Ukrainian forces from the US. The deal will include around $1B in weapons and about $850M in funding to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
Nerd narrative
There is a 15% chance that Ukraine will receive a security guarantee from another country before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: Twitter Secretly Boosted US Covert Propaganda Campaign
After reviewing internal documents at Twitter, journalist Lee Fang released the eighth installation of the "Twitter Files" on Tuesday, alleging that the company had been complicit in psychological operations undertaken by the Pentagon targeting Middle Eastern audiences.
The Pentagon, which had allegedly deployed a number of affiliated accounts to influence the opinion in Arabic-speaking countries, reportedly asked Twitter to "whitelist" these accounts in 2017 and then removed any explicit connection to the US government.
Narrative A
These revelations are a damning indictment of how the US government uses social media to advance its geopolitical interests across the globe. In addition to that, Twitter was complicit in the government's operations, which is a clear violation of both its policies and public trust. Twitter cannot and should not be used to advance the interests of the US government.
Narrative B
Though aspects of the Twitter Files have been productive in terms of transparency, Elon Musk is guilty of the same things he has accused companies and journalists of. The Twitter Files are not meant to advance the interests of the public, but the interests of the GOP and right-wing actors — caveat emptor.
Nerd narrative
There's a 3% chance that Elon Musk will hold major political office in the United States before February 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Scotland Expected to Reform Gender Recognition Bill
Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) began voting on Tuesday on over 150 proposed amendments to the Gender Recognition Act, though voting paused at around midnight after the Holyrood chamber's lights — which are on a timer — went out.
Among the amendments, MSPs rejected a proposal to retain the minimum age of 18 required to transition genders. Instead, the leading Scottish National Party (SNP) approved lowering the age to 16, claiming it's in line with other existing rights for 16-year-olds like voting, marriage, and leaving home.
Left narrative
As transgender self-identification is already the standard for roughly 350 million people worldwide, the opposition to this bill is rooted simply in the historic demonization of the LGBTQ community. Just as lesbians and gays in the past were portrayed as potential child predators, so too are transgender people today. The opposition movement was born out of ignorance and hate — the same is true today.
Right narrative
Though the hardcore proponents of this bill will paint it as such, opposing this bill is in no way transphobic. Both the Scottish public and even members of the SNP are against allowing male sex offenders from claiming they are women, but the powers that be have decided to ignore both of these groups. This will become the greatest rollback on women's rights in generations and a disgraceful stain on the reputation of parliament.
Germany Returns Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Germany has returned 22 Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria, as part of a larger effort of Western nations to repatriate stolen artifacts from Africa. The Benin Bronzes are plaques and sculptures that were looted in 1897 from the ancient Kingdom of Benin — which is now southern Nigeria and not the modern nation-state of Benin — by British military personnel.
Earlier this year, Germany signed an agreement with Nigeria to release all 1,130 Benin Bronzes in German public museums.
Left narrative
The return of these artifacts is long overdue. It is significant that Germany is making efforts to deal with its colonial past, and it is time that other Western nations follow suit. Artifacts stolen during colonial times should be repatriated to their countries of origin.
Right narrative
Western museums serve a nuanced purpose and should not just automatically bow to calls to return artworks acquired during a colonial past. Current discourses on decolonizing museums speak in absolutes of good and bad instead of looking at the subtle histories of empires beyond a focus on colonial violence. To decolonize museums is to decontextualize museums, and remove the multicultural histories of western nations.
US: Freezing Temps Draw Migrant Concerns
With around 33M people reportedly under winter storm watches and close to 27M under wind-chill alerts in the US, concerns have increased for recently arrived migrants who lack shelter and those who will be making crossings.
In many cities, including El Paso, Texas, shelter systems are strained, and photos of migrants attempting to stay warm while living on the streets have gone viral.
Republican narrative
The Biden admin. has failed to meet its constitutional duty to secure the border, putting states in an untenable situation where their safety is at risk and their resources are being stretched thin. If Title 42 ends, this crisis will only get worse.
Democratic narrative
This is undoubtedly a crisis; but a humanitarian one. These migrants have been through indescribable experiences, and it's time that the federal government and the states work together to find a solution and give these people a fresh start.
Gambia: Government Says Coup Attempt Foiled
According to a government announcement released on Wednesday, four Gambian soldiers have been arrested after authorities foiled an alleged coup attempt to overthrow Pres. Adama Barrow's administration.
In a statement, the government said the alleged coup attempt was uncovered "based on intelligence reports," adding that the army is in pursuit of the three other alleged co-conspirators.
Establishment-critical narrative
After promising to prioritize tackling corruption during his 2016 campaign, president Barrow has since done very little to rid his government of greedy side-door financial schemes. Public discontent will only grow as its leaders continue to turn a blind eye and offer no concrete solutions to help the people it's supposed to represent.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though his decision to align with the National People's Party coalition has ruffled some feathers, Barrow's actions are based on his goal of cleaning up the economic mess left by Jammeh and maintaining a strong, united Gambia. Political discontent is no excuse for attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government, and those responsible should be pursued and punished.
Peru: Congress Tentatively Approves Plans for Early Elections
Peru's Congress tentatively approved on Tuesday a plan backed by Pres. Dina Boluarte to bring forward general elections by two years to April 2024, with 91 lawmakers of the 130-member legislature supporting it in a bid to alleviate the country's political crisis.
The constitutional reform to shorten Boluarte's term to July 2024 will require another vote of approval by a two-thirds majority in the next legislative period, which starts after Jan. 31, 2023.
Pro-establishment narrative
The fact that Peru has already had six presidents since 2016 speaks volumes about the country's political situation and underscores what a difficult legacy Boluarte is taking on. It's a positive sign that the coup attempt by the ultra-leftist and corrupt Castillo failed thanks to the resilience of Peruvians. If Boluarte now succeeds in forming a strong government and implementing structural reforms, there's good reason for optimism for Peruvian democracy.
Establishment-critical narrative
The ongoing protests highlight that the justified ouster of the unpopular Castillo is by no means the end of the ongoing political crisis in Peru. Poor Peruvians have legitimate doubts that the dysfunctional democratic system will change anything about their desperate situation. That's why snap elections would likely benefit populist candidates. It's uncertain whether Boluarte will manage to keep Peru from becoming ungovernable.
N.Y. Rep.-Elect Santos' Resume Allegations "Serious"
A top Republican in Nassau County, N.Y. says that representative-elect George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) reportedly erroneous resume details are "serious" but that he deserves an opportunity to clear his name.
The controversy stems from a recent New York Times article that claims Santos lied about attending Baruch College, which the university has no record of, as well as claiming that he worked at Citigroup & Goldman Sachs. The banks also have no record of his employment.
Democratic narrative
George Santos’ entire election campaign was built on lies. Not only did he fabricate his educational and professional backgrounds, but he also callously lied about working with victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Santos is a serial liar and is unfit to serve in the House of Representatives.
Republican narrative
Democrats and their cronies in the media are absolutely terrified by a gay, Latino Republican winning in a blue district, so they are resorting to smear campaigns to stop Rep.-elect George Santos just before he is sworn in. Santos has been in the public eye for a year and campaigned for months, so it's suspicious that these reports are only coming out now.