2022 Year in Review

More documents

Recommendations

Info

In Tanzania and Kenya, StarTimes has partnered with state broadcasters toupgrade the countries’ analogue technology to digital networks. The companyholds such an important position that some observers, such as Dani Madrid-Morales from the University of Houston, have commented that “if StarTimespulled out of some countries…the country’s TV stations would stop working.Essentially, StarTimes has the power to black out some countries’ TV networks, ifit wants.”In Zambia, StarTimes has likewise collaborated with Zambia’s state broadcasterZNBC to create a joint venture called TopStar. Under this agreement, StarTimesholds a 60% share in ZNBC for 25 years, drawing accusations that the companyhas effectively taken control of Zambia’s television network. Further, China’sstate-owned Export-Import Bank provided the loan for the US$271 millionneeded for the Zambian government to seal the joint venture contract – a primeexample of how Beijing benefits while StarTimes profits.Building its operations and total reach off the back of the 10,000 Villages Project,StarTimes as the sole provider of television through the initiative has significantcontrol over the content broadcasted on its network.A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPAlthough StarTimes is officially a private corporation, it is the only privateenterprise with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce authorisation to operate inforeign countries radio and television industries. It has also been designated as a“key national cultural export company”, and many of its projects in Africa,including those part of the 10,000 Villages, have been noted to be “key nationalcultural export projects”, indicating state subsidies.The current scenario where a private corporation with a close relationship withBeijing has such a high level of leverage and control over many African nations’television networks naturally draws concern. Haggai Kanenga at the University ofZambia echoes this concern: the “loan shows the money for this project iscoming from the Chinese government itself, so these two – StarTimes and theChinese government – cannot be separated. In Zambia, they are widely viewedas one.”P A G E 1 6 6
Indeed, StarTimes and the Chinese government act in uniformity. Under the10,000 Villages Project, in many villages where StarTimes connects digitaltelevision, a mural is painted with the flags of the host nation and China side byside.In the same light, Beijing and StarTimes enjoy mutually beneficial relations, withStarTimes paid by the host nation and China to further the 10,000 VillagesProject while gaining more customers and market reach. Simultaneously, theChinese government increases the viewership and audience of its pro-Beijingmessaging, spreading it deeper into households across Africa.INFLUENCE AND IMPACTStarTimes’ reach into Africa’s media landscape has allowed the Chinesegovernment to advance its agenda in the continent whilst the company profitsoff the monopoly over the market. This powerful corporation with shroudedlinks to Beijing has come to dominate the flow of information on the Africancontinent, providing China with a digital highway to influence public opinion inAfrica and the potential to affect democracy, sovereignty, and security.Sarah Cook from Freedom House aptly summarises, “the real brilliance of it isnot just trying to control all content – it’s the element of trying to control the keynodes in the information … It might not be necessarily clear as a threat now, butonce you’ve got control over the nodes of information you can use them as youwant,” and how China and StarTimes wish to use these nodes is anyone’s guess.P A G E 1 6 7
Page 1 and 2:
Y E A R I N R E V I E WI S S U E N
Page 3 and 4:
While the events of 2022 are testin
Page 6 and 7:
1CONTENTSTHE END OF PUTIN? EXPLORIN
Page 8 and 9:
8 4LEGALISATION OF MARIJUANA IN THA
Page 10 and 11:
P H O T O B Y E V O N U N S P L A S
Page 12 and 13:
Russia's second invasion into Ukrai
Page 14 and 15:
For the Russians, this is an existe
Page 16 and 17:
P H O T O : K L A U S W R I G H T /
Page 18 and 19:
P H O T O : J O S H C H R I S T E N
Page 20 and 21:
A 2003 report from the Guttmacher I
Page 22 and 23:
P A G E 1 2Calvin Lu and Patrick He
Page 24 and 25:
Common ProsperityThe concept of ‘
Page 26 and 27:
Wang HuningWang Huning’s promotio
Page 28 and 29:
P A G E 1 8P H O T O : M A R K U S
Page 30 and 31:
Korea are women — one of thehighe
Page 32 and 33:
P A G E 2 3P H O T O : T E D D Y O
Page 34 and 35:
shied away from angering China by s
Page 36 and 37:
P A G E 2 7
Page 38 and 39:
ABE’S FAMILY INFLUENCETwo synonym
Page 40 and 41:
P H O T O : K Y O D A / A P I M A G
Page 42 and 43:
YDS TeamP A G E 3 3
Page 44 and 45:
led calls for an investigation into
Page 46 and 47:
B O O K R E V I E WT I D E S T H A
Page 48 and 49:
W H A T I S T H E F I R S TN A T I
Page 50 and 51:
HOW DID THE VOICE COME ABOUT?The Vo
Page 52 and 53:
With the victory of the Australian
Page 54 and 55:
P A G E 4 6P H O T O : I R E N E S
Page 56 and 57:
Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukra
Page 58 and 59:
"FOR BISHKEK AND TASHKENT,THE CKU E
Page 60 and 61:
The CKU’s touted benefits have be
Page 62 and 63:
Lacking the capacity to self-financ
Page 64 and 65:
T H E R E N E W E DD I P L O M A T
Page 66 and 67:
Azerbaijan, which received substant
Page 68 and 69:
SRI LANKA'SECONOMICCRISISP H O T O
Page 70 and 71:
China’s investment in Sri Lanka d
Page 72 and 73:
P A G E 6 4P H O T O : Z A C H A R
Page 74 and 75:
BALI G20 EASES WORLDTENSIONS AS IND
Page 76 and 77:
But the unanimous condemnation of t
Page 78 and 79:
MYANMAR IN2022P H O T O : G A Y A T
Page 80 and 81:
SANCTIONS AND CHINA IMPLICATIONSThe
Page 82 and 83:
AUSTRALIA'S RESPONSEAs mentioned by
Page 84 and 85:
P H O T O : P A N G X I N G L E I /
Page 86 and 87:
2Secondly,some of the areas through
Page 88 and 89:
should make an effort to effectivel
Page 90 and 91:
BBM continuously reframed historica
Page 92 and 93:
Neha DaymaCannabis sativa, usually
Page 94 and 95:
The reasons behind legalisation can
Page 96 and 97:
Bella Baker and Shantelle O'Riordan
Page 98 and 99:
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL - THEINFRUSTRUC
Page 100 and 101:
BIDEN'S SHORTCOMINGSSOARING INFLATI
Page 102 and 103:
P H O T O B Y A N N W A N G / R E U
Page 104 and 105:
The possibility of the Americans le
Page 106 and 107:
Britain; a move that is not expecte
Page 108 and 109:
P A G E 1 0 0Shajara KhanP H O T O
Page 110 and 111:
and Quebec were officially proclaim
Page 112 and 113:
THE PATH FORWARDAs it stands, recon
Page 114 and 115:
Samuel NgLeaping from crisis to cri
Page 116 and 117:
Former US President Donald Trumpand
Page 118 and 119:
SUNAK'S HMSBRITANNIA INTOOBLIVIONTh
Page 120 and 121:
T H E N U C L E A RR E N A I S S A
Page 122 and 123:
N U C L E A R A N D G A S E N E R G
Page 124 and 125: Diane Maria LangelohGERMANY'S INTER
Page 126 and 127: Stream, which was founded during th
Page 128 and 129: Evangelia WichmannP A G E 1 2 0P H
Page 130 and 131: FIRES IN THE AMAZONThis blatant ign
Page 132 and 133: These indigenous remains, belonging
Page 134 and 135: The Enduring Influence of Peronism:
Page 136 and 137: and political sovereignty. Since th
Page 138 and 139: However, it is clear that for manyA
Page 140 and 141: IIngrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old, w
Page 142 and 143: Any legal recognition of femicide i
Page 144 and 145: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THENEW: A
Page 146 and 147: However, an LNG supply deal struck
Page 148 and 149: spaces, the complete shutdown of li
Page 150 and 151: PHOTO: PATRICK BAZ / AFPLEBANON IN
Page 152 and 153: The first hit came from the Global
Page 154 and 155: W H A T W E R E T H E C I R C U M S
Page 156 and 157: T H E C H A L L E N G E O FD E M O
Page 158 and 159: A C O N T R O V E R S I A L R I G H
Page 160 and 161: HUMAN INSECURITY IN TALIBAN-RULEDAF
Page 162 and 163: WOMEN'S RIGHTSAlthough child marria
Page 164 and 165: P A G E 1 5 6P H O T O : A L E X A
Page 166 and 167: Let us take a look at the Ethiopian
Page 168 and 169: History plays a vital role in a cou
Page 170 and 171: P A G E 1 6 2PHOTO: CHINA MERCHANTS
Page 172 and 173: In 2015, Chinese leader Xi Jinping
Page 176 and 177: PHOTO: THE ECONOMIST/GETTY IMAGESHo
Page 178 and 179: The role of the US and the EU in pr
Page 180 and 181: Isha DesaiP A G E 1 7 2PHOTO: BADA
Page 182 and 183: SUDANPHOTO: THE INDEPENDENTDemocrac
Page 184: STABILITY IN THE REGIONThe union’
show all

2022 Year in Review

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?