Current Affairs

Global turmoil and uncertainty, forever wars, historical grievances, climate change, double standards… prepare for an interesting discussion!If you wish to participate and receive the link, please RSVP to phyllisbarrantes@gmail.com

In-person meeting in CABA. Two topics: Impressions on a recent visit to Germany and When is Dead Dead? Sure to be interesting. RSVP to obtain the address.

Though it all began quite a few decades ago, the current gush of AI tools and of articles about AI tools seems to have taken the world by storm. ChatGPT for instance, released to the public in 2022, currently has somewhere around 100 million active users, a feat achieved in record time, far faster than any other internet application (from: What can AI bring to Latin America? The Dialogue, March 2023).

Current Affairs Discussion: In-person tea/coffee, cakes, and discussion

“The geopolitical stability of the past three decades produced a dangerous level of magical thinking. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world is finally waking up.” Edward Alden - Foreign Policy, March 2022. Click here for more information….

Afghanistan is very much in the headlines at the moment because of the final withdrawal of US troops and the takeover by the Taliban. We will be discussing the rights and wrongs of foreign intervention in general, as exemplified most recently by the case of Afghanistan. Read more…..

Our discussion group session this month focuses on repugnant transactions, an intriguing concept that has been around for quite a few years already but has only more recently begun to gain traction. Read more …

A region rich in oil and other natural resources, Africa is seen as always struggling to realize its full potential despite having approximately 30% of the world’s remaining natural resources. The African continent covers 6% of the world’s surface and 20% of the land area and has a population of over a billion people across 54 countries, between them speaking almost 2,000 languages. With such expanse and complexity it is therefore not surprising that simplifications, stereotypes, generalizations and misinformation about the continent abound. Continue reading about this event!

For decades western countries seemed convinced that China would come around to their democratic way of thinking, that its greater involvement in international trade and international organizations would gradually make it a more open and democratic society. This has not happened. Continue reading about this event!

Remote work has existed for quite a while in some sectors of the economy, but until the pandemic it seemed to have been assumed that working from an office was more productive and efficient all around. It took the pandemic to show that this is not necessarily the case. Continue reading about this event!

The next session of the Current Affairs Discussion Group will be Judges in the Dock: “In a democracy, where the ultimate master is supposed to be the people, what should the chief umpire look like?” We will be discussing the role of judges in modern life. Continue reading about this event!

The next session of the Current Affairs Discussion Group, to be held on Thursday July 23rd from 3.00-4.15 pm, is on the subject of: Building a different future - the rise of conscious capitalism and repurposing globalisation.

Capitalism is earning a bad name as the checks and balances that used to exist to curb the excesses of market forces have over the last few decades been largely eliminated or neutralized by the loosening of regulations. It has become increasingly evident that unchecked, capitalism works mainly for the few. Ways need to be found to make it more inclusive, so that it works for the many.

Globalization is a fact; it has its advantages and disadvantages, its supporters and its detractors, but it is here to stay. Disruption of international supply chains for food and for the medical and pharmaceutical goods particularly necessary under the current pandemic has highlighted one of the disadvantages. Another is that the use of cheap labour in poorer countries seems to have become a core strategic asset in global business operations. Globalization needs to be repurposed for the better. Continue reading about this event!

The next session of the Current Affairs Discussion Group, to be held on Thursday June 11th from 3.00-4.25 pm is on the topic of water, encompassing a multiplicity of aspects.

Access to clean, safe drinking water is considered a human right and the total lack of it is a killer, clear and simple. But freshwater is not only crucial for individual survival. Water scarcity can have severe political implications as rivers and lakes form the borders between some countries and some rivers run through several countries: economic success depends on water, it affects agricultural production and trade, electric power generation and so on.

Water has been dubbed “the next oil”, alluding both to its value as an increasingly scarce resource and to the hydro-political games that will be played as it really sinks in that freshwater sources are drying up while demand for water is expected to grow 55% between 2000 and 2050. The importance of water naturally leads to competition for access and many conflicts across the globe derive from disagreement over water resources and how the supply is managed.

In our first virtual meeting we will be discussing the wider social implications of COVID-19. The current pandemic and lockdown measures have meant loss of much or all of their income for many, particularly in the case of low-paid workers/marginalised sectors of society who are already suffering structural disparities. The “precariat” – those living in precarious situations- now refers not just to those living in or below poverty but includes as well masses of ordinary workers.

There is a growing disconnect between the culture that majority populations identify with and the changing face of their countries today. As a consequence of this feeling of one’s identity being threatened, politics in many countries is becoming less to do with the business of government and more to do with ethnic self-interest.

The Discussion Group on Current Affairs will take place at Phyllis’ home on June 13th at 3 pm. The topic is: Democracy in Crisis. You will already have received a mail from Kathy about this, with Phyllis’s introductory text attached.