Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:
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Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.
Listen live on the radio, or on the internet from anywhere in the world! Please take a moment to visit Pledge.KPFT.org and choose THINKWING RADIO from the drop-down list when you donate.
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
- An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
- You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
“There’s a reason why you separate military and police. One fights the enemy of the State. The other serves and protects the People. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the State tend t become the People.” ~ Commander Adama, “Battlestar Galactica” (“WATER”, Season 1 episode 2, at the 28 minute mark.)
POSSIBLE TOPICS: Voting info; Be Nice To Customer Service People; A Local Power Failure In A Portion Of The Heights Makes Me Consider Solar Panels; Fort Bend ISD shifts its first school to remote learning hours before vote to mandate masks; The Howard Hughes Corp. takes position on incorporation vote in The Woodlands, plans website; NRA cancels annual meetings in Houston due to COVID; What are tar balls and why is Galveston getting them?; Texas extends pandemic benefits for families whose kids have lost access to free or reduced-price meals; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cleared by his own office of wrongdoing in bribery allegations; New Texas voting laws, political maps could once again require federal approval under U.S. House bill named after John Lewis; Carnival passenger dies after contracting Covid, the 1st death since cruises resumed in June; Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with Morocco over ‘hostile actions’; China may ‘gloat’ about Afghanistan now, but the Taliban’s return comes with problems, says professor; More.
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- Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
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- Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2021
- Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
- GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
- Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
- Montgomery County (TX) Elections
- Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
- Waller County (TX) Elections
- Chambers County (TX) Elections
- For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG. Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
- If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
- HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting CentersHARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
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- Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
- A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
- You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
- Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
- Sick or disabled;
- 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
- Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
- Make sure you are registered:
- Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
- CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
- CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
- Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
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- FYI: There are no elections coming up right now in Harris County, but do make sure your registered to vote! Now is a great time! Just go to VOTETEXAS.GOV – Texas Voter Information for information/instructions.
- AND NOW, WE HAVE A CORRECTION TO MAKE. ANDREW?
- ANDREW: In the June 30th show, we mistakenly read two stories as current news when they were in fact from June of 2020, not 2021. The stories were Governor Abbott expressing regret over reopening bars, and the 2020 Texas Republican convention coming to Houston.
- I want to start with what amounts to a PSA: Be Nice To Customer Service People;
- During a phone call to customer service this week, I was reminded from experience how hard it is to be in customer service. As a consumer, it’s common to be frustrated if you’re motivated to make that call in the first place, but always remember that the person at the other end of that call (or counter) is there to assist you, but is not personally responsible for your problem and may also have limited power to handle it. That’s what supervisors are sometimes for. If that’s the case after some discussion, just politely ask for a supervisor. The customer service person will most often politely put you in a queue to speak to one. Supervisors have a bit more flexibility for problem-solving beyond the scope of a first-level customer service person.
- I’ll admit that I’m human and I sometimes need to vent – this is very common – but I ALWAYS preface anything I say with, “Don’t take this personally, I know it’s not your fault and you may not be able to help.” I’ll inject that periodically and reinforce it at the end.
- As someone who has spend years in retail and face-to-face customer interactions, I’m very empathetic with customer service people.
- Also remember, if you WANT to bring a customer service person to tears, give them a deserved compliment for their assistance. Again, from experience, I can tell you that compliments are so rare that they can make these folks cry.
- You can even ask them for a supervisor to make your compliment to be sure it goes on their records. Because the complains ALWAYS go on their records, and it’s nice to balance it out.
- Consider this an FYI PSA.
- ANDREW: I often want to tell the rep who answers the phone, “Transfer me to the person who made the decision so I can yell at them instead of you.” But I know that won’t work because reps are hired to take the yelling, and they probably can’t transfer me to those people anyway.
- MIKE: There was a local power failure in a portion of the Heights on Tuesday evening that went on for a few hours.
- It made me think: It’s enough to make one consider solar panels.
- There’s no way I can justify the cost. I only use about $100-150/month and at my age I’m unlikely to live long enough to pay them off. But the winter storm and occasional power failures make it still tempting.
- I have no place to put an emergency generator that will pass code. A portable generator comes with its own risks, danger, hassles and problems.
- What do you guys think? Is solar worth considering under those circumstances and for those reasons, even with the economic drawbacks?
- ANDREW: Depends on the generation potential and actual generation of the setup. Might not even be enough to provide full power. Might increase the sale price of your house, so maybe you/your survivors can pay it off with that boost.
- ‘It feels like we’re re-living 2020 all over again’ | Fort Bend ISD shifts its first school to remote learning hours before vote to mandate masks; The FBISD board of trustees voted 4-3 to require masks although details are still being worked out. By Jason Miles | KHOU.COM | Published: 4:50 PM CDT August 24, 2021, Updated: 4:50 PM CDT August 24, 2021
- … Families received alerts and an email Monday night stating that classes will remain remote for the rest of the week. …
- It’s a situation many believe a mask mandate might help.
- The district’s board of trustees narrowly passed a mandate by a 4-to-3 vote after hearing arguments from both sides. …
- The mandate could go into effect by the end of this week.
- However, the district will first develop protocols on how it should apply to indoor versus outdoor activities, sporting events and students with special needs. …
- MIKE: Vax- and mask-resisters are making me increasingly frustrated and angry, and I’m not the only one. Articles are being written about this being a widespread emotion. Even medical practices are refusing to treat patients who refuse vaccination, based on protecting themselves and their other patients. I keep saying that if this country had had the leadership and the will to self-isolate for four weeks last spring, we could have been about done with Covid in this country except for small, controllable outbreaks. It’s so upsetting!
- ANDREW: Since Texas Education Agency said Abbott’s ban on mask mandates isn’t being enforced in schools, FBISD is now able to set up a mandate. Litigation will tell whether they’ll be able to keep it. I agree we could have nipped COVID mostly in the bud if we’d actually locked down early on. But it would have been a short, sharp economic hit, and capitalism doesn’t like that, so we didn’t do that. I don’t think it would have happened under a Democratic administration either, because of big business donors.
- The Howard Hughes Corp. takes position on incorporation vote in The Woodlands, plans website; By Vanessa Holt | 10:00 AM Aug 23, 2021 CDT | Updated 10:17 AM Aug 23, 2021 CDT
- In an open letter to residents of The Woodlands, Jim Carman, president of the Houston region of The Howard Hughes Corp., said on Aug. 23 the company is taking a position against the incorporation measure that will be on the ballot Nov. 2. …
- Residents and community groups have voiced opinions for and against the measure and the timing of the election at township meetings in recent months. …
- Carman said among the reasons the company has taken a position is its belief the current system of government is successful and does not need to be changed at this time. If the community incorporates into a city, it would not be able to change back into a township under state law. …
- The Howard Hughes Corp. acquired The Woodlands Development Co. in 2011 and develops land in The Woodlands for residential and commercial purposes and owns and manages real estate assets in the township. Two years ago, it decided to move its national headquarters to The Woodlands. According to Carman’s letter, the company is the largest property taxpayer in The Woodlands.
- Community Impact Newspaper has previously reported the company is looking at potentially completing single-family residential build-out by 2023. About 2.5% of the township’s remaining acreage owned by Howard Hughes is developable, mostly in Town Center and along transportation corridors in the area, according to the company. …
- MIKE: This is an odd situation. My admittedly cursory research says that Texas does not have “townships”, so The Woodlands must have had a special status carved out for it. For further information, try going here: Administrative divisions of Texas (Wikipedia).
- FOR REFERENCE: Why George Mitchell [Mitchell Energy] Sold The Woodlands
- ANDREW: I wonder if The Woodlands’ township status sets a precedent in Texas. I see an implicit message in that statement from Howard Hughes Corp. “We pay the most property tax, so we should be the ones to decide this.” No thanks.
- NRA cancels annual meetings in Houston due to COVID; COM | Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 4:34PM
- … According to a tweet posted by the NRA on Tuesday, the group is canceling its 2021 Annual Meeting & Exhibits, which includes all events and meetings planned in Houston. …
- Meanwhile, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who has been warning residents of the rise in COVID cases and has been pushing vaccinations, responded to the NRA’s tweet, saying “Sending thoughts and prayers.”
- Sending thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/fkSBLnk4oR — Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) August 24, 2021
- MIKE: I’ve come to really like County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Some folks were offended by this tweet. I think it’s deservedly appropriate. What do you think?
- ANDREW: Thank god. If willfully ignorant people want to gather away from everyone else, whatever, but when they gather in a city they put all its residents at risk. Most can try to avoid them, but hospitality and service staff don’t have that option. Staying home saves lives.
- What are tar balls and why is Galveston getting them?; By Amanda Cochran, Specialty Senior Content Editor | CLICK2HOUSTON.COM | Published: August 24, 2021 2:40 pm. Tags: tar balls, Galveston
- Galveston authorities told KPRC 2 on Tuesday they are receiving reports of tar balls in the area, from Bolivar to Matagorda.
- Brandon Hill, Galveston coastal resources manager, attributes the tar balls to recent storms. …
- “Weathered tar is the term used to describe the oil or tar that seeps from the Gulf due to natural or anthropogenic forces and then floats in the Gulf currents until eventually sinking to the Gulf floor or making landfall,” he wrote via email. …
- Hill said via email that recent meteorological events in the Yucatan may have stirred up and pushed the “weathered tar” toward Galveston’s beaches.
- “It’s fairly widespread but not at a level warranting a response action from the GLO oil spill response team,” Hill said via email with KPRC 2. …
- “This is a very light occurrence being closely monitored and is within what would be considered the natural occurrence levels for this sort of material. It isn’t an ‘event’ that is ‘impacting’ one area in particular. It’s more like a natural phenomenon inherent in the Gulf that is being observed in populated beaches, but is occurring over a wide area right now.”
- REFERENCE: Ixtoc I oil spill, Gulf of Campeche (1979) (Wikipedia)
- ANDREW: I don’t go to the beach much; not familiar with tar balls. I expect this is probably not localized to Galveston. Slightly reassured by it being called natural, but I wonder if it’s another natural phenomenon impacted by human activity.
- Texas extends pandemic benefits for families whose kids have lost access to free or reduced-price meals; Texas families with students relying on free or reduced-cost meals are eligible for a $375 payment in food aid. Families have until Sept. 13 to apply for aid from the 2020-21 school year. by Neelam Bohra | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 24, 2021, 10 hours ago.
- Families with students relying on free or reduced-cost meals at school can now receive a single payment of $375 as a part of a summer round of Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer food aid, which has previously provided single payments of up to $1,200 for eligible students.
- The federal benefit provides food aid for the 3.7 million eligible low-income children in Texas who lost access to free and reduced-price meals when the pandemic first shuttered schools. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will allocate more than $1.4 billion to families that have struggled to afford food during the pandemic for this latest round in coordination with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Education Agency.
- Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that families who applied for P-EBT aid for the 2020-21 school year and already received benefits will automatically receive the $375 payment, along with families of children born after Aug. 1, 2014, who relied on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this summer. SNAP provides food aid for low-income adults.
- The P-EBT card can be used at all places that accept SNAP payments, including grocery stores and supermarkets. …
- For families that have not applied, they now have until Sept. 13 for the previous round of pandemic EBT aid, which could range up to $1,200 depending on how often students attended in-person classes at their schools.
- REFERENCE, for application info: Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Due to COVID-19
- MIKE: Andrew and I did some further digging. In a letter from the US Department of Agriculture on August 13, 2021 to Bill Ludwig, Regional Administrator for the Southwest Regional Office: “The Families First Coronavirus Response Act … authorized a temporary assistance program for households with children without access to meals in school and to certain SNAP-enrolled children in child care during the public health emergency originally declared in January 2020. The March 11, 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (the ARP, P.L. 117-2) extends P-EBT through the end of the public health emergency, a period that includes the summer of 2021.
- MIKE: The website says: “Texas Health and Human Services is partnering with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Education Agency to provide summer 2021 Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to eligible children.”
- MIKE: So Texas (Greg Abbott et al.) seem to have decided that there there would be no mention that this is a federally-funded benefit. Greg Abbott et al. want all the credit for a federally-funded benefit passed by Congressional Democrats without a single Republican vote.
- ANDREW: Texas Republicans taking credit for something they didn’t do. That’s the free space on your Texas politics bingo card.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cleared by his own office of wrongdoing in bribery allegations; Attorneys for former employees who were fired after accusing Paxton of abuse of office say report is “full of half-truths, outright lies, and glaring omissions.” Meanwhile, the FBI is also reportedly investigating. by James Barragán | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 24, 2021
- Nearly 11 months after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former top aides accused him of accepting bribes, Paxton’s office on Tuesday published a 374-page internal report that concludes he’s innocent of the allegations.
- Last October, seven former employees told authorities that they believed Paxton was using his power as attorney general to aid Nate Paul, a campaign donor and Austin real estate developer, who whistleblowers have said helped Paxton remodel his home and gave a job to a woman with whom Paxton allegedly had an affair. All of those employees were either fired or left the office under pressure after their complaint. Four of the employees filed a whistleblower lawsuit saying Paxton used his position to help Paul’s business interests, investigate his foes and help settle a lawsuit.
- But in Tuesday’s report, Paxton’s office said there was no basis for a criminal complaint against their boss, a second-term Republican. …
- In a statement, attorneys for the whistleblowers, said the “takeaway from this internal report is that, although Ken Paxton remains under active federal investigation, the people who still work for Paxton say he did nothing wrong.” The FBI is reportedly investigating the claims by Paxton’s former employees.
- [The statement from the whistleblowers’ attorneys said in part,] “Notably, whoever in Paxton’s office wrote this report was not willing to put their name on it. Of course, the one-sided internal report is full of half-truths, outright lies, and glaring omissions,” the statement read. “It is a half-baked self-exoneration by Paxton, who continues to use taxpayer dollars to delay and hide from simple document requests and depositions and pay private lawyers to keep the federal investigation quiet. The truth will come out, but you won’t get it from Ken Paxton.” …
- The report does not impact the whistleblower lawsuit, which is currently awaiting a hearing at the 3rd Court of Appeals after Paxton asked the court to throw out the case. The four whistleblowers — Ryan Vassar, Mark Penley, James Brickman and David Maxwell — have asked the court to reinstate them and compensate them for lost wages, future loss of earnings and damages for emotional pain and suffering.
- Paxton has denied wrongdoing and said he fired the whistleblowers because they had gone “rogue” and made “unsubstantiated claims” against him.
- MIKE: If ever there was a need for an independent investigation or inspector general, it’s here. Paxton’s office should never have been able to investigate itself. It’s entirely improper under the circumstances.
- New Texas voting laws, political maps could once again require federal approval under U.S. House bill named after John Lewis; The federal bill seeks to reinstate sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were written to protect people of color. Texas House Democrats see it as a way to prevent implementing provisions of a Texas voting restrictions bill moving through the state Legislature. by Abby Livingston | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 24, 20213 hours ago
- The U.S. House on Tuesday passed a bill that could complicate both the coming round of redistricting in Texas and a voting restrictions bill currently under consideration in the state Legislature.
- Known as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the bill would reinstate sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were written to protect people of color. Over the last decade, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back some of that landmark law’s provisions.
- The bill passed along party lines, meaning all Democratic Texans in the U.S. House supported it and all Republican delegation members opposed it.
- Should the bill also pass the U.S. Senate, it could put states like Texas that have a history of voter discrimination back under a process called federal preclearance. That would require the state to once again obtain federal approval of its political maps and elections changes, like the controversial voting restrictions bill that is currently under consideration in the state Legislature. Preclearance is meant to ensure that any new election laws or rounds of redistricting do not harm people of color. …
- The federal bill’s author, Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama, is a native of Selma, where law enforcement in 1965 brutally attacked the late civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis and other civil rights activists in what is often called “Bloody Sunday.”
- The bill aims to address two U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the last decade that overturned key parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. For four decades, a section of that law dictated that states with a history of discrimination had to clear certain changes to elections and political maps through the Justice Department or federal courts in a process known as preclearance.
- The federal bill could allow federal officials to closely examine changes to voting laws. That could include reductions in polling locations or hours proposed in the Texas bill, which seeks to ban the drive-thru and overnight voting accommodations created in Harris County last year — which were embraced disproportionately by voters of color. The Texas legislation would also increase vote-by-mail restrictions and give more freedom to partisan poll watchers.
- Republicans have touted the Texas elections bill as an election integrity measure to protect the voting process from fraud, even though there is no evidence it occurs on a widespread basis.
- The bill could also require federal approval of the coming redraw of the U.S. House districts in Texas, which occurs every decade after the completion of the U.S. census. The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is expected to release proposed new political maps this fall. In the past, Texas’ redistricting process has come under legal scrutiny for discriminating against people of color and was subject to extensive litigation.
- But House Republicans characterized the federal bill as meddling in a jurisdiction that they argue should solely be in the hands of state governments.
- [Said U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Tyler Republican, on the House floor just prior to the Tuesday evening vote,] “We’re going to disenfranchise American voters by taking over the voting across America. The Constitution reserves those provisions to the states’ legislatures. We shouldn’t be doing this.” …
- This is a far more narrow bill compared to the For the People Act, another federal bill supported by the Texas House Democrats. The For the People Act would dramatically overhaul campaign finance regulations and require independent redistricting commissions, among several other measures.
- Few Capitol Hill observers see any scenario in which the For The People Act will pass the Senate.
- The Lewis bill also has a tough slog ahead in the Senate, but it is widely seen as the voter access proposal that has the best chance in that chamber. …
- ANDREW: I prefer the John Lewis Act over the For the People Act. For one thing, the VRA should be restored ASAP, and the Lewis Act has a better chance of passing and thus a better chance of doing it sooner. Plus, though there’s a lot of good ideas in the For the People Act, the campaign finance provisions would make it very hard for a non-Democratic or Republican Presidential campaign to get federal funds, as well as raise the limit on party contributions to campaigns from $5000 to $100 million, and remove all campaign donation and spending limits. The For the People Act as it is now would openly turn elections into a spending contest. That’s bad for democracy, no matter what party you like.
- Carnival passenger dies after contracting Covid, the 1st death since cruises resumed in June; [According to the cruise liner,] The passenger was traveling on a Carnival Vista ship that departed from Galveston, Texas, on July 31 for Belize. By Minyvonne Burke | NBCNEWS.COM | Aug. 24, 2021, 10:15 AM CDT
- The passenger received medical care on the ship and was later evacuated from Belize, the company said, adding that the passenger “almost certainly did not contract” the coronavirus on the ship. …
- The Belize Tourism Board said after becoming ill, the passenger was allowed to disembark the ship to receive urgent care in the country. The passenger was evacuated back to the United States via air ambulance, the board said in a press release. …
- The passenger’s family could not immediately be reached on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, the passenger was a 77-year-old woman from Oklahoma who died on Aug. 14.
- News of the death comes weeks after it was reported that 27 people aboard the ship had contracted Covid-19. The Belize Tourism Board said after the Carnival Vista arrived in the country, the ship reported that 26 crew members and one passenger had tested positive for the virus. All of the people infected had been vaccinated, the board said in a press release.
- The ship was carrying nearly 3,000 guests and 1,441 crew when it arrived in Belize.
- Texas is one of several states that bans businesses from requiring a “vaccine passport”, or proof a person has been vaccinated. Carnival said Tuesday that since it started sailing again in July, more than 95 percent of guests have been vaccinated.
- The cruise liner recently updated its Covid-19 policy and implemented a mask mandate on Aug. 7 for passengers in elevators and in designated indoor entertainment areas, retail shops and in the casino. It also began requiring that fully vaccinated guests provide a negative coronavirus test prior to boarding.
- ANDREW: As I said earlier, staying home saves lives. Reminder: most breakthrough cases are immunocompromised people, who don’t get full protection from the vaccine because preexisting conditions weakened their immune systems. You getting vaccinated protects them, so don’t use them as an excuse to not get the shot.
- Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with Morocco over ‘hostile actions’; Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra accuses Rabat of ‘hostile actions’ as Algiers breaks ties with its neighbour. ALJAZEERA.COM | 24 Aug 2021.
- MIKE: What is this about? Western Sahara, a territory that is a former colony of Spain, handed over to Morocco and Mauritania doe administration after Spain decolonized it in 1975. And that’s where the story begins. I suggest starting your research at the Wikipedia page, “Western Sahara”.
- MIKE: FROM WIKIPEDIA, “In 1975, Spain relinquished the administrative control of the territory to a joint administration by Morocco (which had formally claimed the territory since 1957) and Mauritania. A war erupted between those countries and a Sahrawi nationalist movement, the Polisario Front, which proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) with a government in exile in Tindouf, Algeria. Mauritania withdrew its claims in 1979, and Morocco eventually secured de facto control of most of the territory, including all the major cities and natural resources. The United Nations considers the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, and maintains that the Sahrawis have a right to self-determination. …”
- ANDREW: I definitely agree the Sahrawis have a right to self-determination, as all people do. I wonder how much influence the Algerian government has with the Polisario Front, though. I could see a plan there for Algeria to rule the territory by proxy through the SADR. Not saying for certain that’s happening, or that there’s any reason to suspect it, but it’s possible.
- China may ‘gloat’ about Afghanistan now, but the Taliban’s return comes with problems, says professor; By Weizhen Tan (@weizent) | CNBC.COM | Published Wed, Aug 25 202112:27 AM EDT, Updated Moments Ago
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- The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the ensuing chaos present a “complicated situation” for China, a Cornell professor told CNBC.
- “At one level, what is happening in Afghanistan might be considered a win for China because it suggests that the U.S. has a lot of weaknesses in terms of its intelligence … the way it deploys its massive military arsenal and economic power, sometimes to not very productive ends,” Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University in New York told CNBC “Street Signs Asia” on Tuesday.
- America’s “long and unproductive involvement” in Afghanistan has been a “black eye” for U.S. foreign policy, said Prasad, who was formerly head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division.
- “This will certainly knock the U.S. down a peg or two in the eyes of the rest of the world, although it is far from clear that the outcome in Afghanistan will by itself … drive any country deeper into China’s economic and political embrace,” he said in a separate email. …
- A Taliban takeover could also come with its own problems for China, Prasad said. There’s legitimate concern in Beijing about what a resurgence of the Taliban and other extremist groups might mean for China’s domestic stability as “it’s hard to imagine this won’t spill over the border in some fashion or the other,” he said. …
- Meanwhile, there are questions about who will fill the vacuum left by the “weak” American commitment in the region, Prasad said.
- “The question is whether there is an alternative power that can, again, fill in the void that might be created by perceptions of weak American commitments or weak American ability to deliver on those commitments.”
- MIKE: This is excerpted from a slightly longer story with three videos attached.
- ANDREW: As I said last week, I think the people of Afghanistan, given time, could create their own power to fill that void. But right now, I do expect China to focus more on defending its border with Afghanistan. It might be prudent to stop trade or immigration there, if they haven’t already.
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Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig 