Megawatts of Fury
NEED TO KNOW
Megawatts of Fury
GEORGIA
When defending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and meddling in other countries’ internal affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies often say that he is only pushing back against corrupt, immoral capitalists who seek to control the world from Washington, London, and elsewhere.
Georgian academic Marika Mikiashvili thinks that theory is nonsense.
“Whataboutists say the West is imperialist, so what’s the difference between the West and Russia?” she told Euromaidan Press, a Ukrainian news outlet backed by the George Soros-funded International Renaissance Foundation. “One friend said that the difference is that ‘Russia makes you a public toilet.’ It’s blatant, raw enslavement with no freedom, no democracy, no prosperity, and no quality of life.”
Her sentiments explain why thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets for months in protest after their pro-Russian government suspended talks to join the European Union. In late December, thousands formed a human chain across the country.
As the Associated Press reported, Georgia was in negotiations to join the 27-member bloc when EU officials put talks on hold after Georgia’s government enacted a law that ostensibly was designed to curb foreign influence but which critics said was a crackdown on democracy and civil rights.
Police have cracked down on the protests. Hundreds, including prominent members of the opposition, have been arrested and many have been injured in “mysterious beatings” and at protests, Reuters reported.
Fueling the discord has been the perceived bad faith of the governing Georgian Dream political party, added CBS News. Led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party initially pledged to hew to a pro-Western agenda when they first gained power in 2012. But opposition leaders claim that the party has become increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russian since then.
Georgian Dream lawmakers recently elected far-right former footballer and conspiracy theorist Mikheil Kavelashvili, a critic of the West, as country’s new president, for example, France 24 wrote. He is succeeding Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU politician who had been viewed as a check on Georgian Dream’s power. She says he’s not the legitimate president because of irregularities nullifying the elections last fall.
The West, meanwhile, is disunited on the issue.
The US and the United Kingdom condemned the police crackdowns, for instance, and sanctioned the Georgian officials directing them, according to Deutsche Welle. American and British officials said that the Georgian government was compromising its people’s fundamental freedoms.
But Hungary and Slovakia, where conservative, pro-Russian leaders hold sway, vetoed a proposal to impose similar EU sanctions on Georgian officials, Euronews reported. Hungarian officials called those who backed the EU proposal “hypocrites” who sought to intervene in a duly elected government’s exercising of its authority.
Meanwhile, as fury on the streets grows, Georgian leaders have a dilemma: Crack down harshly to dissuade protesters but with the risk of a backlash that brings more demonstrators onto the streets that could result in another color revolution or do nothing in the face of mounting protests – they are now slowly spreading outside of the capital.
Still, as World Politics Review noted, “internal divisions among civil society as well as opposition parties have hampered efforts to build a broad popular front against Ivanishvili’s oligarchic authoritarianism.”
However, those divisions don’t seem to matter much to those on the streets in protest. On New Year’s Eve, tens of thousands shared food, danced, and rang in the new year near the parliament building while also flying Georgian and European Union flags in protest.
“Tonight, once again proves that the Georgian people will not allow a pro-Russian government to turn our country into a Russian-style despotism,” one demonstrator, 42-year-old Ilia Darsavelidze, told Voice of America. “Putin’s puppets in Tbilisi are powerless against the will of our entire nation. We will reclaim our rightful place in Europe.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Treading Lightly
WORLD
World leaders reacted with a mix of criticism and concern over US President-elect Donald Trump’s comments this week in which he refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire Greenland or retake the Panama Canal, a stance that has heightened tensions with key allies and raised concerns about the potential destabilization of global diplomatic and trade relationships, the BBC reported.
The remarks came during a press conference, where the president-elect said the Danish-administered territory and the canal were “critical” for US security, particularly amid growing Chinese and Russian influence.
He highlighted Greenland’s strategic importance for monitoring Arctic shipping routes and military activity, as well as its untapped rare-earth mineral deposits essential for high-tech industries.
However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed Denmark’s commitment to Greenland, saying the territory “belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only they can decide on their future.
She emphasized that Denmark needed to work closely with the United States, while Danish politicians are hoping to avoid confrontations through high-level meetings between Copenhagen and Washington, the Guardian noted.
Home to a US military base in the northwest, the former Danish colony became self-governing in 1979, with the right to vote for independence granted in 2009.
Greenland has long aspired to independence and many of its 57,000 residents envision a future free from Danish control. But economic challenges remain a major barrier, as Greenland relies on Danish subsidies that account for two-thirds of its budget.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede and his pro-independence government have advocated for greater autonomy while acknowledging the need for a robust economic foundation, including leveraging Greenland’s vast reserves of rare-earth minerals and developing sustainable industries, NBC News added.
Even so, Egede expressed concern over Trump’s “serious statements,” while stressing that “Greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale.”
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the remarks, emphasizing that “the principle of inviolability of borders applies universally” and warning against escalating rhetoric that undermines international norms.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also weighed in by describing the comments as reflective of an era where “the survival of the fittest” dominates geopolitics.
“So, should we allow ourselves to be intimidated and overcome with worry, clearly not. We must wake up, build up our strength,” the French foreign minister added.
Despite Barrot’s comments, it’s not clear how the European Union might prevent a potential invasion, as it has no defensive capabilities of its own and most of the countries in the bloc are part of the NATO military alliance.
When asked by reporters how the 27-nation union would respond in the event of an attack, the European Commission skirted the question by saying it “will not go into the specifics” about the comments and described the case as a case “very theoretical,” according to Politico.
It added, however, that any military action against Greenland would invoke the EU’s mutual defense clause under Article 42(7) of the Treaty of the European Union.
Elsewhere, Panamanian officials did not take a softer approach: Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha labeled Trump’s remarks about the canal “irreversible and unacceptable,” the Spain-based news agency EFE reported.
He explained that the waterway’s sovereignty has been enshrined in treaties since its transfer from US control in 1999. Martínez-Acha also rejected the US leader’s allegations that China controls the canal and reaffirmed Panama’s commitment to its neutrality and global trade mission.
Analysts warned that Trump’s rhetoric could alienate allies and destabilize fragile geopolitical balances in the Arctic and Central America.
Peter Aagaard, a professor at Denmark’s Roskilde University, told NBC News that Greenland’s importance to great powers is growing, particularly as climate change opens up Arctic trade routes.
On Panama, observers have highlighted the historical sensitivities surrounding the Panama Canal and warned that Trump’s comments could strain US-Panama relations.
Diplomatic experts view the canal as a vital global trade artery. They cautioned that any attempt by the US to regain control through coercion could damage its reputation and influence in Latin America.
‘Unmitigated Brutality’
SUDAN
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) dismissed new US sanctions against its leader this week over allegations that the paramilitary group and its allied militias committed genocide during the country’s ongoing civil war, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, Washington imposed sanctions on RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, barring him and his family from entering the United States and freezing their assets. Seven RSF-linked companies in the United Arab Emirates and an individual involved in weapons procurement were also sanctioned.
The move comes after US officials determined that the RSF and its allies had committed genocide and war crimes, including systematic killings, sexual violence, and ethnic cleansing, particularly in the western region of Darfur.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described calling the conflict “unmitigated brutality,” claiming that the paramilitary group deliberately targeted men, boys, and women from non-Arab ethnic groups, as well as prevented civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies.
But RSF representatives rejected the allegations and called the measures “wrong.” They accused Washington of “rewarding those who started the war by punishing General Hemedti.”
Sudan’s war began in April 2023 following a power struggle between Hemedti and Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The ongoing fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. More than 30 million people are in need of assistance and famine has been declared in several regions, according to Blinken.
A recent study estimated that 61,000 people were killed in the western Khartoum State alone between April 2023 and June 2024, with 90 percent of those deaths unrecorded, CBS News wrote.
Efforts by the US and international partners to broker peace have failed, with both the RSF and the SAF facing accusations of war crimes.
Washington previously sanctioned army leaders, as well as individuals and entities linked to financing its weapons procurement.
While the RSF controls roughly half of Sudan’s territory, analysts explained that the sanctions and genocide undermine the armed group’s efforts to gain legitimacy and establish a civilian government.
Decree of Health
ITALY
The small village of Belcastro in Italy has banned its residents from becoming seriously ill, amid a healthcare crisis in the southern region of Calabria, the BBC reported.
A decree from the village’s Mayor Antonio Torchia ordered residents “to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance.” It also instructs villagers “not to engage in behaviors that may be harmful and to avoid domestic accidents,” and “not to leave the house too often, travel or practice sports, and to (instead) rest for the majority of the time.”
Torchia said the decree was “obviously a humorous provocation” to garner attention to the inadequate healthcare access.
It is not clear if the measures will be enforced or how.
Still, the mayor noted that the decree seemed to have more effect than the urgent notices he sent to regional authorities to highlight the deficiencies of Calabria’s local healthcare system.
Around half of Belcastro’s, 1,200 residents are over the age of 65, and the nearest Accident & Emergency department is more than 28 miles away.
The mayor added that the on-call doctor surgery in the small village is only open sporadically, making it hard to access emergency care.
One Belcastro resident praised Torchia’s move, saying “He has used a provocative decree to attract attention to a serious problem.”
Political mismanagement and mafia interference have decimated the healthcare system in this poor and sparsely populated region of Italy. Hospitals are plagued with vast amounts of debt, leading their facilities to lack medical personnel and beds. Patients also face never-ending waitlists for care.
Eighteen of the region’s hospitals have closed since 2009. One in five Calabrian residents seek medical care outside of the province due to shortages in healthcare provision, according to Euronews.
In 2022, Cuba pledged to send 497 doctors to Calabria over three years to work in various medical facilities. Roberto Occhiuto, the regional governor, said that these doctors had “saved” Calabria’s hospitals.
Despite Cuban reinforcements, researchers have estimated that another 2,500 doctors are needed to fill the gaps.
Disgruntled patients and relatives have also been taking out their anger on hospital staff. In September, the Italian army was deployed to a Calabrian hospital following a string of violent attacks on healthcare workers, the Associated Press noted.
DISCOVERIES
Picking Up Speed
Lucy, the iconic 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis, may have walked upright, but she wasn’t breaking any speed records.
A recent study used advanced simulations to uncover how the ancient hominin ran, revealing fascinating insights into the evolutionary tweaks that made humans exceptional runners, Phys.org reported.
Scientists combined Lucy’s skeletal structure with modern ape-like muscle features in a simulator and discovered that she was a bit of a slowpoke – while she could run on two legs, her top speed was just 11 miles per hour.
For comparison, recreational runners can run up to around 13 mph, while Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt’s record-breaking sprints clock in at over 27 mph.
The team explained that part of the problem lay in her anatomy.
Unlike modern humans, Lucy lacked a long, spring-like Achilles tendon and powerful calf muscles, which are essential for efficient, high-speed running, noted Live Science.
This evolutionary upgrade – found in Homo erectus and later humans – allows us to conserve energy and achieve greater speeds.
“Key features in the human body plan evolved specifically for improved running performance,” the researchers wrote.
Even when they modified Lucy’s simulation with modern human-like muscles, her small body size and proportionally shorter legs kept her slow.
Running was also energetically taxing for her, requiring up to three times more energy than it does for us – suggesting she probably ran only when absolutely necessary.
The authors noted that these findings provide a deeper understanding of human evolution, particularly the adaptations that made us long-distance runners.
“This wider context emphasizes the crucial role of the Achilles tendon and triceps surae architecture in the evolution of hominin running energetics,” the study reported.
This is the first study to estimate running ability in Lucy’s species through musculoskeletal modeling.
Scientists are now looking at other factors, such as arm swing and torso rotation, in future models to gain a fuller understanding of locomotion differences between our ancestors and modern humans.