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Cuba Embargo, Elections in the Shadow of AI, Resisting Bigotry, and More
This week on Inkstick Media.
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Hello, everyone, and Happy New Year.
We’re excited to be back at it in the new year, and I’m glad to share our latest with you as we kick off 2024.
With more than 50 elections slated to take place across the globe this year, politicians are increasingly using artificial intelligence to reach out to voters in different languages. Yet, as Heather Ashby of the United States Institute of Peace warns, AI also poses a greater risk of deepfakes and furthering conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, the administration of US President Joe Biden has yet to make any moves toward removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Inkstick regular Ramona Wadi examined the US’ lengthy history of intervention in Latin America, especially in Cuba, and how the SSOT list is used as justification to continue enforcing the longstanding embargo against the island.
That’s not all we’ve got at Inkstick, read on for more must reads from the week.
And if you’re not already, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
This week at Inkstick Media:
“How the US ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism List’ Reinforces the Illegal Blockade of Cuba” by Ramona Wadi (Jan. 3)
The US’ decades-long blockade of Cuba, repeatedly dubbed illegal by the United Nations General Assembly, is rooted in animosity toward socialism and communism in Latin America. Despite electoral promises to remove the island from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism List, President Joe Biden has not done so — a symptom of a long history of targeting Havana.
“Unlocking an Alternative to Bigotry and Intolerance” by Jon Letman and Kourosh Ziabari (Jan. 3)
Since Oct. 7, the world has witnessed how relentless violence and war in Palestine and Israel is feeding a torrent of Islamophobia and antisemitism. The endless stream of violent acts showcases the worst of human behavior. But critical thinking and cross-cultural communication can catalyze a more communal year.
“Deep Dive: The Brains That Make Lemonade” by Emily Tamkin (Jan. 4)
When life gives you lemons, the saying goes, make lemonade. But new research suggests that some brains’ default networks are more adept at creating lemonade than others’. Researchers Siddhant Iyer, Eleanor Collier, Timothy W. Broom, and Meghan L. Meyer found that the brain’s default network helps to explain why some hear bad news and despair while others hear the same information and look on the bright side.
“2024 Will See More Than 50 Elections Around the World. What Risk Does AI Pose?” by Heather Ashby (Jan. 4)
In countries with diverse populations, politicians are increasingly using artificial intelligence to replicate their voices in different languages. With a greater likelihood that this software will further election misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories, civil society, governments, technology companies, and peacebuilders need to take measures to mitigate disruptions to elections.
“In ‘Shrines of Gaiety,’ Kate Atkinson Examines Violence Between Wars” by Katherine Voyles (Jan. 5)
In her 2022 novel “Shrines of Gaiety,” author Kate Atkinson examines violence against young women in interwar London. What Atkinson brings to light is the violence in the midst of peace, and what makes her insights into this so compelling is how she allows her story to take on the outward appearance of the time in which it is set even as many of its themes and concerns are intensely relevant today.
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.
Inkstick’s work is free today. But it’s not free to produce. If our content is something that you’ve come to rely on, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Even $5 or $10 a month makes a huge difference. Together, we can change the face of foreign policy.
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