The UN Represents The Governments Of The World. May A "Bell Of Atri" Represent The People Of The World? (Part 36)
"A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip." - Harry Caskie Stinnett, American humorist
Pretty much the whole of Ramzan has been spent on the launch of one protest or rally after another in Peshawar (only), regarding the issue of inflation (that is reportedly limited to within the city limits) or fuming over the Pakistan Election results. While, there is no legal or logical method of banishing the depression & dissatisfaction of career politicians over receiving less authority than they expected, blaming inflation on any single Government Of The World is (legally speaking) inaccurate. Inflation is a global (or regional) challenge that is almost always the result of counter-productive action (or inaction) by the relevant Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) &/or their subsidiaries.
All over the world, people reportedly materialize on the streets of their villages or towns to object to the "ouster" of their chosen political party, as a result of which, the economy supposedly "crashed". With all due respect to the "one person, one vote" principle, the idea that any single politician or political party is financially & legally savvy enough to change the direction of even a single national economy for the better, is (to put it mildly) ludicrous. It doesn't take a genius to destroy a market, but creating or preserving a market is a far harder task, because unlike destruction (which is fast & disorganized in nature), creation & preservation necessitate huge quantities of patience & precision. In other words, the entrepreneur who asks the general public to be patient & precise is a charlatan, while the entrepreneur who exercises said restraints upon himself/herself is the genuine article.
The point of this stance is not to imply that economic problems have no civilized solution, it is just a reminder that, while objectives like "governance", "diplomacy", etc., are logically & legally the purview of the Governments Of The World & the IGOs, the oldest form of human society - the market - is based on the general public's ability to recognize what each citizen can offer in order to acquire what he/she needs, & will forever remain the sole purview of the People Of The World (with a little occasional assistance from a theoretical Bell Of Atri, whenever & wherever absolutely required).
Take the topic of the latest headlines across the world: Elections. There is much breathless discussion of the consequences of who will win or lose. While important from the perspective of internal governance & external relations, does the answer really matter to the legal or financial sectors?
"Fact check: Is Biden or Trump better for the US economy?" - DW (April 6, 2024)
To summarize: According to the latest YouGov statistics regarding the upcoming US Presidential Election, Donald Trump is more popular than Joe Biden in the eyes of the American public. However, according to a DW fact check, the 4 main points of argument in favor of Trump & against Biden, are actually being misinterpreted to mislead American voters; neither Trump nor Biden brought about an economic boom, Trump & Biden are jointly responsible for rising national debt, inflation remained an issue during both the Trump & Biden Administrations, & the US stock market remained unaffected by the name of the US President.
The aim of the DW analysis is (apparently) to restore American voter commitment to verifiable facts. This is always the primary objective of the international media during any/all high-profile elections all over the world.
But the aforementioned analysis also (perhaps, unwittingly) proves another argument: When it comes to the market, who heads the incumbent Government Of The World seldom truly matters. Not because governmental policies don't play a role in the international economy, but because governmental policies are usually subject to intergovernmental policies. Take the international events cited by the DW fact check - the COVID-19 Pandemic & the Ukraine War; both these events are the result of intergovernmental action & inaction, respectively.
Would COVID-19 have spread if (UN specialized agency) the World Health Organization (WHO) had addressed the first case in China? Would the world economy be permanently scarred if the WHO hadn't enforced its horrific crackdown on people's sources of income in the name of a belated containment effort (which cost lives...but not from COVID-19)?
The Ukraine War began approximately a decade ago, after Ukraine policy-makers dropped hints of the possibility of a NATO &/or EU membership for Ukraine (reportedly championed primarily by former US President George Bush Jr.), which ran counter to prior agreements between Ukraine, Russia & the rest of the world. While the aforementioned memberships haven't materialized as of right now, the idea (as was to be expected) engendered a crack in Russo-Ukrainian relations, & the war continues to this day, perhaps partly due to UN confusion as to how can the formerly harmonious relationship be restored.
"PTI to launch anti-govt movement from April 13" - The Express Tribune (April 5, 2024)
To summarize: Allegedly upset with the official results of the 2024 Pakistan General Elections, a number of opposition parties have announced the commencement of a series of anti-government protests across Pakistan, starting on April 13 (Saturday) in Pishin (Balochistan Province). The aforementioned protests will be carried out under the banner of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), perhaps as a litmus test of whether the PTI can continue as a viable player on the political gameboard without its allegedly indispensable leader, retired cricketer Mr. Imran Khan. The rest of the itinerary has not yet been disclosed (perhaps, because procedural standards in politics are far more lax than in business, where not publishing a complete itinerary would only be interpreted as an attempt to defraud or disrupt the market).
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The People Of The World ask:
1. How much money does a garden variety protest cost?
2. Are there any overhead expenses?
3. Are operating expenses calculated per participant or per square foot occupied?
4. What participant expenses, e.g. food, medical insurance, legal fees, etc., are protest financiers expected to cover?
5. Do rally organizers & prominent employers come to some sort of advance agreement as to how the latter may compensate for workplace attendance declines as a result of the plans of the former?
6. May a given employer make a case against employee participation, or is this strategy legally untenable due to international voter rights laws?
The "Bell Of Atri" answer:
1. There is no fixed range for protests, primarily because the financiers (who aren't necessarily the public face of the event) can come from a wide range of backgrounds.
2. Overhead expenses can include small items such as drinks (which vary according to the prevalent culture).
3. Operating expenses are generally calculated per participant (because the taxpayers cover the bill for the location).
4. Much like in festivals, food & entertainment for the participants is usually a given; however medical & legal costs are optional.
5. While there may be some sort of unwritten understanding between rally organizers & prominent employers, such agreements are seldom in writing.
6. A lawsuit for a lack of productivity that leads to breach of contract issues, is theoretically possible...however, the strategy to render such a lawsuit tenable would need a specialist who could craft it & see it through to the end.
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." - Plato