Afghan's Rampage in Germany Signals the End of the Value-Liberal Era in the EU

A 24-year-old Afghan living in Germany decided to boost AfD’s support in becoming elections. As my esteemed reader already knows, he did so by driving a car in an inappropriate manner toward protesting members of trade unions.

It remains to be seen what will come of this—aside from an increase in AfD’s support. However, what we do know about the driver at this stage is that he has previously behaved badly, committing thefts and drug-related crimes. It is likely that his crime spree will now come to an end, at least for a while.

It is also clear that this case will further increase the number of Germans who take a critical stance on immigration. And this will be reflected in the program of the country’s next government.

The incident will undoubtedly have consequences for immigration policy in other European countries as well. And in this way, it reinforces the idea that, as a result of all this, the era of value-liberal politics is coming to an end—not just in Trump’s USA, but also in Germany and other EU countries.

What is less clear, however, is what kind of political climate the EU will shift into in the coming years. And what will become of the international Geneva Conventions, which were originally established in the aftermath of the Holocaust to ensure that people could escape the clutches of bloodthirsty dictators? 

In my assessment, the era of strictly adhering to these conventions will also come to an end, and the distribution of humanitarian asylum will become significantly stricter than it is today. At the same time, the residency rights of asylum seekers in EU countries will become temporary—just as is already happening in Finland, which is leading the way in this matter.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Does Germany’s Ban on Arabic-Language Posters Signal a CDU/CSU-AfD Coalition?
Germany Then and Now Resemble Each Other
Strengthening Christmas Market Security: Lessons from Magdeburg

Did You Know That 1952 Was a Turning Point in World Eras?

My dear reader surely knows that dinosaurs disappeared from Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period, after which the Cenozoic and subsequently the Quaternary period began. The last epoch of the Quaternary is the Holocene, which is officially ongoing in our time.

However, many researchers would like to name a new geological era for the time dominated by humanity. This era has been proposed to be called the Anthropocene. There has been some disagreement about when exactly this era began, although it is generally thought to represent the time when the cumulative impact of human activity began to significantly affect Earth's systems.

The problem lies specifically in the fact that the spatial and temporal variations of human impact are quite significant. That is why it was interesting to read an article by the Japanese researcher Michinobu Kuwae and colleagues, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, in which they compiled data on human impacts from 137 locations around the world over the past 7,700 years.

The researchers identified three periods during which human influence increased significantly. The first period occurred between 1855 and 1890, when significant changes related to the Industrial Revolution took place, such as increases in soil lead concentrations and shifts in the nutrient balances of lakes.

Between 1909 and 1944, changes were observed in pollen compositions, increases in black carbon concentrations, and widespread changes in stable isotopes. The third shift identified by the researchers occurred between 1948 and 1953, which saw a significant increase in organic pollutants and microplastics, as well as the emergence of plutonium and modern carbon-14 from nuclear explosions.

According to the researchers, the period between 1948 and 1953 represents the most significant global increase in human impact, leading to rapid changes in natural systems and important geochemical indicators. Therefore, they propose that the beginning of the Anthropocene should be placed in 1952.

I myself support this year, as many other significant events happened then beyond those mentioned in the study. I am, of course, referring to the fact that the Helsinki Olympics were held that year, and Finnish beauty, Armi Kuusela, was crowned Miss Universe.

Additionally, the beginning of the Anthropocene in 1952 is strongly supported by the fact that it was the year when Finland made its final war reparations payment to the Soviet Union, and Coca-Cola began to be imported and sold in the country. Unfortunately, Finland's first jet fighter was introduced only the following year, but it was still on January 22nd, so let's count that too as a sign of the beginning of a new era in world history.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The Historical Merging of Human Groups
History of Finland IX: Enlightended dictator initiated economic growth
Human curiosity altered an orbit of an asteroid