January 11-12
- Squid Game viral dance
- Sight-through-touch innovation
- Wallace & Gromit supervillain at the museum
- … and much more.
⬇️ STARTER
Syria like Afghanistan? Why the U.S. is so bad at judging Islamist threats
After 9/11, U.S. decision makers changed their approach toward extremist groups. In a shift, they supported more moderate groups as an alternative to jihadist groups that are hostile to the West and seek to establish “a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," as U.S. President George W. Bush said at the time.
While Bush was discussing with his aides and advisors the preparations for his global “crusade” campaign against “terrorism,” U.S. research centers began studying and reviewing what had happened. These centers put forward many concepts and estimates for dealing with what they called the “Islamic threat." One that Washington had helped create but that soon turned against the United States and the West, and struck the U.S. on its soil.
In her 2003 book Civil Democratic Islam, American researcher Cheryl Benard concluded that to confront the "Islamic threat," U.S. decision makers must "transform Islam itself into a tool that helps achieve American political and economic goals."
Benard, the wife of Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, made several recommendations to achieve this goal. Most notably, she suggested that the U.S. support "moderate fundamentalists for temporary tactical considerations," and later work to "create partners from reformist Islamists," to ensure that they remain within the orbit of U.S. policies.
American attempts to subjugate "Islamists" did not begin after September 2001. Washington has not stopped supporting "Islamists" since the Cold War; it has entrusted them with the task of preserving its interests and implementing its agenda. To achieve its goals, the U.S. has depended on regressive regimes in the Middle East, on arming and financing jihadist groups, or supporting fundamentalist groups that are able to challenge regimes opposing Western policies.
The United States always has its own vision to deal with “Islamists;” each stage has its own group and each goal has its own group. When the goal was to besiege Soviet influence and exhaust the regimes that rejected American orientations, there were groups in mosques and universities, calling for fighting "atheism and communism.”
When it was necessary to take up arms to expel the Soviets from Afghanistan, Washington called for the mujahideen from every corner, and they came to the "land of jihad" in droves to confront the "red occupation." When the arrows of the "mujahideen" rebounded back to the U.S. heart, it decided to return to the "more moderate" version of Islamists. [...]
— Read the full article by Mohamed Saad Abdel-Hafez for Al-Manassa, translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. Joseph Aoun was elected to lead which Middle Eastern country that had been without a president since October 2022?
2. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there’s not a "snowball's chance in hell" that Canada will agree to what idea floated by Donald Trump?
3. Indonesia became the 10th full member of which geoeconomic group?
4. On what did Japan’s Onodera Group spend a whopping $1.3 million?
50 hectoliters of saké / a 276-kg tuna / 10 tons of dried noodles / 4 trucks of wasabi
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
The “Mingle Dance,” a TikTok trend inspired by Squid Game Season 2, has taken social media by storm. The dance originates from a scene in the survival series where players frantically form groups to survive a game called “Mingle”: the scene's standout is Thanos (played by K-pop star T.O.P.), whose carefree, spirited dance moves have captivated fans. A TikTok clip of the moment, shared on Dec. 30, 2024, amassed over 158 million views in a week, and later spread to regular users recreating Thanos' moves and group spins, making it one of TikTok’s first viral hits of the year.
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• Mexican singer gets government protection after drug cartel death threats. Authorities in Mexico said they would grant state protection to famed regional singer Natanael Cano and other artists after photos of a banner threatening their lives, which appeared to be signed by a drug cartel from the northern Sonora region, circulated online. The “Jalisco Matasalas” accused the artists of “financially helping” a rival gang.
• In memoriam: Peter Yarrow, the vocalist with the U.S. folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, who also co-wrote the group’s most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” has died from bladder cancer; South African actress and singer Winnie Khumalo, best known for her hit song “Live My Life,” is dead at the age 51 after a short illness; Indian veteran theater actor and director Alok Chatterjee, known theater productions like Death of a Salesman and Nat Samrat, died at 63; Austrian actor, and theater and opera director Otto Schenk, known for his for traditional opera productions for the Vienna State Opera, died aged 94.
• Oxford English Dictionary adds eight new Korean words. The OED’s website revealed this week it had included in its December 2024 update words of Korean origins such as dalgona, which is defined as “Korean confection made by adding baking soda to melted sugar” and was made popular by Netflix’s hit TV show Squid Game. Other entries include noraebang, “a private room which can be hired by a person or group to perform karaoke,” and jjigae, which refers to broth-based stews. The dictionary had previously added 26 words originating from Korean culture in September 2021.
• Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall reopens after three-year renovation. The iconic modernist building designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto has officially reopened its doors to the public after a 136-million-euro restoration which included the replacement of its façade made of 11,000 marble tiles. The tiles had been plagued by cracks since the congress and event venue ’s completion in the Finnish capital in 1971. A wine café has also been added, alongside a bistro that is set to open later in January.
• UK music sales hit 20-year record high. Music lovers in the UK spent a record £2.4 billion ($2.9 billion) on streaming subscriptions and physical music according to new figures by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). This overtakes the previous high of £2.2 billion ($2.7 billion), achieved at the peak of CD sales in 2001. The biggest-selling album of the year was Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department which sold 783,820 copies.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇸🇾 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has surprised many with his openness to dialogue after a past linked to al-Qaeda. He represents a complex model that embodies the transformation of Syria since the beginning of the revolution in 2011.
— DARAJ
🇪🇸 As Spain prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator Francisco Franco's death and the return of democracy, fascism is returning around the world. It's proof that nothing that has once happened should be considered lost to history.
— LA MAREA
🌐 The emerging geopolitical paradigm is one of a kind of “armed peace” led by states equipped with nuclear weapons as the ultimate guarantee of security. The battlefield now spans the range of hybrid threats and technological breakthroughs.
— LES ECHOS
🥖 Banning flour and carbs from our diet is unfair considering our history with the grains that helped our ancestors survive. The key is to reduce refined flours — and our guilt.
— CLARÍN
👣 In the workplace, we found out that standing desks weren't much better than sitting. Is a walking pad the healthiest solution for maximizing life and work? Stimulating creativity and productivity?
— DIE ZEIT
🐧 SMILE OF THE WEEK
Visitors to the National Science and Media museum in Bradford, UK, will now be greeted by a giant fiberglass model of Wallace and Gromit supervillain Feathers McGraw. The replica, made by Aardman Animations, is the biggest ever made of the famous movie character and will be displayed in the main foyer. The museum reopened after two years and a £6-million redesign to honor Bradford's title as UK City of Culture 2025.
🕶️ BRIGHT IDEA
Artha France, a French startup, aims to convert visual data into tactile sensations. Developed by Amaury Buget and his team, this pair of glasses uses a mini-camera to transmit visuals through a lumbar belt, offering a groundbreaking way for visually-impaired users to experience sight through touch. Winner of France’s biggest inventing contest, the Concours Lépine, last year, the technology has just been presented at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas.
👓 WORLDCRUNCH MAGAZINE
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⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will visit Lebanon and Syria next week. His visit to Beirut, which comes ahead of the expiration of the country’s ceasefire with Israel, will focus on addressing Lebanon’s ongoing challenges. In Damascus, Albares will meet Syria’s new administration after Assad’s fall. Key discussions will include humanitarian aid and regional stability.
• Croatia’s populist President Zoran Milanović, known for opposing Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s pro-EU stance, is favored to win reelection on Sunday over opposition-backed Dragan Primorac. While the president’s role is largely ceremonial, Milanović wields significant influence over the military and foreign policy. The main issues of this election race highlight tensions over corruption, EU ties and economic stability.
• The Wolf Moon, January’s full Moon, peaks on Jan. 13, 2025, at 5:27 p.m. EST, appearing full for three days. It coincides with global cultural and religious events, including Hindu festivals, Buddhist observances and the Chinese lunar calendar. Stargazers will be able to enjoy Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in the evening sky.
News quiz answers:
1. Lebanon’s parliament voted to elect army commander Joseph Aoun as head of state, ending a power vacuum that has lasted more than two years.
2. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is not a “snowball's chance in hell” that Canada will merge with the United States, hitting back at Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic force” to absorb the country into the U.S.
3. Indonesia became the 10th full member of the international BRICS group, a bloc of developing economies increasingly seen as a counterweight to the West.
4. Sushi restaurateurs from the Japanese Onodera Group paid $1.3 million for a 276-kg tuna, which will be served in the group's Michelin-starred restaurants and Nadaman establishments in Japan.
✍️ Newsletter by Worldcrunch
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*Photo: Finlandia Hall