Floating Failure
Plus: Taiwan heats up, Robert Moses and Rockaway Beach, CBDCs, and more...
That floating pier the U.S. government built? Well, it's failed to deliver much aid to Gaza. "Several trucks were looted as they made their way to a warehouse, and operations were suspended for two days," reports The New York Times. "The U.N. World Food Program has warned that the pier project could fail if Israel does not do more to ensure the safe distribution of the aid."
It seems insane to blame this on Israel. The U.S. military and allies took on what seemed like a simple project: to build a pier attached to the Gaza shoreline so that aid shipments could more easily reach the embattled territory (price tag: $320 million). There were always roadblocks—the U.S. government does not allow American troops on the ground in Gaza, so it's been a hard project to tackle—and "it is extremely difficult to deliver aid to distribution centers without police escorts to protect the convoys from swarms of people," U.S. and United Nations officials told the Times.
Pentagon officials have griped that there was not enough coordination between the Biden administration and the military on planning and logistics at the project's inception. Longtime aid workers in the region have called this "humanitarian theater."
The pier was built on an Army ship off the coast of Gaza by roughly 1,000 American troops. The project had hoped to bring in 90 trucks' worth of aid per day, scaling up to 150 before long. In reality, progress has stalled: Over the course of this past week—the first the pier has been opened—only 70 trucks total have reached warehouses, with 11 of those looted along the way.
Taiwan heats up: Lai Ching-te, a fierce critic of Beijing and defender of Taiwan's sovereignty, was sworn in as president on Monday. China responded by launching at least 15 navy vessels, 16 coast guard vessels, and 42 aircraft, totally encircling the island, meting out what they call "strong punishment" and a warning to Taiwan's new president.
The last time this happened was in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island. Chinese military officials say that this time they intend to send "a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces"—meaning the United States. This time is a little more intense, too, in that the Chinese military is also surrounding the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, which sit close to the mainland's coast, as well as the east side of the island, near the mountains (where a lot of Taiwan's military infrastructure is allegedly housed).
Taiwan sees itself as independent and self-governing, whereas China sees it as a rogue territory that needs to be brought back under Chinese control. It seems like the Chinese government wants "to show the Americans that any effort to resupply or re-enforce Taiwan from the east is vulnerable to Chinese missile strikes and naval attack," per the BBC.
Scenes from New York (a beach town): In honor of Memorial Day Weekend and the start of summer, I hereby present the Rockaway, Queens, Wikipedia page. For the uninitiated: Rockaway is my home, and it was also majorly screwed up by (every New Yorker's favorite villain) Robert Moses. Rockaway's gone through several cycles of getting screwed over, either by central planners or by the elements, then being revitalized, then getting screwed over again. It's a resilient little place, and if you happen to be a New Yorker in need of a beach getaway that doesn't leave you in debt for years to come, I highly recommend eschewing the Hamptons and schlepping out to beautiful Rockaway Beach—endorsed by the Ramones, Mac Demarco, and yours truly.
QUICK HITS
- "Just a few years ago, when his Korean dark comedy 'Parasite' won the 2020 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, the writer and director Bong Joon Ho ribbed Americans for their aversion to 'the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,'" writes Brandon Yu at The New York Times. "But in 2024, 'The Sympathizer' is among a growing number of American works—including the recent prestige films 'Minari' (2020), 'Past Lives' (2023) and 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022); the television epics 'Pachinko' (2022) and 'Shogun' (2024); and the family-friendly series 'Ms. Marvel' (2022) and 'American Born Chinese' (2023)—that use Asian languages to bring additional depth and nuance to their stories. 'I don't think it is just a temporary blip,' said Minjeong Kim, the director of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies at San Diego State University. 'The trend has shifted.'"
- SpaceX is considering a tender offer; shares would be sold at a price that would indicate the company is valued at roughly $200 billion.
- Is the U.S. government changing how it regulates crypto?
- Riots in New Caledonia have led to delayed voting reforms for the French Pacific territory.
- If you're not watching Just Asking Questions, I am very disappointed in you. If you love me/Roundup, you're sure to enjoy JAQ. If you hate me/Roundup, well, this episode is about the possibility of my house being swallowed by the ocean, so there's really something for everyone:
