Foreign Correspondence, Vol 104
As Gaza-inspired boycotts continue, new brands are emerging to fill the void
Hello, and happy Friday!
This correspondence features a brief update on my Gaza-inspired boycott reporting (more on that below), plus a plug to a recent conversation I had with the Quiet Riot podcast on the Democratic National Convention, the Uncommitted Movement, and the importance of earning—rather than simply demanding—the Arab American vote.
You can tune in via Apple or Spotify. The DNC chat starts from 38:05.
Also, I joined Bluesky! Find me on there if you want to read my usual tweets in a less shambolic setting.
What I’ve written
My recent trip to Amman got me wondering about the long-term repercussions of the Gaza-inspired boycotts on brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. If a ceasefire were secured tomorrow, would consumers necessarily go rushing back? Can a brand, once associated by some as being complicit in a possible genocide, ever fully recover? Read on to see what I found out:
Brayden King, an expert on the impact of boycotts at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, tells TIME that while most boycott campaigns don’t have a major impact on consumer behavior in the long term, those that do are able to leverage public accountability in its favor. “People hold each other accountable,” he says—a task that is made a lot easier when it concerns goods that are typically enjoyed in social settings, such as food and drink. But another marker of an effective boycott is one that is able to incur sustained reputational damage on a brand. While most boycotts tend to fade after the 90-day mark, according to King, the Gaza-inspired boycotts have long surpassed that, in large part because the war has, too.
Keep reading: As Gaza-Inspired Boycotts Continue, New Brands Are Emerging to Fill the Void
What I’ve read (with gift links)
Is a New Palestinian Movement Being Born? • By Arash Azizi in The Atlantic
If the pro-Palestinian movement in the U.S. sets aside its campaign to delegitimize Israel and question its right to exist, it can find reliable allies in the mainstream of American politics to support a future of peace and coexistence for both of the national communities between the river and the sea. It could take a cue from Senator Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, two democratic socialists who moved from “protest to politics,” as the civil-rights activist Bayard Rustin once put it, and in the process became enormously influential figures within the Democratic Party.
How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador • By Vera Bergengruen in TIME
For Bukele’s admirers, El Salvador has become a showcase for how populist authoritarianism can succeed. His second term will be a test of what happens to a state when its charismatic young leader has an overwhelming mandate to dismantle its democratic institutions in pursuit of security. The results will have sweeping implications not just for El Salvador but also the region, where political leaders are eager to replicate what many call el milagro Bukele—the Bukele miracle.
My Demoralizing but Not Surprising Cancellation • By Joshua Leifer in The Atlantic
My would-be book launch also exemplified the bind that many progressive American Jews face. We are caught between parts of an activist left demanding that we disavow our communities, even our families, as an entrance ticket, and a mainstream Jewish institutional world that has long marginalized critics of Israeli policy. Indeed, Jews who are committed to the flourishing of Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora, and who are also outraged by Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, feel like we have little room to maneuver.
What I’m thinking about
This week, I learned that Mohammad “Medo” Halimy, a Palestinian content creator who I had the opportunity to interview for this piece about how Palestinians in Gaza are using TikTok, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. He was 19-years-old.
Unlike many of the TikToks coming out of Gaza, Halimy's were original, informative, and—despite the horrifying circumstances—even joyful at times. He gave his more than 156K followers a real insight into Palestinian life in all of its hardships and resilience. His voice will sorely be missed.
You can check out his full TikTok archive here.
Until next time,
Yasmeen