On eruption

It’s been a little while since I last posted; in the meantime, I’ve taken a trip to London, Turkey, and Greece, hiked within 5 feet of a lava river, bathed in natural hot springs at the top of a mountain, interviewed local experts in urban development, and experienced Reykjavik’s well-developed culture, from choir performances to poetry readings.

First things first, I’m not dying of volcanic ash inhalation. In fact, there is no volcanic ash to be found anywhere in the Reykjavik area. Iceland’s giant volcanic eruption conveniently spewed its toxic gases in the opposite direction, toward England and continental Europe. Keflavik is one of the few European airports that was able to stay open throughout the eruption thus far. In fact, while Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption is ostensibly the result of natural forces below the Earth’s surface, out of human control, Icelanders, in general, couldn’t be more pleased about the havoc their island was able to wreak on Europe’s economy. It’s not the first time they’ve done so in the past couple years.

Recently, Icelanders have been up in arms about their government’s proposal to pay back British and Dutch depositors who lost money in the collapse of Iceland’s banking system. At the behest of grassroots opposition, the President vetoed the legislation, leading to a referendum in which citizens overwhelmingly rejected the terms of repayment that had been negotiated. In the midst of anger over debts accrued and international pressure seen as unfair, the volcano’s impacts perfectly embodied the Icelandic consciousness in international relations.

England asked for cash, but, as there is no “C” in the Icelandic language, what they got instead was ash, or so the joke has been formulated here.

Apparently, the Icelandic economy requested, in its will, for its ashes to be spread across Europe.

In the end, Iceland’s politics are struggling to find a forward-looking approach to building a foundation for continued prosperity. The socialist Government voted into office after the crash has served as a scapegoat for its efforts to pick up the pieces, currently a focus of public anger just as much as, if not more than, the bankers and conservative Government that created the conditions that led to collapse in the first place. This is despite the fact that a recent independent investigation into the crisis described political and business leaders as grossly negligent in their inadequate regulatory approaches and irresponsible investment strategies.

Just as a volcanic eruption devastated Iceland’s self-sufficiency a century ago, contributing to a wave of emigration, the current volcano punctuates a period of high and growing emigration rates and desires to simply leave the troubled nation behind.

Despite widespread feelings of hopelessness, there is undeniable silver lining in the prospects for Icelandic recovery. Any country with abundant renewable energy and other resources, a highly-educated population, and a growing tourism sector cannot be said to be a lost cause, and it probably won’t be too long until Icelandic optimism shines through.

That being said, crisis has the potential to lead to drastic and sometimes little considered approaches to institutions and political response. I’ve heard Icelanders call for the reinstatement of David Oddson (the former prime minister who undertook much of the financial deregulation measures which led to collapse) to see the country through crisis.

The anarchist movement has also grown significantly here, adding a newspaper and many young citizens to its ranks. While hosting a “world cafe” event on biodiversity, I had the pleasure of speaking with a couple anarchists who joined our discussion. The subject definitely strayed from the intended topic to some degree, though I found the results edifying. As jointly articulated in my presence, the Icelandic anarchist movement advocates the elimination of hierarchy and institutionalized inequality, to paraphrase, in contrast to my understanding of anarchism as the elimination of government. As I tried to elicit a constructive articulation of the anarchist vision, my own ideas may have interceded, but a more democratic process was envisioned.

However, the focus is more negative, for example in one member’s self-declared lack of hope for society. It was seen as necessary to throw a wrench in modern, industrial society, whereas I posited that it may be more effective to begin to construct the foundation for an improved society in its place.

While the US tea party movement seems more concerned with bringing a halt to Government proceedings than unjust societal processes and institutions, they share a common desire to resist. They also feel alienated by the path of society, and may also be fearful of economic and political changes.

But tea partiers may be less sophisticated in their understandings than Icelandic anarchists, and therefore more difficult to collaborate with. From the New York Times:

But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on “waste.”

Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits.

Others could not explain the contradiction.

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”

Nevertheless, fear of change mixed with anger is nothing to laugh about. Bill Clinton said it best in comparing the current movement with the one that the Oklahoma City Bombing grew out of:

Fifteen years ago, the line was crossed in Oklahoma City. In the current climate, with so many threats against the president, members of Congress and other public servants, we owe it to the victims of Oklahoma City, and those who survived and responded so bravely, not to cross it again.

Haven’t we had enough eruptions?

NOT Eyjafjallajokull; the smaller one pictured here erupted a couple weeks before.

Much closer than prudence would dictate... especially considering the volcanic ash raining down from above.

A view of the infamous Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced aye-yah-fyah-tla-yo-kutl... if that helps) from Selfoss, forty minutes outside Reykjavik.

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