“The combination of toxic rhetoric and isolationist policies have distanced the United States from the international community so, with the ideologically conflicting events of the attempted coup by militants bearing Trump’s name and the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the past few weeks, the next few months will be crucial for the Biden-Harris administration.”
Read More“The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which was established by the World Health Organization (WHO), released their second interim report in early January, outlining the myriad of things that went wrong during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 34-page report is best summarized from a line that stated, “We have failed in our collective capacity to come together in solidarity to create a protective web of human security.”
Read More“Not only are the charges a flagrant violation of international human rights, they bring to debate the unlivable and dehumanizing conditions of the U.S. prison system, which for Assange could drive him to suicide.”
Read More“Earlier this month, UN counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov warned of terrorists exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and appealing to new “racially, ethnically and politically motivated extremist groups.””
Read More“A global team of researchers from the World Health Organization arrived in China last Thursday to conduct a study of COVID-19’s origins. These investigations within China will play a key role in understanding the pandemic and what measures are needed to prevent future outbreaks. The real test of China’s compliance with international standards will be if this initial investigation by the WHO proceeds without further disruption from the Chinese government.”
Read More“An influential NATO ally, Turkey has sought membership into the EU since 2005, and the country has been a member of NATO since 1952. Yet accession negotiations to join the EU -- beginning in 2005 -- have followed a cycle of slow progress and disappointment. Notably along the way, Turkey has been at odds with several EU nations (and sometimes the entire EU altogether), with two of the most notable countries being France and Greece. So, the question that the international community and world order asks itself is: How, if at all, will Turkey’s current push to join the EU result any differently than before?”
Read More“On December 1, the Parliament of Iran passed a bill that gave the European nations a month to lift crippling oil and banking sanctions. Without sanction relief, Iran threatened to kick out UN nuclear inspectors, increase uranium enrichment to 20%, and install new centrifuges (necessary for uranium enrichment) at two prominent nuclear sites, Natanz and Fordo.”
Read More“Hungary has been on a shopping spree of military and defense technology in the past few years. These purchases are part of Hungary’s ten-year Zrinyi 2026 military development program with the aim to upgrade the country’s weapons and defense forces.”
Read More“The deal that ended this 6-week long battle was signed by Russian President Vladmir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The deal states that Nagorno-Karabakh would remain under Azerbaijiani control and Armenia would withdraw troops there and several surrounding regions. Additionally, President Putin announced that there would be an exchange of all prisoners of war. Russian peacekeepers have arrived in the region and continue to patrol for at least 5 weeks.”
Read More“Last month, senior U.S. health official Garrett Grisby claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) was not sharing enough information on an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Despite the WHO’s shortcomings, it would be a major policy blunder for the United States to limit their involvement in the organization. Permanently cutting all funding to the WHO as Trump vowed in May and permanently withdrawing from the organization would be ceding influence to China, which would dramatically increase their power on the world stage.”
Read More“On November 3, four hours before the scheduled nationwide COVID-19 shut-down, shots rang out in Vienna, Austria. A shooter opened fire near Vienna’s main synagogue, an area with many bars and restaurants sometimes deemed the “Bermuda Triangle,” around 8pm, injuring more than 20 people and killing four.”
Read More“Ouattara’s two election opponents, Pascal Affi N’Guessan and Henri Konan Bédié, have spoken out against Ouattara, reminding everyone that the Ivory Coast’s constitution says an eligible candidate can only hold the presidential office for two terms. In order to further discredit the vote, N’Guessan and Bédié encouraged their constituents to not vote in the poll on October 31. N’Guessan and Bédié have also promised to set up a transitional government after the skewed vote, to ensure fair and new elections in the future.”
Read More“In early November, a federal government military base in Mekele, the capital of Tigray, was attacked. President Ahmed blamed the TPLF. The country declared a state of emergency for six months and the parliament proposed a terrorist designation for the TPLF, with Amed stating that the attack crossed “the last red line." Ethiopia’s parliament voted to give the President power to appoint new officials in the Tigray region as he authorized airstrikes throughout the north.”
Read More'“With the withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA and construction commencing at the Natanz nuclear facility, the necessity of further discussions between the remaining signatories of the JCPOA is brought to the forefront of the international consciousness.”
Read More““Despite these past grievances, the collapse of the USSR and rise of China as an economic and military power has caused a realignment of interests that strongly favors US-India cooperation. As has been stated in the past by American leaders, the United States and India would appear to be natural allies - the world’s oldest democracy, and the world’s largest. With Chinese actions both within its borders and in the broader world causing concern as the world enters a state of heightened tension between bipolar centers of power, both nations see the need of enhancing military cooperation in the world’s most populous continent.”
Read More“After months of delay, the referendum for a new Chilean constitution went before the voters two Sundays ago, October 25th. The Chilean voters overwhelmingly approved of drafting a new constitution, written by a constitutional assembly made up of everyday citizens.”
Read More“Greece has made it clear that they are not open to letting in Syrian migrants. In addition to building a wall, Greece has fired tear gas at refugees, shot at the sea near dingeys, and recently suspended registration of asylum claims - a violation of 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees. The anti-refugee action in Greece has been supported across the EU, with the President of the European Commission describing Greece as Europe’s “shield” from refugees entering.”
Read More“Inspired by the protests in Hong Kong, Thailand has begun to revolt. What started as protests run by students at campuses steadily grew into a movement that touches on deeply-rooted problems in Thailand’s government, monarchy, and constitution.”
Read More“Steeped in a bedlam of uncertainty and fear over how intensely a hard exit from the European Union (EU) will crater the UK’s economy, the center of the world’s financial services industry stares at a recession that could dramatically shrink the might of one of the most powerful nations in the world.”
Read More“The International Monetary Fund’s newest estimate is that the global economy will shrink 4.4% in 2020: the worst annual drop since the Great Depression. Policy interventions such as unemployment benefits and paid-parental leave must be undertaken by countries around the world in order to help vulnerable populations. This will help ensure that this crisis does not contribute to a widening gender and intergenerational economic inequality.”
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