“Macron’s push for reforms comes amidst an unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon—a crisis that is the result of decades of corruption and frivolous spending. The Lebanese Pound has lost nearly 85% of its value, which has resulted in ballooning prices and a shortage of goods. Many economists fear that a situation similar to Venezuela’s collapse is unfolding. Despite this, Lebanon’s political elite refuses to accept reforms that would open the country to international aid.”
Read More“The UAE is one of Iran’s top trading partners, and the normalization of relations would be the first step in furthering trade ties between Israel and the UAE. Continued military cooperation between Israel and Arab nations would be directly harmful to Iran-sponsored proxy groups, such as Hezbollah, who have been condemned by both the Arab League and Israel. It remains to be seen what its long-term consequences will be for unrest in this war-torn region.”
Read More“The founding fathers’ iconic belief of “We The People” has been echoed in a new group with a similar belief: “Where We Go One, We Go All (#WWG1WGA).” To Donald Trump, they’re yet another right-wing group of fans who “love our country.” To the FBI, they’re terrorists. Meet Qanon.”
Read More“Unlike previous revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, a lack of influence from the West prevents Russian leadership from blaming the uprising on external agitators. Additionally, most Belarusians harbor pro-Russian sentiment, complicating Russia’s position even further: How can the Kremlin support an unpopular leader without stoking the same anger and opposition they saw in Ukraine?”
Read More“What was previously a local dispute over maritime borders between Greece and Turkey has become a matter of international interest after a 2010 study by the US Geological Survey estimated 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 122 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Levant Basin. Turkey’s survey vessel -The Orus Reis - crossed into recognized Greek territory in early August. It was originally supposed to finish its mission last Monday, but on Saturday evening, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that it would remain in the region for another 90 days.”
Read More“If Black felons themselves are a product of a wildly prejudiced criminal justice system, their subsequent disenfranchisement cannot be considered as anything more than another link in a long chain of systemic injustices.”
Read More“Cooper’s inconsistency has brought criticism from his opponent Dan Forest (R). Forest has capitalized on Cooper’s indecisiveness and has led the campaign to open the state. Forest has publicly criticized Cooper and sued him because he believes Cooper has exceeded his power and is being too slow.”
Read More“Over the past two weeks, Democrats and Republicans gathered virtually to formally nominate their respective candidates for President and Vice President and to present a compelling case for their party ahead of November. The main event — the nominations of Biden and Harris, and Trump and Pence — operated smoothly. The real challenge though, for both parties, is to lay out a convincing appeal to voters of their vision for America’s future.”
Read More“The timing of Navalny’s poisoning provides insight into Putin’s paranoia. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Russia hard, coinciding with economic downturn and unpopular proposed constitutional changes which have caused his approval ratings to drop to new lows.”
Read More“Prime Minister Ardern made the decision to postpone elections independently, but has reported she communicated with other party leaders, factoring in a concern for her own voters and the voters of her competitors as well. Her opposition, including the National Party and the Green Party, were in support of the delay, saying the delay would give all parties adequate time for electioneering and provide people with time to safely interact with the election.”
Read More“Since around April 2017, China has been operating hundreds of Uighur “re-education” camps, and approximately one million of the eleven million Uighurs have been detained. While every country has a right to protect their national security, there is no excuse for China’s internment camps and oppression of the Uighur people. China’s actions against the Uighurs fit the United Nation’s definition of genocide, and it is imperitatve that they be held responsible for their actions by the international community.”
Read More“Every post-George Floyd shooting should be a stark, tragic, and necessary reminder of what real progress, real activism, in this country actually looks like — Hint: it’s not pretty, not straightforward, and certainly takes a lot more than just your newfound ‘awareness’ of the issue.”
Read More“After a lengthy and expensive investigation, a U.N. tribunal in The Hague has convicted just one of the four Hezbollah suspects in the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005.”
Read More“North Carolina has a sordid past with fair elections and citizens have already expressed concern about the validity of their vote by mail. In mid-August, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein joined a multi-state lawsuit against the USPS and postmaster general Louis DeJoy for the recent cuts to the USPS program.”
Read More“The names of victims from police brutality have been -- and continue to -- circulate within the general public and several media outlets: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbey, Breonna Taylor. And last Sunday, Jacob Blake’s name was added to the long and troublesome list.”
Read More“While Washington continues to ponder over a second stimulus bill, the American economy is experiencing its worst period of the last decade and the average American is struggling in the wake of slowed economic growth. With no certain second stimulus in sight, many Americans are hard-pressed for economic relief from their lawmakers.”
Read More“Mayor Lyles’ speech serves as an important acknowledgement of how generational and current racism negatively impact Charlotte’s Black community. As protests over police brutality begin to slow down and people begin to lose interest, her actions could keep the momentum going in the right direction. However, simply noticing the faults in policies and communities will not fix the problem.”
Read MoreThe agreement has put an immediate halt on Israel’s annexation of the West Bank in Palestine. However, the Palestinian leadership rejected the agreement as they are skeptical of Israel permanently halting their annexation of the West Bank. Indeed, Israel has been annexing Palestinian land since its foundation as a state in 1948. Without reckoning with these past injustices, the Accord has normalized Israel’s human rights abuses.
Read More“UNC faced an ethical dilemma in deciding when to open campus and they put the interest of the university over that of public health. It is no surprise that they are continuing this trend by sending potentially infected students home to their friends and family who are at much greater risk for serious health problems than the students themselves.”
Read More“President Trump has long been an outspoken opponent of vote-by-mail, mistakenly arguing that it creates conditions for voter fraud. His Democratic opponents, however, believe that his opposition to vote-by-mail is rooted in his desire to suppress voter turnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. The postal service is a critical part of vote-by-mail infrastructure, and slowdowns could potentially disqualify millions of votes.”
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