“While the race has been largely uneventful, the candidates have made strong statements about each other and have fought over false information. There is no clear leader in the race, but both men are more than qualified for the position.”
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“The recent conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan appeared to be de-escalating after a Russian-brokered ceasefire on October 10th. However, armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has continued, with both sides accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire. To further complicate matters, the tangled web of competing geopolitical interests by major powers threatens to further escalate the situation into a regional conflict.”
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“The strike is set to begin this upcoming Sunday, but it is currently unclear if Tsikhanouskaya’s supporters are capable of the organization required to shut down the country at the scale Tsikhanouskaya is hoping for”
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“One factor that makes the North Carolina senate election so important is its competitiveness. North Carolina has become a hotly contested “purple state,” as Democrats have made significant gains in cities and suburban areas and are hoping to translate those gains into success in federal elections. At the Presidential level, North Carolina is one of the tightest swing states—recent polling shows only a 4% gap between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The senate race is similarly competitive—Cal Cunningham and Thom Tillis have polled neck and neck throughout the campaign.”
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“Violations from all parties to the R-ARCSS make it clear that an international organization must step in and introduce mechanisms to establish harmony, promote justice, and provide humanitarian aid to areas of South Sudan decimated by conflict and natural disasters.”
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“The lack of racial diversity on the administration board is increasingly problematic, especially among the heightened racial conflict and consciousness in the United States - and right here in North Carolina - at this moment in history. UNC needs to recognize this and change their policies and the demographics of its leadership to better represent their students. Following Allison’s departure as one of the few nonwhite members of the Board, and an active advocate for nonwhite UNC students, the Board of Governors needs to elect a member with a similar commitment to increasing the inclusion and equity of students of color.”
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“In 1978, China was a struggling country with a low GDP of only $150 billion. In 2020, China is a rising superpower with a GDP of $14.3 trillion. With its growing power, China has been attempting to change the previous world order with its strategies. Now, China’s rivals believe it is time to retaliate.”
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“Currently, voters will be notified of any mistakes that would invalidate their ballots and be given the opportunity to ‘cure’ those errors, either by signing an affidavit, in cases where the voter’s signature is missing, or, in most other cases, by returning a new ballot… While both sides expressed a belief that they were vindicated by Judge Osteen’s ruling, the court battle is not yet over. The case was appealed, and the State Board of Elections has been unable to implement any changes due to a stay, leaving thousands of deficient ballots yet again in limbo. As court battles drag on, there is growing anxiety that time is running out for deficient ballots to be cured.”
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“With the contentious 2020 election season coming to a close, polls and simulations predict Democrats are poised to secure the White House and the House of Representatives, and at least hold a competitive edge in securing the Senate. As of October 12th, Joe Biden claimed a 12% lead over incumbent President Donald Trump, according to a poll of likely voters conducted by The Washington Post and ABC. Ultimately, with the statistics of the race and the lackluster Republican counter efforts failing to make a dent in the polls, Democrats gaining control of both chambers of Congress and the Executive branch is probable. If the Democrats accomplish such a daunting task, it is likely American institutional norms that have been established for decades will likely face some serious reflection and reform.”
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“Throughout decades of growing mistrust in institutions and increasing choices of where to get your information, it seems that the notion that ignorance is a choice may be an idea of the past.”
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SPECIAL ESSAY - “Maybe you have seen Instagram posts highlighting the oppression of Uyghur Muslims or headlines criticizing Disney for shooting Mulan in Xinjiang. But who exactly are the Uyghurs, and why has their oppression led to calls for a United Nations crimes against humanity investigation?”
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“A U.S. district court ordered Iran to pay $1.4 billion in damages for the 2007 capture and likely death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson who was on a rogue mission with the CIA… Judge Kelly is therefore officially holding Iran responsible for Levinson’s capture and likely death, a fact they have long disputed. A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Minister decried the judgement calling it “another example of the American's extravagances and bullying.”
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“A core of Vaccine trials, recently advancing to phase 3, offer hope for critically needed respite within the next year. Yet their success and accessibility will be determined by questions of international politics, equitable and moral desert, and Godspeed.”
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“The arms-embargo has been renewed multiple times, but nations have been continuously violating the agreement, supplying the warring sides in Libya with resources. The U.N. first established an arms-embargo on Libya in February of 2011. The embargo restricts the supply of military equipment to or from Libya, while their country remains in conflict.”
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“Secretary DeVos’ visit likely did not solve the issue of school choice vs. public school funding in North Carolina, though it did provide a glimpse of how President Trump’s education policy would affect NC schools. The round table discussion was yet another proxy campaign event for the president in a state that he desperately needs to win in November. Yet after the election, NC schools will still face the challenge of returning to school during the pandemic, and for public school students this could mean returning with less funding.”
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“The 2020 election could be one in which baseless accusations of fraudulent voting result in the sitting president refusing to adhere to the outcome of the votes. This refusal could then move to the Supreme Court, a third of whom was appointed by the sitting President. They would decide on an election which the American people have already reached a verdict on. No matter how likely this outcome is, the risk it poses is a great threat to American democracy.”
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“Twelve feet apart and separated by plexiglass barriers, Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence engaged in their one and only debate on Wednesday night. This debate had a starkly different, “politics as usual” mood that was absent from the earlier presidential debate. While there were still questions dodged by both sides and attempts to speak over the moderator, largely the debate maintained civility and allowed the participants the opportunity to speak on policy.”
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“As Democrats and Republicans become more starkly divided, political preferences are increasingly less motivated by fact and instead determined by individual party allegiances. Information that is contrary to an individual’s belief is written off as fake news and no longer given any reasonable merit. The recent contentious developments in the North Carolina legislature are examples of a much larger problem of intense polarization that grows in the United States every year.”
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