Blog
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The Biden Administration’s Fight Against Terrorism in the DRC, Mozambique, and Potentially the World
Written by: Associate Editor, Scott Aitken The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) announced the launch of another organization called the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in April 2019 to promote the presence of ISIS elements in several different areas of Africa.[1] While some ISIS-associated medias attempt to portray ISCAP as a cohesive unit, the DRC and Mozambique terrorist groups are in fact distinct, different groups with differing origins.[2] ISIS-DRC is also known as the Allied Democratic Forces. The group is responsible for many attacks across the North Kivu and Ituri Provinces in eastern DRC.[3] This past Wednesday, March 10th, 2021, the Biden administration designated these…
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Is COVID-19 Going To Be the Death of Movie Theaters? Not in Japan
Written by: Associate Editor, Orlando Delgado The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global market and economy relatively hard among other industries. One business in particular, the movie theater industry, has been one of the industries hit the hardest. As movie theaters and cinemas slowly start re-opening in the hopes of salvaging the industry a year into the pandemic, Japan has benefitted from a revitalization of its movie theaters. Movie theaters began re-opening in small numbers in Japan after COVID-19 government mandated shutdowns were eased on June 1, 2020. The theaters had to follow several safety restrictions such as reduced capacity, spaces between each theater chair so that no…
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North Korea Hacks Pfizer in an Attempt to Obtain the COVID-19 Vaccine as Country Suffers Under the Weight of Corona Virus and Sanctions
Written by: Associate Editor, Aaron Strom On the week of February 16, 2021, it was reported that North Korean hackers attempted to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine information from Pfizer. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service informed lawmakers that the hack was an attempt to obtain both the vaccine and the treatment technology currently protected by intellectual property law. North Korean access to medical tools and equipment necessary for vaccine distribution has been arduous because of sanctions that were adopted against the country limiting the importation of computers and other metal products. North Korea has urgently requested access to COVID-19 vaccines and is set to receive 2 million for their population of…
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Contraceptive Shortages in Venezuela Denies Women Their Right to Family Planning and Forces Thousands Into Pregnancy
Written by: Associate Editor, Julia Kelly The global fall of oil prices in 2014, among many other factors, caused Venezuela’s economy to crash. Venezuela has since experienced years of economic crisis, which has left its toll on many Venezuelan families, who face widespread hunger and hyperinflation. Specifically, in more recent years, millions of women are now unable to access or afford birth control. Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro identified themselves as feminists. President Chávez’s political movement focused on giving women equal opportunities in society, and, in 1999, included in their Constitution that women had the right to decide freely how many children they wished to individually have. He also…
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The Fight for Freedom: Sex Discrimination in Family Law
Written by: Associate Editor, Mazaher Kaila The status of women in family law is roughly correlated with a country’s traditional legal system. Although, women are not equal to men in all systems ,women rights has long been an issue specifically in religion based legal systems and continues to be an issue today. Violation of women rights sits at the top of human rights violations. Government implementations such as The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) are developed in order to ensure women and family rights are carried out internationally. CEDAW consist of 30 articles indicating the rights of women and provides national action to end discrimination against…
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Moscow, We Have a Problem: Current Protests in Russia a Sign of Trouble for Putin?
Written by: Associate Editor, Rachel Combs Tens of thousands of people gathered in cities and towns across Russia over the weekend protesting the current detention of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Navalny was arrested January 17th after returning from Germany where he has spent the past 5 months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning which he has blamed on the Kremlin. He was arrested for violating the terms of his probation by failing to register while in Germany. His probation stems from a 2014 money laundering case, which Navalny claims was politically motivated. Navalny has been a long-time critic of Vladimir Putin and has spent the better part of a…
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Back to the Future: US Going Green
Written by: Associate Editor, Gabriella Verdone In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden signed an executive order issuing the United States’ return to the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2017, former President Trump announced that the United States would be pulling out of the global coalition to combat climate change. President Trump’s decision for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement stemmed from protecting the United States’ economic interest, as he believed the agreement unfairly burdened American companies. Trump argued that other countries who are among the world’s leaders in carbon emission, had fewer requirements under the agreement; this financially put the United States at a disadvantage. The Paris…
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“Democracy” on Display: World Leaders Respond
Written by: Esther Kim, Associate Editor The events of January 6, 2021 have raised multiple and concerning inquiries into what constitutes American democracy. The storming of the Capitol shocked individuals domestically, as well as abroad and in response, world leaders have not been shy in voicing their reactions in observance of the transpired upheaval. Internationally, politicians expressed their shared condemnations, and they called for the seemingly past ideal of what was once considered to be a peaceful transition of power. Many leaders described the events as an “attack on democracy,” and a “horrifying” and “disgraceful scene.” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on his Twitter, “The United States stands for…
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Millions of Indian Farmers Protest Anti-Labor Legislation: Indication of the Need for a Stronger International Labor Organization.
Written by: Matthew McCartin, Associate Editor For nearly forty days, Indian farmers and workers have taken to the streets of India to protest new agricultural legislation passed by the Indian government that would deregulate Indian agriculture and encourage farmers to sell their crops directly to corporations.[1] the height of the protests, an estimated 250,000,000 Indian workers and farmers took part in the protest, which makes up roughly four percent of the entire world’s population. The law promulgated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far-right Bharatiya Janata Party, not only negatively effects Indian farmers, but also would affect global commerce, as India is a major exporter of agricultural goods, including spices, which…
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South China Sea Dispute
Written by: Margaret Santandreu, Associate Editor For years there has been an ongoing maritime claims dispute over the South China Sea among various countries including China, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. The dispute is over territorial control, freedom of navigation, shipping lines, and exploitation of natural resources of oil and gas. The disputed territories include Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Mischief Reefs, and other land territories, reefs, continental shelves and banks. China over the years has been exercising its dominance in the region by conducting military exercises and creating artificial islands with military facilities such as naval ports and airline strips, to extend their sovereignty. In 2017 alone, China’s…