“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“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.”
Read More“The deterioration of relations and escalating conflict between Greece and Turkey puts the United States in a somewhat precarious political position. Not only does the United States fear being forced to choose between its two NATO allies, its partnership with Turkey has been key to the Trump administration’s mission to defeat Shiite volunteer armies and other Iranian-led activities in Syria in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.”
Read More“The unhealthy normalization of victim-blaming culture is detrimental to the justice needed for the victims. This toxicity is reproduced by official agencies, including the police and justice system who have perpetuated a victim-blaming approach.”
Read More“The consolidation of an Asian bloc against Chinese influence is a top priority for the United States, and the strained relationship between South Korea and Japan has been problematic in creating a united front. With aggressive Chinese actions in Asia ramping up in the recent past, including expansion in the South China Sea and disputes with India in the Ladakh region, both Japan and South Korea understand the necessity of aligning their foreign policy goals to contain China’s authoritarian influence. It is impossible to say whether a new Japanese Prime Minister will be able to overcome the decades of resentment between the two nations, but recent conciliatory statements made by South Korean President Moon Jae-in regarding the mending of ties bode well for future cooperation.”
Read More“The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique challenge to student voters, most of whom left UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus when instruction went fully remote in August. Students who moved home after having previously used their dorm addresses for voter registration have to change their registered voting location.”
Read More“Although President Trump returns to the White Houses and his symptoms appear to be gone, it will be important to monitor his health moving forward. He has been warned that, politically, any setback in his health and possible re-hospitalization, could be a huge setback on the campaign.”
Read More“One argument commonly cited by conservative voters is that President Trump is fiscally-responsible and makes a good leader on the basis of his business acumen. The new revelations surrounding President Trump’s tax avoidance and his facade of a billionaire is now shaking that argument to its core.”
Read More“As wildfires ravage California, Oregon, and Washington, the smoke from these fires is contributing to some of the worst air quality in decades and covering cities in a red haze. Apocalyptic images of these states have gone viral, providing a stark reminder that climate change is not a future issue, but a current one.”
Read MoreThis race remains one of the most closely watched and important elections in the country, as it could ultimately determine which party obtains a majority in the Senate. Things have become even more dramatic after recent scandals have come to light and negatively affected both candidates following the debate.
Read More“As the ongoing, decades-long conflict increases hostilities, with larger military powers invested on both sides and no resolution to the initial issues, the ethnic conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has no apparent end in sight.”
Read More“Contrasting their wars in 1948 and 1973 to Saudi Arabia’s recent, emerging “soft normalization” of Israel, it’s apparent to the international community that the relationship between these two Middle East powers is changing rapidly. The slow wheels that move geopolitics forward may have arrived at gold: the two enemies are slowly considering indifference towards each other. Or perhaps, as some have even suggested, a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Read More“Should Republicans succeed in confirming Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — in violation of the precedent they established in 2016 — they will create a 6-3 conservative supermajority on the high court and cement a conservative majority for decades to come. Congressional Democrats are powerless to stop this on their own, but suggestions of the once unthinkable have begun to float about: expanding the number of seats on the Supreme Court.”
Read More“Although the debate was supposed to be as transparent as possible, as Americans were eager to listen to the stance of each candidate, the evening was rather chaotic. Trump’s constant interruptions not only frustrated his opponent, but also served to undermine Chris Wallace, as the moderator of the debate.”
Read More“While the international community is occupied with COVID-19, Mozambique’s situation has flown largely under the radar. The situation looks grim without external actors becoming involved - begging the question: will the international community fund humanitarian aid or will the people of Mozambique continue to suffer at the hands of both the insurgency and their own government?”
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