Are Cold Sino–American Relations Solely Trump’s Fault?
Trump leads America in an era of poor relations with China, but have relations with China ever been good? Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been rightfully criticized by many Americans. American prestige and credibility has taken an extraordinary nosedive since Trump came into office. There is, however, one relationship Trump has perhaps taken unjustified criticism […]
The New Yellow Peril? — Anti-Chinese Sentiment in the West
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a pandemic. Since the outbreak began in December 2019 in China’s Wuhan city, the number of reported cases has increased daily, so it’s no wonder that people are bombarded with news about it every day. While recent news about COVID-19’s mortality […]
Modern Maoism Prevails: Xi Jinping and the Use of “Red Memory”
In recent years, worldwide authoritarianism has been exposed to a new sort of “nostalgic nationalism,” where leaders increasingly rely on extreme loyalism and patriotic sentiment to promote an agenda. Within this genre of civic manipulation is a concerning phenomenon: heads of state reverting to tactics of bygone eras and rose-tinted propaganda to fuel support and […]
The Egypt–Ethiopian Nile Conflict: A Dam(n) Shame
In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize. Now, he might lead Ethiopia to war with Egypt over a dam. The conflict started in 2009, when Ethiopia announced that it would construct the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, without prior consultation with Egypt or Sudan. The Blue […]
Brexit: Fissures within the Kingdom
On September 19, 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron and other world leaders expressed their relief and approval of Scotland’s decisive vote to remain in the United Kingdom (UK), but it would not take long for Scottish leaders and citizens to regret the results. In 2016, Cameron’s government asked the citizens of England, Wales, Scotland, and […]
Transnational Hip-hop: A Lens into Social Protest
From the heart It’s a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange People, people we are the same. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power,” Fear of a Black Planet (1990) When people first heard those lines from the unparalleled baritone of Chuck D., the frontman for the hip-hop group Public Enemy, […]
The Kurdish Question: In Context
The recent withdrawal of United States military forces from Syria has thrust the Kurds—an ethnic group inhabiting the south of Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, and Iran—into the international spotlight. In recent years, Kurds predominantly located in Syria and southern Turkey have fought successfully with US forces against the regional strongholds of the Islamic State and […]
The Most British Man in the World
Beheadings are unpleasant. Not that a living person can confirm it, but it seems like an awful time. For most of us, beheadings are not a daily concern. We worry about disappointing our bosses because we don’t want to be shouted at, demoted, or fired. But even in the worst-case scenario, we don’t presume we’ll […]
A Lot on the Line: Students, Brexit, and the Upcoming General Election
Undergraduate students in the United Kingdom (UK) went to the polls in full force during the 2016 Brexit referendum. While there were initial concerns about youth turnout due to confusion over registering to vote by postal/proxy, 87 percent of eligible university students voted in the referendum, 15 percent higher than the general population’s turnout. Further, […]
The Culture of Silence Inundating India
Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and violence against women. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, the world shuddered at India’s inability to swiftly prosecute the attackers. Finally, in May 2017, four out of the five perpetrators were sentenced to death. Their punishment has yet to be carried out. More sexual assault cases […]