by Jose Ovalle
Staff Writer
In my last article, I wrote about how the current administration’s’ abdication of leadership internationally has given rivals like China space to move in on former American strongholds. However, Donald Trump’s America First doctrine is not strictly isolationism, nor is it unilateralism. This makes things more complicated, and in an increasingly multipolar era, more dangerous.
Continue reading “AMERICA FIRST: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE”
by: Ariana Roshanzaer
Contributing Writer
It’s no secret that unlike its economy, China has a less than lackluster record when it comes to human rights. As of late, reports about Chinese aggression against Uighurs (pronounced we-gurs) have been rapidly sprouting up. To give a background, the Chinese region of Xinjiang (pronounced shin ji-aang) is home to around 10 million Uighurs, who are a Muslim ethnic minority concentrated in the northwestern region of Xinjiang—the autonomous region bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. Xinjiang has been under the control of China since 1949. Uighurs have their own language, described as an Asian Turkic language that is similar to Uzbek, and most of them are followers of a moderate Sunni sect of Islam. The region is rich in oil and resources, and was once along the Silk Road. This is important to note, as this is part of the reason China keeps a tight grip on the territory.
Continue reading “The Uighurs: Who They Are and Their Story”
by Kaitlyn Willoughby
Staff Writer
From tweets to news headlines, United States-Iran relations have been put in the spotlight over the past couple of months. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. This deal was negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015, and was set up to roll back and dissolve Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Since the pull out by Trump, we have seen the rise of brinksmanship occurring between the two parties — a matter that becomes increasingly risky with the United States being a nuclear power and Iran threatening to join the ranks of the “nuclear states” as well. With the only thing standing between war being diplomatic relations among the Trump administration and the Iranian government, the world needs to be vigilant on keeping these two parties held accountable for a peaceful resolution.
Continue reading “US-Iran Relations: Now and Where They Are Headed”