Ongoing Protests Against President Nicolas Maduro Ending in More Deaths
April 19, 2017
Two Venezuelans were shot dead Wednesday after pro-government forces clashed with opposition groups.
The protesting in Venezuela is the result of President Nicolas Madura slowly creating a dictatorship within the country. After discovering that the opposition was the majority force during the parliamentary elections of 2015, Maduro delayed all future elections.
In March 2017, the Supreme Court dissolved the legislative branch of the government, effectively making itself both the law-maker and interpreter. Once the populace discovered that two branches of the government were being run by the United Socialist Party, more protests began to emerge.
While protests have been going on in Venezuela since 2014, there has been a noticeable uptick in the severity of the protests since March.
Maduro, who is calling his opposition "terrorists" as been arming militias at an alarming rate. His harsh, undemocratic rule is causing anger among his people.
Many Venezuelans are living in fear and simply want to be free and prosperous again.
"We have to protest because this country is dying of hunger. There are a lot of people in the opposition and they are full of courage," said Alexis Mendoza, Venezuelan protester.
If a country wants a democracy, they deserve a democracy. Justice for Venezuela.
President Trump Says the U.S. Will Not be Going to Syria
April 12, 2017
After a major chemical attack in Syria on April 4, the world watched in horror as pictures and videos of children and teenagers dying and choking surfaced all over the web.
In response, Trump launched nearly 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Syria, targeting the base that housed the weapons and planes that carried out the attack.
Because this attack was an unconstitutional declaration of war, rumors that the U.S. was initiating World War III (along with other conspiracy theories) began to surface.
Policy makers seem to be torn between what factor weighs more in this situation. On one hand, Trump acted reasonably in response to a horrific act. On the other, this is an unjustified declaration of war that should not go unpunished, as the future implications of allowing such a response could be disastrous.
Unfortunately, there will always be two sides to this story and there will never be a day where the world agrees in a unified manner on whether this attack was wrong or right. However, despite the backlash from both sides of this equation, Trump has announced that we will not be going to war with Syria.
When we go to war, everyone loses. So whether you side with Trump or are against Trump in regards to this attack, the reality of it is that if we aren't going to war, it's impossible to miss the silver lining.
Now that this attack happened, maybe Trump will open his eyes to the reason why Syrian refugees are seeking asylum into the U.S., and open our doors to them once again.
At the end of the day, regardless of the color of our skin, our religion, or our political affiliation, we are all human. We all deserve to be loved. We all deserve to be safe. We all deserve to be treated fairly.
The Russian Hacking is Larger Than the U.S. Election, it's a Threat to National Security
Erin Worley
April 4. 2017
The Trump Administration has repeatedly implicated that the Democrats' accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is illegitimate and a way of trying to shift the blame of the election loss. However, according to former FBI agent Clint Watts, the problem is much larger than the U.S. election.
Last week, Watts testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee where he explained the way Russia spread fake news during the presidential election by using armies of Twitter bots disguised as swing-voter Republicans from the Midwest. He explained that the profiles of these socially engineered bots perfectly mimic the targeted people.
Watts explained the way these bots will attempt to connect with the administration by responding to tweets the president puts out, and broadcasting stories that are false, manipulated, or conspiracies.
The example Watts used was that of President Trump's accusation that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. These bots will react to such accusations by putting out more conspiracy theories about the accusation, thus amplifying the problem.
This issue, which Watts has been tracking for three years, undermines the cyber security of the entire U.S.
As a country that relies on the internet for e-commerce, national security, and day-to-day life, refusing to properly delve into this issue because of the political polarity of it puts the entire country at risk. After all, if Russia can get in, who else does that open up the doors to? And what is the extent of what Russia has done? It's time to stop looking at this as a Democrats vs. Republicans issue, and begin looking at it as a threat to national security.
According to the 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, Cyber and Technology was the number one threat of 2016, as cyber security is becoming an increasingly complex issue. Furthermore, Russia was listed as the number one regional threat actor of the year due to its, "assertive cyber posture based on its willingness to target critical
infrastructure systems and conduct espionage operations even when detected and under increased
public scrutiny. Russian cyber operations are likely to target US interests to support several strategic
objectives."
It's time to focus on building up our country by focusing on our collective safety as a nation, not continuing to view this issue as a political one.
The Number of Civilians Trump has Killed Since Taking Office is Astounding
March 27, 2017
Erin Worley
The Trump Administration is devastating the international community and causing an anti-America rhetoric around the world. Our new leader of the free world, who, to the devastation millions of people, lacks any military or political experience, is certainly holding true to his promise to, "bomb the shit out of them" with the "them" turning out to be much more than just ISIS.
While the Obama Administration was certainly not innocent in regards to killing civilians or perpetuating the war that President Bush started, President Trump is taking matters to a new extreme. Not only is Trump continuing the legacy of the United States deciding that it is okay to ignore the sovereignty of other nations in order to kill anyone they deem as a terrorist (or anyone that happens who be nearby), but he is killing civilians at record-breaking speed.
Just two short months into office Donald Trump has managed to kill hundreds of civilians in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, perpetuating the ongoing devastation in those countries and giving fuel to ISIS.
While Trump's most avid supporters will continue to stand behind him until the day he gets impeached, regardless of how many innocent lives he takes or how much of the world he offends and turns against America, one thing that is certain: his approval rating is at an all-time low of 36 percent and will continue to drop.
The Syrian capital was devastated by a surprise rebel attack on Sunday. The coordinated assault
began in the Jobar district, an area in northeastern Damascus split between rebel and government control.
The attack was led by Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The invasion was carried out via secret tunnels, car bombs, and suicide attacks.
Government forces responded by launching air strikes against the rebels. They were successful in pushing them back albeit at the expense of even more destruction to this war-torn city.
Though rebel groups are never truly strong because of all of the factions within them, the Syrian civil war will not end until the government is able to find some middle ground with the rebels. The attacks on Bashar al-Assad have been constant since the uprising of the Arab Spring.
I think the most important factor in the overall well-being of Syria is that there is no international intervention aside from humanitarian support for refugees. Any international intervention will undermine the sovereignty of the already delicate nation, while giving fuel to terrorist groups who would love nothing more than to have Assad knocked out of power without having to get their hands dirty.
Syria will undoubtedly struggle in the years to come. Only time will tell whether or not they will come out united and successful, or end up as a failed state.
President Trump's track record for tweeting unfounded claims and even outright lies is through the roof. It's as if he's intentionally pushing the limit in an attempt to see how much the American people will let him get away with.
This week's unfounded claim is a big one. He's now accusing President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower during the election.
It's pretty unbelievable that a sitting president is able to show so much ignorance and outright pettiness. He's already attempted to undermine the judicial branch by calling one of the judges who overruled his travel ban a "so called judge" for finding legal fault with his executive order.
He has also attempted to undermine the legislative branch by making false claims about his cabinet taking longer than other president's to get confirmed (another outright lie).
The crazy part is that he is now trying to undermine the presidency-- a position he currently holds, by picking false holes in the presidency of the last man in office.
Here are some facts about this case:
1. A president does not have the power to wiretap a U.S. citizen.
2. Trump has absolutely no evidence to support this absurd claim.
3. Trump is now trying to undermine the Justice Department by suggesting the the Federal Bureau of Investigation has broken the law.
4. FBI Director James Comey has denied the claim.
The ability of this new president to lie with such ease is mind boggling to me, but hopefully law and order will soon prevail, and the fake news being put out by our new president will be seen at face value.
It's time to stand up against the lies of this president and Make America Great Again.
Several countries in Africa are going through a devastating drought. Despite the strides made by its newly democratically elected president, Somalia is being hit the hardest of all. In this country of less than 13 million, 6.2 million are in danger of starvation.
As families are struggling to relocate to areas with clean water or a food supply, their children and elderly are dying during the trek. This situation has been declared a national disaster, but with so many dying and millions on the verge of death, starvation, and malnourishment, this national disaster is deserving of international attention.
The current aid agencies in Somalia are overwhelmed by the amount of people rushing into the capital in search of food or water.
The United Nations and the World Food Program are both appealing for millions of dollars in humanitarian aid and assistance, but the problem is here and time is of the essence.
Somalia has already seen mass casualties from famines and droughts in past years. The internationally community cannot stand by and continue to let this happen time and time again. It's time to take a stand and take back Somalia.
International agencies need to come together not only to improve the current conditions, but also to improve future conditions. We are no longer a world of isolated nations, but one interdependent web of humans, and taking care of each other is part of our moral duty.
Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, dual U.S.-Somalia citizen, hopes to make some major reforms in Somalia. President Mohamed plans to revamp the military, fix the humanitarian issues in the country, and overcome the issues caused by the country's famine. President Farmajo believes it will take 20 years or more to fully implement these changes or truly fix the country, but it seems as though he has a good head on his shoulders and is up to the challenge.
Somalia has been in need of a strong leader for a long time. In addition to the famine wreaking havoc on the country in recent years, Transparency International recently named Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world. This, coupled with the pushback from the two extremist groups with a foothold in the country, al-Shabaab and the Islamic State, means that President Farmajo must be vigilant in working towards his campaign promises.
This is the first time in decades Somalia has democratically elected a new leader. While celebrations are being held all over the country, my only hope is that this country is able to come together and stand behind their leader even after the extravaganza of this election wears down. After all, in a country so strongly divided by clans and harsh ideologies, life for this new president may be incredibly difficult once people forget about the glamour of the election. I think the U.S. and the U.N. need to continue to support Somalia, and not let the newfound hope that this election brings simmer into chaos or discontentment.
Columbia's Largest Rebel Group Due to Turn in its Weapons
Erin Worley
Feb. 18, 2017
The last of The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (Farc) have arrived in demobilization zones to turn in their weapons--ending more than half a century of fighting. The Farc have been causing unrest in the country since 1964 when they took up arms against the Columbian government.
The Farc, which mainly consist of poor farmers and plantation workers, began their revolt against the government due in the 1960's because of the overwhelming inequality in the country. The main source of the inequality started in the 19th century when the country began paying off its debts by selling large chunks of land to private owners.
The Marxist-Leninist ideology of the Farc was met with rough opposition from the government. The Farc began losing their power in recent years when the U.S. government started sending millions of dollars in aid, training and supplies to Colombian security forces in an attempt to fight the Farc rebels.
The Columbian government and Farc finally agreed to a peace treaty aimed at stopping the fighting and restoring peace in the war-torn country. While many Farc rebels have voiced concern about the government not upholding their end of the deal, they have still turned in their weapons and are waiting in camps for shelter and further instruction.
The 70 Year Fight Over Kashmir Claims Eight More Lives
Erin Worley
February 12, 2017
Eight people have died and two dozen have been injured in Kashmir due to a gun battle between militants and security forces on Sunday. The fight began in the Kulgam District after security forces were given a tip about a house militants were hiding in.
Kashmir has been the source of major dispute between India and Pakistan since the Partition of India in 1947. Both countries claim ownership of the land and neither side seem willing to give up any time soon.
Despite the fact that India and Pakistan both try to keep this dispute hidden, (and there are therefore many things that are impossible to know about it), one thing for certain is that the fighting has claimed at least 43,000 lives in recent years. While Kashmir is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world, the blood that has been shed over it is devastating.
A resolution needs to be put in place to stop the fighting. While no solution will be ideal or make everyone happy, measures can be taken that will formalize relations and slow down the violence. One such solution could be to divvy up the three sub-regions of the state--Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh in a way that makes sense demographically, politically, and religiously. I think this beats our current solution which mainly involves squeezing our eyes shut and pretending it isn't happening.
This video does an excellent job of explaining the background of this dispute.
On January 27, 2017, Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order. The order, titled Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States has received international attention and outrage. This order has effectively banned the entrance of Muslims from seven Middle Eastern countries––a direct violation of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Banned countries:
Section 1 of the executive order discusses 9/11. In this section Trump mentions, "State Department policy prevented consular officers from properly scrutinizing the visa applications of several of the 19 foreign nationals who went on to murder nearly 3,000 Americans." He then goes on to use this as justification for the ban. This is where the problem starts. Of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attack, 15 were from Saudi Arabia. However, as noted above, Saudi Arabia did not make the list of banned countries. In fact, neither did Egypt, Lebanon, or the United Arab Emirates, the three countries who make up the remaining four hijackers in the 9/11 attack. So, why use 9/11 as justification for creating this ban, if none of the countries involved in the hijacking are added to the list?
In order to avoid the legality issues that come along when the POTUS violates the U.S. Constitution, Trump continues to rebut this executive order by claiming that it is not a Muslim ban, when in fact it is.
Section 5(b) of the executive order states, "Upon the resumption of USRAP admissions . . . [Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security will] prioritize refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individuals country of nationality." Without going any further, this violates the U.S. Constitution simply because it prioritizes certain people based on their religion. In a country built by immigrants and sought after for its promise of freedom of religion, this executive order is eliminating hundreds of years of progress in one quick sweep.
To be more specific about how this constitutes as a Muslim ban, let's look at the religious breakdown of the countries in which Trump banned the "religious majority," according to the CIA Factbook statistics.
Looking at the religious statistics of these countries, how is this order anything but a Muslim ban?How is this not a violation of the Supreme Law of the Land? How have we allowed this to happen?
On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. His first week has caused quite a lot of attention, and here are some of the key things that took place:
1. In the first ever press conference by the new administration, press secretary Sean Spicer managed to spout out five lies, according to the Associated Press and PolitiFact. Unfortunately, instead of the Trump administration coming out and apologizing for the blatant lies, campaign manager Kellyann Conway infamously defended the lies by calling them, "alternative facts." When presented with the facts and questioned, Sean Spicer began insisting that the administration did not intend to lie, even though the admin, "disagrees with the facts." Aside from the fact that the new administration is so comfortable with lying to the public, it is upsetting to see that the new POTUS was so concerned with his image in the first place.
2. Hours after taking office, President Trump signed an executive health care order to begin the process of repealing Obamacare. This order was signed before the proposal of a new plan, according to NPR. Obamacare may not have been the most effective healthcare system, but removing it before a replacement is offered seems a little careless.
3. In the first hour of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order to cut mortgage premiums. This executive order benefits banks and directly hits middle class Americans. According to national mortgage reports, this cut in FHA premiums could keep up to 40,000 would-be-homebuyers out of the market in 2017.
4. Trump called NATO, "obsolete" throughout his campaign, but recently confirmed to British Prime Minister Theresa May that he is, "100 percent behind NATO," according to Politico. I'm not sure what Trump's stance on NATO really is, and I'm also not sure if Trump even knows.
5. Ever obsessed with his image instead of presidential dealings, Trump called for a major investigation into voter fraud, because he couldn't handle the fact that he lost the popular vote by such a large number. According to AP and many Republican leaders, there is no evidence whatsoever that any voter fraud took place during the election, even though Trump has claimed that anywhere from three to five million people voted illegally. In his tweet, he called for a, "major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states." This presents a clear example that President Trump is unaware of the laws of the country in which he runs. It not illegal to be registered to vote in two different states, it is only illegal to cast two ballots. However, if Mr. Trump wants to call this voter fraud, then so be it, as several of the people on his administration were found to be registered in two states.
6. Despite the fact that the CIA has proven that Russia hacked the U.S. election, Trump vehemently denies it. It's interesting that he trusts Russia over the Central Intelligence Agency of his own country.
7. Trump, who has been so insistent on building an unnecessary wall on the Mexican border, has repeatedly promised the American people that Mexico will pay for it, despite their constant rebuttal that they would never contribute toward it. As expected, Mexico is not paying for the wall. Lucky for us, American's tax dollars will be funding it through Trump's plan to put a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports.
The brutal fight between Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service and the Islamic State isn't over. The Washington Post reports that Iraqi special forces regained Mosul University from IS control, along with three of the five bridges along the Tigris River.
According to a CNN report, spokesman for Iraqi counterterrorism, Sabah all Numan reported that the Islamic State was using campus laboratories to make chemical weapons and bombs.
This means that regaining the university was crucial to weakening IS control of the city. The New York Daily News claims that regaining the university was a huge step for Iraqi forces in their attempt to liberate all of Mosul from IS rule.
This is yet another major loss in the Islamic State's downward-spiral. Since 2013, ISIS has lost more than half of the land it once controlled and has remained too weak to regain any of its lost territory.
In addition to losing territory, the Islamic state is losing its fighters and its vision. It's no longer calling fighters to the caliphate, but instead urging them to stay where they are and carry out terrorist attacks from home.
According to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, the Islamic State has been responsible for more than 33,000 deaths since its inception in 2002.
While I believe the downward slope of this terrorist organization is crucial for a policy to create peace in the Middle East, I do not think we should celebrate too much too soon. For one, the group started to gain power and vision after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Extremist factions come out of the rubble of chaos, and IS is sure to leave some rubble on their way out.
Furthermore, as history has taught us, underestimated leaders or groups are not a force to be reckoned with. For example, purely as a result of being underestimated by combatants, Israeli forces were able to capture the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights (from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria, respectively) in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Additionally, Harry S. Truman, 33rd president to the United States, was greatly underestimated by the American people. Due to President Roosevelt's sudden death, Truman unexpectedly took office after only 82 days of serving as vice president. The American public thought he was too weak and unprepared to be a successful leader of this great nation, yet he went on to make great strides in office. During his presidency, this underestimated man went on to drop the atomic bomb that forced Japanese surrender in WWII, help found the United Nations, formed the National Security Council, passed the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after WWII, and created the Truman Doctrine to combat the spread of communism.
As the saying goes, history repeats itself. I therefore believe that the Islamic State should continue to be treated as a real, viable threat and that it is not yet time to celebrate any real defeat.
The protesting in Venezuela is the result of President Nicolas Madura slowly creating a dictatorship within the country. After discovering that the opposition was the majority force during the parliamentary elections of 2015, Maduro delayed all future elections.
