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International YOuth Politics Forum

Case Studies: Rights of the Elderly in Japan, Afghanistan, and Norway

The rights of the elderly have recently been a matter of heated debate among the international community.
The COVID -19 pandemic renders the protection of the elderly more crucial than ever andit now tops the list of issues to be discussed on the United Nations’ agenda.
Even though it is estimated that people aged over 60 are going to exceed 1 billion by the end of the decade, the elderly population constitute an inhomogeneous group, making it even harder for national governments to tackle the challenges they face.

Human Trafficking & the Untold Shackles of the Pandemic

Submission by Anvita Tripathi, 7/26/2021

The rates of human trafficking have steadily risen across the world throughout the pandemic. Human trafficking now impacts about 40.3 million individuals across the globe.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, migrant workers were already at a heightened risk of modern slavery due to their reliance on daily wages, irregular status in the destination country, and exclusion from state economic and social support services.
Since the beginning of the disease’s outbreak in early 2020, migrant workers were not only vulnerable to catching the virus in their often hazardous working and living conditions but also experienced an increased risk of destitution in the destination country after losing employment, detention as a result of migrants’ irregular status, indebtedness as a result of loans taken before and during the pandemic and increased vulnerability to debt bondage and slavery.

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The "Inalienable" Right to Vote: Oppression Efforts in the United States

The 2020 Presidential Election in the United States was one of the most polarized in American history. Complicated by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, states had to ensure that the voting process was safe and accessible for all citizens.
However, with former President Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric on the fraudulent status of mail-in and absentee voting, the Republican Party sought to limit the votes of marginalized groups.
Due to the high rates of voter turnout, conservative actions to suppress the vote were among the highest that the country has ever seen. Currently, as the nation is on the mend, President Biden urges Congress to pass legislation to protect against future voter suppression.

A “Self Inflicted National Catastrophe”: The Second Wave of Covid-19 in India

India’s second wave of Covid-19 began in late March, sparking domestic and international unrest.
The peak number of recorded cases reached 26 million along with the absence of a national strategy.
As the situation evolves, the challenges, conduct and overall handling of the Covid-19 crisis in India continues to draw international attention due to its severity and sheer size.
Additionally, many countries have come forward, willing to help India with the increasingly poor situation.

Nicaragua: Unrest & Uncertainty Amidst Potential Intervention

After enduring long periods of political turmoil, dictatorship, and occupation since 1821, Nicaragua, one of the largest countries in Central America, is once again facing a political crisis.
Currently, further controversial actions have been taken: political parties being disqualified, the prohibition of protests, and the detainment of opposition leaders.
The country faces the loss of democracy and the introduction of a one-state party system, which threatens to establish a dictatorship.

Bridging the Gap Over the Indo-Pacific

Submission by Padmini Prasad

On the 5th of September, 2019, the Indian Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, visited Indonesia to meet his counterpart Retno Marsudi, just a little over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country.
That visit was itself preceded by the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo’s visit to India in December 2016.
Repeated visits by the leadership of both countries indicate the deepening of relations between the two neighboring nations that move beyond the nostalgia of shared historical and cultural ties, even into the realms of defense, cooperation concerning terrorism, and trade.

A Violent Struggle for Homeland: The Palestinian Right to Nationality, Property, Ownership, and Movement

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 supported the establishsment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Modern political zionism was a key motivator for British parliament to enact this declaration.
Mandatory Palestine was home to a sizable Arab population. The ‘Holy Land’ was once shared by Christians, Jews, and Muslims. However, as more Jewish settlers came to the alloted land, Israel expanded, which encroached on Palestinian lands. Violence between Palestinian and Israeli forces broke out, causing conflicts of great magnitude.
As Israel enjoyed the support of many Western nations, namely Britain and the United States, their government stripped Palestinians of many rights guaranteed by international law. As a result, refugees had no place to go.

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Understanding Separatism & Islamophobia in France

On March 30th, the French senate voted in favor of a policy that would ban Muslim women under the age of 17 from wearing a hijab in public.
The law would also ban adult women in religious garb from supervising their children on school functions.
The decision by the senate would impact more than 4.5 million Muslim women in France. In the last decade, Islamophobia in the country has become more pronounced. France favors a secular religious policy, but this has proven problematic.

The Privatization of Space

IYPF THROWBACK

Following the historic launch of SpaceX’ Falcon 9, as well as the Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin launches, the conversation about the validity of privatizing space exploration has become a widespread topic of discussion once again.
Space exploration is a feat that, until the last decade, has largely been conducted through government-funded initiatives. With the rise of companies such as SpaceX, the question also comes as to whether or not allowing private enterprises to be involved in the industry will hinder or help the industry as well as diplomatic relations between the countries involved.

The Future of American Military Engagement in the Middle East

Between 2009 and 2015, the Obama Administration carried out 473 drone strikes, where between 64-116 civilian deaths occurred, and those murdered were only pardoned posthumously.
Joe Biden, America’s current president, previously Vice President for Barack Obama, often authorized these strikes in the President’s absence, and his inauguration has caused many Middle Eastern and South Asian people to be extremely skeptical over what the region can expect in the next four years.