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Blind Eyes & Blame Games: The Beirut Blast

A year after the port blast, Beirut still lies under the ruins of corporate negligence, human rights violations, political corruption, and media coverage that has failed to reflect on the intensity of the man-made disaster.
Having managed to brush off yet another case of casualties under the rug, the global media inherently gave little to no coverage for the issue, thereby enabling many loopholes within International Law to go unnoticed.

Treatment of Transgender Individuals Worldwide

As awareness about the LGBTQ+ community increases in societies around the world, more and more individuals are slowly attaining the liberty to access their basic human rights.
However, these individuals only make up for a minute fraction of the world’s LGBTQ+ community, with millions still living life under harsh and inhumane circumstances, not being able to express themselves or gain access to their fundamental rights.

The Tigray Conflict: Past, Present, and an Unstable Future

As the second most populous state on the African continent, Ethiopia is home to a vast number of ethnic groups and cultural regions.
From the 1970s, Ethiopia was an empire built from conquering nations. As a growing country with one of the most unique government structures in the world, the authority was erratic.
Today, the country is still mired with conflict, threatening citizens’ basic rights and quality of life.

Economic Contractions and Civil Unrest: COVID-19 Exacerbates Crisis in Cuba

As mass protests erupt in Cuba in the midst of a devastating economic crisis, global attention is being drawn to the poor living conditions that citizens of Cuba have been dealing with for over a year now.
Between significant economic contractions and crippling US sanctions, Cuban citizens are in crisis, prompting mass protests.
These protests have been met by additional restrictions on internet access and increased monitoring.

The Thing about Gentrification: Historical Harms & Modern Manifestations

Defined as a process that reinvigorates a historically disinvested neighborhood with resources, new people, and businesses, gentrification is a concept that has long incited controversy.
Much of gentrification was caused by racially charged practices, and thus many Black communities bear its burden on their shoulders.
Today, Gentrification and its impacts have affected cities worldwide, with a few notable examples being Paris and Silicon Valley.

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Indigenous Children in Canada: A Brief History

With the discovery of the unmarked graves of over 1,100 indigenous children around some of Canada’s residential schools, the world has gained a more complete picture of the human rights violations and atrocities committed against Canada’s indigenous population since the country’s founding.
Though the Canadian government apologized in 2008, the repercussions of these institutions are still felt today, despite the fact that the last residential school shut down 25 years ago.
It’s estimated that 150,000 children went through the system and that as many as 15,000 of them may not have made it out alive.

Women in Pakistan: Pawns in the Games of Men
An opinion by Zyna Shoukat, 8/13/2021

A pawn in the games of men - an utterly disrespectful way to describe a woman. However, in the part of the world that I was born and raised, it unfortunately reigns true.
Though I in no way intend to misrepresent my country as one that stifles all women, the provision of the basic rights it has now granted us fails to make up for the horrendous way a Pakistani woman is treated.
It’s high time for us as a society to educate ourselves and acknowledge the privilege and problematic behavior enabled by a violently patriarchal system of oppression that lets men dictate how and whether a woman should live her life.

Peter the Great, Pussy Riot, and the Russian Woman

Upon sheer allusion, the Russian Federation conjures images of ursine immensity and demeanour; a burly authoritarian force. A once enviable literary and cultural tradition, subverted by diplomatic inadequacy and an all-corroding kleptocratic menace.
Where do women emerge in this fatalist and chauvinist narrative?

One Year Later: Israel, the UAE, and the Abraham Accords

Just one year after the inception of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement between Israel and the UAE, all communication between the two nations was standardized, including tourism, direct flights, scientific cooperation, business relations, and even ambassadorial diplomatic ties.
To many, especially the Western World, this deal has nothing but potential.
However, human rights groups, activists, and every day citizens around the world show disdain for the neglect of those most overlooked: Palestinians.

The Cuban Crisis: A Collision of Past and Present Woes

From Havana to Santiago, The Republic of Cuba is witnessing its largest anti-government protests in decades, as the Cuban people demand changes within their government.
While these protests continue, the world watches as President Miguel Diaz-Canal takes action and speculation about American involvement continues to gain global traction.
The Cuban people are deprived of necessities, facing shortages of essentials such as food, medicine, and electricity. The economy is collapsing, and with spikes in the prices of goods and services, many people are unable to afford basic necessities.

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.

Disparities in Distribution: Inequity & Corruption Plague Vaccine Rollout

The development of vaccines against COVID-19 was a scientific landmark. This was the fastest development of a vaccine yet, and the high efficacy rate of the vaccines is remarkable.
The large-scale rollout of the vaccine has made vaccination campaigns vulnerable to political corruption and presented challenges for developing nations facing a shortage of doses.
In a time where such inequity is rampant, both between nations and among them, there is a moral obligation for greater international oversight and access.

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.

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.

Learn more about our submissions program.

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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.

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.