The Caravel | Volume V, Issue III

V O LU M E 5 | I S S U E 3

WA S H I N G TO N , D. C .

M O N D AY NOVEMBER 20 , 2017

@TheCaravelGU

Thousands Leave Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria

Residents of Puerto Rico collect food and water from a U.S. Army distribution point.

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Germany Recognizes Third Gender Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled on November 8 that Germany must amend its Civil Status Law to allow a third gender category for people who are born with inconclusive sexual characteristics or who do not identify themselves as either male or female.

The court set December 31, 2018 as the deadline for the German legislature to set new provisions that will either add a third gender category or entirely eliminate the question of gender from official identifying documents. According to the Human Rights Watch, this upcoming set of guidelines will make Germany the first European country to allow a third gender designation in its

THE ANCHOR, 2-3

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Democrats Sweep Major November Elections, p. 2

birth certificates, following in the steps of Australia, India, New Zealand, and Nepal.

The decision settled the case of a German citizen, Vanja, who in 2014 requested that the registry office change the previously entered gender category on their birth certificate from “female” to “diverse” or “inter-diverse.” Vanja’s request was denied by the registry office because it would violate the Civil Status Law that forces citizens to strictly identify as either male or female, or opt not to make a gender entry at all.

According to Deutsche Welle, an estimated 80,000 people in Germany identify as intersex, meaning they do not display the gender traits of people generally described as male or female.

Vanja, one among thousands, em-

barked on a three-year legal battle that culminated in November of this year.

Vanja filed against the registry office’s decision in Germany’s lower courts, arguing that the current Civil Status Law is “a violation of the general right of personality in conjunction with discrimination based on gender.”

Vanja provided the court with genetic evidence that in fact, people who identify as intersex have a single sex chromosome, an X chromosome, rather than two X chromosomes, like women, or one X and one Y chromosome, like men.

In spite of Vanja’s arguments, the case was rejected continuously, until the Constitutional Court took it over,

E. EUROPE & RUSSIA, 4-5 Slovaks Push Back on Rising Nationalism, p. 4

LATAM & THE CARIBBEAN, 8-9

W. EUROPE & CANADA, 6-7 Amsterdam Stages Anti-Terrorism Drills, p. 7

See “Germany Recognizes Third Gender” on p. 6

Former Argentine VP Arrested for Corruption, p. 8 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Alejandra Rocha

Two months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, 100,000 Puerto Ricans have left the island in pursuit of better living conditions, according to estimates disclosed to Congress on November 7. Since September 20, an average of around 1,800 residents have left the island each day.

According to government statistical records, that number is higher than the total number of Puerto Ricans who left in all of 2015.

Currently, less than 50 percent of the island has electricity, communication lines are still unreliable, and many businesses haven’t been able to reopen, according to the Puerto Rican government. For many Puerto Ricans who had previously thought of leaving the island, the hurricane has been the tipping point.

Florida is receiving most of the

Puerto Ricans displaced by the storm.

Twenty-seven thousand Puerto Ricans have arrived through Port Everglades and the Miami and Orlando airports alone, NPR reported. Many end up in Florida due to the weather, the proximity, and the fact that most Puerto Ricans already know people living there.

A mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to the mainland has been taking place throughout the last decade. From 2006 to 2015, the island’s population was reduced to 3.4 million as more than 400,000 Puerto Ricans moved to the mainland, Quartz reported.

Five years ago, about 50,000 people migrated per year. The last two years, however, saw that number increase to 80,000. Luis Martinez-Fernandez, a history professor at the University of Central Florida who studies Puerto Rican migration to the mainland, See “Thousands Leave Puerto Rico” on p. 8

Saad Hariri Resigns as Prime Minister of Lebanon Dana Ahdab Saad Hariri, the prime minister of Lebanon, abruptly resigned on November 4 amidst rumors of political interference from Saudi Arabia.

Speaking from an undisclosed location in Riyadh, Hariri announced on November 4 that he will resign as Lebanon’s prime minister. His announcement was aired on Al Arabiya, a Saudi state-owned news station. In his speech, Hariri admitted that he felt his life was in danger in Lebanon and that he worried about possible assassination plots against him.

“We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed be-

INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC, 10-11 Trump’s Visit Sparks Culinary Conflict in East Asia , p. 10 MIDDLE EAST & C.ASIA, 12-13 Hamas Hands Over Control of Gaza Border, p. 12

fore the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri. I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life,” Hariri said.

Rafik Hariri was Saad Hariri’s father and Lebanon’s prime minister until his assassination in a 2005 bombing in Beirut.

In the speech, Hariri also accused Iran of meddling in Arab affairs and Hezbollah of leading Lebanon into turmoil, according to Al Jazeera.

Hezbollah is a military and political organization predominantly made up of Shi’ite Muslims and backed by Iran. It occupies seats in the Lebanese parliament and is part of Hariri’s own See “Saad Hariri Resigns” on p. 12

N. & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 14-15

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Gabriela Rodriguez

Kenyatta Declared Winner of Election Re-Run, p. 15

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THE ANCHOR

GOP Tax Plan Draws Bipartisan Criticism The House GOP released a tax bill it claims will benefit middle- and working-class Americans. The bill will double the standard deduction, a change that will reduce the tax burden faced by middle- and lower-income families while also increasing the size of the child tax credit, according to the New York Times. In addition, the bill does not reduce the deductibility of 401(k) payments, despite reports suggesting otherwise.

Seniors groups have come out in opposition due to the elimination of the deduction currently allowed for medical expenses. Though not widely used, the deduction largely benefits older, sicker, middle-class Americans.

The AARP has condemned the measure, referring to it as a “health tax.”

The bill would also increase the taxes of some middle-class Americans, according to the Washington Post. The average family in the lower middle class, making between $20,000 and $40,000, and those in the upper-middle

Nivu Jejurikar Tamara Evdokimova Robert Danco

Carolyn Kirshe Rodrigo Mercado Jennifer Lu Sarah Mathys Josh Chang Jackie Landry Marie Merveilleux du Vignaux Sarah Bothner Christopher Stein David Lim Josh Chang Caroline Schauder Joshua Haney Molly Dunlap Kyle Tilotson Bryce Couch Preetham Chippada Tim Coan Jessica Hickle Jonathan Doernhofer Francesca Ractliffe Ga Ram Lee Julia Rhodes Gabriel Gorre

class, making between $200,000 and $500,000, would pay more under the plan after 2023, according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

This increase results from allowing tax breaks for middle-class families to expire, including state and local income tax deductions.

A New York Times analysis suggests that many in the middle class will face thousands of dollars in tax increases as soon as 2018.

Opposition from right-leaning members of Congress means that passage of the bill is far from guaranteed.

In an interview with the New York Times, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he “misspoke” when he said that “nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase” under the bill.

Publisher Editor-in-Chief Executive Director EXECUTIVE BOARD Marketing Research Finance Business Development IT Social Events EDITORIAL BOARD Copy Chief Copy Chief Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Indo-Asia-Pacific Editor Eastern Europe and Russia Editor Eastern Europe and Russia Editor Latin America and the Caribbean Editor Latin America and the Caribbean Editor Middle East and Central Asia Editor Middle East and Central Asia Editor North and Sub-Saharan Africa Editor North and Sub-Saharan Africa Editor Western Europe and Canada Editor Western Europe and Canada Editor The Anchor Editor The Anchor Editor

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Gabriel Gorre

Republicans Speak Out Against Diversity Lottery House Speaker Paul Ryan promises economic growth at 115th Congress.

Lily Batchelder, a former member of former-President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council, told the Washington Post that the plan benefits richer Americans. For example, the elimination of the estate tax contributes to a far greater after-tax income bump for the rich in comparison to middleclass Americans by 2027.

Though the Republicans maintain a majority in the House and Senate, opposition from rightleaning members of Congress means that passage of the bill is far from guaranteed.

The New York Times analysis speculates that Republicans in hightax states, fiscally conservative Republicans, and pro-business special

interests may scuttle the bill. Business groups also claim that the bill would harm multinational corporations.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has criticized the apparent tax increases in the text of the bill.

Trump has sought to expand support for the bill by reaching out to Democrats in conservative states, such as North Dakota, by claiming the bill harms the rich, though few senators seem persuaded by this line of argument.

The bill may be subject to a 60vote supermajority threshold, making the bill’s future uncertain. For the moment, Republicans retain control of the legislature and the presidency.

Democrats Sweep Major November Elections Gabriel Gorre Democrats won a series of state and local elections across the country on November 1. The party captured the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, while also flipping the Washington State Senate and making the largest gains by Democrats in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 100 years, according to the Washington Post.

Ralph Northam’s message of economic growth and financial security appealed to more Virginians than Republican Ed Gillespie’s platform, which focused on abolishing sanctuary cities and combating gang violence. As a result, Northam won with 53.9 percent of the vote, compared to Gillespie’s 45 percent.

Democrats have celebrated the results as a condemnation of the Republican agenda and the president, reported Politico.

Outgoing Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe told

Politico that he considers the result “a rejection of Trump.”

Nevertheless, the White House attributes the losses to the Republican candidates instead of the party itself, according to a set of talking points obtained by Axios that Gillespie’s “wavering support for the president resulted in depressed turnout among Republicans.”

Following the electoral victories, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced an expanded list of districts in which it will support candidates. The new list identifies 90 seats that Democrats could potentially capture.

The most recent election puts major Republican policies in jeopardy. Given that the Republicanled tax overhaul splits the House along partisan lines, the November elections “make progress on tax reform… more difficult,” said Republican consultant Rob Stutzman to Politico.

After the domestic terror attack in Manhattan on October 31, President Donald Trump criticized the diversity lottery program that granted a green card to the Uzbek suspect of the attack, Sayfullo Saipov. The program provides legal resident visas to individuals from countries with low levels of immigration to the United States.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) helped pass immigration legislation in 1990 that reformed an existing lottery system, which originally favored Irish immigrants. The program ensures that individuals meet certain educational standards before they can participate in the computer-generated selection.

Since then, the program has awarded one million green cards, according to the New York Times.

Trump tweeted that he favors a merit-based system and criticized Senator Schumer. However, Schumer and the other senators in the bipartisan Gang of Eight jointly decided to allocate more merit-based visas.

According to the Washington Examiner, Senators Cotton (R-AR) and Purdue (R-GA) lobbied the president after the attack to support an immigration bill that would do “away with the diversity lottery.” Instead, they plan to increase allocations of high-skilled worker visas as part of the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act (RAISE).

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have challenged previous attempts to end the diversity lottery program, arguing that “it helps Africans who otherwise would not have the opportunity to come to the United States.” Citizens from Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the top beneficiaries of the program, according to AfricaNews.

The president has not taken any further steps to end the program. The RAISE Act has yet to receive a hearing date. According to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Republicans may try to terminate the program as part of an extensive immigration overhaul later this year.

N O V . 20, 2017 | 3

Trump Declares Opiod Crisis Public Health Emergency Caleb Yip

FLICKR

President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency on October 26. This designation falls short of a national health emergency, which would have immediately unlocked billions in federal funds.

Instead, a public health emergency allows the administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to spend $57,000 on preventative measures.

Trump’s declaration of a public health emergency will waive some

regulations and give states more freedom to use federal funds to fight addictions. It also instructs health agencies to allocate more grant money toward combating the crisis.

The opioid crisis has steadily worsened in the past decade. Drug overdoses have grown from just under 17,000 per year 1999 to over 52,000 in 2015, according to CBS News.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) first labelled it as an epidemic in 2011. Since then, fentanyl, a more potent opiate, has exacerbated the crisis.

Senator Claire McCaskill launches Committee Roundtable on opiod epidemic.

The Trump administration has tried to tackle the crisis before this announcement. Last August, Attorney General Jeff Sessions dispatched twelve federal prosecutors to cities particularly hard-hit by the opioid crisis in order to focus on healthcare fraud and opioid scams.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has recently moved to take new measures that would reduce exposure to the drug, including new packaging that would limit the amount of pills dispensed.

At the announcement in the East Room of the White House, Trump said, “No part of our society—not young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural—has been spared this plague of drug addiction and this horrible, horrible situation that’s taken place with opioids.”

The chairwoman of the American Medical Association’s opioid task force, Patrice A. Harris, considers the announcement an important first step.

Speaking to the New York Times, she said, “There is plenty of work ahead and the emergency declaration adds further urgency to this epidemic.”

Former-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Coderre and

former-Director of Public Affairs for FEMA Rafael Lemaitre told CNN that there is no “silver bullet solution to the opioid crisis.” However, they suggest that Congress should appropriate the billions of dollars necessary to expand addiction treatments.

The House currently spends $500 million dollars per year on treatment programs, but that money will run out by next year.

“There is plenty of work ahead, and the emergency declaration adds further urgency.”

Patrice A. Harris The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction urged Congress to “appropriate sufficient funds” to combat the opioid epidemic.

However, it did not indicate a preferred level of funding. According to the New York Times, the administration is in “ongoing discussions” with Congress to find an appropriate spending level.

Painting Crises: The Humanizing Nature of Art Andrea Moneton, Opinion Artistic representations of crises have grown more prominent in recent years as global crises broaden to touch a wider range of individuals worldwide.

Today, the word crisis might be prefaced by anything from refugee to humanitarian, political to economic.

As the word becomes part of our daily vocabulary, its representations have also diversified and begun to humanize those for whom crises are a daily reality.

Observers of crises often rely on the news for information. However, news outlets often reduce crises to statistics and broad trends. As technology and social media character limits reduce individual attention spans, news outlets seek to condense information into digestible charts and buzzwords.

At the height of the European refugee crisis in 2016, BBC posted an explainer for the migrant crisis using seven charts.

After President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis in the United States a public health emergency in October, the Associated Press

neatly tied-up the current state of the epidemic “by the numbers.”

While the media sanitizes stories, art of all sorts has the potential to humanize them.

Anonymous street artist Banksy touched hearts when the world woke up to find he had sprayed an image of a little girl being lifted by balloons onto

While the media sanitizes stories, art has the potential to humanize them. a wall in the West Bank.

Artist Dana Schutz sparked heated controversy when she represented Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy lynched in 1955, in an abstract painting in response to contemporary, high-profile murders of African American men by white police officers in the United States.

In October, artist and activist Ai Weiwei released Human Flow, his latest documentary; in it, he brings

viewers directly along refugees’ long walks to shelter and into refugee camps across 23 countries in a powerful style reminiscent of his roots as an artist.

All three examples reinject empathy and compassion into our understanding of crises. They humanize the individuals who make up the staggering numbers that make news, thus offering an emotional complement to the broad overview that sanitized charts provide. After all, one can only see numbers so many times before they lose their initial dramatic effect.

While this humanization is necessary to avoid a crisis fatigue among audiences whose lives remain untouched by these events, artists must ensure to also use their art in ethical ways.

Dr. Seth Perlow, an English professor at Georgetown University who takes an interest in the ethical dimensions of crisis narratives, told the Caravel, “Stories about crisis frequently negotiate the limited scale of a single person or community responding to an event that spans oceans and continents.”

However, one refugee does not

represent all refugees, nor does one opioid user speak for all those struggling with opioid addiction.

Artists representing individual stories “run the risk of effacing important differences among individuals and cultures, differences that inform how people experience a given crisis,” Perlow said.

“Stories about crisis... negotiate the limited scale of a single person.”

Dr. Seth Perlow These ethical concerns should not deter artists from representing crises as they see fit. Rather, they should remind artists and audiences alike that although numbers hide distinct stories, each individual’s story remains unique. As long as artists do not force individual narratives to speak for wider crises, they have an incredible potential to continue humanizing global crises.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Julia Rhodes

S

ince the New York Times revealed sexual assault charges against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on October 5, thousands have tweeted their own stories using the hashtag #MeToo to publicize the ubiquity of assault.

The hashtag gained prominence after actress Alyssa Milano tweeted: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

The phrase originates with Tarana Burke, the founder of Just Be Inc., an organization that supports young women of color.

Burke launched the Me Too campaign ten years ago to support communities “where rape crisis centers and sexual assault workers weren’t going,” according to Ebony.

After Milano’s initial tweet on October 15, more than 4.7 million users used the hashtag in over 12 million posts, according to CNN. For some women, the campaign provides solidarity and catharsis.

In an article for HelloGiggles, activist Alaina Leary wrote that she feels “empowered when other LGBTQIA+ and disabled survivors speak up about their experiences.”

However, the campaign’s emphasis on publicity and visibility poses a challenge to survivors of sexual assault. Contributors Editor of the HuffPo Angelina Chapman recognizes that #MeToo challenges the victim-blaming narrative and opens up a space for marginalized voices to take center stage.

However, she fears the campaign puts undue pressure on women “to tell painful stories.” In other words, the burden falls on survivors, not perpetrators, of assault to effect change.

Though #MeToo has opened up a space online for survivors to tell their stories, it must go beyond a 250-character limit to challenge men (and women!) to recognize their own culpability as bystanders.

As celebrities come forward with their stories of sexual assault, we must keep in mind that not all individuals have the privilege to do so. We must instead validate survivors but not place a further burden on their shoulders.

4 | N O V. 20, 2017

EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA Slovaks Push Back on Rising Nationalism

Morgan Smith As the 2018 Russian presidential elections approach, tensions between the Kremlin and main opposition leader Alexei Navalny are mounting.

A lawsuit filed by Navalny against Russian President Vladimir Putin was struck down on November 8, fueling allegations of repression, reported RT. Navalny launched his political career in 2008 via his blog, a platform he has consistently used to campaign for economic and political reform in Russia. After winning the leadership of the Progress Party in 2012, Navalny has been a prominent opposition figure in Russia.

Above all, Navalny has focused his opposition efforts on political corruption. He has attacked Russia’s governing party, United Russia, as a “party of crooks and thieves,” as quoted by the BBC. He has used his presence on social media to question and expose fraud within the government and state-owned corporations. For the media-savvy younger generations,

Navalny has come to represent hope for an open and honest government.

Due to his political prominence in Russia, Navalny has been arrested and detained a number of times.

Most serious was his conviction of embezzlement in 2013, a sentence that was widely considered politicallymotivated. The ruling was eventually overturned by the Russian Supreme Court, only to be replaced by an identical verdict in a retrial in 2017.

“We’ll put them on trial too - and that time it will be fair.”

TASS, Russia’s state-owned news agency, maintains that “blogger Alexey Navalny does not have any legal right to participate in the 2018 presidential election in Russia” because under Russian law, “citizens cannot take part in the polls if they were convicted for high-graded felonies and have outstanding convictions”.

Navalny was most recently

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Russian Opposition Leader Sues Putin

Victoria Thomaides

Navalny was detained in Moscow on March 23, 2017 following protests.

convicted of organizing unsanctioned campaign rallies in Russia. The Moscow Times reported that he was sentenced to a 20-day detention period and a fine. In response, Navalny filed an 800page lawsuit against President Putin, reported RT. Navalny explained the basis of the suit on his blog.

“Each week we file about 200 requests for public rallies and everywhere we are refused. These refusals are absolutely illegal,” Navalny stated, claiming that “city and town administrations across the country are acting in organized and synchronized ways, and apparently on directions from Moscow.”

The lawsuit was rejected by the courts almost immediately on the basis of presidential immunity. However,

the tensions behind the legal dispute reveal the strategy the Kremlin is using to subvert Navalny.

According to The Moscow Times, the Kremlin fears elevating Navalny to national fame by persecuting him aggressively. Instead, they have chosen to take a more nuanced approach, obstructing him subtly rather than overtly. For example, by refusing to grant permission for campaign rallies, the Kremlin can discreetly restrict the proliferation of Navalny’s views without turning him into a victim of state intimidation. “A time will come when we’ll put them on trial too - and that time it will be fair,” Navalny tweeted in response to a prior conviction.

More Women to Enter Russian Presidential Elections Ismary Guardarrama Five women have announced their bid for the Russian presidency as of November 8.

According to Russian news site Vedomosti, early in September 2017, the Kremlin suggested that Vladimir Putin should be challenged by a female candidate. One of these five women could end incumbent President Vladimir Putin’s 13 years of rule.

Ksenia Sobchak, a journalist and socialite, announced her bid on Youtube in October. Another journalist and socialite, Yekaterina Gordon, also declared her presidential ambitions.

While Sobchak plans to run an “against all” campaign as an alternative to the other names on the ballot, Gordon prioritizes the protection of women’s rights, according to RT. The three other women are Yelena Semerikova, the head of the Women’s Dialogue; Irina Volynets, the chair

of the National Parents’ Committee NGO; and Yelena Berkova, a porn actress. RT reports that Semerikova vows to use her position to support Vladimir Putin, since her beliefs align with his political agenda, while Volynets plans to represent a minor political party with a program to strengthen social policies in Russia.

Berkova, on the other hand, as shown by her Instagram announcement video, suggested making divorce more difficult for men and enforcing strict rules on clothing.

She also proposes the death penalty for sexual harassment in the wake of the Weinstein accusations.

The Moscow Times states that only two women have run for president in recent Russian history: Ella Pamfilova in 2000 (with 1 percent of the vote) and Irina Khakamada in 2004 (with 4 percent of the vote).

The election will take place on March 18, 2018.

Regional elections in Slovakia on November 4 signal a departure from the rise in nationalism that marked parliamentary elections earlier this year. The most notable result came from the Banská Bystrica region, where Ján Lunter beat the incumbent Marian Kotleba, according to the Slovak Spectator.

As the chairman of the far-right People’s Party-Our Slovakia, Kotleba had previously garnered support on an anti-EU, anti-corruption, and antiimmigration platform. DW found that Lunter, on the other hand, ran as the candidate of an anti-fascist coalition and won 48.5 percent of the vote in a race marked by a 20 percent increase in voter turnout, reported the Slovak Spectator.

In March, Prime Minister Robert Fico of the center-left Direction Social-Democracy Party – also known as Smer – won enough seats to stay in power, but lost the majority in Parliament, as well as key council and regional positions, reported Politico.

This electoral trend reflects a broader spike in nationalistic sentiment across countries like Hungary, Poland, and Germany.

Though the results of the March elections left the future of Slovak politics unclear, President Andrej Kiska expressed his optimism to the Spectator following the most recent regional race: “We defeated hundreds of [the far-right’s] candidates in all the regions with our strongest weapon – a free vote in a democratic election.”

Saturday’s election also revealed a growing discontent with Prime Minister Fico and his harsh stance against immigration, according to Politico. Out of six regional re-election bids, only two Smer candidates were successful, with four center-right politicians taking the remainder of spots.

In the province of Zilina, Slovakia’s first female governor was elected over the social-democratic incumbent as the representative of a pro-business, center-right coalition, noted DW. The rejection of both the extremist right and mainstream left in Saturday’s elections seem to be pointing Slovak politics in a direction towards increased coalition-building and closer ties to the EU.

N O V. 20, 2017 | 5

Moldovan Court Approves Language Name Change Lauren Paysse The Constitutional Court of Moldova approved on October 31 a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the name of the country’s official language from Moldovan to Romanian, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Balkan Insight reported that the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) introduced the draft amendment, which received

35 signatures from pro-European members of parliament. With consent from the court, the proposal is eligible for debate in parliament and a vote is expected in the spring, according to RFE/RL. Constitutional changes require a two-thirds majority vote in parliament to pass, explained Balkan Insight.

Tudor Deliu, the chairman of the PLDM parliamentary faction and one of the initiators of the proposal, praised the ruling. As quoted by RFE/ RL, Delius said, “The first step has

RUSSIAN OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Moldovan President Igor Dodon speaks at a press conference with Putin.

been made, historical justice has been restored. The citizens of Moldova speak the Romanian language.

Everyone knows that. And this should be inscribed in the constitution.”

“Our ancestors defended our language and our traditions for centuries.”

In contrast, the Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who is proRussian, wants the name of the official language to remain Moldovan.

According to the Irish Times, Dodon explained to Russia’s Ria news agency, “Our ancestors defended our language and our traditions for centuries.

We are obliged to defend it for our children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.”

Balkan Insight reports that Doden proposed an alternative way to settle the dispute, by organizing “a referendum to ask citizens what is the name of their preferred language: Romanian or Moldovan.”

The disagreement over the name

of the official language is only one facet of the broader debate over Moldovan identity and whether or not to politically and culturally align with Russia or the rest of Europe. According to the Irish Times, Moldova shifted between Russian and Romanian control for centuries until it became its own state in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved. The Moldovan language is identical to Romanian except for its use of the Cyrillic alphabet, which was implemented during Soviet rule. The Soviet Union enforced the new alphabet and renamed the language Moldovan in order to create a distinction between the languages and people of Moldova and Romania, reported the Irish Times.

According to Balkan Insight, despite the political controversy, Moldova’s Constitutional Court insists that its approval of the amendment is purely technical, citing its December 2013 ruling that Moldova’s official language is Romanian. The ruling explained that the name Romanian, used in the Declaration of Independence, took legal precedence over the term Moldovan, which appears in the constitution.

US and Russian Governments Censure National News Outlets Russia’s parliament warned on November 10 that “some US and other foreign media” could be branded “foreign agents,” reported Reuters. This classification would require the news outlets to declare details of “funding, finances, and staffing” to the Russian government at regular periods.

The Guardian reports that these threats are a “tit-for-tat” response to the recent U.S. order for the agency to register as a foreign agent. The United States Department of Justice directed RT to register as such before November 13 or else have its bank accounts frozen. CNN adds that RT, previously known as Russia Today, was previously given an October registration deadline, which “RT has said it previously missed to fight against the forced registration.”

The registration process, known as FARA, requires news outlets to declare “funding, operations, and other information” while conducting their work, according to CNN. Japan’s NHK, the China Daily, and other state-sponsored news organizations are already registered as foreign agents.

Politico observes that the move by the U.S. Department of Justice is likely in response to American intelligence agencies accusing Russia of interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Russia has dismissed such allegations as “fantasies.” CNN supplements this notion, stating that RT was “singled out” for the role it may have played in the elections.

As reported by RT, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated in recent parliamentary proceedings, “It would be the right thing to do if our parliamentary committee develops some proposals that mirror U.S. action.” Both the Los Angeles Times and CNN noted that the Western media outlets most likely to be targeted include Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Voice of America, and Current, which are all funded by the United States government.

Russian politicians have been vocal in their support of retaliatory measures against Western media. “I think our patience has run out…. I don’t rule out it will be done next week,” affirmed Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

Speaker Volodin echoed these beliefs, asserting, as per the Guardian, “What the U.S. authorities are doing today is an infringement of fundamental civil rights.”

RT reports that some MPs in the State Duma “proposed much more radical measures,” including Communist Party MP Ivan Kharitonov’s proposal to “sever diplomatic relations” and close air transit between the nations.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) writes that Volodin went on to claim that Moscow has “a lot of evidence” that American media within Russia is geared “to form

ARTEM SVETLOV VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Cooper Vardy

public opinion in the United States” to oppose the Russian political system.

The Speaker provided no qualifying evidence for these claims.

Currently, as RFE/RL reports, RT circulates freely in the United States, though RFE/RL itself is “already subject to severe restrictions.” Russian administrative pressure resulted in RFE/RL being almost entirely “forced off the air” in 2012.

The Russian Embassy in the United States publicly declared in a Facebook post that “blatant pressure on the Russian mass media confirms that the U.S. pursues the course of deliberately hurting our relations.”

RT Headquarters and Studio building in Moscow, in October 2013.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Joshua Haney

I

t is perhaps fitting that the United States’s former Cold War adversary has proved itself capable in the creation and maintenance of what Foreign Policy terms frozen conflicts. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dedicated resources and troops to keeping otherwise untenable breakaway regions nominally independent.

These tactics tend to captivate Western media attention for a time, then fade away into the background.

From the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia, NagornoKarabakh in Azerbaijan, Transnistria in Moldova, and the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine, Russia has been able to create roadblocks to Western expansion. For example, Ukraine has little chance of joining NATO so long as it has unresolved territorial conflicts, the Brookings Institution report.

The Transnistrian state rose out of a desire to rejoin the Soviet Union after Moldova left; a war in 1992 against Moldova, won with Russian support, guaranteed their autonomy. The Nagorno-Karabakh region is a largely Armenian exclave within Azerbaijan, where by 1988 ethnic violence led to to full scale war as the Soviet Union collapsed.

Russia brokered a peace deal in 1994 that did not resolve the issue despite being an effective ceasefire agreement, the Atlantic Council stated.

Likewise, Russian support and negotiation during wars in Georgia from 1991-1992 and 1992-1993 led to the de facto independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, respectively. When Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, they cemented the independence of the separatist states in the region.

The conflict in Ukraine received greater media attention, as Russia invaded Crimea and supported separatists in Eastern Ukraine in a so-called hybrid war. As detailed by Euromaidan Press, since 2015, the borders between the separatists and Ukraine have remained more or less the same, and attempts at peace have been halting at best.

American disinterest in these breakaway states harms our own interests and directly harms those states who might look to be our allies. Lack of concern manifests itself as lack of popular political pressure to support the territorial sovereignty of threatened nations like Ukraine and Georgia. Weak pressure from below signals to other powers, namely Russia, that the most probable American response to power grabs on their part will likely be one of apathy.

6 | N O V. 20, 2017

WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA

Francesca Ratcliffe

O

ver the past few months, a series of random attacks occurred across the United Kingdom and greater Europe.

So far political leaders have been struggling to declare a concrete action plan to deal with the increase in violence. United Kingdom’s Theresa May has adopted a more defensive stance on terrorism, stating that the UK should be more proactive in assuring that Islamic extremism does not reach the island. Earlier this year in mourning of a suicide bomber attack in Manchester, she commented: “We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue to carry on as they are...Enough is enough.” May has advocated for harsher prison sentences for assailants and for the monitoring of the Internet that she considers to be a ‘safe space’ for terrorists to create a network and plan attacks.

Other European politicians such as French President Emmanuel Macron have not put forward the same message in regards to domestic Islamic extremist terrorism. While still on the presidential campaign in early 2017, Macron addressed the lack of effort in properly integrating nonwhite French citizens in France.

ISIS has not been shy about conveying its antipathy towards the West in advocating for the establishment an Islamic caliphate.

Doing so involves implementing direct governance of a large tract of territory. If they create a home base that is vast enough, ISIS may develop the ability to harness a broad base of resources that would facilitate the perpetration of much more disruptive and immense attacks on their sworn enemies such as the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, because ISIS has harnessed the power of social media and has been able to refine such tactics, they have been able to recruit Europeans and other far-flung aggregates to join their movement. As a result, there have been several instances of lone wolves acting on ISIS’ behalf, thereby further threatening to destabilize European society from the inside.

Berlusconi Makes Political Comeback Luke Sekowski Silvio Berlusconi, the 81-year-old three-time former prime minister of Italy, is poised to come into power in Italian politics again. Nello Musumeci, the candidate representing Mr. Berlusconi’s coalition of parties, won the most votes in Sicilian regional elections on November 5, 2017. Many view Sicily’s electoral outcome as a foreshadow of the results of the general Italian elections to come in early 2018.

A new law in Italy benefits parties that form coalitions prior to the election, which Berlusconi has fully embraced. His candidate, Mr. Musumeci, won 39 percent of the vote in Sicily according to the New York Times. Mr. Berlusconi’s primary opposition is the Five Star Movement (M5S), a populist party led by comedian Beppe Grillo. While the Five Star Movement, represented by Giancarlo Cancelleri, won 35 percent of the vote and received the most votes for any single party, it fell short of Mr. Berlusconi’s coalition. The M5S did not form pre-election alliances as the party styles itself as an independent and anti-establishment organization.

In contrast to Berlusconi’s success,

the left-center Democratic Party (PD), led by former prime minister Matteo Renzi and current Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni is failing. Receiving a meager 19% of votes, the PD lost control of the regional assembly.

According to BBC, following the results of the Sicilian elections Mr. Berlusconi declared a victory for moderate politics as opposed to the populism of the M5S. However this declaration ignores the fact that his coalition included the anti-immigrant Northern League and the far-right Brothers of Italy. On the European level, these nationalist political factions have formed alliances with France’s National Front and Austria’s Freedom Party.

The irony of Mr. Berlusconi’s reappearance on the Italian political stage is that he is barred from holding public office due to a 2013 conviction for tax fraud. Despite this limitation, Mr. Berlusconi has made it very clear that it is he who wields the real power behind the new coalition.

After former prime minister Matteo Renzi squandered his opportunity to revitalize Italian politics, the path is clear for new political leaders. The Democratic

Party, although remaining in power, is highly divided. According to Reuters, the PD is currently expected to enter Matteo Renzi as its candidate to lead the country, despite the fact that Mr. Renzi faces harsh criticism from many on the left who believe that he adopts right-wing policies under the guise of reform. Additionally, Mr. Renzi is still plagued by his unsuccessful 2016 constitutional referendum.

Such political turmoil gives Mr. Berlusconi the opportunity he needs

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

Berlusconi attempts to revitalize his political career in the Sicilian regional elections.

Germany Recognizes Third Gender Alejandra Rocha the Constitutional Court took it over, deliberated, and reached the following conclusions. First, the current Civil Status Law is discriminatory and interferes with the right of gender identity to be protected by the general right of personality that is of essence in the German Basic Law. Second, if a third gender category were added, the addition would not represent a need for further clarifications that do not already exist with the no gender entry option under the current Civil Status Law. The final conclusion was that the legislature has the pressing responsibility of correcting these violations.

The Constitutional Court determined that the German legislature can address the same issue in two different ways. They can quit

to return to politics. For now, he plays kingmaker in Italian politics, but if he is successful in his appeal to overturn his ban from politics, Mr. Berlusconi could very well hold office again in the future. Even with his old age and history of scandals, Mr. Berlusconi remains a formidable political force, with a developed political acumen.

Spending his political hiatus laying low in the hope of a return, Berlusconi has perhaps chosen just the right moment to reemerge on the political scene.

The current Civil Status Law is discriminatory and interferes with the right of gender identity.

soliciting information on gender status in official documents altogether, or they can add a third gender identity.

This new gender category would be a positive designation identifying an individual who is not male or female, or who is born with traits of both males and females. The official designation will be determined by the legislature, but it does not necessarily have to follow Vanja’s request to add a “diverse” or “inter-diverse” gender category.

SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER

N O V. 20, 2017 | 7

EU Tightens Car Emissions Regulations UK Minister Resigns Andreas Paraskevopoulos

Reuters reports that the European Union (EU) proposed stricter targets for car emissions and fines for noncompliance on November 8. The proposal also encourages the use of electric vehicles. Deutsche Welle adds that the European Commission wants new cars to produce 15 percent less CO2, which will become a 30 percent requirement five years later.

Failure to meet the new targets will engender fines of up to $110 for every gram of CO2 above the limit.

Moreover, the European Commission is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, specifically from transport, by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

The proposed legislation was met with substantial opposition, and tough lobbying from the auto industry, which would feel the effects from the implementation of such a policy most strongly. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) described the new targets as “overly challenging.”

In spite of the emission scandals

that its automotive industry recently experienced, Germany was the most vocal in opposing the new law. German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel told Reuters that emission cuts could result in job loss and a reduction in growth.

As Deutsche Welle reports, this sector employs 800,000 people, produces approximately 15 million vehicles annually, and accounts for 20 percent of the German GDP. According to Deutsche Welle, Matthias Wissmann, head of the German car industry lobby VDA, contacted Jean-Claude Juncker in order to apply pressure. In the call, the German automobile industry’s objections to the new legislation.

The European Commission wants new cars to produce 15 percent less CO2.

For the EU, such legislation would also serve as a counterweight to the rise of China, as there is fear that if the

European automobile industries do not develop electric vehicles, they will fall behind significantly. Such concerns were voiced by the Vice President of the Commission Maros Sefcovic, who considers the use of Chinese electric cars by taxis in Brussels worrisome.

Likewise, EU climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete told Reuters that the goal is to bring the European automotive industry “back in the race for global leadership on clean vehicles.” The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) endorsed his opinion and argued that ambitious CO2 targets could lead to more “electrified vehicles.”

This legislation could have a significant effect on the EU. The reduction in emissions could not only have a beneficial impact on the environment, but could also herald an era of vehicles running on electricity, a development that could boost the competitiveness of its economy. Of course, legislators need to overcome the opposition of the powerful lobbies of the automotive industry, most of which represent German interests, the most dominant economy of the EU.

After Secret Meetings with Israeli Offiicials

Alex White UK Minister of International Development Priti Patel resigned on November 8, after news broke that she had undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials. Patel secretly met with twelve Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, during her vacation in August to Israel.

These meetings break with the British diplomatic protocol that foreign officials should disclose meetings in advance. According to the Washington Post, Patel initially claimed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson “knew about the visit,” but was later forced to clarify that he “did become aware of the visit, but not in advance”.

An Israeli newspaper reported on November 8 that Patel visited a military field in the Golan Heights. She

According to Bloomberg News, she was elected to Parliament in 2010, was appointed junior treasury secretary in 2014, and May appointed her as minister of international development after she became Prime Minister in the wake of Brexit. She had often been mentioned as a future leadership contender. While she has lost her position in May’s cabinet, Patel has been allowed to keep her seat in Parliament. Now, she promises to take an “active role” in representing local residents.

Prime Minister May now needs to find a replacement. However, The Times reported that her task is becoming increasingly complicated as Iain Duncan Smith, a leader of the Brexit campaign, said that it would be wrong for May to “change the balance of the cabinet” on Brexit. However, May

Amsterdam Stages Anti-Terrorism Drills Theo Symonds According to the municipal Government of Amsterdam, on November 8th and 9th, the Dutch capital held terrorist-attack response drills, amidst an increased number of terrorist incidents in Europe. The exercise consisted of police and tactical drills, as well as medical emergency response drills. One of the simulated attacks, which had 240 participants, included an armed perpetrator with a vehicle — a scenario that has too often been reality for many European cities.

The locations where the drills took place included a restaurant, Zeeburg Island, and Europaplein. The city announced the drills over two weeks in advance, sending letters to residents in the East and South districts of Amsterdam informing them on the details of the exercises.

On the municipality’s website, the government has also stressed that security measures must be taken “at busy places in the city with great symbolic value and international appearance.” On November 9th, the municipality placed concrete blocks in ‘der Dam’, Amsterdam’s central square, as a means of protecting pedestrians

from vehicular terrorist attacks. The city said that more barriers to protect pedestrians will be built across the city in upcoming months.

Even with the measures in place, the city warned citizens that “an attack can never be ruled out entirely”

Attacks are often carried out in locations with international character From vehicles driving into crowds in Berlin and Nice, to the use of explosives, guns, and blades against civilians and police, the increasing frequency of attacks is weighing on European minds.

In its 2017 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, Europol — the European Union’s intelligence agency — suggests that attack targets are not random. It underscores how attacks are often “carried out in locations with international character, such as the metro station in Brussels (close to EU institutions), and Zaventem

airport (an international airport), have a multiplier effect with guaranteed worldwide media attention.”

In the last month, the BBC has reported on many instances of governments taking anti-terrorist measures seriously. The United Kingdom has implemented a scheme to refer minors to an anti-terror prevention program, and last October, France approved a law that would allow the police to make arrests and raids without getting judicial approval.

While some European politicians hold Islam as the cause for the rise in recent terrorist incidents, others do not see religion as the problem, but contend that jihadist attacks are inspired by distorted ideologies.

After the 2017 Westminster Attack in London last March, UK leaders were divided on the cause for the attack.

The former Defence Secretary Michael Fallon blamed the attack on “Islamic Terrorism”. In response, Prime Minister Theresa May commented that “it is wrong to describe this [attack] as ‘Islamic terrorism’” and instead “it is ‘Islamist terrorism’, a perversion of a great faith.

Priti Patel, pictured delivering a speech at a Indian Diaspora event, resigns.

then offered to send aid money to the Israeli army to support humanitarian operations in the region, undermining the British policy on Israel. The United Kingdom regards the Golan Heights as illegally occupied by Israel, since Israel captured the territory from Syria in 1967.

After this revelation, members of parliament began demanding her resignation, with Labor MP Jonathan Ashworth saying, “If she didn’t know, she’s incompetent. If she did, she’s lying. Either way she’s got to go”. Prime Minister May then recalled Patel from her trip to Kenya and later that evening, Patel issued her resignation letter, offering a “fulsome apology”.

Patel’s resignation cuts short the rapid rise of the 45 year old politician.

was already struggling to find qualified candidates committed to Brexit in the wake of the resignation of Defense Secretary Peter Thorneycroft, who was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal. Meanwhile, CNN reported that May’s deputy Prime Minister Damian Green is under investigation for similar allegations. Finally, May is facing pressure to fire her foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, after he claimed a British-Iranian woman imprisoned in Iran had been training journalists when arrested. Her family says she was vacation, and lawmakers forced Johnson to backtrack.

All these scandals are beginning to pile up for Theresa May, who was already facing difficulties after failing to win a majority in June’s election.

8 | N O V. 20, 2017

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

I

n 2014, Latin America was at the crest of what enthusiasts of the region have coined the Pink Tide, or the rise of populist liberal governments throughout the region. Since then, most of these governments are now gone, a testament to how much a continent can change over three years.

In 2014, Kirchnerism ruled in Argentina, and Dilma Rousseff carried the banner of liberal populism in Brazil. Both are now several years gone, acrimoniously replaced by the more conservative governments of Mauricio Macri and Michel Temer, respectively.

Venezuela, the vanguard of the Pink Tide, has descended into shambles.

While Pink Tide governments remain intact in Ecuador and Bolivia, the former finds itself with a new, less effective President in Lenin Moreno, while Evo Morales will soon see his presidency wind down in Bolivia.

In the eyes of their supporters, Pink Tide governments gave a voice to the voiceless and promised a new vision of economic development.

According to their opponents, its leaders rode a wave of populism, financed by the mid-2000s commodity boom, to presidencies defined to various degrees by ostracizing political opponents and limiting the press. Many observers, this author included, were happy to see them go.

It is however not fair to say that matters in Latin America have improved significantly. Falling commodity prices have created fiscal and economic crises across the region, while a plethora of scandals, the hemisphere-wide Odebrecht fraud being most prominent, weaken governments on both sides of the aisle.

If anything, these three years show that the successes and failures of governments are more often the result of structural challenges— economics, natural disaster, and social upheaval—than a question of who wins an election. While Latin America is at a crossroads, no change in government can address the continent’s serious structural problems.

James Gordy Former-Vice President of Argentina Amado Boudou was arrested in Buenos Aires on November 3 on corruption charges related to money laundering and racketeering, BBC reported. The charges are based on actions during the period between his appointment as economy minister under former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2009 until the end of his term as vice president in 2015.

Much of Boudou’s term as vice president was spent out of the spotlight due to an ongoing investigation regarding charges of illicit enrichment, reported Reuters. The charges that Boudou faces in the case carry sentences between one to six years, as well as permanent disqualification from holding public office.

Boudou and a business partner, José María Núñez Carmona, are under investigation for corruption surrounding the sale of Ciccone Calcografía, a bankrupt printing firm, including the use of his government position to provide the firm with public contracts. The trial is ongoing

and convictions under these charges as well as the new ones remain possible.

The Ciccone case led the rightwing opposition to call for Boudou’s impeachment at the time, but the Kirchnerist majority refused to act on it.

La Nación reported that Federal Judge Ariel Lijo ordered the recent arrest as a preventive detention measure based on Boudou’s vast network of connections, which could be used to obstruct the development of the case. Both Boudou and Núñez Carmona are being held in the Ezeiza prison while the trial occurs. In testimony on November 7, Núñez Carmona maintained his innocence of these charges, claiming that they are a result of political pressures and private business quarrels.

The publicity surrounding the arrest was criticized as videos and photos were released to the media.

According to Clarín, President Mauricio Macri announced that such publicity must be avoided and that Security Minister Patricia Bullrich is trying to identify the sources responsible for the leak. Boudou’s lawyer requested that those involved

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Kyle Tillotson

Former Argentine VP Arrested for Corruption

Amado Boudou casts his ballot in the 2013 Elections while serving as Vice President.

in the arrest be identified and searched to determine who took the photos.

Boudou’s lawyer also denounced the legality of the arrest and called it arbitrary, while Fernández de Kirchner’s Citizens’ Unity Party claimed Argentine democracy was being put at risk by Macri’s desire to persecute political opponents.

The case against Boudou is part of a larger case against former Argentine government officials from left-wing parties that were in power prior to Macri’s election in 2015. The arrest makes Boudou the second high-level official from Fernández de Kirchner’s

administration to be arrested on suspicion of corruption.

Fernández de Kirchner faces corruption charges herself but remains immune from prosecution following her election to a senate seat in October. The immunity provided to elected officials has proven difficult in these corruption cases, as many are ineligible to be convicted and sentenced, although the trials are able to continue regardless. Although Fernández de Kirchner may remain immune as a senator, officials from her administration are still susceptible to prosecution.

Thousands Flee Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria Gabriela Rodriguez attributes this increase to the poor economic situation of the island and the lack of hope for change in the near future.

Uncertainty about the future of Puerto Rican demographics is starting to affect local economic activity.

According to Quartz, local firms and businesses have had to re-calculate how many clients they are going to have in the future, raising the question of whether or not remaining open is viable.

Despite the outflow of Puerto Ricans, a stigma is still attached to those who leave.

Young people, unsure of what the future will look like, have opted to leave the island in search of more

security. Many on the island now fear that with young people leaving there could be an eventual shortage of young employees as the working population continues to age.

Universities on the island, which reopened in late October, are dealing with large numbers of students who are dropping out in order to continue their studies in the US. The University of Puerto Rico, which has already faced economic problems, will have to re-examine the student body and see how big of an economic threat the decrease in enrollment poses, as reported in El Nuevo Día.

Viviana Quiñones, 28, was working on a thesis at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan when the hurricane hit the island. Her thesis was about community participatory theater as a tool in psychology therapy. Now, however, Quiñones told USA Today, there’s no theater, no therapy, and the school calendar is months behind.

Quiñones is looking at continuing her doctorate in psychology at Stanford or

the University of Michigan.

Colleges in Florida have already prepared for the influx of students coming from the island. According to NPR, 40 colleges and universities across the state have handed waivers to out-of-state students displaced by natural disasters.

Despite the large number of people exiting the island daily, there is still a stigma attached to leaving.

Bankers Melisa Gonzalez, 34, and

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Gabriel Viera, 32, have decided to stay and continue working despite the damage to the island. However, Gonzalez told USA Today that deep down she wants to leave.

“But if we abandon the situation, we’re not going to help the island move on,” she said. “We have the finances to leave, but we don’t want to because we’re part of the solution. When the going gets tough, the Puerto Rican people stay.”

Airmen deliver water and supplies to Puerto Rican disaster relief efforts.

N O V. 20, 2017 | 9

Colombia Signs UN Deal Targeting Coca Peruvian Prosecutors The Colombian government and the United Nations signed a partnership on November 3 to decrease the amount of coca grown in the country, according to La Prensa.

The agreement will provide Colombia with $315 million to fight coca cultivation, most notably by offering compensation to farmers who grow crops other than coca.

Coca is widely used as a mild stimulant comparable to a cup of coffee among Andean indigenous communities, but it can also be refined into the lucrative and illegal drug cocaine. For this reason, and because of the coca trade’s role in financing insurgent groups, the government has engaged in so-called coca eradication efforts aimed at eliminating the cultivation of the plant in Colombia.

Colombia’s coca problem has become more prominent in recent years. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Colombia experienced a 52 percent spike in coca production in 2016.

For decades, coca cultivation and drug trafficking funded militant groups such as the Revolutionary

Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

FARC agreed as part of a 2016 peace agreement to transition from coca cultivation to legal crops, such as cacao and coffee. This concept is called crop substitution and is intended to avoid forcing poor farmers to choose between following the law and feeding their families, says Business Insider.

However, El Tiempo reports that coca production continues in many of FARC’s former strongholds.

The deal addresses drugs and crime to promote peace and security, human rights, and development.

The agreement was signed at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria. Director General of the Territorial Rennovation Agency, Mariana Escobar Arango, represented Colombia while UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov signed on behalf of the United Nations. Fedotov later said, “This agreement highlights

the importance of addressing the challenges of drugs and crime to promote peace and security, human rights and development.”

Despite government subsidies, many farmers are resistant to crop substitution. According to BBC, coca farmers earn about $300 per month for every hectare of the crop they grow. The compensation from the government will need to exceed this amount in order to convince reluctant farmers to make this change.

High Commissioner on Post Conflict, Human Rights and Security of Colombia Pardo Rueda commented on the agreement via the UNODC website, saying, “This project is the largest in Colombian history with UNODC. The expertise and neutrality of the United Nations are guarantees for implementing the monitoring and evaluation of our illicit crop reduction policy.”

Though President Juan Manuel Santos was not present at the ceremony, he tweeted on November 3, “I appreciate [the United Nations] for supporting the fight against illicit crops. The agreement for $315 million will let us organize long-term solutions.”

Elections Spark Nicaraguan Protests Anastasia Chacón Violence broke-out across Nicaragua following local elections on November 5. Two days later, Nicaraguan police reported at least five people dead and 67 injured. Nine homes and two government buildings were set on fire. All victims who lost their lives were members of opposition parties.

The most vicious riots occurred in Puerto Cabezas after the Supreme Electoral Council declared that the regional party, Yatama, lost to the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). People in Puerto Cabezas took to the streets, alleging fraud.

Police reinforcements were sent to the area beforehand, since aggressive protests after elections have come to be expected in the region, reported El Nuevo Diario, a local newspaper.

Violence was reported in 12 additional municipalities.

The Organization of American States (OAS) representative overseeing the local elections, Wilfredo Penco, lamented the violent outbreaks and

called for an investigation, according to the Associated Press.

Penco also stressed the need for broad electoral reform in Nicaragua.

In his report, Penco stated, “the opportunity exists to strengthen the legal, technical, procedural, technological and human aspects of Nicaragua’s electoral process,” Alianza reported.

Opportunity exists to reform the system, but these shortcomings did not affect the results.

Despite these observable deficencies relating to Nicaragua’s electoral process however, Penco noted that these issues did not substantially change the election’s results or delegitimize it.

Yet, OAS presence in the election did very little to alleviate the electoral concerns, Latin News reported.

Opposition groups throughout the country, including the Sandinista

Renovation Movement, denounced the OAS report as omissive. It also claimed that the Supreme Electoral Council is controlled by the FSLN and has contributed to the party’s alleged electoral fraud since it took control of the presidency in the 2006 election.

President Daniel Ortega’s FSLN won 135 of 153 municipal openings with 68 percent of the vote. The Citizens for Liberty Party, the main opposition party, came in second with 11 municipalities and 16 percent of the vote. Authorities estimated the participation rate to be around 53 percent, which they described as fairly high for municipal elections in Latin America.

However, according to Latin News, the opposition parties and civil society groups have challenged this official turnout reports just as they have done in previous elections. Some have suggested that the figure is closer to 20 percent, notably the Broad Front for Democracy.

The future remains unclear as violence continues to spread in response to the election results.

Interrogate Odebrecht

Ian Woods A group of Peruvian prosecutors met in Curitiba, Brazil on November 9 to interrogate Marcelo Odebrecht, former CEO of the Odebrecht Organization, a multinational construction firm, about his firm’s potential connections with politician Keiko Fujimori and former Presidents of Peru Alan García and Ollanta Humala.

In Latin America, Odebrecht’s name has become synonymous with corruption, as the company’s habit of bribing government officials for lucrative contracts has created one of the largest corruption scandals in history. According to Business Insider, Odebrecht’s bribery is estimated to have earned the company over 100 contracts across 12 countries, generating $3.3 billion in revenue for the firm. The texts found on its CEO’s cell phone represent a substantial widening of the scandal to include the high reaches of Peruvian government.

During the nearly five-hour interrogation, Odebrecht answered 48 questions related to a series of messages found on his company cell phone.

La República reports that Brazilian investigators found these messages stored as notes that read “raise Keiko to 500 and pay a visit,” “AG,” and “OH.” The first message has triggered allegations of campaign finance violations against Fujimori, leader of the opposition Popular Force Party. The remaining two messages are believed to refer to García and Humala.

Information about the interrogation has been largely withheld from the public in accordance with confidentiality policies of the Brazilian judicial system, according to El Comercio.

Of the questions asked by prosecutor

FLICKR

Leticia Chacon

José Domingo Pérez Gómez, only a handful have been released. RPP Noticias compiled a list of known questions. The most significant asked for the identities of AG and OH and whether or not the Odebrecht corporation or its subsidiaries extended financial support to the identified entities. Additional questions asked Odebrecht to clarify whether “Keiko” refers to Keiko Fujimori, the leader of Peru’s main opposition party, and whether or not Odebrecht financed her political operations.

Canal N gleaned a few details from lead prosecutor Rafael Vela Barba as he was exiting police headquarters in Curitiba. Vela confirmed that Odebrecht answered all questions asked of him and that his answers were explicit and detailed.

Members of the Popular Force stood and clapped on the parliamentary floor in the wake of the interrogation. Despite the supposedly air-tight confidentiality of the trial, Daniel Salaverry, a representative of the Popular Force, told RPP Noticias that they have reason to celebrate.

According to Salaverry, the party believes that Odebrecht’s testimony confirmed the innocence of their leader, Fujimori, on allegations of illegal campaign finance.

Supporters of Alan García have not demonstrated similar exuberance in the wake of the interrogation.

Hours before Odebrecht presented his testimony, Mauricio Mulder, a member of García’s party, argued that even if Odebrecht confirms a connection between “AG” and Alan García, there is still no proof of corruption between the two parties. Mulder has not made further announcements since the interrogation.

Marcelo Odebrecht speaks at an economic conference in 2013.

1 0 | N O V 20, 2017

INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC

Australian Legislators Forced to Declare Citizenship Status Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on November 6 new rules for federal legislators to declare their citizenship status in response to the ongoing “citizenship saga” that has led to five legislators losing their office for holding dual citizenship.

Under this plan, all members of parliament (MPs) and senators will have to disclose their citizenship status and prove that they were not dual citizens at the time of their nomination, according to News Corp Australia. The Constitution of Australia prohibits dual citizens from running for federal office.

The House of Representatives and Senate, however, will have to vote on this law before implementation. Bill Shorten, the leader of the opposition, argued that the rules are not strict enough and that MPs should be given five days rather than three weeks to disclose their citizenship status, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

This plan was announced amid the “citizenship saga” in which federal legislators in Australia have been pressured to reveal their citizenship status. Turnbull stated, “We are not going to engage in some kind of national witch hunt. We are a nation governed by the rule of law," according to BBC.

Turnbull stated, “We are not going to engage in some kind of national witch hunt.”

The High Court of Australia ruled on October 27 that five federal legislators must resign their seats because they had dual citizenship at the time of their election and thus were not legally eligible to run for office, according to the Guardian. Among the five is Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce of the National Party.

His exit stripped Turnbull’s LiberalNational coalition government of its one-seat majority in the House

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Shaun Ho

India Demonetizes Currency Shane Quinn

The citizenship crisis has gripped the Parliament House in Canberra. of Representatives, but Joyce has As of November 9, the “citizenship formally renounced his New Zealand saga” continues to destabilize citizenship and will be eligible to Australian politics and will lead run in a by-election on December 2, to by-elections across the nation. reported the New York Times.

MPs Rebekha Sharkie, Justine Keay, Senators Fiona Nash of the National Susan Lamb, Josh Wilson, and John Party, Malcolm Roberts of the One Alexander and Senator Jacqui Lambie, Nation party, and Scott Ludlam and who all had British citizenship at the Larissa Waters of the Green Party have time of their election, will likely be also lost their seats due to the court’s forced to resign, according to the ruling, according to ABC News. Herald Sun. The Liberal-National Stephen Parry, senator for Tasmania, coalition government is likely to hold resigned due to his British citizenship. on to their majority, but if the number Most of the legislators in question, of seats drops below 75 after the byincluding Joyce, had been unaware elections, no party will have enough of their foreign citizenship until this seats to govern. past summer, as most of them are Australian-born and inherited their foreign citizenship from their parents, the Guardian reported.

Trump’s Visit Sparks Culinary Conflict in East Asia

Jia Sheng President Donald Trump’s Asia trip has stirred a culinary arms race between Japan and South Korea.

During Trump’s two-day stay in Japan, he enjoyed a different menu than the one President Barack Obama had in 2014. South Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilbo stated that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe deliberately chose to satisfy Trump’s penchant for red meat. Instead of serving his guest a traditional sushi meal, Abe took Trump to a burger place for lunch and then to an upmarket teppanyaki restaurant that served scallops, lobsters, and Wagyu fillet for dinner.

South Korea took a different approach, eschewing traditional Korean cuisine. The Blue House tried to impress Trump by serving a beefrib dish accompanied by a gravy made from a 360-year-old soy sauce, according to a spokesman for the president’s office.

President Moon Jae-in also decided to serve Trump prawns caught near Dokdo Island, which has been at the center of a territorial dispute between Japan and South Korea. Moon also invited Lee Yong-soo, a former WWII sex slave for the Imperial Japanese Army, known as a “comfort woman,” to sit at the same table with Trump and White House officials.

These events caused Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest South Korea’s actions. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Japan, South Korea, and the United States need to avoid making decisions that could negatively impact cooperation among the three countries, especially during a time when the North Korean threat is extreme. He also views Moon’s decision to invite Lee as a violation of an agreement signed in 2015 to settle the issue of comfort women and urged South Korea to abide by that agreement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on November 8 that all 500 and 1,000 rupee notes would no longer be legal tender – 86 percent of the currency in circulation at the time, according to India Today. The announcement came as a surprise to many, and the Indian economy is still experiencing the effects today.

In 2016, Indian citizens conducted 95 percent of all transactions in cash, and 85 percent of workers received compensation for work in cash. Modi gave Indians a month and a half to deposit their 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in bank accounts, which was problematic considering that nearly half the population did not have bank accounts.

NDTV describes the goal of demonetization as a crackdown on counterfeit bills and tax evasion. One year has passed and opinions differ on whether or not the program was a success.

According to NDTV, demonetization has wreaked havoc on the informal economy, which relies on cash to pay employees. Consequently, certain industries have suffered over the past year, and imports have increased by 23 percent. India West claims that the GDP has decreased and the economy as a whole is still stagnating due to demonetization.

However, India Today also offers the perspective that the blow to the informal economy caused a formalization of the economy, ensuring better jobs for the poor.

NDTV, although focusing on the poor execution of the policy, also conceded that stock prices rose after some initial complications.

Widely criticized by opponents of Modi and his Bharatiya Janapa Party, demonetization caused quick and drastic changes in India when first introduced. The Indian economy has changed in both positive and negative ways, and just one year removed, the long term consequences are still not evident.

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China Unveils Island-Building Ship in South China Sea Jonathon Marek Chinese state-run media announced on November 3 the launch of a new dredging ship that could significantly expand island-building capabilities in the South China Sea. According to RT, experts expect the 140-meter-long Tian Kun Hao to finish necessary tests and enter service next summer. If the ship emerges successfully, it will be the largest ship of its kind in Asia.

Due to its advanced control systems, the ship does not require a

crew and can dredge up to 6,000 cubic meters of land per hour, reaching depths of up to 35 meters below the surface. Unlike conventional dredging operations, this ship can move sand and rock directly through a pipeline, allowing it to expand islands faster than previous ships.

While the vessel may be used for any number of legitimate engineering projects along China’s coast, many fear that it will extend Chinese influence through the South China Sea. According to the Global Times, a spokesman for the Chinese

Foreign Ministry cautioned against “exaggerating or over-interpreting its meaning,” in an apparent attempt to dissuade concerns about the ship’s use. The ship could aid construction of deepwater ports throughout the region as part of China’s ongoing Belt and Road infrastructure-development initiative. Additionally, Ian Storey, senior fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yushof Ishak Institute, said that restarting land reclamation features would undermine diplomatic progress Beijing has made during a recent period of decreased tension in the region.

Many fear that it will extend Chinese influence through the South China Sea.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

China unveiled its new ship amidst disputes over the Spratly Islands.

However, the ship’s designer, the Marine Design and Research Institute in Shanghai, referred to it as a “magic island builder,” and local media described it as a “military defense project,” both of which depict the ship as a tool to continue China’s ongoing island-reclamation projects in the South China Sea. China has employed

similar vessels for island-building projects since 2013, albeit on a smaller scale. President Xi Jinping noted in his speech to the Communist Party Congress last month that “China has seen steady progress in construction on islands and reefs."

In response, the Philippines’ Defense Ministry issued a statement expressing its concern, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announcing that while the Philippines were unsure of how the ship would be utilized, its “mere presence” was problematic. In response to the announcement, the Philippines began constructing a beach ramp on the largest island they hold in the South China Sea. The United States also expressed concern ahead of President Donal Trump’s visit, with both a State Department spokesman and the Admiral in charge of U.S. Pacific Command condemning China’s reclamation activities.

Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Fix Wall Nears Completion Rohan Sahu

In early November, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) announced the completion of the last sevenmeter-wide section of the 1.5-kilometer-long frozen soil wall surrounding four disaster-stricken nuclear reactors. This milestone comes one year and seven months after TEPCO began the procedure to freeze the underground wall on March 31, 2016.

The enormous project, estimated to have cost ¥34.5 billion of public money ($304.5 million), was intended to block the flow of groundwater to the four crippled reactor units and prevent any mixing with some 60,000 tonnes of radioactively contaminated water currently in the basements of the reactor buildings.

The wall was created by constructing 1,568 pipes buried to a depth of 30 meters and running

a coolant at -22° Fahrenheit to chill the soil. In theory, this impermeable barrier would not only reduce inflow to the damaged reactors, but also prevent the escape of contaminated water to the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO officials stated that most underground temperatures reached freezing temperatures in late October.

NRA skeptcicism of TEPCO's nuclear clean-up efforts seem to play into a larger nationwide trend of caution.

According to TEPCO’s assessment, about 400 tonnes of groundwater was flowing into the reactor buildings on a daily basis prior to the start of the project.

Initial projections suggested that the frozen soil wall could reduce

the inflow rate to dozens of tonnes once the barrier was fully installed.

During the months between April and September, inflow per day ranged between 120 to 140 tonnes, and, by late September, TEPCO had announced that the Fukushima nuclear reactor’s watercontamination levels had reached an all-time low. Although the majority of the wall was estimated to be frozen by October, inflow remained at roughly 100 tonnes per day, which was significantly higher than the few dozen initially claimed.

In addition to these operational concerns, some members of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) have doubted the ice wall’s effectiveness at stemming groundwater flows. TEPCO has also dug up to 40 subdrain wells and paved over 1.33 million square meters of surface area to redirect rainwater and contain groundwater contamination. In the view of the

NRA, the reduction in the flow rate from 400 tonnes to 100 tonnes per day must be attributed in large part to these other measures, and the effects of the frozen soil project itself may be limited. The NRA has urged TEPCO to verify its claims.

NRA skepticism of TEPCO’s nuclear clean-up efforts seem to play into a larger nationwide trend of caution. In an interview with Reuters, Toyoshi Fuketa, the new head of the NRA, said that the pace of restart approval for reactors across the country seems unlikely to accelerate. Prior to the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Japan had generated 30 percent of its electrical power from nuclear reactors and had planned to increase that to 40 percent. Current Japanese generation targets hope to recover that share to a fifth by 2030.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Caroline Schauder

T

he Indian Supreme Court will review Article 35A, which gives special status to Indianadministered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), according to Al Jazeera.

Kashmiris worry that Article 35A’s revocation will cause demographic change throughout J&K, a Muslimmajority state.

Article 35A outlines legal provisions and territorial regulations specific to J&K. The article prevents non-Kashmiris from purchasing territory in J&K and allows Kashmir to have its own flag and constitution. According to the Hindu, the Nehru government in 1954 implemented Article 35A through the Presidential Order (Article 370) in the Constitution, which allows the president to bypass the parliamentary process to pass legislation.

According to Al Jazeera, the opposition believe that the revocation could settle outsiders in the region and reduce the Muslim majority.

Kashmiris, already victims of war crimes, fear another mass migration.

The conflict in Kashmir dates back to 1947, when Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state led by a Hindu leader, had to choose between India and Pakistan. J&K experienced much violence in the last century, and conflict between militant groups and the government increased last year, reported the Economic Times.

J&K Panthers Party Chairman Professor Bhim Singh stated that the present situation is worse than in 1947, India Today reported.

The events of the past year created tension between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalists and the Muslimmajority Kashmiris.

Because Article 35A was not considered for ratification, Indians debate whether this article is constitutional. Though the Presidential Order permits the president to modify the Constitution, it does not specify whether the president may introduce a new article without Parliament’s approval.

The present debate emphasizes the existing tension created by a rising Hindu nationalist movement within India. A revocation of Article 35A will likely deepen the fragile divide between the Indian national government and local Kashmir government.

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MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA

Hamas Hands Over Control of Gaza Border

Saad Hariri Resigns

Hamas began the process of transferring authority over the Gaza border crossings to the internationally -recognized Palestinian Authority on November 1. Proceedings went according to the October 11 plans set by the reconciliation deal between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah, which was brokered by Egypt.

Many see this as a major step toward unifying the disjointed Palestinian state. Officials in Gaza hope this action will help end the Israeli and Egyptian blockades at the Gaza border, which have been in place since 2007 and have suppressed the local economy during a period of civil war and humanitarian strife.

Since 2007, the Gaza territory has been governed separately from the West Bank territory. In fighting among different factions of the Palestinian people has weakened their cause to push-back against Israeli influence. There is a rising sentiment that the recent transfer of authority is a sign that we may see a more unified

Hariri, a dual citizen of both Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, is supported by the Saudi government.

As Hezbollah and Iran-backed forces have made progress in Syria against the Saudi-backed rebel forces, Hariri has come under pressure from Riyadh to distance himself from the party.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, called Hariri’s resignation a “Saudi statement” and claimed that Saudi Arabia coerced his resignation.

Rumors of Saudi interference emerged on the same day that Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, ordered a new anti-corruption initiative which has led to the arrests of at least 17 princes and top officials, according to Al-Monitor.

Those detained include rival members of the prince’s family.

Hariri is the chairman of Saudi Oger, his family’s construction company based in Riyadh. Reuters reports that there is speculation that the family’s construction business is involved in the corruption scandal which ultimately led to Saudi Arabia pressuring Hariri to resign.

Riyadh’s involvement in the resignation of Hariri would be another example of its struggle for power with Iran, Al Jazeera reports. The two regional powers already support opposite sides in Syria and Yemen.

According to Abdel Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, the idea that Hariri was coerced into resignation by the Saudi government is “nonsense.”

He added that Hariri is free to leave the country at any time.

Hariri’s abrupt resignation comes as a surprise to Lebanese political officials and the international community, and it has plunged Lebanon into a political crisis, according to Reuters.

President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri announced that Hariri’s resignation was unconstitutional and that he is still prime minister, as reported in the Daily Star. If he does not return, it is not immediately clear who will be his successor.

The full consequences of Hariri’s resignation remain unclear, but Reuters reports that these developments clearly have the capacity to reignite tensions between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim factions within Lebanon.

Palestine in the near future. PA Public Works Minister Mufeed al-Hasayneh claimed that the word split will not exist in the Palestinian dictionary anymore.

Hasayneh claimed that the word split will not exist in the Palestinian dictionary anymore.

This transfer of authority is good news not only to Palestinians, who see this as the first step towards a more unified and powerful Palestinian coalition but also to Israelis and much of the international community, who are relieved to see Hamas taking a backseat to the less militant Fatah faction. They are also relieved to see the first sign of hope for the Gazan economy in a long time. Many Hamasimposed levies on the Gaza border have already been canceled, and more are planned to be abolished.

Dana Ahdab FLIKR: GLOUCESTER2GAZA

Benjamin Hebert

British aid convoy enters Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing

Most significantly, Hamas is surrendering power over the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which has been tightly blockaded after Israel and Egypt sought to prevent arms entering the country after the Hamas takeover. This checkpoint is crucial in facilitating trade and allowing the free movement of people, including many refugees and asylum seekers, in and out of the Gaza strip.

Many have speculated Hamas’ cooperation with its rivals was provoked by the Qatar blockade which began in June 2017, rendering them less capable of providing Hamas

with the funding necessary to carry out their long-term goals. However, correlation between the Qatari diplomatic crisis and the border transfers still lacks concrete evidence.

Regardless, there is hope on the horizon that Gazans will soon be able to reap the benefits of free trade and hope for all Palestinians that unification may offer them more leverage in furthering their geopolitical agenda.

Men, Women of Iraq Unite for Erbil Race Will Rau Amid violent Iraqi-Kurdish tensions that have displaced many in recent weeks, a shortened Erbil Marathon took place 50 miles east of Mosul. Race officers announced the cancellation of the full marathon event on October 27 due to security concerns, citing a clash between Iraqi officials and a Kurdish resistance militia nearby.However, the tenkilometer and five-kilometer events proceeded in the face of danger.

Defying predominant gender roles and inequality in the region, the Erbil Marathon allows men and women to compete in the same race.

Some were unable to start the race because military activity complicated transportation from nearby areas. The Iraqi government closed Erbil’s airport after the September 25 referendum for Kurdish independence, which incited riots, protests, and significant security concerns for local Iraqi leaders.

Nonetheless, the Erbil Marathon

allowed Iraqi citizens to show unity in a time of conflict. Amal Khidir, a woman from Kirkuk, won the gold medal in the ten-kilometer event.

On the medal podium, Khidir waved the Kurdish flag. In the male event, Mohammed Abdullah, a Sunni Arab and former refugee, won the race.

The annual marathon draws international crowds—both spectators and competitors—from the United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. After local hotels and airports shut down, however, the event was mostly comprised of locals who sought to make a statement.

Still, some feared for their safety.

“For local people, these clashes and the recent security situation is the main reason for not taking part in the event,” marathon organizer Abdulsattar Younus told reporters at Al Jazeera. “In the past, we had hundreds of people coming from all regions in the North, but now it is just tens,” explained Younus.

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Bahrain Reignites Border Saudi Arabia Detains 201 in Anti-Corruption Probe Dispute With Qatar Michael Abi-Habib

Bahrain has reasserted its claim to the long-disputed Hawar Islands and town of Zubarah. Bahrain’s state-run news agency has published a press release claiming that the disputed lands were “forcibly” taken from them.

The November 4 accouncement was released amid the Qatari blockade, which has been going on for six months.

From the mid-1900s onward, the Bahrain-Qatar border dispute has been a serious issue. The countries, on the verge of armed conflict, brought the disagreement to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1991. The issue was seemingly resolved by 2001, with Bahrain receiving the Hawar Islands, and Qatar receiving Zubarah and the Janan Islands.

This past weekend, however, the Bahrain News Agency asserted that Bahrain “has endured the intolerable and conceded many of its internationally documented historic

rights in order to distance the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] from bilateral differences.”

In the middle of a Qatari boycott, the Bahraini government has released numerous statements attesting to the legitimacy of its claims to various disputed territories. Claiming that the concessions of the Janan Islands and town of Zubarah were made in the interest of unity within the Gulf, Bahrain has now issued a statement saying that the nation “has every right to claim what was cut off forcibly from its land and to dispute the legitimacy of the Qatari rule.”

These statements came one week after Bahrain’s foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, called for Qatar’s GCC membership to be revoked. Declaring that it will not attend December’s GCC summit if Qatar attends, Bahrain has now escalated its anti-Qatar stance by reigniting its historic claims to various disputed territories.

Iraqi Armed Forces Close in on Russia Nikiforos Daniskas

The group will likely transform into an insurgent organization which will continue to launch terrorist attacks in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“Caliphate” and its inevitable demise.

While almost all of the Islamic State’s physical territory in Syria and Iraq has been recaptured, many, including British Commodore Johnny Stringer, say that the group will likely transform into an insurgent organization which will continue to launch terrorist attacks in the Middle East and elsewhere, BBC reported.

According to the attorney general of Saudi Arabia, Saudi al-Mojeb, the country has detained 201 people since November 5 as part of an anticorruption probe spearheaded by recently-appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reported the Guardian. Of those arrested, 11 are royal princes, including the prominent billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and dozens are military officials, businessmen, and high level government officials, reported Time.

Although bin Salman presents the arrests as fulfilling his promise to reform Saudi Arabia, which has long been plagued by corruption, analysts at the Washington Post describe it as another step in bin Salman’s consolidation of power.

Saudi King Salman appointed Mohammed bin Salman, his son, as crown prince on June 21, replacing his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, who was removed from his position as head of domestic security, according to BBC. Bin Salman continues in his post as defense minister, where he oversees the Saudi war in Yemen and pursues aggressive relations with Iran. The crown prince is popular domestically; he oversees Vision 2030, a plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy.

Furthermore, Reuters reports that he has played a significant role in the country’s diplomatic isolation of Qatar, claiming that it is too close to Iran. The decision has divided the Gulf Cooperation Council and worried the United States, which works closely with Qatar on counterterrorism efforts, reported Al Jazeera.

King Salman ordered the creation of the anti-corruption committee in order to address “a persistent problem that has hindered development efforts,” according to CNN. Bin Salman heads the committee, which is authorized to arrest, investigate, and freeze the assets

Tim Coan

of subjects. According to Al-Mojeb, the investigation has found that $100 billion has been misused for corrupt practices. As a result, the government has frozen 1,700 personal bank accounts, suspended some personal bank accounts, and detained dozens of suspects. The Guardian reports that a Saudi official in the aviation industry also stated that jets have been grounded to prevent suspects from fleeing the country.

The investigation has found that $100 billion has been misused for corrupt practices.

The New York Times writes that this crackdown is a strategically selective enforcement of the anti-corruption campaign. Bin Salman and other members of the royal family directly benefit from conflicts of interest between the state and business. Saudi princes are intimately involved in investment firms, and other laws passed in the Saudi kingdom have rarely regulated the royal family’s behavior. Furthermore, without an independent court system that can investigate claims of corruption, analysts conclude that any arrests made at the request of the crown prince are likely to be part of a move to consolidate power and undermine bin Salman’s critics.

The arrest of Prince Miteb may confirm these speculations. According to the Guardian, Miteb was, before his detainment, the head of the National Guard, an elite internal security force, and had been considered for appointment as crown prince in the past. His arrest allows bin Salman to consolidate his control of the security establishment and removes the last relative of the late King Abdullah from high-level positions.

KREMLIN

Iraqi Armed Forces have closed in on and have begun advancing on Rawa, the final town under Islamic State (IS) occupation in Iraq. Rawa is located along the northern banks of the Euphrates, about 50 miles from the Syrian border and has been under Islamic State control since the militant group’s initial massive territory grab back in 2014. The move to retake Rawa is part of the final phase of the Iraqi Armed Forces’ campaign against the Islamic State, which has concentrated on securing the Euphrates River moving westward towards Syria. This final offensive, being carried out by the Iraqi military alongside allied Sunni tribal forces, will effectively eliminate Islamic State-controlled territory in Iraq, according to Al Jazeera.

On the other side of the border in Syria, the battle against the Islamic State is rapidly improving. On the Syrian side of the Euphrates, the Syrian Armed Forces are engaged in a successful offensive against IS, recovering towns and villages in Deir ez-Zor.

In a desperate counterattack by IS, the militant group conducted an operation to take back the town of Albu Kamal in Syria, which the Syrian government recently captured. Albu Kamal is the last significant urban stronghold that IS controls in Syria, and its attempts to cling onto the town illustrate the imploding nature of the

April Artrip

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

F

or years, the United States has been the country many Middle East nations turned to for guidance and support in times of turmoil. Major regional allies such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and Jordan received ample support from the U.S. government, and in return, the United States wielded influence over a region critical to its economic interests and nationality security. In recent months, however, regional allies have turned away from the U.S. and towards to Russia, and this fact represents a major failure in U.S. foreign policy.

Russian influence in the region began with its involvement in the Syrian civil war and its backing of embattled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. According to Forbes, Russia’s intervention in Syria in late September of 2015 marks the major turning point in the region.

By declaring support for Assad, Russia ensured a strong allegiance with one of the most strategic states in the region. As a result, Russia has built a strong military presence in the region.

Russia’s ability to act in Syria, coupled with the United State’s inability to act, has sent regional allies flocking to Moscow for support. The Arab Weekly reported these sentiments of frustration with U.S. leadership when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained that he could not get any results from Washington, opting for closer ties with Moscow.

It is troubling to see Turkey, the lone NATO member in the region, tilt towards Moscow. Business Insider reported in October that Turkey and Russia agreed to an arms deal that would send the S-400 air defense system to Ankara.

Reuters reports a similar situation with Saudi Arabia, a country that historically buys most of its weapons from the U.S. The Saudi king also recently made his firstever visit to Moscow.

The U.S. is faced with an alarming situation in the Middle East. Regional allies no longer trust Washington to support them. As a result, the U.S. faces an upward battle in one of the world’s most volatile regions.

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NORTH & SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Namibian President Builds 243 New Homes

Kate Fin A French court gave Teodorin Obiang, the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president, a suspended sentence of three years on October 27 for embezzling millions from public funds and using it for his own benefit, reported the Guardian.

48-year-old Obiang has served as his father’s first vice president since 2016. The ruling also imposed a $35 million fine and demanded that Obiang’s French assets be confiscated.

According to Benedicte de Perthuis, the most senior judge who heard the case, “The attitude of Societe Generale, similar to that of the Bank of France, may have led (Obiang) to think for a long period of time that there was, in France, some kind of tolerance for these practices.”

The decision was the first of three cases spearheaded by two anticorruption NGOs, Transparency International and Sherpa. They are taking aim at the families of African leaders, including Gabon’s

Ali Bongo and his father, as well as the President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou-Nguesso.

The inquiries are known as a case of ill-gotten gains and mark a departure for the French judicial system, which has historically hesitated to attack the rampant money laundering perpetrated by foreign leaders within its borders, according to BBC. Paris has long been a prime destination for these leaders, especially those from former French colonies, to embezzle enormous wealth.

The majority of Equatorial Guineans live below the poverty line.

Among assets seized from Obiang was his $124 million, six-story house on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, which includes a hair salon, hammam, gym, and disco. The majority of Equatorial Guineans live below the poverty line of

WIKIPEDIA

Son of Equatorial Guinea Leader Sentenced for Embezzlement

Claire Hazbun

Teodorin Obiang has a house on Avenue Foch in Paris.

two dollars a day, despite the country being one of Africa’s top oil producers.

In 2000, Equatorial Guinea was Africa’s wealthiest country per capita, though extreme income inequality meant that most people still lived under the United Nations poverty line.

According to Human Rights Watch, the country’s health and education sectors are crippled, and the government has squandered millions on highways to nowhere and unused five-star hotels.

Around four billion dollars out of an annual five billion, 80 percent of the government’s budget, goes toward prestige infrastructure projects such as highways and international air terminals, whereas the average spending

on infrastructure among African countries is only around 30 percent.

Teodorin Obiang is perhaps the most ostentatious of the family with his wealth, having been known to race his many exotic cars on the country’s empty highways, but corruption is a more general problem throughout the country.

Though it is unlikely that he or any of his family members will ever be tried in domestic courts within Equatorial Guinea, France’s decision to finally crack down on rampant embezzlement

by African leaders could signal a willingness from the international community to more actively address corruption on the continent.

Togolese President Under Pressure From Protests Russell Guertin Togo has been experiencing waves of protests with escalating violence and intensity since August. The antigovernment protesters, organized by a coalition of 14 opposition parties, want long-serving President Faure Gnassingbé to resign, new elections to be held, and term limits to be enforced.

Parties within Togo dispute the scale and violence of the protests. In just two October marches, opposition organizers claimed 11 protesters were killed, 44 were wounded, and 55 were arrested. Meanwhile, the Minister of Security said that there were no casualties and only six arrests.

It was only on October 29 that Gnassingbé spoke publicly for the first time about the protests. “You will agree with me that we are going through a tough political crisis in the country….

We have to be bold, courageous, and

patient to embrace this situation,” he said, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Gnassingbé also rebutted critics who he claims have falsely painted him as a “bloody dictator.” Gnassingbé did not indicate that he intends to leave power.

Many Togolese feel that it is time for a change and that the Gnassingbé dynasty must end. The protesters’ demographics span all social classes and geographic regions.

In a concession to protesters on November 3, the government lifted the ban on weekday protests that was put in place in early October in anticipation of major opposition protests scheduled for the coming week, reported Africa News.

With the protests showing no signs of abating, observers are hoping that Gnassingbé follows in the footsteps of Yahya Jammeh, the former president of The Gambia who lost reelection and was ousted in January.

Namibian President Hage Geingob distributed 243 newlybuilt low-cost houses to Namibians in the city of Walvis Bay on October 30. The initiative is part of the president’s goal to give all Namibians access to affordable housing.

Contractors have started constructing 500 more houses as part of a plan to build a total of 900 homes in the area, according to allAfrica.

President Geingob commented on the initiative to New Era, saying, “It is pleasing to note that a single intervention or project such as the mass urban land servicing project is able to address several of our developmental objectives ... What we have seen today here in Walvis Bay must happen in all other towns.”

The project is part of a long-term effort by the government to address housing shortages. The government identified housing as a priority area in 1990 and still considers improved housing as a path to economic growth and poverty reduction.

According to the Institute for Public Policy Research, the delivery of housing units through the National Housing Enterprise, a state-owned company designed to address the Namibian housing demand, has started to slow. It has never met its target of 1,200 houses per year.

The National Housing Enterprise currently faces a backlog of about 110,000 applicants, which continues to grow. The Enterprises’ waiting list reached 84,940 in mid-2017, as reported by the Center for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa.

According to Afrobarometer, 60 percent of Namibians rate their present living conditions as “good” or “very good.” Additionally, only four percent of Namibians said housing was one of the most important problems facing their country, with a plurality of 41 percent rating unemployment as the highest priority. However, 30 percent of Namibians reported having no toilet and 38 percent reported having no electric connection to their house.

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Kenyatta Declared Winner of Election Re-Run Bethania Michael In late September, Kenya’s High Court postponed the presidential election between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition candidate Raila Odinga to October 26, after it had already scheduled the re-run to take place on October 17, BBC reported. As previously reported by The Caravel, Odinga immediately protested the August 8 results, claiming election fraud. Later, the Court ruled that the initial election was “invalid, null, and void.” On October

24, Odinga announced his withdrawal from the October 26 election re-run.

President Kenyatta won the October 26 election re-run with 98 percent of 7.4 million votes. This re-run marked a departure from the initial election: many have been quick to point out the low turnout, which pales in comparison to the 80 percent of 19.6 million voters who voted on August 8. These statistics were heavily scrutinized after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) stated that 7.5 million Kenyans had voted on

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

President Uhuru Kenyatta won the October 26 re-run.

October 29 and concluded that 42.8 percent cast ballots as opposed to 38.4 percent, according to a Quartz report.

After his win, Kenyatta stated, “My victory today is likely to be subjected to a constitutional test through the courts. And as I have demonstrated repeatedly, I will submit to this constitutional path no matter its outcomes.” His opponent, on the other hand, called these results “a sham.”

Kenyatta won the October 26 election rerun with 98 percent of 7.4 million votes.

One contributing factor to this disparate turnout may have been the suspension of the vote in several constituencies which generally supported the opposition. According to an allAfrica report, there were 25 constituencies in which the vote was suspended; the IEBC reasoned that this suspension complied with Section 55B of the 2016 Elections Amendment Act, which allows a winner to be

declared even if some results are missing, as long as it is satisfied that the overall outcome will not be affected.

After the election, a new law was implemented, limiting the power of the Court to reject election results that do not conform to election laws, so long as it “did not substantially affect the result of the election,” BBC reports.

On November 6, Harun Mwau petitioned for another annulment of the October 26 re-run. According to German news site Deutsche Welle, his petition says that the IEBC should have “conducted fresh nominations ahead of the vote after a first presidential election in August was annulled.”

Recently, Raila Odinga has urged for the creation of a six-month interim government, much to the dismay of the Jubilee Party, which has since argued that Odinga is “stoking a crisis to get into power,” according to a Standard Media report. In a public statement, Odinga said, “We need an interim arrangement of governance involving representatives of both parties and six months will be required to carry out all these changes that we need in our country in order to have a proper, free and fair election.”

US Conducts Two Drone Strikes Against ISIS in Somalia Christa Sowah The ongoing Global War on Terrorism has intensified, with the United States conducting two unprecedented drone strikes against ISIS in Somalia on November 3.

According to the Atlantic Council Africa Center, these strikes targeted militants in the Galaga district of the semi-autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia. A group of alShabaab militants led by Abdulqadir Mumin pledged allegiance to ISIS’ selfproclaimed caliph in this same region in 2015. Abdulqadir Mumin, born in Somalia, has been under the scrutiny of the U.K.’s intelligence agency, M15.

The U.S. Africa Command claims that several terrorists have been killed as a result of these airstrikes.

The strikes targeted militants in the Galaga district of Puntland in Northeastern Somalia.

Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States, under George W. Bush,

declared a War on Terror. Although the term was highly criticized for its generalization, the U.S. and its allies have since been waging counterattacks against prominent terrorist groups. As terrorism spreads throughout the world, so too have the redoubled efforts of the war against radical Islamist groups.

As explained by Georgetown history professor Bruce Hoffman, this war has no clear start or end, nor is there a clear battlefield or enemy army to target. This ambiguous war has taken many forms and affected various countries. Following 9/11, the first clear battlefields were in Afghanistan and Iraq. The mission, as it seemed to most Americans, was to find and kill Osama bin Laden.

Ten years after 9/11, the Obama administration successfully accomplished this primary mission.

However, the war did not end with bin Laden’s death, as terrorism still plagues the international community.

Instead, the U.S. replaced the NATO combat mission with “Resolute Support,” intended to continue anti-terrorist operations against al-Qaeda and train Afghan forces.

In March, President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Policy Guidance that gave AFRICOM commanders greater authority to carry out antiterror operations in Somalia. Since then, AFRICOM generals have used their increased authority as justification for increased anti-ISIS efforts.

This war has no clear start or end, nor is there a clear battlefield or enemy to target.

In April, the U.S. dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb against ISIS. In July, America killed ISIS’ new leader, which became the third major terrorist leader slain by the joint forces of the U.S. and Afghanistan. On August 21, President Trump deployed thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

However, ISIS and its combatants are not limited by Afghanistan’s borders. Boko Haram, the terrorist group prominent in West Africa, presents a clear example of groups that

pledge allegiance to ISIS and continue to spread terrorism throughout the world. With the spread of terrorism and ISIS’ reach, the War on Terror has begun to target countries other than Afghanistan and Iraq, with Mali and Niger being some of the first new combat areas and Somalia following shortly thereafter.

What does this mean for Americans?

ISIS’ center of gravity has shifted, and the targets of the War on Terror will too. The airstrikes on Somalia mark a historical turning point in the war, highlighting the new form that the War on Terror has taken. This war with no battlefield has become even less predictable and even more bloody.

In fact, on November 3, President Trump guaranteed the American public that “whenever [America is] attacked from this point forward, we will hit [ISIS] ten times harder.”

A war that once seemed distant to Americans has picked up speed and intensity. The consequent response from ISIS is hard to gauge but will likely follow, and the world can only patiently wait for it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jessica Hickle

C

hief Justices and Presidents of Supreme and Constitutional Courts of all 55 African Union (AU) member states came together on November 9 for the Third African Judicial Dialogue, a three-day conference in Arusha, Tanzania.

Organized by the African Court on Humans and People’s Rights, the conference is the third annual meeting of its kind. This year, the attendees discussed prospects for the modernization of judicial services across the continent and exchanged their experiences with shifting patterns in human rights jurisprudence, judicial education, and the management of judicial institutions.

These discussions are apt as courts across the continent grow more influential. For example, the Kenyan Supreme Court’s nullification of the presidential polls in August resulted in an election re-run last month, which left the country in political chaos.

Similarly, in recent years African courts have begun to decide hotbutton social cases. For example, in a controversial 2014 decision, the Ugandan Constitutional Court overruled anti-homosexuality legislation. Likewise, on November 7 in South Africa, a country known for its particularly activist judiciary in the post-apartheid era, a high court decided a case concerning transportation to public schools in KwaZulu-Natal province. The court ruled that the government must provide busing to the public schools in the province; their failure to do so in the past was a violation of the right to education, the court said.

However, the courts’ growing significance in the lives of ordinary African citizens creates pressure for governments to improve access to their country’s judicial system. A combination of factors including the scarcity of courts and lawyers, the monetary cost of litigating a case, and long wait times make it undesirable for citizens of many African countries to use courts as a means for achieving justice. This month’s conference represents the recognition of this issue by justices across the country.

Effective use of newer technology

by African judiciaries would likely help to reduce the costs for those citizens considering litigation.

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This semester, many Hoyas are studying abroad all over the globe, in regions as diverse as Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Check out the photos below to follow them on their journies!

Where are the Hoyas abroad?

Sabrina Romulo (SFS’19) is studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. She has travelled around Germany and other European countries.

Alex Coopersmith (COL’19) is studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland and touring various regions of Europe.

Amalia Rubin (COL’19) is studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain.

SABRINA ROMULO (SFS’ 19)

Sunyoung Kim (SFS ‘20) is an taking a gap year in China and traveling around East Asia.

ALEX COOPERSMITH (COL’ 19)

Munich, Germany.

Inner Mongolia Desert.

AMALIA RUBIN (COL’ 19)

SUNYOUNG KIM (SFS’ 20)

Vineyards above Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Castillo de Zamora, Zamora, Spain.