The Transfer of Power
CREDIT: SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Long ago I sat in Dr. Mancini’s course 145, American History to the Civil War. Back then his exclamations were lost on me. “Can you believe it?! A peaceful transfer of power?!” Washington had given his farewell address and...
Mental Illness in the Pandemic
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of heartache since its arrival to the U.S. in March of 2020: death, financial hardship, panic and fear. But something I believe that everyone was ill-prepared for when the world went into shut-down mode was the toll that all...
Retrospective on the 2020 Election
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, my feelings have been a mix of relief that the election cycle is over, but concern and uncertainty about the future. In complete honestly, I did not expect the reaction to the election results to be as tame as it has been. I find...
Post-Election Uncertainty
I am personally concerned about the state of our elections, as well as our general political apparatus, in the United States. I find it disconcerting that the discussion or investigation of voter fraud or international meddling is met with resistance. In 2016,...
Year 2020: The Presidential Election
Around the beginning of April, people began to realize that the rest of 2020 would be much different than what had been expected at the beginning of the year. The coronavirus had spread throughout the world and began to affect the United States. Many issues were being...
Poland’s Culture War: LGBT Rights
Introduction: The ‘LGBT Ideology’ Prior to the ascension of President Andrzej Duda and the right-wing, populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), Poland actually witnessed promising signs of increasing LGBT tolerance. Same-sex relations were becoming less taboo and...
Election Day Anxiety
My mind was set before Election Day. I thought Donald Trump’s mishandling of COVID-19 and an abnormally high voter turnout would guarantee the election for Joe Biden. But on Election Day, my confidence began to waver. I was scared that I had underestimated Trump’s...
Murder in Mexico: The Dangers of Journalism
Since the beginning of 2020, six journalists have been murdered in Mexico. In the afternoon on September 9th, the latest victim—Julio Valdivia—was found decapitated in Veracruz near railroad tracks. He was a veteran reporter who had been working for over two decades,...
ECOWAS: A Useful Ally to the UN and AU in the Fight for West African Democracy
Unfortunately, during the decades since many African countries have gained independence, their politics have been characterized by corruption and instability. Such political instability seems poised to continue with the most recent example of the coup in Mali in...
Is This America?
For the 2019-2020 academic year, I decided to study abroad in Glasgow, Scotland. Sadly, coronavirus cut my year abroad short as I was called back to the U.S. in early March. Following my return, American anti-lockdown and anti-mask protests commenced. These...
The Coronavirus Pandemic: From a Restaurant Worker’s Perspective
The Coronavirus Pandemic has negatively impacted many people and businesses, and may change how we live forever. I predict that it will change how we work, how we go to school, and how we live our lives in general. People may work from home more than ever before. Kids...
Coping with Covid-19
This year has been unlike any other I can remember in my 20 years of life. Yet, as we continue to progress through what feels like the worst year in our generations’ collective lives, I feel it’s important to remember the silver-linings. Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted...
My COVID Semester
When I first heard of COVID-19, I never thought a virus that originated on the other side of the world would ruin my social life for a couple months and would lead to an entirely online semester. In January, I distinctly remember waking up on the morning after my 21st...
2020, What a Year!
The effect of COVID on the daily lives of people around the globe have induced a variety of reactions. I have found it, however, to not be so bad with a few exceptions. The line between professional and personal life has become much more blurred as both take place...
A False Protagonist: Turkish Duplicity is Undermining NATO
(Image Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin) When Turkey joined NATO back in 1952 it did so alongside Greece, its primordial enemy. The aim was to constrain their historical hostility and to box in an expanding Soviet Union. The latter objective was met. Turkey and Greece were...
Modernization of the People’s Liberation Army: China’s Push for a World-Class Military
In recent years the People’s Republic of China has undergone a notable rise in the arena of global politics. China’s influential growth can be observed in various fields, from their economic partnerships and foreign investments to their participation in...
A Generation Aggrieved
Now more than ever before, my peers are showing engagement with the political system, the concepts of justice, and are finally realizing that they, too, have grievances they wish to be aired. The reality that something is wrong is inescapable. Sixty years ago, racism...
My 2020
As I sit here watching the final presidential debate, I continue to realize how different 2020 has been from any other year I have experienced. The first section of the debate covered the coronavirus pandemic, which truly showcases how important this issue is to the...
