Introduction
The coronavirus pandemic transformed our lives in 2020 alongside a whirlwind of similarly overwhelming events, each of which, on their own would have made this a difficult year: a set of historically destructive wildfires and hurricanes, likely traceable to global warming; civil unrest and racial tension all across the country in the wake of police brutality; a financial crisis unmatched since the Great Depression; and a presidential election of unusual toxicity, with unprecedented uncertainty surrounding the integrity of the outcome.
This year of upheaval and uncertainty has made it apparent that we are living in truly historic times. To help sort through the significance and impact of these seismic events while generating a record of real-time observations of how they have impacted college students and recent graduates in 2020, the Towson University Journal of International Affairs has chosen to create this space where we will process our thoughts and feelings while reflecting on them. In choosing to share our private thoughts publicly, we aim to create a transcript of our impressions, recorded in real time. While we will sometimes reflect on the topics listed above, we will use this space mostly to explore how the pandemic has changed our lives.
So, let this be a disclaimer that the content contained in the reflections are the sole ownership of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Towson University Journal of International Affairs, nor of Towson University, in any respect whatsoever.
Grasping at Laws: Climate Litigation in International Courts a Step Toward Justice for Small Island Developing States?
Isolated in the South Pacific Ocean, the groups of low-lying islands that constitute the Republic of Vanuatu are assailed by frequent storms and constantly threatened by the impacts of sea-level rise, marine pollution, and ocean warming. At risk of oceanic...
The Freedom and Oppression of France’s Laïcité
In October 2018, during a WAFF Women's Club Championship match between Jordan's Shabab al Ordon Club and Arab Orthodox Club, an unnamed player for the Arab Orthodox Club was knocked during a play which shifted her hijab, an Islamic head covering for women, and...
The 2023 Nigerian Presidential Election: Another Missed Opportunity for Nation-Building?
Anyone following the 2023 Nigerian presidential election closely would guess that the coverage and mobilization around the underdog candidate, Peter Obi, signified a turning point in Nigerian politics. But the election has come and gone, and with his loss, it...
Lights Out: How Formula One Enables Human Rights Violations in the Middle East
“It’s lights out and away we go!” proclaims Formula One commentator David Croft on race day as fans worldwide cheer on their favorite drivers. Formula One (F1) has been the premier global motorsport league for the last half-century, with over 2.6 million fans in...
Past, Present, Future: State Relations and Asylum Seekers at the Olympic Games
The Olympics instill a long-standing celebration of athletics, bringing states around the world together despite the political climate. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens with thirty-four states participating in nine sports.[i] The Olympics have...
Rising Tides, Sinking States: Climate Change and Implications for Statelessness
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues to date, impacting nearly every aspect of life. Climate change has influenced numerous national and international decisions regarding energy production, agriculture, and development. Though permanent effects of...
Listen to the Youth: How Global Leaders Can Solve Climate Chaos
While the world has battled the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly extreme weather events and patterns plagued communities and regions across the globe, further exposing the infrastructural weaknesses of unsustainable human practices. Anthropogenic warming has been...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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 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,...
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...
Uncertainty of the Future: 2020’s Effect on American Society
The signs that 2020 was going to be a year of turmoil started merely three days after the start of the new year with the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, sparking a very tense standoff between Iran and the United States. I remember vividly the remarks on social...
Why I Am So “Anti-Fake News”
After the 2016 election, I received an email from Twitter. Upon reading, I found out that I had been affected by a propaganda effort by a Russian government-linked organization known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA). I was one of the people who directly...
Abrupt Departure: A View from Spring 2020
This reflection was written by, and posted on the behalf of, Alyssa Lennon.My final semester at Towson left me without much of the closure that I wanted to gain during my final year of undergraduate studies. When we received the email on Tuesday, March 10th that...
Crude Americanism
Going without a mask in private businesses is a civil liberty, but being processed in the courts instead of executed is not. It matters if a mask is the reason you can’t breathe, but not if the reason is a knee on your neck. We champion freedom at all times and...
