A Rundown of Refugee Policies Post-Title 42

After Title 42 border protocols were lifted in May, the Biden Administration announced several new legislative initiatives to help mitigate the increasing number of refugees seeking asylum in America. Although the White House announced the current administration’s commitment to rebuilding the U.S.’s immigration system and especially the refugee infrastructure, its newly implemented policies indicate otherwise. This article examines these new policies under a critical lens, judging whether they advance or minimize the plight of millions escaping poverty, violence, and persecution worldwide.

Lex Tusk Is Not Going to Stop Donald Tusk From Fighting for Democracy

The stakes for this year’s parliamentary elections are higher than ever. A recent rise in the approval ratings of the country’s liberal party - the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska or PO) - is a beacon of hope in the country’s nearly decade-long battle with the right-wing conservative Law and Justice party (PiS).

Displaced Afghans Face Long Standing Entrance Barriers in U.S. Humanitarian Parole

The struggles of displaced Afghans reveal backlog, unfair application adjudication, and other decades old problems in a key U.S. immigration program.

Earthquakes, Economics, and Elections: Turkey’s Syrian Refugee Population Faces Heightened Uncertainty

Exacerbated by the aftermath of a once in a generation earthquake, refugees in Turkey face increasing public backlash amidst political and economic tensions in Turkey.

Middle EastBy Nathan DuongJune 26, 2023Turkey, Syria, earthquake, Economy

Russia-China Relations Are Defined By One Common Goal: Challenging U.S. Power

At the end of March, a historic visit took place, between Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin. Although Chinese-Russian relations have had a tumultuous relationship in the past, the two powers can now agree on one thing: they want to confront U.S. and Western dominance.

White Collar Corruption Constricting Voters in Nigeria

With official results showing only approximately 27 percent of registered voters cast their ballot for a presidential candidate in Nigeria, this appallingly low turnout is not unexpected when looking at recent election cycles considering Nigeria’s history with rampant white collar crime. Corruption is by far the most common manifestation of white collar crime in many developing countries.

El Salvador in the Age of the “Mega Prison”

El Salvador ultimately arrested 67,203 people, a population roughly equivalent in size to the town of Haverhill, Massachusetts. And as detainment figures continued to stack up to nearly 2 percent of the adult population, Bukele’s personal war against the gangs eventually arrived at the unveiling of the aforementioned mega prison itself in February of this year.

AmericasBy Will FullerMay 27, 2023El Salvador, prison, mega prison, drugs, violence, gangs, war, rule of law, Americas, Latin America

Sudan’s Need for Hope, Not Division From Foreign Involvement

As the RSF and the Sudanese military make Sudan a warzone, foreign involvement based on nations’ economic interests takes away from the needs of the people of Sudan.

AfricaBy Saanvi ThakurMay 27, 2023Sudan, foreign involvement, RSF, coup, Military, civil war, UAE, Egypt, investment

The U.S. Has a Deep-Rooted Sinophobia Problem

American protectionism against China was born out of, and continues to propagate, an antagonistic relationship that is only further intensified by the U.S.’s longstanding problem with systemic racism, culminating in an unfortunate increase in hate crimes and racism against Asian people in America. The present conflict may be international in nature, but it has serious domestic consequences.

Singapore the Closer

Amid rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and China, many countries around the world find themselves holding their breaths in anticipation of the course that these contentions will take. Amidst this uncertainty, Singapore, a small nation caught between both powers has emerged as a potential mediator of possible conflict.

Will Nigeria’s Infrastructure Gaps Push it Closer to China?

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, challenges to Nigeria’s economic growth is its lack of quality infrastructure. To compete on the global stage and address problems such as poverty and lagging human development, Nigeria needs improved infrastructure to service its economy and development goals.

AfricaBy Tammy DongMay 25, 2023Nigeria, China, Infrastructure, Development, energy, climate, power, BRI, belt and road, sovereign debt

Does Latin American Anti-Americanism Herald the Coming of a New World Order?

AMLO’s various anti-American comments are novel to a modern Mexican leader, as the nation has, for decades, been led by administrations denounced by AMLO as a “neoliberal oligarchy” itself. However, across Latin America, anti-Americanism is something of a time-honored tradition.

New Best Friends? Finland Joins NATO

After applying for membership last year in 2022, Finland has now entered NATO, posing questions for the future of Nordic-Western alliances and the relationship’s potential consequences during international conflicts, such as the Ukraine War. Since 1944, the country’s eastern border with Russia is the second-longest border that Russia has with any country.

EuropeBy Margaret OrtwerthMay 25, 2023Sweden and Finland, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, NATO, Europe, Ukraine, Security

Ecuador’s Recent Natural Disasters: A Worrying Indicator of Climate Change

Ecuador in particular is especially vulnerable to severe natural disasters, including landslides, droughts, floods, and earthquakes. This vulnerability is exacerbated by ineffective government policies combating climate change, political instability, river basin deterioration, farmland expansion, and inadequately constructed infrastructure.

The Line: Luxurious Environmentally Sustainable Infrastructure with a Cost

Neom: the future. Saudi Arabia envisioned Neom or also considered the Line as a stable microclimatic environment that prioritizes walkability, clean energy, and technology to move away from traffic, pollution, and other infrastructure challenges that plague urban life. The Line symbolizes the beginning of environmentally sustainable infrastructure that can enrich the lives of humans.

China’s Lianghui: Its Implications of a Shakier Sino-U.S. Relationship

The Chinese Community Party (CCP) National Advisory Committee and parliament met in March for their annual meetings, also known as the lianghui (“two-sessions”). The meetings themselves are public displays, rather than substantive policy meetings that pose any drastic implications for the future of China. Nevertheless, these two sessions established that President Xi Jinping will not budge in his foreign policy agenda.

French Pension Reforms Signal a Looming Crisis

While the pension’s present structure may have proven effective until now, France’s rapidly declining birth rates and aging population pose a challenge to its stability, as current trends would either necessitate an increase in the pension tax for future workers or decrease the quality of life for upcoming pensioners.

EuropeBy Daniele PipernoMay 25, 2023France, macron, economics, europe, pensions, protests, retirement, Worker's Rights

The Continuing Fight Against Femicide in Latin America

“Ni una menos,” meaning “not one woman less” is commonly written on the posters of protestors against femicides throughout Latin America. Feminicidios, or femicides in English, are the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender. Among 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world, 14 are from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Embroidering Resistance: Palestinian Tatreez

Embroidered pieces such as dresses, decors, and handbags can be found in many Palestinian households in the diaspora and beyond. In displacement and under occupation, generations of Palestinian women embroider their stories to resist erasure with the art of tatreez, making statements that openly say they are proud to be Palestinian.

Middle EastBy Ruofei ShangMay 25, 2023Palestine, tatreez, art, culture, clothing

Pakistan: Judas of the American Alliance

The U.S. has long seen Pakistan as an ally in South and Central Asia despite a long history of the Pakistani government supporting terrorist groups who have sought to attack America, a policy that continues today.