Written by: Lydia Nyachieo “Leaders for Life” in Africa As many African countries gained their independence throughout the 1950s-70s, a multitude of great revolutionary leaders stepped up to bring their respective new countries out of the shadow of their former colonial rule and to fuel progress. Such leaders included Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara (1949-87), the…
Tag: political unrest
The Cost of Democracy
Written by: Jui Lin Lu After several months of struggle, the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition-Law movement has finally achieved some success. The Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the formal withdrawal of the Extradition Bill in response to the five demands made by the protestors. To achieve this goal, the city has suffered a tremendous amount. The…
The Unforeseen Effects of Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Protests
Written by: Emery Jochnau By now, most of the international community is aware of the pro-democracy protests that have been going on for nearly five months in Hong Kong. Some, however, might not understand exactly why they are occurring. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and because of…
Chilean Protests
Written by: Chandrea Baster A state of unrest has subsumed a country in western South America. Throughout the last few weeks, Santiago, Chile has been experiencing dangerous protests by Chilean natives due to heightened metro prices. The situation has already caused multiple deaths and has been viewed as something of extreme concern for the Chilean…
Hong Kong is Desperate for a Savior in their Fight for Democracy. Is the Trump Administration Willing to Help?
Written by: Simon Fischer Grabbing the attention of the entire foreign policy world can be a tough task, especially for a small Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong. However, they have made it look easy in recent months. The densely-populated city has taken to the streets this summer in protest of a deeply unpopular “extradition…
The Failures of the American Counterinsurgency Against the Taliban
Written by: Ariana King In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban under suspicion that it was hiding Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members after the 9/11 attacks. Eighteen years later, the United States is in the process of negotiating a peace agreement with the Taliban in which U.S. troops will…
Political Turmoil in Sudan
Written by: Jadalyn Eagens In December, riots broke out in Sudan as the price of bread went up by about 300 percent. People took to the streets to demand higher wages and lower prices for basic goods from the government. As the protests gained traction, they shifted from a request for individual reforms to an…
Women’s Empowerment Prevails in Sudan
Written by: Mollie Crook A woman wearing all white and gold earrings is chanting on top of a car in a sea of people who, phones in hand, video her as she emphatically chants to the crowd. They respond back with a resounding, “Revolution!” This was the scene outside of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and it…
Le Pouvoir and the Algerian Deep State
Written by: Alex El Ghaoui Massive anti-government protests in Algeria have led to the resignation on April 2 of eighty-two-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika after twenty years in power. Former President Bouteflika, the longest-serving head of state in Algeria’s history, had rarely been seen in public after suffering a paralyzing stroke in 2013. In fact, in…
April Protests Drawing on a New Democracy for Armenia?
Written by: Arriana Dawidziak April 2018 was a month marked by transparent change for the country of Armenia, challenging where exactly power should be held in the government system and who should be allowed to have it. In light of a newly elected prime minister belonging to a party that has ruled Armenia for 20…
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