WHO Urges the Countries to Stall the Administering of Unnecessary Booster Vaccines

Even though our world collectively continues to be shaped by COVID-19, the impact of the virus on international communities has been quite different. As the United States continues to administer third booster vaccines for healthy citizens, inoculations across Africa are far from where they should be. The World Health Organization called attention to this issue, essentially labeling it immoral for countries with an abundance of vaccines to provide healthy people with their booster shot. Africa does not currently have the means to manufacture its own vaccines, so it must rely on buying or receiving donated vaccines from other continents like our own. For those in countries like the USA who do need a booster shot for health purposes, the World Health Organization deems it moral. This conflict raises many questions like: is it the responsibility of other countries to give their vaccines to countries with low vaccination rates? Who gets to make these kinds of decisions for the international community? Because it is an issue of ethical or moral awareness, will countries really feel pressured to act on these grounds? In response to this, the United States has yet to act differently. This inaction causes one to consider the ways in which large international powers pick and choose when and when not to act on the advise of large international organizations like the WHO.

Comments

Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George Equip the Poly Community with the Tools to Combat Groupthink and Engage in Productive Discourse

T his evening, Poly students, Jason Mayo, Megan Ha and Opal Hetherington impressively facilitated a hugely impactful conversation with Drs. Cornel West and Robert George. In our current sociopolitical climate, our Poly community will certainly benefit from what we collectively learned tonight. Despite their diverging ideological and political viewpoints, the two intellects’ relationship “extends beyond friendship and into brotherhood.” "Love is not reducible to politics or public policy," shared Dr. George at the beginning of the program. To me, this sentiment was consistently reinforced throughout their time with us. Their brotherhood, built on the foundation of truth-seeking, and seemingly epitomizing true friendship, served as proof of Dr. George's statement. When asked about discourse, Dr. George defined civility for the audience- outlining the importance of listening from a place of wanting to learn; acknowledging the possibility that "I coul...

Haitian President, Jovenel Moise, Shot and Killed Amid Political Turmoil

Yesterday, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot and killed in his home. Much controversy surrounded his term length, as alleged election fraud resulted in a 12 month delay in which the new polls opened, and the election results of 2015 were annulled. These new polls were won by Moise. His opposition denied the legitimacy of the upcoming year of his presidency, claiming that he had served his 5-year term, because former Haitian president, Michel Martelly, stepped down 5 years prior. Moise, however, argued that he still had another year of his presidency due to the fact that he only took office in February of 2017 as a result of the aforementioned delay. Mr Moise continued to rule by decree, causing outrage throughout Haiti. Protests riddled the streets of Haiti, calling for Mr Moise’s resignation. Opponents also claimed that Mr Moise was to blame for a surge in violence, seeing as he left Haiti without a Parliament during the postponement of the October 2019 legislative elections. O...

Saudi Arabia Executes 81 Men in 24 Hours

Marking the largest mass execution in decades, Saudi Arabia executed 81 men on March 12. Each of these men were reported to have been convicted for various violent or terrorist-related crimes. 37 of them were reported Saudi nationals who were accused of attempted assassination of Saudi security officers. It is important to assert that these accusations come directly from the historically corrupt interior ministry. Countries using the death penalty are falling to the minority, but Saudi Arabia has been consistent in its enforcement of this punishment. With that said, this most recent execution surpassed the 67 executions reported in Saudi Arabia in all of 2021. This day stands out in human and Saudi history, as the largest government-sanctioned execution on a given day. In 1980, a shocking but lesser 63 people were executed in one day. The kingdom’s utilization of the death penalty has caused many accusations of human rights violations in recent years, especially as it relates to religi...

International Musings

Search This Blog