International Musings

  One week ago today, President Joe Biden announced that ISIS chief, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed, "remov[ing] a major terrorist threat to the world." Since the death of his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, Abu Ibrahim has acted as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. Qurayshi is said to have been groomed his whole life for a leadership position within IS. Prior to his death, the American government had offered ​​a reward of around $7.3 for information on Qurayshi’s whereabouts or general intelligence. The blast that killed Qurayshi and his family came from an American-led raid in Northern Syria. Biden promises that the death of their leader will set ISIS back significantly- greatly impacting the group's ability to function and progress. However, ISIS experts around the world hold a different opinion. This is a result of Qurayshi’s leadership and also the very organization of ISIS today. “Qurayshi is no Baghdadi.” His length of leadership see...

  In November 2019, 4,300 gems were stolen from the Green Vault Museum in Dresden in a high-profile burglary. The gems, which make up 21 different pieces, are worth more than 113 million euros and have impressive historical significance. Ministry of Culture officials have gone so far as to say that the jewels possess "priceless material value." Six men have been arrested in Germany and are facing charges. The defendants are all under the age of 30 and are charged with gang theft and arson, among other things. Each of the six men could serve up to 10 years in prison for the crimes they are accused of. These defendants are not only linked by their young age, but also by the fact that they share the same organized crime family, the "Remmo Clan". The Remmo clan is Germany's most notorious crime family and has plagued the country since the late 20th century. Each of the 6 Remmo Clan men were charged for their crimes and are now serving their sentences in German priso...

    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...

 This past Thursday, December 9th, the Poly community was involved in the UNA Human Rights day event. We heard from a total of 6 speakers, all of whom provided the audience with a deeply personal and unique experience.  Reyna Grande started off the event with her personal account of immigrating. Grande spoke of the interminable amount of borders she had to cross after her first border crossing into the United States. After she arrived in America, she was faced with legal, linguistic, cultural, and economic borders, all of which created a border around her and her identity- separating her from those around her. To conclude the sharing of her experience, Grande asserted that "border crossing is [her] superpower." She challenged us as Americans to create an environment free of the socially constructed borders we consciously and unconsciously maintain, welcoming immigrants and those in need with open arms.  After Reyna Grande, the audience heard from Martin Zogg,- the Chair o...

  On November 11, the Poly community was lucky enough to speak with and hear from the distinguished author and intellect, Vishakha Desai. With her book, World as Family as the framework for the discussion, Poly students were given the opportunity to engage with Desai through the Q&A structured event.  I was deeply moved by Desai’s perspective on identity. When reading her book, I found myself having a difficult time understanding how her mother was able to be both an ardent feminist and advocate and a woman who maintained her cultural tradition. To me, it seemed as though Desai’s mother’s feminism would be hindered by practices and values she chose to maintain. When given the chance to ask Desai about this dichotomy, she explained that identity does not have to be so clearly defined. We all have many identities, she shared. For Desai, she is an American-Indian, an Indian-American, a New Yorker, a woman from India living in New York, and so on and so forth. None of these i...

Dear President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, As a newly appointed advising foreign affairs officer, I believe it to be my duty to address the current Myanmar conflict. Yes, I am aware that this conflict is not new, and yes, I am aware of the seemingly interminable complications surrounding this conflict, but still, I implore you to reflect on both this memo and the Myanmar coup with great seriousness. In the United States, and as citizens of the globe, we must actively support our core values of democracy and basic human rights.  In 1962, when the military first took over what was then referred to as Burma, these aforementioned international values were immediately eradicated from the Burmese social/political landscape . After 60 years of a complete military takeover, and a blatant disregard for the lives of the citizens of Myanmar, the military junta dissolved . This opened up opportunities for the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLA) political pa...

Nuclear submarines have been a topic of international concern and tension in recent months. As seen in the USA’s poorly handled deal with the French, and subsequent partnership with Australia, the relevance of these naval powerhouses is significant. Most recently, an American couple- Jonathan and Diana Toebbe- were arrested by the FBI and the NCIS after selling “information known as Restricted Data concerning the design of nuclear-powered warships” to an undercover FBI agent, posing as an international representative. Mr. Toebbe has been employed as a nuclear engineer for the Department of the Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. It was through this job, and the national security clearance his job provided him with, that he was able to access this highly sensitive information. The “leaked” information outlined the specific design elements and processes of the warships, the characteristics of the reactors on the ships, and the submarine’s general operating principles. Because only 6...