United States President Joe Biden recently announced that he will withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, ending the United States’ 20-year war in Afghanistan, according to Al Jazeera. President Biden’s announcement means that the United States will not abide by the earlier May 1 deadline set and negotiated under the Trump administration.
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In the early hours of April 5, gunmen attacked the Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo State, a region in Southeast Nigeria, freeing over 1800 inmates, according to BBC News. The New York Times explains that the attack on the prison was just one of a series of attacks against several police and military facilities that have taken place since late February.
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Ever since Taiwan separated itself from mainland China in 1949, relations between Beijing and Tapiei have been tenuous at best. At worst, the Taiwan Strait is a hotbed for diplomatic and military gridlock as Beijing and Taiwan vie for control of the region. On April 20, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army flew a squadron of 25 aircraft into Taiwan airspace, the South China Morning Post reports. While these exercises are not uncommon in the Taiwan Strait, the incursion comes at a time of great tension between China and the United States’ growing relationship with Taiwan.
Read MoreA series of devastating volcanic eruptions on the island of St. Vincent has forced thousands to flee. According to BBC News, the volcano La Soufrière first erupted on Thursday, April 9, after a series of earthquakes, with the most devastating eruption happening the morning of Monday, April 12. The volcano is emitting a 20,000-foot cloud of smoke, ash, and superheated noxious gas that can travel at over 120 miles per hour. Scientists speculate that this eruption could continue for weeks or even months.
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The administration has started rolling back some Trump-era policies, but the pace at which President Biden is acting has failed to live up to the expectations promised from the campaign. The Biden-Harris campaign site listed ambitious goals for the first 100 days in office, stating objectives such as overturning the “Muslim Ban,” strengthening the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and ending construction on the border wall, but their ability to achieve these goals is justifiably coming under scrutiny.
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Retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army Andy Swedlow gave a presentation on the use of terrorism in the Great Game at the School of Diplomacy on April 8. Swedlow gave a description on the history of the Great Game, different ways nation states utilized terrorism, and the effects of terrorism on the great power competition.
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Voters in Ecuador elected Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker, to serve as president for the next four years. Lasso won the runoff election with just 52.5 percent of the votes, reports The Economist, after claiming a spot in the runoff with a lead of a half a percentage point.
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Over the past four months, the United States has been hit with a wave of anti-transgender legislation. While these Republican Party-led bills claim to fight for the safety of both binary and non-binary children, courts and leading researchers affirmed the danger they pose to transgender children. But this wave in the U.S. does not come without equal movement around the world.
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The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is on track to release over a million tons of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean as part of its cleanup efforts. The first release is anticipated to begin in 2023, with the total process expecting to last over a decade. The move comes as water continues to accumulate, despite the plant being decommissioned following a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted nearly every aspect of global society, making the emergence of several vaccines a welcome development. The United States, along with the European Union, has prioritized the purchasing and distribution of vaccines since early December 2020.
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