September 2021 – Page 2 – The Diplomatic Envoy

It has been one year, six months, and a little over a week since March 13, 2020: the day that the flu-like illness called “coronavirus” suddenly brought the lives of every American to a screeching halt. The country waited nearly a full year for vaccines to become available yet, months after a nationwide vaccination campaign began, the crisis has morphed into a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” as The Guardian writes. Now, in light of the Delta variant and a slight waning immunity to COVID-19, there is talk of a third booster shot.

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Sophie Ulm

“Commemorating 9/11”: A Discussion on Counterterrorism and Diplomacy

20 years after the events of September 11, 2001 shook the nation, the School of Diplomacy and International Relations welcomed three experts to speak on the tragedy’s impact on diplomacy, the United States military, and counterterrorism. The three panelists invited were Ambassador Joseph Westphal, former acting Secretary of the Army in 2001 and ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Rear Admiral Douglas Fears, a former presidential advisor on counterterrorism, and Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Price, former director of West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center.

September 2021 International News

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Leah Chan

Proposed Law to Stifle Media Sources Throughout Pakistan

On Monday, September 13, hundreds of journalists surrounded the Pakistani Parliament House in Islamabad to protest a proposed media regulation law. The controversial law would allow the Pakistani government to create a new agency called Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).

September 2021 Focus Middle East Afghanistan

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 bunceeric

FOCUS on Afghanistan: Refugees

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is deepening the country’s long-standing refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, there were around six million Afghan refugees and internally displaced people at the end of 2020. Another half a million could leave by the end of the year.

Campus Spotlight September 2021 School of Diplomacy News

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Jazlyn Dominguez

School of Diplomacy Hosts a Panel of Experts to Discuss the Future of Afghanistan

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of September 11, the School of Diplomacy hosted a panel discussing the implications of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The panel featured Professor Sara Bjerg Moller, also the event’s organizer and moderator, Professor Joseph Huddleston former Afghan Ambassador Sayed Jalal Karim, and the U.S. Institute of Peace’s (USIP) Andrew Watkins.

September 2021 International News

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Alejandro Ramirez

Calls for Impeachment Spark Populist Backlash in Brazil

The presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the conservative populist who has been president of Brazil since 2016, is under challenge, as opposition protests held across the country this week are calling for his impeachment. According to MercoPress, reports indicate that his support nationwide is dwindling, with national opinion polling placing him in the 22 to 30 percent approval range, with elections being scheduled for next year.

September 2021 International News

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Anna Thibodeau

Nigeria Faces Worst Cholera Outbreak in Years

In August, Nigeria faced a growing cholera outbreak amidst a rise in COIVD-19 cases. 69,925 suspected cholera infections have been recorded in 25 out of 36 states and 2,300 people have died as of September 5,according to Africa News. Deaths totaled 653 on August 3 and jumped to 2,323 in just over month, according to the Sept. 5 statistics.

September 2021 Focus Middle East Afghanistan

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Joshua Powanda

FOCUS on Afghanistan: The Return of Terrorism

The United States intervened in Afghanistan to hunt down the perpetrators of the September 11 terror attacks and deter another incident of such magnitude. Although this mission was successful at first, the Taliban’s return to power raises serious questions and concerns about the likelihood of a renewal of terrorism in Afghanistan and its implications for the American homeland.

Campus Spotlight September 2021 2021 School of Diplomacy News

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Lylian Pagan

After the Fall: A Conversation with Annie Pforzheimer on Afghanistan

On Tuesday, September 14, the World Affairs Council hosted an in-depth talk about the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan with guest speaker Annie Pforzheimer at Seton Hall’s Walsh Library. The in-person and online discussion was led by the president of WACNJ Rozlyn Engel, also in attendance were Dean Courtney Smith and Dr. Martin Edwards.

September 2021 Opinion

September 30, 2021October 11, 2021 Henrik Pettersson

What Are China’s True Intentions in Afghanistan?

The amicable, yet cautious, relationship between the Taliban and the Chinese Communist Party has been unmistakable in the weeks leading up to and following the contentious U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to Reuters, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the political chief of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, at the end of July. In this meeting, the two discussed Afghanistan’s sovereignty and independence, in addition to security and stability concerns within the nation.