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The Diplomatic Envoy

2020

September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational NewsAmericas2020Middle East
Jasmine Ortega

Syria Turns to Russia for Aid Under Crippling U.S. Sanctions

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has stated intentions to expand business ties with Russia in response to new, crippling U.S. sanctions under the Caesar Act, according to Reuters. The Syrian economy has suffered enormously under these sanctions, as its economy was already struggling prior to implementation of the Caesar Act. According to Reuters, this has resulted in the Syrian lira losing 80 percent of its value. Most citizens are experiencing extreme poverty.

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September 2020Opinion2020
Sebastian Kopec

Will the SDG’s Survive through the 2020s? 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc upon the global economy, attention is being brought towards the state of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and their achievability by the deadline of 2030. Unfortunately, it appears that these goals will not be achieved by 2030 and instead most likely fall into most national government’s periphery as the decade continues, with the health crisis only affirming the prior failure of governments to act to address the SDG’s. 

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September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational News2020
Timothy Georgetti

Belarusian Opposition Member Faced Death Threats by Authorities

 A member of Belarus’ female opposition coalition, Maria Kolesnikova, ripped up her passport to prevent forced deportation to her native Ukraine before being abducted by masked men on September 8, according to Forbes. Kolesnikova is the only member of her opposition coalition to remain in Belarus after the release of the election results favoring incumbent President Lukashenko. CNN reports that Kolesnikova’s colleagues Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the opposition, and Veronika Tsepkalo, the third member of the coalition, fled to Ukraine and Lithuania out of fear of imprisonment by the Lukashenko administration. 

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September 2020International News2020Europe
Zachary Schullian

Russia Ready to Mediate Turkey-Greece Conflict in East Mediterranean 

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on September 8 that Moscow is ready to help ease rising tensions over Turkey’s search for energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, and rejected any actions that could lead to further escalation, The Associate Press reports. The Associated Press cites Larov, stating “we would be ready to contribute to building good neighborly relations in the event this is requested of us by those involved,”  and later adding that Moscow has repeatedly called on leaders in the region to “resolve these differences through dialogue and within a legal framework.” 

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Faculty SpotlightSeptember 20202020School of Diplomacy News
Harshana Ghoorhoo

Father Brian Muzás Awarded Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship at Council on Foreign Relations

Known for his expertise in nuclear issues in international affairs, Father Brian Muzás has recently been awarded the Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations. As a Stanton Fellow, Muzás will be in residence full-time at the Foundation located in New York City. In a recent interview, he spoke about his Fellowship and his current research focus.

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September 2020International NewsAmericasAsia2020
Jasmine Deleon

Australian and American Journalists Expelled out of China in Diplomatic Standoff

In early September, Bill Birtles, an Australian foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and China correspondent for ABC, was advised by Australian officials to leave China after the arrest and detention of another foreign journalist, reports The Guardian. Two days later, Beijing state security broke down his door at midnight to tell him that he was part of a national security investigation, was banned from leaving the country, and that he would be contacted the next afternoon to answer questions, reports BBC. 

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September 2020International News2020Middle East
Ava Holtzer

Afghan Vice President Faces Failed Assassination Attempt Amidst Taliban Talks 

At least ten people have been killed after a bomb attack in Kabul on September 9. The attack targeted Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh. An additional 31 people have been wounded, including several of the vice president’s bodyguards, says Associated Press. Saleh sustained minor injuries and burns in the attack.

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