November 2021

2021November 2021FocusGlobal PariahsMiddle East

FOCUS on Pariah Leaders: Bashar al-Assad

In early October, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a phone call from King Abdullah II of Jordan, their first since Abdullah called for Assad to step down in 2011 during the Arab Spring, according to Al Jazeera. Jordan is not alone in normalizing relations with their estranged Arab neighbor—Egypt and the UAE have both contacted the Syrian government. Jordan and the UAE have come to agreements to improve economic ties and resume trade with Syria, despite U.S. sanctions.

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2021November 2021OpinionAfrica

Cold War Policy Tactics Doom Yet Another Developing Nation

“We will bury this enemy with our blood and bones” is hardly a statement one might anticipate hearing from a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but Abiy Ahmed’s tenure as Prime Minister of Ethiopia has been far from what anyone has anticipated. On October 31, Ahmed sounded the alarm of a near state collapse when he urged citizens to take up arms and brace for a battle over the capital of Africa’s second most populous country, reports The New York Times. Now, with almost every global power keen on remaining influential in Africa, many remain baffled as to why the world has remained largely indifferent towards Africa’s second most populous nation.

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Campus Spotlight2021StaffNovember 2021School of Diplomacy News

Cato Institute Defense Policy Director Talks Nuclear Policy and U.S.-China Relations

On November 11, Eric Gomez, the Director of Defense Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, held a presentation comparing the nuclear weapons policies of the Trump and Biden administrations. Mr. Gomez also discussed China’s nuclear arsenal in relation to the United States, and the growing tensions among China, the United States, and Taiwan. The event was hosted by Seton Hall’s chapter of the John Quincy Adams Society. The presentation was soon followed by a question and answer session with the attendees. 

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2021November 2021International NewsAmericas

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Re-Elected in Denounced Election

Early results from the Nicaraguan general election on November 7 indicate that incumbent President Daniel Ortega has won by a landslide, BBC News reports. The result was unsurprising to many onlookers across the globe, as President Ortega secured nearly 76 percent of the vote, winning his fourth consecutive term in office. 

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2021November 2021Opinion

Are Vaccine Mandates Increasing Safety or Driving People from Vaccinations?

Taking efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19, some leaders around the world have decided to enact vaccine mandates. In many developed nations, such as the United States, vaccination rates for adults range between 70 to 80 percent, according to Reuters, with a slim subsection of the population extremely reluctant to get the vaccine. 

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2021November 2021International NewsEurope

Belarus Accused of Inciting Border Crisis

Belarus has come under fire from the European community for what is seen as an orchestrated attempt to destabilize Poland and Lithuania and pressure the EU to relax sanctions on President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus. These tensions stem from an ongoing border crisis, in which migrants are being systematically pressured, in part by Belarusian officials, to enter Europe through Belarus’s border with Poland and Lithuania.

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Campus Spotlight2021November 2021School of Diplomacy News

A Discussion of Servant Leadership In Public Policy with Cecilia Muñoz

On October 12, the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership held its first annual Greenleaf Public Policy Lecture. The lecture featured keynote speaker Cecilia Muñoz, the current Senior Advisor at New America, and the former Director of the Domestic Policy Council under former President Obama. With over 30 years of experience in public policy in areas such as immigration, civil rights, and public interest technology, Muñoz’s lecture gave significant insight into how leaders can aim to serve others through their direction and embody the spirit of servant leadership.

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