Focus Archives - Page 11 of 26 - The Diplomatic Envoy

September 30, 2021 Chimdi Chukwukere

FOCUS on Afghanistan: The Taliban

On Tuesday, September 21, the Taliban requested to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and nominated Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador, according to Reuters. This was one of many strategic efforts by the Taliban as it continues to woo world leaders in a bid for recognition as the official political authority in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were the only countries that recognized the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

September 2021 Focus Middle East Afghanistan

September 30, 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.

September 2021 Focus Middle East Afghanistan

September 30, 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.

2021 Eastern Europe April 2021 Focus Separatist Movements Asia

April 27, 2021 Mia DiPaola

FOCUS on Separatist States: Nagorno-Karabakh

Violence erupted in late 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory self-declared as the Republic of Artsakh by its majority Armenian population. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the region became a tinderbox waiting to erupt into conflict following the 1994 ceasefire.

2021 Focus April 2021 Africa Separatist Movements

April 27, 2021 Chimdi Chukwukere

FOCUS on Separatist Movements: Western Sahara

Following its establishment in 1945, the United Nations adopted a central commitment to the right to self-determination and decolonization of all non-self-governing territories. General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), adopted in 1960, called for the “respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of all peoples” and declared that “all people have the right to self-determination by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” It is on this basis that Western Saharans continue to push for their right to self-determination and independence from Morocco.

2021 Focus April 2021 Separatist Movements Europe

April 27, 2021 Kiara McGaughey

FOCUS on Separatist Movements: Catalonia

The Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia is one with its own rich and distinct culture, customs, and language developed over thousands of years. Catalonian separatist movements have strengthened their presence and reignited the debate of whether there should be an autonomous Catalan state.

2021 April 2021 Focus Separatist Movements Middle East

April 27, 2021 Juliet Nangini

FOCUS on Separatist Movements: Kurdistan

Among global separatist movements, the Kurds stand as the largest nation without an independent state and make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, according to BBC News. There is an estimated population of 30 million Kurds scattered across the mountainous regions within the borders of Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The Kurds often say that they have “no friends but the mountains.” The Economist also reports that “internal division has been one of their worst enemies.”

2021 March 2021 Focus Vaccine Diplomacy Asia

March 24, 2021 Mia DiPaola

FOCUS on Vaccine Diplomacy: China

Over a year after the world first felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless vaccines have been produced at record speed. Vaccine diplomacy, the practice of using shots to enhance a country’s regional ties and global status, provide nations like China the opportunity to flex their diplomatic muscles by using resources and development to their advantage. If vaccine diplomacy is a competition, then China is winning.

2021 March 2021 Focus Vaccine Diplomacy Middle East

March 24, 2021 Juliet Nangini

FOCUS on Vaccine Diplomacy: Israel

The world’s most pressing challenge is the rush to inoculate everyone against COVID-19 and achieve herd immunity. Some countries choose to exchange vaccines with foreign nations to reward compliant behavior, while others seek to help countries that do not have access to vaccines. The Soufan Center, a non-profit research center, calls this a “new arms race,” states France 24. Amid this “vaccine diplomacy” race, Israel is demonstrating its power to the international community and stands as number one in global vaccine rollouts. The country vaccinated almost 60 percent of its residents over 16 years old with the first dose, according to The Wall Street Journal.

2021 March 2021 Eastern Europe Focus Vaccine Diplomacy

March 23, 2021 Luisa Chainferber

FOCUS on Vaccine Diplomacy: Russia

The global effort against COVID-19 is intensifying as countries race to vaccinate their populations and use vaccine diplomacy to improve relations with foreign nations. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine now has emergency authorization in more than 30 countries and a peer-reviewed efficacy rate of 91.6 percent in Phase 3 trials, reports the New York Times Vaccine Tracker. Researchers are currently working on a single-dose version of Sputnik V, which would be called “Sputnik Light.”