On October 25, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman visited the School of Diplomacy and International Relations to promote his new memoir, Here, Right Matters, and share his experience of serving during the Trump administration. The World Council of New Jersey organized the book presentation and discussion.
Read MoreTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared ten ambassadors “persona non grata” after they advocated for the release of a jailed philanthropist, reports The New York Times. Businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala has been in jail in Turkey since 2017, despite having never been convicted of a crime.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled in favor of Somalia in a maritime time dispute case instituted against Kenya over the delimitation of maritime spaces claimed by both states in the Indian Ocean. The judgement, which is binding and without appeal, was unanimous in its finding that there is no agreed maritime boundary between the two states, according to an ICJ press release.
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Czech voters gave Prime Minister Andrej Babiš a narrow surprise defeat on Saturday, October 9 during the country’s general election. Babiš and his party, ANO 2011, lost after the two partner parties in his coalition, the Communist and Social Democratic parties, failed to get elected according to the proportional representation system used to elect the lower chambers.
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On October 11, the officials of a Russian prison in Vladimirskaya Oblast, which is located about 60 miles east of Moscow, designated the opposition leader Alexei Navalny as a “terrorist” and an “extremist” according to Reuters. He was given these designations after the same commission revoked his previous status as an “escape-risk,” a status which necessitated more tedious “accounting.”
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The prime minister of the Netherlands has announced that Dutch royals are now allowed to marry someone of the same sex without having to give up their royal position, reports BBC News.
Read MoreThe Annual Concordia Summit was held last September 20-23 in New York City alongside the High Segment of the 76th United Nations General Assembly. The summit was designed to revolve around the major topics of discussion at the UNGA this year. From environmental sustainability to vaccine distribution, the Concordia Summit delved into the largest problems in the world today.
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Ethiopian troops have launched a new offensive to regain control of the restive Tigray region from ethnic separatists. According to The New York Times, the October offensive comes as a result of months of planning and has seen the use of airstrikes and foreign-made drones made in China, Iran, and Turkey. Government forces are also enlisting the help of anti-Tigrayan militias, although troops from neighboring Eritrea are currently uninvolved.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) supported two Chinese-produced COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year in response to the increased need for international vaccine supply. While China has been exporting a significant number of vaccines, with around 1.2 billion being exported just last month, the WHO’s decision to recommend third doses for those who received either the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine has cast doubts on the efficacy of these Chinese-made vaccines, according to The Washington Post.
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On October 10, Iraq held their sixth parliamentary election since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, reports The New York Times. The parliamentary election decides the 329 members of the Council of Representatives who elect Iraq’s president and confirm the prime minister.
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