Author: Victoria Lopez

As we delve further into the holiday season and Americans cannot help but want to spend time together, we currently await a surge of COVID cases to be reported. Dr. Fauci explains how holiday travel will inevitably result in a surge as travel rates reportedly reached the highest since this March with almost 1.1 million travelers passing through airport security. The traveling occurred despite last week’s recommendation from the CDC against holiday gatherings this year. These small gatherings, they explained, could potentially become super spreader events. Despite these disconcerting predictions, Biden appears to be building up his COVID strategy plan. It looks like he will not adopt Trump’s state-by-state tactic and instead plans on implementing a national strategy removing the responsibility from state leaders. It appears like he also plans on implementing a vaccination strategy. Several vaccines appear to be progressing with 55 vaccines undergoing clinical trials in humans and 87 preclinical vaccines in animals. But like everything involving the pandemic – this is not so simple. Even if the vaccines were perfectly ready to be administered next week, it is not indicative of people that will actually accept to receive the vaccine. Pre-pandemic the anti-vaccine movement was already steadily on the rise. Now, an entire movement against COVID vaccines is rising. WaPo reports Alabama and other poor rural states will be the most challenging states to administer the vaccine. In short, I hope Biden’s plan will somehow encourage Trump’s conspiracists to protect themselves. But looking at the amount of traveling and holiday converging, I may have better luck writing Santa a letter to create a Christmas miracle.

As we rapidly approach the holiday season, we simultaneously advance upon the second wave of COVID. Although cases continue to increase in many parts of the world (like in Japan, India, and South Korea) in other countries, the worst of the Second Wave has passed. France, though initially filled with a lot of anger and violence over what many French considered an inadequate lockdown by Macron, may have already passed its peak of cases in this second wave. Despite continuous efforts by some Americans to practice precautions, many others continue to book flights despite discouragement, are making shopping plans for Black Friday, and somehow continue to disregard the severity of the virus. Apparently, Fox News (before being blacklisted by Trump and the Trumpsters of course) had a researcher from Hong Kong, Li-Meng Yan, come on the show to tell “the truth” alleging China’s malicious plans to spread the virus throughout the globe. The video from July shows the virologist speak out against China as a whistleblower, saying her life was in danger for speaking out about the origins and intentions of the virus. She also mentioned just “how dangerous” it really is. Despite many people on social media hailing her a hero and calling for asylum to allow her to remain protected in the U.S., many other scientists spoke out against the allegations.

After having watched the video, and seeing how both Fox and the virologist speak out against China and the danger the country presents, I can see how it is SO easy to fall in agreement with the virologist. After all, the initial whistleblower of COVID died trying to spread the news about the novel virus. And with China being very secretive about their findings, it is easy to see how people may be swayed into believing this. However, a NYTimes article recently came out highlighting the agenda behind the claims of a lab-created Coronavirus.

The article explains that though a lab-leak has technically not been ruled out by U.S. intelligence, there is an enormous amount of research proven to support that the virus originated in an animal before moving its way to humans. The article explains that Dr. Yan and American conservatives worked united to speak on this based on their shared anti-Chinese sentiments. Whereas Dr. Yan worked with other anti-Beijing spokespeople while in Hong Kong to denounce the government’s alleged practices, conservative America appeared to follow Trump’s anti-China rhetoric. They fell so uniformly into this baseless idea, that it allowed some of the responsibility of the handling of the outbreak off of Trump and instead onto China. Apparently, Stephen Bannon and fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui coached Dr. Yan and told her to not mention either one of them, with Bannon pushing the theory of a leak, though he claimed not believing the leak to not be intentional. Dr. Yan eventually met with experts from Georgetown to explain her beliefs, but they could not seem to come to an explanation as to the weaponization of the virus. Trump tweeted a clip of her claiming China intentionally spread the virus, with Tucker later on announcing on his show that he could not endorse Dr. Yan’s theories despite inviting her once more on the show.

This entire whirlwind of events is as fascinating as it is terrifying. At this time, Dr. Yan’s mother says she is worried for her daughter’s safety as they have not spoken in months. Despite much controversy regarding the origins or “agenda” of the novel virus, the greatest threat remains the same for now: people disregarding its gravity.

 

As Trump continues to Tweet his frustrations away, and blatantly lying or, according to Twitter “making disputed claims” he has turned his back on Fox. As Trump continues to claim election fraud over baseless, desperate, alleged examples, even Fox News has stopped parroting everything that comes out of Trump’s mouth. As Fox News and top Republicans, including Melania and Jared, try to encourage the President to concede to Biden, he has now turned against Fox and is encouraging his followers to instead focus on NewsMax and OANN (One American News Network). As soon as Fox stopped supporting his narrative, Trump threw the network under the bus and has now grouped them in with the rest of the “fake mainstream media”. Fox News Network’s YouTube channel is now flooded with dislikes and comments denouncing their “bias” coverage – all done by former loyal viewers.  The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the cable channel Newsmax has been highlighted as a competitor media to Fox. The article reports that the channels viewership and popularity skyrocketed after the election, further promoting Trump’s allegations. Though plans remain tentative, it does bring attention to the fact that Trump is not ready to leave the political spotlight. There are rumors that he may run again in 2024, and if he were to find an outlet set on promoting him, who is to say his popularity won’t rise? Though Biden may have won, the race was way too close for comfort bringing attention to the fact that tensions may continue all over the country. As many Trump supporters refuse to accept any mainstream sources of news, what other sensational and out-of-touch outlets will they turn to?

As most of the U.S. and several other nations breathe a sigh of relief with President-elect Biden entering office, things are looking up. Already the 46th President is working on regulating COVID cases and named the members of his coronavirus task force. Among his selected advisors is whistleblower Rick Bright who was sidelined by the Trump administration after refusing to support the Trump-endorsed hydroxychloroquine. Meanwhile, the 45th President continues to claim fraud and play golf. No matter – there are only 70 days until this administration ends.

Thankfully, President-elect Biden is already working on executive actions to undo many of 45’s controversial policies. He plans on strengthening multilateralism by having the U.S. rejoin the Paris climate accord and the WHO – information which has been happily received. But will Biden be able to “heal” the current administration’s self-inflicted wounds? As Biden received several warm congratulations from many world-leaders (save a few) Iran, though acknowledging Biden’s win, remained skeptical. The nation’s Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted his disgust about the U.S.’s “ugly face of liberal democracy” and expressed that there is no difference in the outcome of the election. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani insisted that the new administration could, instead, “compensate for past mistakes” and return the U.S. to the Nuclear Deal. With Iran’s Presidential elections coming up in June, will movement occur regarding the nuclear deal? Biden, already with a plate piled high with problems, should pay special attention to nuclear weapons in his first 100 days. He certainly will have the opportunities to do so with the New Start Treaty expiring in early February – but he is already likely to extend the Treaty for another 5 years having already worked on it during the Obama administration. He should take advantage of this healing process and do something neither the Obama nor Trump administration did – join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Though unlikely, it would be incredibly healing and it might encourage the other eight nuclear-strapped nations to consider accepting it. Though projected to win the election and overcome Trump’s baseless claims of fraud – Kim Jong Un’s and Putin’s silence regarding the outcomes speak volumes. If we are to make any drastic change in terms of reducing the risk of nuclear war, now is the time.

With the election happening in only 2 days, votes streaming in across the U.S., and unrest rising, I decided to write about it. Of course, Americans are preparing for the inevitable anger and the aftermath of the results – once again stores are rapidly being emptied, people are filling their gas tanks, and businesses are preparing to completely shut down as many board up windows and doors across the nation. In D.C., George Washington students are being warned and told to “be prepared” for the disruptions that will erupt post-election. The university emailed students with a list of supplies to stock up on for at least a week. It appears that no matter who wins, a surge of violence will inevitably come. According to NPR: “Several human rights and conflict resolution groups that typically monitor elections abroad, mostly in fledgling democracies or places where sectarian violence could erupt, are now turning their attention to the United States for the first time.” But while anxiety and tension increases and is almost palpable in the air across the country, other nations appear ready to distance themselves from the U.S.

Over the past four years, Europe’s opinion and trust in the U.S. has drastically changed. So low is their trust in the free word that in a survey conducted by Pew Research, many survey respondents place less hope in Trump doing the “right thing regarding global affairs” than Chinese President Xi Jinping. Though support for Biden to win seems to be the popular opinion across Europe, it does not appear as if his winning will undo the damage done to the U.S.’s reputation. WaPo reports “Europeans do not believe they can depend on the United States as they did before. They want to be ready to act, with or without Washington.” The article cites this administration’s disregard for the many eruptions of unrest across EU borders and how that forced them to deal with the issues on their own. This reality has shown these nations that perhaps they do not need the U.S. as urgently as they had once thought. As our allies gradually distance themselves, what will it mean for the U.S?

The U.S and India grow closer together as they are planning to sign off on a military agreement this week. The agreement would fortify cooperation in the Pacific and Indian oceans in an attempt to collaborate and work against China.

The agreement known as the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, or BECA, would provide India with access to advanced American maps and satellite images. These advanced images would improve the accuracy of India’s automated weapons, drones, and missiles.

In times of heightened tension between the U.S. and China, the U.S. is all too happy to aid India who is also whose hostility with China is quickly rising. India-U.S relations have been steadily improving over the past few years, particularly in regards to nuclear and defense trade. Now, it seems, the U.S is largely focused on improving maritime cooperation with island countries in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Trump’s administration is working quickly to further relations with India ahead of the election as hostility with China steadily increases. As Harsh V. Pant, head of strategic affairs at Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, noted: “The fact that the U.S. is spending so much diplomatic capital on enhancing ties with India when an election is a week away underscores the growing maturity of Indo-U.S. engagement and the fact that China’s rise is a challenge that cannot wait for the electoral cycle to get over.” Though this administration may be especially harsh with China, I wonder how relations with both India and China will shift should Trump lose.

Roy, Rajesh, and William Mauldin. “U.S., India Expected to Sign Military Pact as China Prompts Closer Ties.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 25 Oct. 2020, www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-india-expected-to-sign-military-pact-as-china-prompts-closer-ties-11603623601.

As voting begins pouring in across the country, Trump appears to be grasping at straws to remain Commander-in-Chief. In an attempt to keep his campaign promise to bring soldiers home, he announced his decision to withdraw troops out of Somalia despite having sent most of the current 650 troops currently there in mid-2017. Meanwhile, both Somalian President  Mohammad Abdullahi and advisers appear to disagree with this stance. They fear the troops leaving will create the opportunity for the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab to strike. The group continues its attacks claiming they killed 24 soldiers this past week.

Trump continues to provoke confusion after tweeting on October 7th his plans to pull troops out of Afghanistan by the holiday season – multiple U.S. officials were reportedly “blindsided” by his plans. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien had announced earlier that day “the 5,000 troops [in Afghanistan] will go to 2,500 by early next year”. In a frantic attempt to secure votes in his re-election, Donald Trump changed the timeline via Twitter.

This is not the first time the President has announced a military plan via Twitter only to be talked out of executing said Tweet. For example, Trump announced wanting to pull all forces out of Syria but that did not end up happening. Instead, less than 1,000 troops remain in Syria.

Perhaps Trump’s confusing militaristic strategies are working a little too well as the Taliban is now hoping he wins the election. The Taliban too wants U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and even noted they “think highly” of Trump’s “America first “narrative.

At a military parade this past Saturday, North Korea showed off the country’s long-range weapons. The NYTimes reports that it is unclear whether the powerful weapon was just for show or actually worked. Regardless, it gained plenty of attention. This was the first display of long-range weapons in two years.

Kim Jong Un vowed in his 2020 New Year’s message to produce a “new strategic weapon”. This message was all but forgot in the past year as the country battled COVID and devastating flooding.

CNBC reports that the missile is a “new, larger ICBM designed to carry multiple independent reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing it to attack more targets and making interception more difficult.” It looks like Kim Jong Un kept his vow in presenting a tactical weapon.

Along with the new ICBM, Hwasong-15, the longest-range missile North Korea has ever tested was displayed, and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile.

It is clear Kin Jong Un is eager to prove the lethality of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and might even be publicly warning his intention to test the missile. For now, it looks like it was simply a matter of showcasing but we will see how things change after the election in a few weeks.

As tensions increase between China and the U.S., Washington appears to take advantage of India’s feud with China. It looks like India and China have plans to work collaboratively using their shared increasing frustration with China as a method of bonding together.

While the Trump administration has taken numerous economic and political actions against China, India has had its own military issues with China as well.

This June, violence erupted at a land border in Galwan Valley leaving 20 Indian troops dead. This clash highlighted both nations not wanting to further the conflict but neither are willing to renounce that territory either. Tensions only increased over the summer after a solder in the Indian army was killed in August, and then again in September after shots were fired along the India-China border for the first time in years. Neither nation took responsibility for the military fire.

Now, the NYTimes reports, there is talk of a potential budding partnership knows as the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue” that would unite the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia. Though this partnership has never been fully executed in the past due to India’s hesitancy, India might now be prepared to participate.

Though India’s motives in finally agreeing to join the “Quad” may echo Washington’s Anti-China sentiment, we have yet to see if the other states would agree to join as it is clear where India and China currently stand. While the U.S. has been vocal and condemned China’s human rights abuses towards Muslims, the U.S. has remained silent about Indian Prime Minister Modi’s similar treatment of Muslims. This hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed but the Trump administration seems to be actively ignoring India’s human rights violations.

 

Though President Trump refused to travel to New York to attend the UN Assembly, he made sure his thoughts were heard by all. In his speech, Trump made sure to highlight the U.S’s contribution to addressing COVID through several clinical vaccine trials. He then proceeded to directly blame China for the virus, brought attention to China’s high pollution, and hinted at human rights violations in China. Trump then listed “superior outcomes” the U.S. accomplished during his administration. In his address, Trump only highlighted his “America First” foreign policy without addressing the theme for the event: “Reaffirming our (the UN’s) Collective Commitment to Multilateralism”.

Meanwhile, in his address,  President Xi chose to speak mostly on COVID and seemed to dismiss President Trump’s blame on the “China virus” saying “Any attempt of politicizing the issue or stigmatization must be rejected.” Jinping addressed the UN with much more grace and even pledged aid in reference to COVID.

In this strange take on the blame game, Trump appears to use the UN assembly as a way to shift the blame of COVID onto China while reminding  (convincing?) the world of what he believes he has achieved so far while in office. Meanwhile, he completely neglected to even approach addressing the theme of the assembly this year. It was surprisingly difficult to find articles analyzing or even addressing these two speeches and I wonder why that might be. Trump blatantly chooses to use his address as a bit of free coverage for his presidential campaign while neglecting to mention any plan that might progress actions within the UN. Though Jinping chose to not pinpoint Trump or the U.S., he definitely did address the humanitarian issues trump had cited. I think these addresses can heighten tensions between the nations as it appears Trump will do anything to keep “America first”.