Mexico has the highest number of journalists and media workers killed in 2019 alone; in 2018, the number of media murders in Mexico was second only to that of Afghanistan, and surpassed even that of Syria, an active conflict zone. A questionable president, potential Russian interference, illicit use of controlled spyware, and an escalating war on drugs have made Mexico a journalist death trap.
Ideologies distinguish themselves by their performance, hiding their bland sameness beneath. The Democrats signal their virtue and commitment to environmental causes, then lobby for the industries that pollute. Donald Trump garners his support not because of his record as a public servant, but as an icon of America who sends a message. The Chinese Communist Party reaffirms its commitment to socialism, then pushes for market liberalization. Islamic extremists demand a return to the ancient ways of living, but make videogame-inspired music videos out of their massacres. Boring debates won’t solve anything anymore — if you want to defeat Islam, replace it with something more glamorous.
Coca-Cola, the massive international beverage consortium best known for its 1985 “New Coke” failure in the midst of the American coke epidemic, naturally says that serving sizes and dieting are not to blame for the health crisis; they say that Americans must simply exercise more. While stating that the sedentary hungry, hungry hippos that constitute two thirds of American adults require more exercise is certainly valid, Coca-Cola’s position that fast food and serving sizes are not an issue is—excuse my bluntness—bullshit.
Today’s 24-hour news cycle is truly a double-edge sword for both sides on the abortion issue. The Trump administration may benefit now from selective news coverage, but long-term, pro-life advocates may suffer as the left continues to misrepresent the rapidly growing support for restrictions on late-term abortion.
EU parliamentary elections are only a month away, elections in which far-right and far-left parties will potentially secure record seat allocations. Despite their seemingly different ideologies, they have one thing in common: support from the desperate youth and disaffected who have been dispossessed by the policies of the ECB. If real growth cannot emerge soon in Europe, the odds are very real that the political and economic project of the EU may well be fated to fail.
Federal Reserve officials agreed today to keep interest rates steady amid pressure from the White House and economists to keep interest rates low. Jerome Powell and the Fed’s Board of Governors have been criticized for their so-called lackluster, and, at times, inhibitory, stance towards economic growth in the last year.
In the first week of April, the United States chose to snub a G7 meeting in favour of focusing exclusively on NATO. But while the U.S. has chosen to focus on great power politics, France has begun penetrating the now crowded soft power field in Africa to much success in former colonial possessions Algeria and Rwanda. Given France’s success, perhaps it is time for the Trump administration to re-evaluate the role of soft power in American foreign policy.
The decline of the middle class in California is not irreversible, but if Governor Newsom’s plan succeeds and citizens do not stand together to stop the overzealous state, then California’s grim, tragic fate as a failed dystopia is all but guaranteed.
Saudi Arabia appointed their first female ambassador in late February. Princess Reema bint Bandar al Saud has been appointed as ambassador to the United States, while the Crown Prince has undergone a series of meetings with leaders throughout Asia. These actions, as a whole, demonstrate an attempted global soft power campaign which the West must now respond to.
The “city on a hill,” as pronounced by Puritan John Winthrop in 1630, is quickly lagging behind in terms of infrastructure. America has been the at the forefront of infrastructure innovation since the Reconstruction Period, but in recent years, America has seemingly ignored the more basic infrastructure that is used daily by its 325 million citizens every day.
