Echoes of the Past: the AfD’s “Historic Success” in Germany

For the first time in post-World War II Germany, a far-right political party has won a state election. The openly extremist right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) achieved a “historic success” in the eastern state of Thuringia on September 1. This victory serves as a grim reminder of the first Nazi state election win in 1930, which also occurred in Thuringia. 

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Scramble for the South China Sea’s Shoals

The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are a hotspot of territorial disputes—particularly between the PRC and the Philippines. The discovery of potential oil reserves, along with overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs), has fueled tensions—leading to militarization and a growing frequency of skirmishes. Despite international condemnation and calls for cooperative resource management, the lack of a capable legal framework jeopardizes regional stability and the free flow of global trade.

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Moscow Shooting Aftermath: Central Asian Migrants face Discrimination in Russia

On Friday, March 22, 2024, over 60 people were killed and over 140 people were injured in a shooting at Crocus City Hall in Moscow. It was the deadliest shooting Russia has seen in decades, and sent shockwaves across Russia. ISIS-K–the Islamic State Khorasan Province–has claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS-K, a branch of the Islamic State, was declared a ‘global terrorist organization’ by the U.S. government in 2016.

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Russia & FSUBy Azima Aidarov
Austria’s Communist Party: Fighting Fascism At The Local Level

From 1918-1934, Austria’s largest city underwent a Marxist-led economic transformation known as Red Vienna. Funded by exuberant taxes on the wealthy, the Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAPÖ - a precursor to SPÖ) built 65,000 publicly rented apartments throughout the city with nearby state amenities. Although Nazi occupation ended Vienna’s novel socialist experiment, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) is continuing to advocate for the working class today. This small anti-capitalist movement poses a direct threat to Austria’s entrenched political elite and growing populist right.

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Afghanistan Completes Opium Crackdown

For years, Afghanistan served as the world’s leading producer of opium, a key ingredient in the street drug heroin. The country reached this level of production after years of widespread and violent conflict. In April 2022, the Taliban declared a complete ban on the crop and spent the next several months eradicating it from the country. With opium production off the table, Afghanistan’s rural population is struggling to make ends meet, worsening the already poor humanitarian situation in the country. 

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The Search for Truth in South Africa's Political Landscape

The recent search and seizure operation at the residence of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa's Speaker of Parliament, on March 19, 2024, has ignited concerns about corruption and accountability within the nation's political landscape. Yet, amidst the turmoil, South Africa's democratic system remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding integrity and transparency.

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South Korea Plays Cupid in Hopes of Raising Birth Rates

South Korea’s struggle with record-low fertility rates prompts the government to develop innovative solutions. In the fight to reverse this trend, the South Korean government has organized mass blind-date events with hopes to spark love connections and, ultimately, more births. Despite a large number of critics who called to the government for more direct support for mothers, these gatherings are gaining momentum, underscoring the nation’s determination to address its demographic crisis. As birth rates continue to decline, South Korea’s approach offers a unique perspective, highlighting the need for multifaceted strategies to address this intricate issue. While these matchmaking events still need to prove its lasting results, they signify a creative response that contributes to the larger issue of a drop in global fertility rates. 

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Uprooting the Mafia: Italy Expands a Controversial Approach to Combat Organized Crime

In 2012, Italy's Ministry of Justice, namely the Department of Juvenile and Community Justice, launched the Free To Choose program in Calabria. The project sought to remove children from their mafia families and place them in foster care programs, to break the cycle of criminal behavior between generations. Once authorities can prove to a court that the child is in danger due to their circumstances, they can forcefully remove the child from their parents' custody and place them in foster care.

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Silenced Stories: Censorship in the Americas

News is ultimately a form of storytelling, a way of informing the public of the events occuring in the world around them. Censoring the press is therefore a way of framing the way people see the world into a picture defined by what is not censored. However, press extends beyond the typical newspaper; even a novel may also be considered a form of press, reflecting societal issues of a certain period, or working to challenge authority. To censor this type of artistic press is to censor imagination, which results in the same effect––a suppression of public opinion. In the Americas, there has been an influx in the censorship of the press, which has taken one of two forms: censorship of the formal newspaper press and book censorship. This article thus examines censorship in the case studies of Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the United States.

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Spiraling Security in Nigeria reflected by Mass Kidnappings

Four mass kidnappings in the northern region of Nigeria have pointed to the resurfacing of the country’s kidnaping crisis. The crisis began in 2014 following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls, and has since spread to bandit groups seeking ransom. This security threat points not only to gender-based insecurity, but the overall decline of Nigeria’s social, political and economic situation.

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What Canada’s Recent Nunavut Land Transfer Could Mean for Indigenous Rights and the Environment

The Canadian government recently signed an agreement to transfer full control over the northernmost territory of Nunavut to the territory’s Inuit-dominated residents. This is a huge milestone in the movement for indigenous rights, and autonomy for the region will also bring more sustainable resource assessment and the protection of biodiversity. It could also be a stepping stone for increased indigenous autonomy and biodiversity across the Americas.

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The Fall of a Giant: How Evergrande’s Liquidation is Impacting China’s Economy

China has experienced a spell of economic growth that is unique to global history, beginning in the late 1970s and continuing into the present day. For the past two decades, China’s real estate sector has cemented itself as a reliable driver of economic growth, but that saga has concluded with the fall of the Evergrande Group. Evergrande serves as an apt vessel to explore the collapse of a once dominant property sector, with this article seeking to analyze the causes of the group's fall as well as explain the greater impacts felt by China’s domestic economy.

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