Alex Degterev is a staff writer and assistant editor in the Tufts Daily Opinion Section. Alex is a junior studying International Relations with a focus on International Security, and can be reached at Alexander.Degterev@tufts.edu.
Having previously written two articles detailing the renewed strife in the eastern Congo, I have admittedly not been too forthcoming with my own opinions on how to confront the issue. My primary reason for this is that I do not think I have the expertise to offer any serious prescriptions, but I now believe that this shouldn’t stop me from at least trying.
For far too long, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been deprived of a large portion of the tremendous wealth beneath their land. This large-scale,multi-decade mineral theft has been carried out not only by their closest neighbors and regional rivals, but also by an interconnected network of international players who have actively worked to bolster the industry.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is ablaze once again, and like many times prior, it is Rwanda and their network of Tutsi militants at the helm of this chaos. The history between the Congo and Rwanda has long been fraught with some of the most destructive violence since World War II, and the recent offensives spearheaded by the March 23 Movement militia and their sponsors, the Rwandan Defense Force, in the eastern reaches of the Congo are clear indicators that the region may be entering yet another horrific period of conflict.
These past few weeks have been quite exhausting, with the administration of President Donald Trump topping off thechaos by delivering a carnival of a congressional address. I worry about a lot these days when it comes to the future of our country, but now I, and really all of us who live in America, have yet another worry: the near-complete collapse of the post-World War II international order, underpinned by a possible splintering of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
As the administration of President Donald Trump has set off on its pursuit of an “America First” agenda, the majority of its moves so far have confused, and outright angered, many in the international community. Scarily, the majority of these aggravated parties are, or at least were, incredibly important U.S. allies.
About a week after various armed groups began to move against the Syrian government’s forces in Aleppo, the conflict is spiraling into a befuddling mess of frontlines, with some rebel groups now turning their attention towards one another. It seems that the recent violence has been brought ...
President-elect Donald Trump has managed to do something that hasn’t been done since his last time in office. His postelection Cabinet picks so far, specifically, his choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, have brought a seemingly bipartisan feeling of displeasure.
It was Sept. 29, 2022, and 57-year-old Daw Khin had just recently returned to her village in eastern Karenni State after being forced to flee due to attacks by Myanmar’s military junta, the Tatmadaw. Cleaning her now disheveled house, one of those still standing in her neighborhood, she stepped on a landmine which was placed right outside of her outdoor toilet.
My previous article was a call to President-elect Donald Trump to reconsider his stance on withdrawing troops from Syria. However, I do not feel as if I properly made a case for the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which I so adamantly advocated for.
Following the recent election, the upcoming Trump administration has been discussing their plans to address various key issues in current American policy. Perhaps the least attention has been given to recent comments relating to American action in Syria, more specifically action as it relates to the various groups which make up the Syrian Democratic Forces.
