Author: Shivani Ekkanath

SEATTLE — The Tibetan refugee crisis continues to remain one of the most crucial regional issues concerning South Asia. The problem stems from a combination of historical and political grievances that continue to have dire impacts like mass migration and internal and external displacement. The problem is also inextricably linked with the present geopolitical relations between China and India. Waves of Migration The origins of the Tibetan refugee crisis can be segmented into three parts: the first, second and third waves. The first wave was catalyzed by People’s Republic of China Chairman Mao Zedong’s reunification campaigns between 1949 and 1950,…

SEATTLE — The first Latin American head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is one of the world’s biggest humanitarians and one of the most powerful individuals on Earth. He has garnered widespread attention for his work with refugees, environmental advocacy, promoting social equality and other poverty alleviation efforts. Before rising to the highest and most prestigious rank of the Church, Pope Francis was the archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2013.  He was also cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina from 2001 to 2013, and president of the Bishop’s Conference of Argentina between 2005 and 2011.…

SEATTLE — As the Syrian Civil War enters its fifth year in 2018, the humanitarian emergency in the country remains a serious issue. Despite gains made by U.S. and Russian-led coalition forces during the battles of Aleppo and Raqqa, the final stages of the war are crucial with regards to the protection of civilians, refugees and displaced individuals who face the threat of poverty, human rights violations and mass displacement. Since 2011, more than 400,000 individuals have lost their lives in the conflict. A total of 5.5 million people are refugees, and a further 6.1 million continue to be displaced…

SEATTLE — An island nation located off the coast of the United States in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba is an important socialist economy in Latin America with great economic and financial potential. Despite steady economic recovery over the past few decades, poverty in Cuba still exists, owing to deficiencies in infrastructure, healthcare, transport, food security and housing. According to a report by Reuters, Cuba’s sugar industry has grown by 22.6 percent, and its agricultural sector has expanded by about 4.8 percent. Cuba’s recent history has been clamorous due to the revolution that took place between 1953 and 1959. Since the late…

SEATTLE — As the Yemen Civil War enters its third year in 2018, it becomes imperative to address the dire humanitarian emergency it entails. Yemen, a country that is unfortunately now one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, is reeling from a massive food crisis. According to the United Nations, the situation in Yemen remains the world’s most dire, and somehow forgotten, humanitarian crisis. The Yemen Civil War has also had grave impacts on the history and culture of the country. UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the city of Sanaa and the Awwam Temple, have sustained damage from coalition…

SEATTLE — The United States has been a key player on the world stage of international affairs since 1945, when it supported war-torn European economies and spearheaded the provision of aid through the Marshall Plan. The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Afghanistan include international obligations, upholding international humanitarian laws, reaping the benefits of expanding into markets and bolstering trade globally. Since the rise of the Taliban insurgency in 2001, the United States has been providing military and development aid to the country and working in collaboration with the Commander’s Emergency Response Program. Consequently, Afghanistan continues to be the largest…

SEATTLE — Since 2014, the city of Raqqa, an important economic hub of Syria, has been at the forefront of the war against the Islamic State. Raqqa is known as the de facto capital of IS. The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Defense Forces and U.S. coalition groups have played a pivotal role in the final phases of the war offensive in Syria. According to the United Nations and the international charity Mercy Corps, nearly 80 percent of the city has been deemed uninhabitable. Since April 2017, over 200,000 individuals have been trapped in the city. Moreover, casualties currently number over 1,800. Unfortunately,…

SEATTLE — The Yazidi people are a small Kurdish-speaking minority ethnic group residing in northern Iraq with a heritage steeped in a 4,000-year-old faith. Considered by many to be the oldest religion in the world, Yazidism blends elements from pre-Zoroastrian roots, Islam and Christianity as well. Since the rise of the Islamic State in 2014, there has been a great persecution of minority groups in the region. The battle against the self-declared caliphate reached a height in 2017. Joint U.K. and U.S.-led coalition forces have made great headway in providing aid and liberating large swaths of previously IS-dominated territory. Though…

SEATTLE — A key city in Iraq with a population of 2.5 million, Mosul has been the epicenter of the combat against the Islamic State since it was captured in 2014. Since the beginning of the offensive in October 2016, Mosul has become the battleground for key stakeholder groups in the disputed region, including Shia militias, Kurdish fighters, Sunni-Arab tribesman and U.S. and Russian-sponsored coalition forces. Major gains were made by coalition forces, with IS soldiers moving to the fringes of the Old City area over the past year. Unfortunately, throughout the course of the attacks, significant damage was done…

SEATTLE — Globally, according to UNIFEM, a significant proportion of the poverty burden is felt by women in developing countries. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goal Agenda highlights the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. According to a U.N. estimate, 70 percent of the 1.5 billion individuals living on $1 a day are women. A term conceptualized in the 1970s that has sparked a lot of controversy in recent years, the concept of the feminization of poverty remains a key facet that is crucial to the empowerment of women, eliminating gender inequality, and in turn,…