February 8th, 2018
Written By - Aurora Shi '18
Asia - Pacific:
NORTH KOREA and SOUTH KOREA will form a unit team to participate the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. It will be a diplomatic breakthrough since these two countries rarely cooperate together. There were few times that these two countries had worked together in some occasions (mostly sports or entertainment level). Besides, North Korea has appointed their supreme leader Kim Jong-Un’s sister as part of the delegation traveling to South Korea. However, it is not quite clear of the motivation from North Korea. Since in 2017, it stands on the opposite point from the majority of the world nuclear threat), but it tends to take peaceful diplomatic strategy this year.
Southeast Asia:
the MALDIVES are engulfed in serious political crisis. The country itself is in a state of emergency, along with some other countries post the travel warning to Maldive. Maldive’s supreme court has recently released of nine dissidents and the reinstatement of 12 legislators who were fired for abandoning President Yameen’s party, which turns to be the opposite to the majority in its legislative assembly. The issue raised from domestic level to a geopolitical contend in the Southeast Asia between China and India. President Yameen and Maldive’s former two presidents are standing in opposite sides (supporting China and India respectively) on this issue.
Middle East:
Yemen: The conflict in YEMEN started in 2015, now turns to a war between a international recognized government and Iranian-backed rebels. United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the allies of Yemen, but they seems to be fragile right now when the war in Yemen begins to be out of control
Syria: According to the report, Israel has acknowledged carrying out dozens of strikes inside SYRIA recently. Back to 2006, after the war between Israel and Iranian-backed rebels, the rebels have sent thousands of fighter to Syria to support Syria’s force. Furthermore, war planes from Turkey have launched in northern Syria, it likely will raise the tension with the U.S.
Comments