Volume VIV Issue III December 2015

ISIS Eyes Southeast Asia For Recruits

The leader of a Shia mosque in Bangladesh was killed on November 27 when five gunmen fired on wor-shippers gathered for evening prayers. Three others were wounded, the Huffington Post reports, while police currently hold two suspects. The Islam-ic State has claimed responsi-bility for the attack through a local affiliate, who stated on Twitter that “the soldiers of the caliphate targeted a place of worship for the apostates.”

According to CNN, ISIS also claimed responsibility for the September murder of Italian national Cesare Tavella in the capital city of Dhaka. Atheist bloggers have been at-tacked in the past year, includ-ing four who were hacked to death by machetes, according to Think Progress.

The Bangladeshi govern-ment denies the Sunni ex-tremist group’s presence in the country, pinning the October bombing of a Shia rally in Dha-

Francesca RegaladoManaging Editor

Refugees Attempt to Reach US Through Central America Isla LaMont

Staff Writer

INSIDE

Continued on Page 4...

Photos courtesy of ReutersThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for recent attacks on a mosque in Bangladesh.

ka on Jama’at ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The Ter-rorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) describes JMB as a terrorist group with the aim of replacing the demo-cratic state of Bangladesh with an Islamic State governed by Sharia law.

Prime Minister Sheikh Ha-sina accused the opposition and its Islamist wing of orga-nizing such attacks in the inter-

Central America is experi-encing a surge of Syrian ref-ugees passing through in an attempt to immigrate to the United States.

The phenomenon is rarely reported in the U.S. Accord-ing to the Toronto Star, three Syrian families turned them-selves over to U.S. immigration authorities and sought asylum during the week of Novem-ber 17. Additionally, a woman on a bus from Nicaragua to Honduras was detained at the Honduran border on Novem-ber 21.

The influx of asylum-seek-ing refugees through non-tra-ditional routes shows their desperation, following the crackdown at European bor-

ders, popular mistrust after the Paris attacks, and increasing competition as more refugees pour out of Syria, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The main story gaining head-lines in the U.S. is of five Syr-ian refugees posing as Greek immigrants. The group was arrested by Honduran author-ities on November 18 while attempting to reach the United States. They were discovered when they failed to produce vaccination certificates.

According to a spokesper-son for the Honduran police, the information gathered sug-gested that the five men had previously stopped in Greece before passing through either Lebanon or Turkey, then Bra-zil, Argentina, and Costa Rice, before finally reaching Teguci-galpa, Honduras.

The spokesperson was quick to report that the police force did not believe the men had any ties to terrorist networks. They believe the men were seeking asylum in the U.S.

One of the men is report-edly seeking a reunion with his brother. According to NBC, the men are expected to be charged with falsifying federal documents.

The refugee application pro-cess for American citizenship usually takes 18 to 24 months, but it can take substantially longer for Syrian applicants due to security concerns.

To be declared a refugee, an applicant must first apply for refugee status through the United Nations High Com-missioner for Refugees (UN-HCR). If refugee status is received, then the applicant is

referred by the UNHCR for resettlement.

According to NBC, the U.S. government approved the en-try of 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2014.

Refugees most commonly arrive in Brazil or Ecuador, where Syrian visitors are not required to obtain visas, via cash-purchased plane tickets.

Once in the Americas, the route continues to Central America where smugglers guide them north, usually to the United States. Along the way they face perils including starvation, hypothermia, cartel violence, and kidnapping.

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est of political gain, according to the Huffington Post. Speak-ing to Think Progress, Asif Mohiuddin, one of the blog-gers attacked by extremists and then later arrested by the government, accused the latter of supporting the former.

The South Asian country is not the only one in the region at risk of becoming a breed-ing ground for ISIS recruits. According to the Washington

Times, the United States Army points to Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim population, as an ISIS-prescribed “routine stop” for jihadists on the way to Raqqa, the Islamic State’s proclaimed capital in Syria. The Foreign Military Studies Office reports, “At least 300-500 Indonesians have been in Syria training for battle.”

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Algerian Official Arrested; Somali PiratesPage 2

Europe at War;Brussels on AlertPage 3

Page 11

Foreign Policy Reaction on ISIS; DULCE Update

What Makes ISIS Different; US on Syrian Refugees

Opinion

Page 8

Genocide in China;Paris AttacksPage 9

Campus: Stephanie Powers Foreign: Emily O’Connor

APEC SummitPage 4

Page 10Islamophobia

Page 5

Spotlights

Page 12

Visiting Scholar Robert SerryFaculty: Jean-Rony André

FOCUS On freedom of

speech in the world

PAGE 6&7

international newsDecember 2015Page 2

Military Tribunal Convicts Algerian Counterterrorism Chief

Vincent MarescaStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of AFP Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika continues to hold on to power through military tribunals.

Somali Pirates Target Illegal Fishing Vessels

Somali pirates raided Irani-an and Thai fishing vessels on November 22, marking a sur-prising comeback of piracy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

The two fishing trawlers were engaging in illegal fish-ing activities off the coast of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, when the pirates attacked.

Although the Thai vessel managed to escape, Reuters re-ports that Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, director of the seaport of Puntland, confirmed the pirates’ successful hijacking of the Iranian vessel off the coast of the city of Elyl. Accord-ing to CNN, the pirates used “small skiffs,” flat-bottomed boats with a pointed bow, to seize the vessels.

Horseed Media, a Somali news organization, reported that the Iranian ship was freed and the pirates killed. Although there is no precise information

Angelo PiroStaff Writer

Algeria’s former counter-terrorism chief Abdelkader Ait-Ouarabi, also known as General Hassan, was convict-ed of destroying documents and disobeying military in-structions by a secret military tribunal on November 27.

The arrest marks the first time any high-ranking official from Algeria’s Intelligence and Security Directorate (DRS) was prosecuted since the 1992 civil war.

Analysts from the BBC suggest that General Hassan’s conviction indicates that Pres-ident Abdelaziz Bouteflika is attempting to increase his in-fluence. He has held power in Algeria since 1999 and contin-ues to encounter challenges to his grip on the North African state. In September, he fired the head of the DRS, Mo-

hamed Mediene, seen as one of the most powerful men in Algeria and the world’s lon-gest serving heads of intelli-gence. A purging of Algeria’s security apparatus is especially worrisome as the country fac-es rising militant Islamism.

Many of President Boutef-lika’s allies publicly questioned the ailing leader’s ability to lead Algeria in a letter pub-lished on November 7. The letter had 19 signatories, in-cluding many of Bouteflika’s allies and powerful public figures. In the following days, Bouteflika tried to calm rising tensions within the country.

“The president is super-vising the implementation of his program on a daily ba-sis and step by step,” Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on state television. Sellal continued to assure the coun-try of the President’s role in government despite Boutef-

lika’s absence from the public eye since he was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke in 2013. According to La Presse, soon after Sellal’s statement, President Boutef-lika was suddenly airlifted to an unnamed European hospi-tal on November 11.

Algeria faces not only po-litical turmoil, but economic troubles as well. According to an analysis by the Economist, the oil-rich African state may be one of the hardest hit by declining oil prices. Algeria ran a trade deficit of $8 bil-lion in the first seven months of this year, compared to the $4 billion surplus it ran in the same period in 2014. Oil and gas comprise 95 percent of Algeria’s exports. Youth unemployment has also in-creased to 25 percent.

In September, the Algeri-an government called for an emergency meeting of the

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to raise prices. Algeria an-nounced on November 25 that they would revise their oil

subsidy policies, which already constitute over 13 percent of GDP.

Contact Angelo at angelo.piro@student.shu.edu.

on who conducted the offen-sive, fishermen and witnesses described a heavy battle in the sea.

One fisherman claimed that he heard gunfire and witnessed pirates killed and the Iranian boat freed. Abdulahi Bare, a local elder, said that there were “seven pirates killed and two others severely wounded.”

This was the second suc-cessful attack on illegal Irani-an fishing trawlers in the past two years. Bloomberg News reports that Iranian, Egyptian, Yemeni, and Spanish ships have often engaged in illegal fishing, which Somali fisher-men have used as justification for reviving the cycle of piracy.

John Steed, regional man-ager of nonprofit program Secure Fisheries, said, “Illegal fishing was the pretext used by criminal gangs to shift from protectionism to armed rob-bery and piracy. Now the situ-ation is back where it was.”

Many low-income fisher-men have little choice but to use criminal methods, accord-ing to Vice News.

Piracy was at its highest in early 2011, when Somali pi-rates held more than 30 ships and more than 100 hostages. In that year, the international community intervened with their respective navies.

One of the most daring op-erations was the rescue on an inland pirate base, where Unit-ed States Navy Seals rescued American humanitarian Jessi-ca Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted of Denmark.

The international commu-nity remains vigilant of the sit-uation, as indicated in United Nations Security Council Res-olution 2446 passed on No-vember 10, which called for closer cooperation of region-al organizations and member states with existing institutions in Somalia.

The Security Council also welcomed the formation of coast guard laws with the help of “the European Union Na-

val Force (EUNAVFOR) Op-eration Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor force.”

The Council accepted the Seychelles authorities’ initiative to establish a maritime court to prosecute acts of piracy.

In addition, the resolution both acknowledges and ad-dresses the problem of illegal fishing and “its complex rela-tionship with piracy.”

Contact Vincent at vincent.maresca@student.shu.edu.

Photo courtesy of YouTube Somali pirates recently attacked an Iranian ship.

PM Reassures Public Amidst Political, Economic Instability

international news December 2015Page 3

Europe Grapples With Both Internal and Foreign Conflicts

The Belgian capital of Brussels is slowly returning to its pre-crisis state. CNN reports that schools have re-opened and certain parts of the metro are now running. Although the city is beginning to look normal, it has changed in the hearts and minds of its residents.

Although none of the most wanted subjects have been caught, the Belgian gov-ernment has decided to lower the threat level from four, the highest level possible, to three.

Commuters showed their discontent with the Belgian government and blamed it on their feelings of insecurity, telling the BBC, “They are re-opening things, but what ev-idence is there that anything has changed?”

The rest of the country is on the same threat level, but the government is still keep-ing the public in the dark as to

Brussels Lockdown Puts Pressure On “The World’s Most Prosperous Failed State”

Photo courtesy of AP Military personnel were deployed during the scare in Brussels shortly after the Paris attacks.

Keith BarnesStaff Writer

Felipe BuenoStaff Writer

Politico, an American news organization, pub-lished an article on Novem-ber 20 entitled “Europe At War,” in reference to a recent declaration by the current French President François Hollande that ISIL’s attack against the French state was “an act of war.”

Hollande subsequently vowed to “destroy ISIL,” commenting from within the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

In May, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called for Europe to take on its responsibilities concerning terrorism, in response to Eu-ropean Commission Presi-dent Jean-Claude Juncker’s call for a European Army to combat global challenges in a united fashion.

According to Le Figaro,

Valls stated, “Europe has an army, it’s France’s.”

To consider the scenario from that perspective is to look at France’s engagement in a number of conflicts abroad.

This includes Mali, a for-mer French colony hosting hundreds out of the three thousand-strong force tak-ing part in France’s Oper-ation Serval, reports Time Magazine.

There is also the Cen-tral African Republic, where France was forced to in-tervene with hundreds of troops to stop a possible humanitarian crisis between Christians and Muslims, re-sulting in nearly two thou-sand dead, according to Re-uters.

These conflicts, despite being a major issue in and of themselves, did not nec-essarily concern the rest of Europe until the attacks in

Paris at Stade de France and the Bataclan festival.

After the attacks, France invoked the little-known Ar-ticle 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty, which calls upon oth-er European Union member states to aid France in what-ever way possible.

Deployments may soon be seen from different Euro-pean Union member states to relieve the French troops of their duties in Africa, so that troops can then be re-directed to the campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

Despite falling from the European scope of view, there also remains the war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where sep-aratists still fight for their independence and possibly for a similar fate as Crimea which, after a year of annex-ation, still has yet to reap the rewards touted by Russian

president Vladimir Putin.According to the New

York Times, a recent meet-ing between the Russian and French presidents saw matters of state quickly overshadowed by discus-sions regarding the Russian bombing campaigns against enemies of Syrian Presi-dent Bashar al-Assad, whom France condemns.

As Europe lunges from crisis to crisis, the recent

downing of a Russian fighter jet by NATO member Tur-key, resulting in the death of a Russian pilot, has sparked a diplomatic firestorm across not only Europe but also all of NATO, as treaty ob-ligations for mutual defense keep the United States and a majority of European Union members on their toes.

Contact Keith at

keith.barnes@student.shu.edu.

the reason behind the reduc-tion. Officials continue coun-terterror raids, but have so far been unable to detain anyone in Auvelais or Verviers, the Belgian towns where the per-petrators of the Paris attacks laid their plans.

As the Chicago Tribune re-ports, Prime Minister Charles

Michel refused to elaborate on why the risk level was low-ered, and prosecutors earlier gave no indication of a break-through in the hunt for Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected to have links to the November 13 attacks on Paris.

Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens told a local tele-

vision station that he could not elaborate on the reasons for reducing the threat level, nor could he give an update on the status of investigations into potential plots.

The lowering of the threat level is accompanied by re-inforced security in schools, shopping centers, and railway

lines. Connections continue to emerge between Brussels and the Nov. 13 Paris attacks.

CNN reports that Salah Abdeslam stopped in a cafe in Brussels the day after the Paris attacks. Abdeslam is currently the most wanted man in Eu-rope and the leading suspect in the Paris attacks.

With Brussels being called the “hotbed” of European jihadism, more connections are being found between the city and the Paris attacks. Ali Oulkadi, a Belgian man, picked up Abdeslam after the attacks and brought him to the neighborhood of Schaer-beek, where the two of them and an unidentified individual visited a cafe.

Ali Oulkadi is currently un-der investigation by Belgium authorities for connections to the attacks, along with six other suspects currently being charged with terrorism of-fenses.

Contact Felipe at felipe.bueno@student.shu.edu.

Photo courtesy of Elysee.fr French President Francois Hollande openly declares war on the Islamic State after the Paris attacks.

international newsDecember 2015Page 4

APEC Summit Marked By Protests, Addressed Terrorism and Climate Change

Adam HowardContributor

Photo courtesy of Twitter

The 26th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held in Manila on November 18-19, culminating the Philippines’ year-long hosting of 21 mem-ber states in the Asia-Pacif-ic Economic Cooperation (APEC).

The summit has gained the most domestic attention from its adverse effects on travel conditions in the city.

According to BBC, many Manila residents expressed dis-satisfaction with the tumultu-ous travel conditions brought on by the summit and the priv-ileges received by delegates, such as dedicated traffic lanes and faster internet speeds. These conditions even led to one woman giving birth on the pavement while her ambulance was caught in traffic.

As the New York Times reports, Filipinos were also enraged by the government’s “clearing operations” to round up and detain hundreds of homeless people, including children, on the streets of Ma-nila in the days leading up to the summit.

Many residents saw the de-tention as an attempt to create an artificial image of clean-

liness in the city. Authorities have claimed that these actions had nothing to do with the summit, but rather with out-reach operations intended to help the homeless, and denied that they detained anyone.

BBC reports that this ac-tion was not unprecedented, as authorities also removed homeless people from the streets before Pope Francis’s visit in January. This time, res-idents accused the Philippine government of hypocrisy and attempting to whitewash the capital’s image.

At the conclusion of the APEC summit, the 21 world leaders in attendance delivered a joint statement denouncing terrorism: “Under the shadow cast by the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut, and against Rus-sian aircraft over the Sinai, and elsewhere, we strongly condemn all acts, methods and practices of terrorism in all their forms and manifesta-tions. We will not allow terror-ism to threaten the fundamen-tal values that underpin our free and open economies.”

Additionally, the leaders identified economic growth, prosperity, and opportunity as key tools in combating radi-calization, stressing the urgent need for increased internation-al cooperation and solidarity in

the fight against terrorism.The leaders remained

mindful that, in spite of un-precedented economic growth that has lifted millions of peo-ple out of poverty, poverty re-mains a reality for millions of others living in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Philippine Daily In-quirer reports that the leaders are calling for more concen-trated efforts towards poverty reduction and eventual eradi-cation, acknowledging the neg-ative relationship between in-equality and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific.

Each leader declared their respective countries’ commit-ment to achieving an effective and long-lasting agreement on climate change at the Paris Cli-mate Conference in Decem-ber.

The Inquirer reports that the leaders reaffirmed their aspirational goals to reduce aggregate energy intensity by 45 percent by 2035 and double renewable energy in the region by 2030 to achieve sustainabili-ty within the Asia-Pacific.

During the summit, a thou-sand demonstrators protesting the US-led Trans-Pacific Part-nership (TPP) trade deal took to the streets of Manila near the summit venue. CBS News reports left-wing politician

Renato Reyes, the leader of the protests, said, “APEC and imperialist globalization have only benefited the rich coun-tries while further impoverish-ing developing countries like the Philippines.”

Police in Manila used water cannons and batons to ward off the protesters, none of whom were seriously injured.

Despite the public outcry, there are those who recognize a benefit to the country host-ing the event, such as econo-mist Alvin Ang. According to the Manila Times, Ang believes that “the Philippines’ goodwill from hosting the event is defi-nitely bound to be a big boost to the country’s investment cli-mate.”

Ang cites the Philippines’ status as an emerging economy with “positive prospects” as a

major reason that the country’s hosting of the APEC summit will be beneficial both in the short and long-term.

However, Ang admits that the repercussions of hosting the event (such as forced holi-days for businesses and unten-able traffic) were severe and that the Philippine government could have done a substantially better job of communicating the benefits of the summit to the populace.

The Inquirer reports that Philippine Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said that he “cannot confirm” how much the government spent on host-ing the APEC summit, specu-lated by media to be around 10-30 million Philippine pesos ($600,000 to $1.8 million).

Contact Adam at adam.binkley@student.shu.edu.

Indonesia’s counterterror-ism agency stated that Malaysia is also home to thousands of extremist recruits looking to join the Islamic State’s 30,000 fighters, as estimated by the House Homeland Security Committee.

The U.S. maintains a strong military presence, with 6,000 troops stationed in South-east Asia, to combat terrorist groups in the south of the Philippines—twice as large as the deployment in Iraq, re-ports the Manila Times. The militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), responsible for the kid-napping and murders of sever-

al Filipino and foreign nation-als, pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 via a YouTube video featuring second-in-command Isnilon Hapilon.

Prior to Hapilon’s procla-mation, a video was posted on social media showing ASG members in a Filipino prison pledging “bay’ah” to a black Islamic State flag, Rappler re-ports.

According to the Interna-tional Business Times, Lieu-tenant General Rustico Guer-rero of the Philippine Western Mindanao Command believes that ASG is taking advantage of the international attention ISIS has received to raise its ransom demands.

However, Guerrero doubts

ISIS:Continued from Page 1...

that ASG will eschew its local goals to expand internation-ally like ISIS. According to TRAC, the Abu Sayyaf Group was formed in the 1990s “as a radical offshoot of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),” a separatist group aiming to establish an Islamic state independent of Manila.

The Philippines is also home to a wing of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Is-lamiyah, based in Indonesia.

Indonesian counterintelli-gence head Ansyaad Mbai told Rappler, “The names don’t matter...When they say they want an Islamic caliphate, they are part of the same group with the same ideology.”

Contact Cheska at francescarose.regalado@student.shu.edu.

Refugees:Continued from Page 1...

According to migration ex-pert Shaina Aber, policy direc-tor for the National Advocacy Office of the Jesuit Confer-ence of the U.S. and Cana-da, “There has always been a small but substantial number of ‘extraterritorial refugees’ from Africa and Asia making their way along Latin Ameri-ca’s established migrant trail. You can track the various refu-gee crises in the world by who starts showing up.”

However, the trail to free-dom often ends in failure even

after the furthest lengths have been taken.

According to Human Rights Watch, government data ob-tained through the Freedom of Information Act shows that while U.S. immigration officers are required to give secondary interviews and consideration to refugees who show “cred-ible fear at the threat of de-portation,” 98 percent are sent back to their home countries.

Contact Isla at rachel.lamont@student.shu.edu.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Power The Envoy’s Opinion Editor is graduating in December.

spotlights December 2015Page 5

Foreign Correspondent: Emily O’Connor

Photo courtesy of Emily O’Connor The author on a camel in Morocco.

Campus Spotlight: Stephanie PowersEmily Green

News Editor

This month, we bid a fond farewell to the Diplomat-ic Envoy’s Opinion editor, Stephanie Powers. After over a year of dedicated work for the Envoy, Stephanie is pack-ing up her cap and gown and pursuing her next adventure: a coveted ESL teaching position abroad.

Stephanie’s time at Seton Hall has been nothing short of an adventure. Graduating a se-mester early, she has spent her undergraduate career in pur-suit of both scholarship and service.

As a Diplomacy and Inter-national Relations major with a minor in French, Stephanie recognized her passion for foreign cultures at an early age. She pursued that passion by enrolling in SHU’s Diplomacy program, practicing what she has preached—to “take advan-tage of all opportunities.”

Throughout her college

career, Stephanie has sought ways to serve others.

Through her par-ticipation in Seton Hall’s chapter of Al-pha Phi Omega Na-tional Service Frater-nity, Stephanie has engaged in innumer-able service projects with her brothers.

Stephanie now spends two nights a week as an ESL tutor working with immi-grants and refugees resettled by the Eliz-abeth branch of the International Rescue Committee.

On campus, Steph-anie has cherished the opportunity to gain an overview of pressing social issues through her studies. Her time in the Diplomacy program led to an interest in African development, spurred especially by Dr. Naaborle Sackeyfio’s Sustainable De-

velopment course. Seeking to learn more about the subject, Stephanie spent a semester as an intern with the African Rainforest Conservatory.

As her final semester comes to a close, Stephanie has been

hard at work on her senior thesis. Noticing a lack of research sur-rounding African sus-tainable development, she chose to research agriculture and food security in the African region.

Stephanie’s time with the Envoy has prepared her for both her senior thesis and bright future.

Her work with the paper has allowed her to improve her re-search and reporting skills, culminating in an article on global businesses’ role in the climate change agen-da.Stephanie’s posi-

tion as Opinion editor has strengthened the writing skills of both herself and others as she works to polish and pub-lish submitted pieces. Stepha-nie shared that she truly loves her position, as it exposes her

to a diverse range of opinions on a number of pertinent top-ics.

After graduation, Stephanie hopes to combine her passion for scholarship and service by teaching English abroad. Cer-tified in both TEFL and TESL (Teaching English as a Foreign and Second Language), she plans to embark next summer for a position in South Korea.

While Stephanie is interest-ed in enrolling in graduate or law school later in life, she is excited to spend time pursuing her passion for travel and for-eign cultures.

Stephanie’s time at both the Diplomatic Envoy and Seton Hall have been well-spent in pursuit of learning and helping others. Whether she was tutor-ing verbs to a resettled refugee or correcting a comma in a staff writer’s prose, Stepha-nie’s dedication for scholarship and service continues to shine through her every pursuit.

Contact Emily at emily.green@student.shu.edu.

Anyone who knows me knows that five in the morning is not an Emily-friendly time.

To me, the day should start at brunch. So when I found myself awake that early in the middle of the Saharan desert, I already knew that something was wrong.

About ten minutes after stumbling out of my tent over to a secluded area with sand all around me, I threw up as the desert sun peaked over the dunes.

It was clear I had food poisoning. Luckily it struck me the morning of departure from the nomad camp that Semester at Sea students were staying in. Armed with a barf bag, I rode a camel two hours out of the desert.

I have never had food poi-soning before.

Of course, when I’m in America I know not to eat pink chicken and to be careful with sushi.

But when I’m thirsty in the U.S., I can go to my fridge, my sink, my shower, even a toilet

if I was so inclined, and drink clean water that would not give me any problems.

I can eat at a multitude of restaurants and never face food poisoning because of tainted water or dirty food. Getting food poisoning is an

anomaly, a rare occurrence.However, in countries like

Morocco and Senegal, clean food and water are luxuries rarely found in places outside of American hotels.

In markets (a major part of these countries’ economies),

animal feces is left next to food stands, produce sellers leave their produce uncovered with hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of flies circling and swarming the fruits and vegetables, and street snacks are served from communal platters without

gloves, hand-washing stations, or a stigma against double-dip-ping.

I had only been in Morocco four days when I got sick.

My first thought was, “My coddled and sissy American immune system can’t take a little foreign bacteria like the locals can.”

But that’s just not the case. One in three Senegalese do not have access to clean drinking water. Every twenty seconds a child under the age of five dies from water borne illnesses and 80 percent of diseases world-wide is related to contaminat-ed water.

Clean water and basic food sanitation regulations are in-credible privileges that keep Americans healthy.

So in a world where almost a billion people live without clean drinking water, the idea of 20-minute showers and drinking water preferences in the United States become im-possible to justify.

Contact Emily at emily.oconnor@student.shu.edu.

focus on December 2015Page 6

United States

Colin KimberlinStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of Hartfort Courant Students at Yale protests over racial insensitivity, a hotbed issue prevalent on U.S. college campuses recently.

FranceAbby Shamray

Editor-in-Chief

‘Political correctness’ is a term that attempts to encom-pass language, policies, or certain measures which are intended to purposely not of-fend or disadvantage any spe-cific category of individuals in society.

Although the term has gained traction in the media, it has also sat itself among the seats of lecture halls and labo-ratories on university campus-es across the United States.

Two campuses in particular, Yale College and Claremont McKenna College, have been covered by major media out-lets with recent incidents re-garding political correctness and racially charged debates.

At Yale, tension had been mounting for weeks as the school administration had sent out an email out advising the student body to avoid decid-ing upon “culturally unaware and insensitive” costumes that could offend minority stu-dents, according to The New York Times. The email also suggested that students should stray from using headdresses, turbans, or blackface in their outfits.

This initial email sparked the debate on Yale’s campus as to whether freedom of ex-pression can be considered the same as freedom of speech.

In response to the email, an administrator at a student residence wrote on behalf of the student body arguing that students should be allowed to

wear what they please, even if it what they have decided upon does offend people.

The administrator said in the New York Times, “American universities were once a safe space not only for maturation but also for a certain regres-sive, or even transgressive, ex-perience; increasingly, it seems, they have become places of censure and prohibition.”

But the administrator’s email sparked further debate result-ing in multiple students signing an open letter of condemna-tion that sought to criticize the administrator’s argument.

Portions of the letter read, “To be a student of color on Yale’s campus is to exist in a space that was not created for you.” Then the student’s demanded that the adminis-trator’s husband, a higher up within the college, resign from his position.

This tension regarding race is not new. The campus has a long running debate over the residential college honoring John C. Calhoun, a white su-premacist and a previous grad-uate from the Yale class of 1804.

But amongst the pressure of the initial issue, the dean of Yale College reminded his students that, “We need always to be dedicated to fashioning a community that is mindful of the many traditions that make us who we are.” Despite the dean’s response, the issue still remains at large on Yale’s cam-pus.

But the issue of racial ten-sions is not endemic only to

Yale. Claremont McKenna College has sparked more de-bate as the dean of students recently stepped down, ac-cording to the Los Angeles Times. The incident developed when the dean sent an email to a Latina student stating that she would work to serve stu-dents who “[do not] fit our [Claremont McKenna College] mold,”referring to the student and later apologizing for the comment.

Before this, the student body had been pressing the campus’ administration about attempt-ing to increase multicultural services and diversity among the college’s staff. According to the Student Life campus newspaper, most of these ap-peals evoked no response from the campus administrators.

Although the incident did result in the dean stepping down and the president of the College, Hiram Chodosh, promising diversification and attempts at inclusion amongst the offices of academic and student affairs, it did not sat-isfy the Claremont McKenna students, one of whom indi-cated that, “The fact that it took eight months of protest and two students saying that they wanted to go on hunger [strikes] to create all of this to happen is very telling.”

Both incidents at Yale and Claremont McKenna leave many wondering what should be more valued: respect for the freedom of speech or the abili-ty to be politically correct.

Contact Colin at colin.kimberlin@student.shu.edu.

Michel Houellebecq has been called one of the most important French writers since Albert Camus, though he mostly makes headlines for his controversial views on Islam. His most recent book, Submis-sion, is a satirical bestseller that describes a France in the near future that has “submitted” to the influence of Islam and is under complete control of Sharia law.

He became closely tied to the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the issue of freedom of ex-pression since his book was released the same day as the Hebdo massacre; it was a car-icature of him that adorned the cover of the satirical mag-azine that week. Houellebecq was placed under police pro-tection following both the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the November terrorist attacks in Paris because of his previous statements about Islam made him susceptible to re-taliation from ter-rorist groups.

According to the Guardian, Houellebecq has been called “ir-responsible” by some intellectuals who say that he was playing on the rampant fear of Islam in France.

Following the Hebdo attacks and the release of his book, Houellebecq said in response, “You can’t say you are free to write what you want but that you have to do it responsibly. There are no limits on freedom of expression—zero limits.”

Houellebecq’s controversial opinions have helped place him in the spotlight almost as much as his works.

He famously called Islam “the stupidest religion” in an interview in 2002, a position he said he has not reversed, though he was taken to court for “inciting hatred” since then. He also told the New York Times, “Islamophobia is a defensive reaction, one of fear, which is justified.”

After his book was released,

the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in a state-ment, “France isn’t Michel Houllebecq. It isn’t intoler-ance, hate, fear,” as reported by the New York Times.

In France, racial and religious hatred was outlawed in 1972 as a result of a rise in attacks on Algerians. In 1990, Holocaust denial was outlawed, and in 2014, “apology for terrorism” was also outlawed.

France is also known for its form of secularism called laïcité, according to the Econ-omist.

In 2004, France banned all “conspicuous” religious symbols, including the head-scarf, in public institutions. Additionally, in 2010, France outlawed full face covering in public--known popularly as “the burqa ban.”

The Economist clarified that while the laws may seem bigot-ed to those outside France, the French people view the laws as integral to upholding liberty,

equality, and the perpetuation of shared values.

Following the Nov. 13 Paris at-tacks, the New York Times re-ported current sentiment in the outskirts of Paris where mainly mi-norities.

Adi Camara, whose parents

immigrated to Paris from Mali, told the paper, “I feel targeted in Paris. As a black, as a Mus-lim, it’s all the same. It’s com-plicated in France.”

France has made strides in the past to create a founda-tion of equality in the form of laïcité and the anti-hate speech laws.

In light of both the Charlie Hebdo and the Nov. 13 at-tacks, increased Islamophobia has made equality more elu-sive, though made freedom of expression ever more vital, evidenced by the popularity of #jesuischarlie.

France continues to work toward curbing hate speech and encouraging freedom of expression.

Contact Abby at abby.shamray@student.shu.edu.

In light of both the Charlie Hebdo and the Nov. 13 attacks,

increased Islamopho-bia has made equality more elusive, though

made freedom of expression ever more

vital.

free speech December 2015Page 7

India

Angelo PiroStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Artist Ai Weiwei’s Lego® installation, planned to debut in Australia in December, has caused controversy in China.

China

Daniel D’AmicoStaff Writer

In India, many people claim that their freedom of expres-sion has been violated by the government, and recently ac-tivists turned their attention to push for increased protection of Indian rights.

One of these instances was the assassination Professor M. M. Kalburgi, thought to be a result of his ideas.

According to an article in the Hindu, Professor Kalbur-gi challenged certain teachings of Chenna Basavanna, an ad-vocate for spiritual revolu-tion around the 12th century, which sparked protests that led to many debates on the topics of freedom of speech and expression. Kalburgi also stated that Hinduism is not a religion.

Many were angered when their traditional beliefs were challenged. One of the alleged assassins, Bhuvith Shetty, posted a comment on Twitter to another scholar, threaten-ing, “You’re next.”

The Economic Times re-ports that renowned actress and filmmaker Nandita Das spoke out against the growing threat that freedom of expres-sion is facing.

Das spoke of the mur-ders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, and M. M. Kalburgi and how they died defending “free speech and ra-tional thinking.”

Das also brought up oth-er affronts against freedom of expression, such as the vandalising of M.F. Husain’s paintings and the banning of Perumal Murugan’s book.

Similarly, their works were targeted due to their message. Das expressed hope for the future and states that people must continue to band togeth-er and speak out against these violations.

The India Times reports that notable writers such as Salman Rushdie called for British Prime Minister David Cameron to express support for freedom of expression, claiming that the Indian le-gal system makes suppression

easy. The writers called for Cameron to intervene and protect their rights.

As seen in an article in The Hindu, many companies are protesting to show how they feel about the attempts to suppress free speech. They marched with signs of vari-ous champions of freedom of expression such as Edward Snowden and Nelson Mande-la.

Many experts in various fields returned awards in pro-test agains those who have killed, vandalized, or banned artists and their works. Pro-testers included Hindi author Kashinath Singh, as well as some members of the Bharati-ya Janata Party, the largest po-litical party in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s.

However, not all protest-ers agree on the means used to protest. There is a debate over just how effective certain methods are.

The New Indian Express reports that well-known au-thors such as P. Valsala and M. T. Vasudevan Nair express ed

their disapproval of protesters returning their awards, criticiz-ing it as ineffective and unnec-essary.

They have also criticized protesters for distancing themselves from corporations. They believe that through these corporations, it will be easier to achieve some prog-ress in freedom of expression reforms.

The attempts to suppress freedom of expression have even reached the newest James Bond movie, Spectre.

As reported by the Los An-geles Times, the Indian film board requested that certain scenes and language be cut. Although Sony cooperated,

this act angered many Indian people as they believe it “illus-trates increasing prudishness by the film board.”

Despite protests and angry citizens, the president has a more positive outlook. As stat-ed in an article in News Track India, President Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that he feels the media has always support-ed the freedom of expression of individuals. He praised the media for constantly fighting authoritative tendencies.

While this may be, he did not add a comment on those who were silenced for their publications and actions.

Contact Danny at daniel.damico@student.shu.edu.

Ai Weiwei, the controversial Chinese artist famous for his work in protest of the current Chinese government, is no stranger to confronting pow-erful forces. However, while he is used to butting heads with his country’s strong cen-tral government, he may have finally met his match: Lego.

In an unexpected turn of events, Weiwei was denied a request for a bulk order of the famous building bricks from the Danish toy compa-ny for a new project, the first installment set to open at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne in December.

Posting on his Instagram account, Weiwei said, “In Sep-tember Lego refused Ai Wei-wei studio’s request for a bulk order of Legos to create art-work to be shown at the Na-tional Gallery of Victoria as ‘they cannot approve the use of Legos for political works.’”

In later posts, Weiwei called Lego’s refusal of the order an act of censorship and discrim-ination influenced by the Chi-nese government. According to reports from ArtNet News, Weiwei suggests that the re-fusal is based on Lego trying to save its relationships with China. Weiwei points to the an upcoming opening of a Lego-land in Shanghai. Lego firmly denies the claim.

In a statement issued to the Guardian, a Lego spokesper-son made it clear that Lego has never and does not attempt to block the use of its products in projects it hasn’t endorsed. However, it will continue to enforce a policy that it would not aid in political messages by way of bulk orders.

The spokesperson also pointed out that the proposed Legoland in Shanghai is not operated under Lego, but un-der a British company, Mer-lin Entertainments. However, Lego does have some import-ant commercial operations

emerging in China, as reported by the Guardian, including a new factory that is projected to employ 2000 Chinese workers and open in 2017.

While Lego may claim that it is simply trying to main-tain an apolitical stance, Lego bricks have been used in con-troversial political pieces in the past. In an audacious in-stallation featuring Legos in 1996, Polish artist Zbigniew Libera created a full concen-tration camp out of the plastic bricks. Lego launched a law-suit against Libera for claiming

his project was “sponsored by Lego.”

Weiwei used Legos in pre-vious installations, most nota-bly a project on Alcatraz Island which featured over a million Lego bricks depicting portraits of various political prisoners and dissidents, like Nelson Mandela and Chelsea Manning.This episode with Lego seems to be a growing occurrence for Chinese and other global artists. As China’s economy grows and the potential of the Chinese market continues to tempt corporate interest, the

power they exert on compa-nies will grow as well.

In response to Lego’s deci-sion, state run Chinese news-paper Global Times said as much, writing that, “As Chi-na becomes more powerful, commercial organizations and national governments will be-come more well behaved and more scared to apply a double standard to China,” after call-ing Lego’s move an appropri-ate decision and an example of good corporate citizenship.

Contact Angelo at angelo.piro@student.shu.edu.

Photo courtesy of Niti Central The people of India want increasd protection for speech rights.

opinionDecember 2015Page 8

What Makes ISIS Different

Thomas AsheStaff Writer

Kathryn ChaneyStaff Writer

Photo courtesy of MashableA difference from other terrorists groups is that ISIS acts more like a quasi-state.

US Must Not Turn Back On Its Values

The Islamic State or ISIS, as the world has come to know the extremist group operating in Iraq and Syria, has become the most influential terrorist organization since the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda. ISIS grabbed the world’s attention with its online broadcasted ex-ecutions and has since carried out attacks, operations, and implemented policies that have altered the foreign policies of countries throughout the in-ternational community. How-ever, ISIS’s structure, strategy, and goals differentiate from those of other terrorist orga-nizations, specifically those of its predecessor Al-Qaeda.

Unlike Al-Qaeda, ISIS has a more compact and central-ized structure. ISIS established territory in both Syria and Iraq. Moreover, ISIS has the ability to take advantage of the re-sources within that territory. For example, Foreign Affairs reports that ISIS currently con-trols approximately 60 percent of the oil in Syria, as well as a large amount of businesses in

Syria and Iraq, upon which it levies taxes. According to The Hill, ISIS pulls in funding of one to two million dollars per day. The international commu-nity has also seen ISIS’s abili-ty to not only recruit support from within its territory, but from the populations of other countries as well.

ISIS also differentiates from Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in its strategies. Al-Qaeda’s objec-tives for their operations were mainly political targets in the western world. These targets were chosen to express Osama bin Laden’s disgust at the con-tinued presence of Western powers in the Middle East fol-lowing the invasion of Kuwait. In turn, Al-Qaeda targeted at-tacks on significant buildings in the United States, including the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Capital.

However, ISIS has tak-en a different approach from Al-Qaeda and has made a much different statement. As seen in the recent attacks in Paris, ISIS has the tendency to target public places in coor-dinated simultaneous attacks.

Such targets include a concert hall in Paris, a German Soccer Game, and an American Ho-tel in Mali; all of these attacks targeted an international audi-ence, as citizens of different countries were present at each incident. As a result, ISIS sends the message that no country or person is unreachable. ISIS is able to prey off the feeling of widespread public terror that this message creates.

Furthermore, as seen in their strategies, Al-Qaeda’s

goal was to send a message to the western world to stay out of the Middle East. However, the overall goal of ISIS is to create a caliphate that upholds its interpretation of “true” Is-lamic beliefs. ISIS is one of the first terrorist organizations to attempt to form a caliphate, and the amount of territory and resources under its control makes it a very real possibility.

Therefore, it is imperative that the international commu-nity begins to see ISIS not only

as a terrorist organization, but as an established and working quasi-state. ISIS is not simply an extremist organization hid-ing out in the hills of Pakistan, like Al-Qaeda. The Islamic State is an established territo-ry operating on the borders of Europe. They have made quite clear to the international community their availability of resources and power, and their intention to use them both.

Contact Katy at kathryn.chaney@student.shu.edu.

I am profoundly troubled by the way our nation’s lead-ers have conducted themselves regarding the Syrian refugee crisis. More than thirty of our nation’s governors have stated on the record that they are opposed to accepting any refugees into their respective states.

Louisiana Governor and former presidential candidate Bobby Jindal tweeted, “I just signed an Executive Order in-structing state agencies to take all available steps to stop the relocation of Syrian refugees to L.A.” Wisconsin Governor and another former Presi-dential candidate Scott Walk-er added, “I am calling upon the President to immediately suspend the program pend-ing a full review of its securi-ty and acceptance procedures. The State of Wisconsin will

not accept new Syrian refu-gees.” Massachusetts Gover-nor Charlie Baker also issued a statement that he would like further information on the vet-ting process for the refugees.

Many other governors and mayors in the U.S. have issued similar press releases, not re-alizing that this only adds in-sult to injury. Baker, as well as the other governors, could have avoided political grand-standing and posturing by requesting the information from the federal government through the appropriate chan-nels. These information brief-ings are confidential in nature and unavailable to the public. Baker, Walker, and Jindal, who have virtually no foreign poli-cy experience, could have put their personal feelings towards the President aside for the bet-terment of those who are in need – the refugees.

Additionally, it is import-ant to note that governors

and mayors do not have con-stitutional authority to refuse refugees into their respective states. Agencies within the federal government ultimately make that determination since it is solely in their purview to regulate and dictate immigra-tion policy. Any attempt by

governors or mayors to pre-vent a refugee entry into the U.S. is reminiscent of efforts by then-Alabama Governor George Wallace in the 1960s to prevent black students from admittance to the University

of Alabama. He ultimately lost that battle, just like these poli-ticians will.

More troubling than any legal interpretations are the implications by which the United States will be seen differently around the world. I, like so many others in this country, am descended from immigrants. Our country is proud of that fact. Many peo-ple came to the United States to find better opportunities or to seek refuge from repression in their home country. To turn away those who desperately need help because they fear being invaded by terrorists is not only unconscionable, but also goes against our values as a nation. The United States has always been a generous na-tion, helping those in need at home and all across the globe. Just as important, U.S. citizens need to understand that refu-gee resettlement is a rigorous and time-consuming process.

Several U.S. government agen-cies are involved, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice, as well as numerous UN agencies/bureaus.

Many fear that refugees who gain entry into the U.S. could be terrorists in disguise. Since September 11, 2001, over 750,000 refugees have been granted entry into the U.S. None have ever been ar-rested on domestic terrorism charges.

If the people of Syria had their choice, they would stay in their country. However, they do not. The only choice they have is life or death. The Unit-ed States must show the global community that we value every human life, regardless of faith, origin, or creed. We must grant refugees entry into the United States.

Contact Tom at thomas.ashe@student.shu.edu.

If the people of Syria had their choice, they would

stay in their country. However, they do not. The

only choice they have is life or death. The United

States must show the global community that we

value every human life.

opinion December 2015Page 9

Isla LamontStaff Writer

Genocide of Falun Gong Goes Unnoticed

Anna BondiStaff Writer

In the media today, a lot of the focus is on refugees in the Middle East, and rightfully so. However, there is another group being persecuted that deserves attention as well. Those people are the practi-tioners of the Falun Gong re-ligion in China.

These people are being op-pressed by the Chinese gov-ernment because their popula-tion of followers rival that of the Chinese Communist party. The Chinese government be-lieves that the Falun Gong re-ligion is filled with people who want to overthrow the gov-ernment, promote evil ways, and harm society. This is com-pletely unfitting as Falun Gong is a peaceful religion that com-bines qigong and meditation, as well as Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. It also has absolutely no political affiliations, and yet its followers are still being de-nied basic rights.

Since 1999, Falun Gong has been considered illegal and the government created the 6-10 office to eradicate the practice. Ever since, Falun Gong prac-titioners have been harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and killed.

According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, the of-ficial press office for Falun Gong, human rights organi-zations have counted about “87,000 cases of severe abuse or torture of Falun Gong ad-herents. Of the more than 3,400 confirmed deaths of Fa-lun Gong adherents in China, the vast majority came from torture.”

“Reeducation camps,” or concentration camps were also created to change the minds of these practitioners. These camps deny inmates basic hu-man rights, as they were creat-ed to torture and kill prisoners, sometimes while turning a profit. The practice of organ harvesting is a major source of income for the government, and is widely used in these concentration camps. Some of these victims are alive and healthy before the surgery, and are killed after to hide the ev-idence.

In an interview with the Epoch Times, a former staff member of the Liaoning Pro-vincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine in Sujiantun, Shenyang City said, “None of these people have come out [of the concentration camp] alive; three-quarters of these 6,000 people have died, having their hearts, kidneys, retinas, and skins harvested and their bodies disposed of. I think now about 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners are still in this hospital, and I am afraid now that the authority will destroy all evidence and kill them.”

However, this is not the only kind of torture implemented in these camps. Prisoners in these camps have no control over their actions or health. Sexual assault is one example of prevalent actions. As a re-sult, imprisonment often leads to physical and emotional scars, as well as death.

The fact of the matter is that the Chinese government is committing genocide. Geno-cide is, by definition, “the de-liberate and systematic exter-mination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.” This overlooked tragedy is an unredeemable factor of Chi-na’s government. Yet, Western powers have not acknowl-edged these actions for what they are because of beneficial economic ties with China, as well as the necessity to inter-fere if identified as a genocide.

Due to the illogical fear that the Chinese government may be overthrown, the elimina-tion of anyone who wishes to continue the practice of Falun Gong, a peaceful religion with no political inclinations, is tak-ing place.

This issue is easy to over-look as many details are wiped away by the Chinese govern-ment, but it needs to come to the forefront of human rights issues. Thousands are be-ing systematically tortured or killed for reasons that are per-verse and plainly untrue. More attention and pressure placed on China is needed so these killings may come to an end.

Contact Anna at anna.bondi@student.shu.edu.

Photo courtesy of AP Some criticized the constant coverage of the Paris attacks and its aftermath; it overshadowed other terrorist attacks.

The series of terrorist at-tacks perpetrated by ISIS in Paris on November 13 left 130 dead and over 300 wounded. At its peak, the entire world stood in solidarity with the pain and suffering which gripped France.

Yet within 24 hours, the global conversation turned to complaints about the lack of media coverage in other parts of the world when compared to the tragedy in Paris.

Also on Nov. 13, 19 people were killed in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad by ISIS suicide bombers. On Nov. 12, in a Shia neighborhood of Beirut, Leb-anon, 43 people were killed in twin suicide bombings by ISIS members.

Over the past year, deadly attacks including the shooting of a Christian school in Kenya and a child suicide bomber in Cameroon lack reporting from Western media.

In perhaps my most unpop-ular opinion to date, I would assert that while being aware of the news-reporting biases in America is a needed mind-set, the Paris attacks deserve dominant media coverage. What happened in Paris means more than what happened anywhere else in the world at this given time.

However, I think it is im-portant to understand the previous sentence. It does not mean, “What happened in Paris is worse than Lebanon, or Nigeria, or Syria, or Iraq,” or, “Western lives mean more than Middle Eastern or Afri-can lives.” I would never insin-

uate that the life of someone from one country has less val-ue than another’s. And I most certainly do not feel inclined to defend American media prac-tices.

What it means is that com-pared to events in the rest of the world, the attacks on Paris were unprecedented and pos-sess long-term consequences. It was a clear political state-ment, performed with differ-ent intents as to the scale of inflicted damage.

The first reason why the Parisian attacks are so mon-umental is because there has not been anything like these attacks in recent history.

In the entire 21st century, 163 French have died as the result of domestic terrorist attacks, including the Charlie Hebdo and November 13 at-tacks. Compare this number to the 288 people who died in terrorist attacks across the Middle East and North Africa in November 2015 alone.

Prior to 2015, the worst ter-rorist attack on France was a train bombing in 1961 which resulted in the deaths of less than one fifth of amount killed in the November 13 attacks.

It is not a pretty or easy thing to say, but the truth is that deadly violence is much more commonplace in coun-tries such as Iraq and Lebanon than it is in the Western world.

Therefore, when a monu-mental and organized attack such as this one occurs, it de-serves a large amount of atten-tion.

The second reason why the November 13 attacks com-mand so much media coverage is because of the global after-

math it has and will continue to cause. It is not an exagger-ation to say that these events are the type that spark World Wars.

Following the attacks, France had an immediate military re-sponse, which harkens to its power as a European coun-try, a member of the EU and NATO, and holder of secure ties with the United States, the world’s most powerful military force. All of these attributes play out in a cold-war revision era where Russia is once again becoming a dominating and conflicting player in the Mid-dle East. This cannot also be said for Iraq or Lebanon.

Finally, the third and fourth reasons for the importance of these attacks are closely tied.

The events of Nov. 13 were deliberately premeditated to carry a maximum impact of fear. They were made with ex-press purpose to terrorize the word, to make a statement of power, beyond simply killing innocent people. ISIS, a rad-ically extremist, Muslim, and conservative organization, targeted a country led by its far left-wing leader, President Hollande, a symbol of the Western world as a whole.

Other attacks in other parts of the world certainly had sim-ilar intentions, but they were on a much smaller scale as far as the intended affected audi-ence.

The Paris attacks were spe-cifically designed as a state-ment to the entire world, and thus directly affect millions of people by exposing the harsh truth: no one is safe.

Contact Isla at rachel.lamont@student.shu.edu.

Why Paris Attacks Mean More Than Other Recent Events

opinionDecember 2015Page 10

In the wake of a tragedy, there are those that have no idea how to react and those that try to find someone to blame—some focal point for their anger and pain.

Often this comes in the form of blanket prejudice, which only compounds the is-sue.

In the wake of the terror-ist attacks perpetrated by ISIS on Paris, arguments over the conceptual rationale of Is-lamophobia have once again entered the forefront of the news cycle.

Many claim Islamopho-bia is a horrible thing, and all faith-based phobias are just as destructive as racism or sexism in modern society; yet in very Machiavellian terms, when it comes to Islamophobia as op-posed to all other phobias, the ends justify the means.

Before launching into this discussion, there is a very spe-cific explanation that needs to be addressed. Under the um-brella of Islamophobia, there are two major ideas.

Blanket Islamophobia is the concept that all Muslims are fully capable and moreover willing to take on extremist ideas and commit acts of ter-ror as a result of their faith.

This group is perhaps best exemplified by the bigoted, former governor, and candi-date for the 2016 presidential race, Mike Huckabee, who said on Fox News back in the sum-mer of 2013 that “the Mus-lims will go to the mosque, and they will have their day of prayer, and they come out of there like uncorked animals — throwing rocks and burning cars.”

Alternatively, there is “Jih-

The Perks of Prejudice: Modern IslamophobiaAlexander Stringer

Staff Writeradophobia,” which is a specific fear of terror groups that ma-nipulate the wording of the Quran to instill their destruc-tive agendas.

Hillary Clinton best exem-plifies this group of thought, as she has taken to labelling the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or Daesh, as “radical jihadists” rather than radical Muslims.

It is important to under-stand that the first group of thought is wrong in every facet and reduces a very diverse and complex group of faithful in-dividuals to the actions of less than one percent of the whole.

Some would rather use the broadest of brushes to allow for a scapegoat to press an-ger and grief upon rather than dealing with the root of the problem.

On the other hand, the sec-ond group allows for massive and effective action in order to destroy the radical jihadi groups.

Fear is one of the stron-gest motivators, and this fear of radical groups is no differ-ent. Using “jihadophobia,” the Western world can unite with France and increase attacks upon Daesh.

To that end, in a rare dis-play of cooperation, the Unit-ed States and Russia both understand that the looming animosity of the Daesh group must be handled quickly.

As the Obama administra-tion began increasing bombing on the group’s location, the President made a statement that the Paris attacks were “an attack against the world itself.”

Moreover, President Pu-tin went on to comment that “it is God’s job to forgive the terrorists. It is my job to send them to him,” only a few hours before Russian planes dropped white phosphorous on Daesh

holdings. France and the Unit-ed Kingdom have also stepped up bombings on cities known to harbor members of the rag-tag force.

Even Anonymous, a video posting website, is doing their due diligence to take on Daesh leadership, vowing in a chill-ing video following Nov. 13, “we’re tracking down members of the terrorist group respon-sible for these attacks. We will not forgive, we will not forget, and we will do all that is neces-sary to end their actions.”

As always, when tragedy strikes in the West, it comes to-gether in solidarity to be able to better ensure that such hor-rors have far less a chance of transpiring again in the future.

Fear of repetitive terror

tragedies such as 9/11, Bos-ton, Paris, Metrojet 9268, and Mumbai, draws together coun-tries like the U.S. and Russia, that rarely get along otherwise, in order to tackle the com-mon enemy. Once the threat is gone, they can go back to hat-ing each other.

“Jihadophobia” is be-coming the newest means of drawing the West together to tackle the common enemy. In the 1930s and 1940s, the West came together to tackle Fas-cism. From then to the 1990s, NATO came together to aid in the U.S. containment strategy.

The war of the day is not against another state, but rath-er against the most powerful non-state actor ever seen in modern history, capable of

bringing down the most in-fallible cultures on the face of Earth today.

In the modern Great War, the War on Terror, no tool is too harsh, as the enemy is will-ing to use everything they can, legal or otherwise, to inflict their misguided hatred upon the Western world.

It is for that reason and that reason alone, that “Jihadipho-bia” (not blanket Islamopho-bia) is less about unwarranted prejudice, but rather an effec-tive means of channeling the collective power of multina-tional coalitions to drop the hammer of justice upon the heads of radical extremists.

Contact Alex at alexander.stringer@student.shu.edu.

opinion December 2015Page 11

DULCE

In response to the Paris at-tacks, Obama’s ISIS strategy has faced the ire of both sides of the political divide, both at home and abroad. One in-stance was at the G20 Summit in Anatalya, Turkey, where the President defended his strate-gy at a testy news conference.

The hour long news con-ference in front of the world’s media lacked the President’s soaring resolve of earlier speeches. Obama lashed out against political opponents back home and criticized re-porters for asking a variation of the same question.

It confirmed the thoughts of many that the leader of the free world is refusing to ac-knowledge that his strategy of “containment” is ineffective in the face of a new global terror-ist insurgency.

Moments of crises, like those of the Paris attacks, are

Obama-ISIS: Foreign Policy ReactionsMatthew Schaller

Staff Writer

when leaders shine by tapping into the public morale and channeling it with expressions of resolve and determination. The New York Times quotes Obama, “What I do not do is take actions either because it is going to work politically or it is going to somehow, in the abstract, make America look tough or make me look tough,” he said.

It appears to me that the no-tion of being tough to our ad-versaries abroad is something President Obama skipped over when reading the job descrip-tion for POTUS. His actions certainly pale in comparison to those of Russia and France in recent weeks, with the lat-ter country’s president openly declaring war on the terrorist group.

A case in point is the on-going airstrikes against ISIS, in which Russia and France seem to be addressing more targets than the U.S. This perception was further explored in a U.S. Central Command study pub-

lished earlier this year in the National Review. It found that U.S. fighter pilots are only ex-pending about 25 percent of their ordnance while in the field.

Issues with U.S. strategy can be applied to the leaflet drops that warned ISIS fuel drivers of an impending airstrike. Ac-cording to the National Re-view, Colonel Steve Warren told reporters from Baghdad that the leaflets read, “Warn-ing: Airstrikes are coming. Oil trucks will be destroyed… Do not risk your life.”

Every driver that plays a beneficial role in ISIS’s ex-panding oil wealth, reported by the National Review to be worth 450 million dollars an-nually, should feel the wrath of an American bomber.

Any life spared is allowing another day for a heinous act to be committed by the group. ISIS does not follow these same rules of engagement, and if they did, the fog of war would not be as foggy as the

main actors involved would have envisioned.

In a recent interview with the Washington Free Beacon, Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) stated that these actions can be attributed to the ad-ministration’s unwillingness to engage in collateral damage against civilian targets.

This zero sum policy is the admirable and morally cor-rect way to go. But, how far is the American government willing to go before U.S. mil-itary operations are complete-ly constrained, and the U.S. is forced to the back of the pack in favor of Russian and French military dominance?

Back at home, the response to Obama’s position only feeds into the prevailing mood that he has not taken the ISIS ter-rorist group seriously. A CBS News survey finds that only 23 percent of Americans be-lieve that the current ISIS mil-itary strategy is working, and a Gallup Poll published in Town Hall states that almost half the

country backs boots on the ground.

Going forward, this issue continues to be complicated by suspicious reports of refu-gees, which only adds fuel to the fire for the opposition. The National Review Online has noted several instances of ref-ugees with fake passports and the amount of money needed to afford one.

By way of his ideological guns, Obama risks having his legacy of getting us out of wars undermined. This is caused by the continuation of violent events in the Middle East and growing frustration from both sides of the political spectrum on how to address it.

With a new chapter of the War on Terror opened follow-ing the Paris attacks, it remains to be seen what, if anything, President Obama will do in his final year of office to stem this political and military on-slaught.

Contact Matthew at matthew.schaller@student.shu.edu.

The following are some highlights from the Diplomacy United Leadership and Commu-nication Exchange meeting on December 4:

• A. Bartoli: incentivize attendance at DULCE meetings• C. Smith: COMPASS points for freshman and priority points for all students; internal incentives within Diplomacy organizations

• N. Sorich: needs SHUMUN crisis staff for conference on April 16-17; contact noelle.sorich@student.shu.edu

• U. Sanjamino: Center for UN and Global Governance Studies will hold high school scholarship essay contest

• A. Bartoli: wants to adopt Apple Inc.’s fearless feed-back system; regular town halls

Tentative dates for Spring 2016 DULCE meetings:

January 22

February 19

March 11 (Town Hall)

April 22

Faculty Spotlight:Continued from Page 12...

Envoy: Can you speak about your friends who died?

RA: Tony Dessources and Roselyn Disprle. I went to school with Tony. Roselyn, she lived in the neighborhood, her parents were from Chile. She left Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship and she fled to France. Now she has a child, a son that I know very well. She was a single mom. She was very nice, and I’m telling you I will never forget about her.

Envoy: How do you feel about the government reac-tion?

RA: Weak. Envoy: What would you

want them to do instead? RA: Integrate the young

people. When you finish study-ing in France and you’re Arab, that shouldn’t stop you from getting a job. That’s wrong. That’s really wrong. That’s why

they are mad. If the terrorist can train them, the terrorist offers them money and that they’ll go to heaven.

Envoy: What about mili-tarily?

RA: Militarily, this is wrong. It wasn’t the Syrians who did that. How are you going to destroy Syria for that? And by doing this you kill so many in-nocent people too. This should be protect the French, protect Paris, and that’s it.

Envoy: What about French intelligence?

RA: French intelligence is really weak and it’s shameful. Africa has better intelligence than France, like Cameroon and bigger countries. Believe me, the French have nothing in terms of intelligence. They should know, but they didn’t. America knew something was going to happen, they just

didn’t know when. Envoy: When you go back

to Paris, what do you think the atmosphere is going to be now?

RA: It’s going to be differ-ent but I really want to go to Paris to see how they feel. No-body is going to feel as secure in Paris as they did before. Be-fore, in Paris, I walked at night everywhere. In the bar, in the restaurant, the Bataclan. I used to go there when I was 20. Me and Roselyn used to go to the Bataclan to dance! And she died there.

Envoy: What can the Seton Hall community do?

RA: Students are scared to go to Paris, the university doesn’t want to be accountable for anything that might hap-pen. Trés triste.

Contact Ajiya atajiya.doka@student.shu.edu.

diplomacy newsDecember 2015Page 12

Visiting Scholar Robert Serry:

Photo courtesy of the UNDe Mello Visiting Chair Robert Serry.

Robert Serry, the School of Diplomacy’s recently named Sergio Vieira de Mello Visit-ing Chair in the Practice of Post-Conflict Diplomacy, gave a lecture on his career in mul-tilateral diplomacy on Decem-ber 2.

Mr. Serry, an accomplished Dutch diplomat, was the Dep-uty Assistant Secretary-Gener-al for Crisis Management and Operations at NATO, as well as United Nations Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

In an interview with the En-voy, Mr. Serry discussed how his participation in NATO and the U.N. shaped his career.

“It is important for states to have its representatives to international organizations,” Mr. Serry said, while at the same time, it is important they do not completely burn bridges on the bilateral level. Having experienced the shift during his career in the 1990s, he believes that multilateralism “simply has become more im-portant.”

Mr. Serry was the first Dutch ambassador to Ukraine shortly after its independence from the Soviet Union.

“What happened for Ukraine is that it got its inde-pendence. [It] inherited the bad things from the Soviet Union. The Orange Revolution and the Maidan Revolution are moments where the people try to remove the shackles of

Multilateral Diplomacy “Simply Has Become Too Important”

Daniel GarayWeb Editor

the past: the way the econo-my was run, the corruption. The Maidan Revolution was an expression of people who wanted to become a normal country.”

His posting in Ukraine would make him a valuable asset during the Ukraine crisis, when he was sent on a mission by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2014.

“My experience in Ukraine was known to Ban Ki-moon. I was sent to Kiev on a qui-et mission to see if the U.N. could contribute to de-escalate tensions. I came to Kiev and met the new leaders, and I was also asked to go to Crimea. I was stopped during my mis-sion by green men without in-signia, and they wanted to de-port me, which I refused and it led to a standoff in a cafe.”

According to ITV News, the U.N. envoy held up in the coffee shop in Crimea on March 5, 2014 was indeed Mr. Serry. After being trapped by pro-Russian men, he left Crimea the same day, un-harmed, but his mission there was over.

“Ban Ki-moon sent a fact-finding ‘envoy,’ not an official one. Usually, these are delicate missions,” Mr. Serry recounted. “These are the real-ities of the U.N.: if one of the permanent members doesn’t want a U.N. role, it is impossi-ble to get one.”

Despite what had hap-pened, Mr. Serry was hopeful for the resolution of this crisis, saying, “It is important that in

the near future that Ukraine stays independent and stands on its own two feet. Given its place in Europe, it would be an unnatural outcome, that Russian-Ukrainian relations would be bad. Ukraine should have the right to relations with NATO and the European Union, but at the same time should be able to maintain its strong connections with Rus-sia.”

While on his brief mission in Crimea, Mr. Serry was at the same time working on the Middle East Peace Process. He was part of a United States-led mission for the Two-State Solution; all initiatives failed to achieve a political window for the solution.

Mr. Serry noted that there have been three wars in Gaza since 2008, the most recent one occurring in 2014. The pur-suit of the Two-State Solution started with the Madrid Con-ference in 1991, and time and lack of progress have made it a “vanishing prospect.”

At this point, Mr. Ser-ry quoted Albert Einstein: “When you perform the same experiment and fail every time, it is a definition of insanity. This is a time for everybody, including the U.S., to revisit the peace efforts.”

He did not conclude that the Two-State Solution is over, but what is the alternative? The answer to one of the most difficult quandaries in interna-tional relations remains elusive.

Contact Daniel at daniel.garay@student.shu.edu.

Professor Andre is an assistant professor of French in the Mod-ern Languages Department. He was born in Haiti and grew up in France.

The Diplomatic Envoy: Can you describe growing up in France?

Rony Andre (RA): Dif-ferent reasons bring people to France. In my case, my grand-dad was to a diplomat and worked at the consulate, then he became consul in France in the ‘60s. I stayed with my mom in Haiti.

By the age of eight, I had traveled to France for the first time and the next year when I was 9, I decided to stay with my granddad. It was a good experience. Then, my grand-dad moved to another country as consul—it was the Domin-ican Republic. I went to Cuba with him.

So I stayed in different countries. That’s my life. But since my country was a fran-cophone country, it was easy for me to integrate into society and culture.

Envoy: Can you describe the Muslim population in France?

Andre: The Muslims in France I know are very dif-ferent from the ones I know now because at that time, I went to school with most of them in my neighborhood of Saint-Denis. The majority of them are in Saint-Denis af-ter Marseille, the first Muslim population in Paris.

You didn’t feel that they were Muslim, there was noth-ing about terrorism at that time—they were just regular people from the northern Afri-can countries, came to France for different reasons, and they integrated themselves in the culture. The only thing, there was always extremism but

not like right now. The white French discriminated against them but not like now.

Envoy: How were they dis-criminated against?

RA: They were just like “you’re Arab,” and there were some jobs [the Muslims] can-not do. There were some bar-riers, but laws destroyed those barriers. Some of them were born in France so there was no difference.

Envoy: What was it like learning about the Paris at-tacks?

RA: When the terrorist at-tacks happened I was returning from Philadelphia and some-body texted me from France letting me know that there was a terrorist attack in Paris. I was very surprised but I didn’t know that so many people were dying. And in the night, I lost friends over there. There were small isolated attacks but not like the one in Paris.

France will never be the same. Not only French peo-ple died over there, but also a lot of foreigners from other countries. Black, Arabs too. My friend who passed away was from Chile. Don’t think only the French died.

And you know Paris is a city of tourism so the tourism in France is going to diminish. The impact is so great that hotel people and the restau-rants feel it right now. And my impression was the French should find a way to eradi-cate this terrorism because the terrorism we have now is not from foreigners--it’s the French. French people did it. Something is wrong within the society.

Maybe they don’t feel ac-cepted, they treat them bad maybe, but it’s the French peo-ple. Only one was born in Bel-gium.

Ajiya DokaStaff Writer

Faculty Spotlight: Jean-Rony

André on the

Paris Attacks

Continued on Page 11...