By: Maya Kumar and Saanvi Bahadur Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed expert on all things women, has been at it again. His recent tweets and social media posts have made us all wonder: what would we do without his expert commentary? That being said, he’s currently in some hot water with the law, and though this isn’t his first arrest, it’s definitely his most significant. Andrew Tate is a British-American is a former kick-boxer turned social media and reality TV personality that sprung to fame in the last few years by voicing his views on women and race. His controversial views are typically ones that align with the ultra-traditional and patriarchal thoughts, namely the idea that women are secondary to men in most aspects and only exist to serve men. Most notably, he was kicked off of the UK reality TV show, ‘Big Brother’ after punching one of the contestants. One of his most recent campaigns, his ‘Hustlers University’ program, was a glorified pyramid scheme that ‘taught’ men how to pick up women, but was recently shut down after his social media accounts were banned. Tate’s accounts on most major social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and TikTok were banned in August of 2022, finally a ray of hope in the cloudy sky that was Andrew Tate's reign over social media. That being said, it didn’t necessarily mean that the harm he caused had been undone. The main issue with Andrew Tate was the fact that his audience was primarily younger, more impressionable boys. Perhaps this is because anybody with a fully developed brain would be able to call him out on his nonsense, resulting in him having to appeal to literal children. He related to them, took existing insecurities they may have had and twisted and exploited them in order to convince these boys that the root of all their issues are women. Been rejected by a woman? Beat her up! In many ways, his views could be considered hate speech, especially as he often targeted and attacked minority groups for his content. He also had a very controversial lifestyle, which included promoting certain unconventional and potentially harmful practices like advocating for the use of steroids when going to the gym. One such nugget of wisdom was when he stated that women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. Apparently his status as a single 36-year old man who can’t keep a girlfriend for longer than six months makes him the expert on these kinds of things. The first of Tate’s legal troubles started in 2018, where he was arrested on charges of assault and battery of his girlfriend, Russian model, Olga Vlasova. Vlasova had posted photos on social media showing injuries to her face and body, and accused Tate of physically assaulting her. Tate initially denied the allegations and claimed that Vlasova had fabricated the story in order to gain attention. However, he was later charged with assault and battery, and the case went to trial. Tate was sentenced to a fine and a suspended jail sentence, and was also ordered to undergo anger management counselling. But of course, we can see that, predictably, this ended up being nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Not even a slap, a light touch if you will. He also experienced a lawsuit with his former business partner, Kofi Kodua Sarpong who accused Tate of fraud and breach of contract in connection with a business venture they had entered into together; the judge found that Tate had made false representations and breached his contractual obligations, and ordered him to pay damages of over £500,000. Despite these various legal troubles, Tate has still not seemed to learn his lesson and has managed to continuously do worse and worse things, with this one taking the cake; sex trafficking. In December of 2022 Tate, along with his brother Tristan Tate, were detained and their house in Bucharest, Romania was raided. According to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIOCT), “The four suspects... appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost." This happened shortly after Tate had set his sights on a new victim: Greta Thunberg, the collaboration nobody ever saw coming. After a small Twitter feud between the two started, Tate posted footage in which he was handed a pizza box from a local restaurant, which some users suggested had inadvertently revealed his location. He then went on to brag about how he wouldn’t recycle the pizza box after he was done, which was an epic comeback that totally left Greta speechless. Tate had also bragged about the carbon emissions that his various cars produced, which was a strange thing to brag about but I wouldn’t put it past Tate, seeing as what he thinks passes for ‘comedy’ is laughable in and of itself. Ultimately, when Tate was arrested, Greta was finally able to settle this feud by reminding the general public, “this is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes”.

The relationship between religion and social justice is a complex one, religion has played a central role in various social justice movements throughout history. From the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement to the fight against apartheid in South Africa, religion has been a driving force behind many successful movements for social justice. At the same time, religion has also been used to justify oppression and discrimination, and religious conflicts have caused significant harm and division throughout history. One of the key ways in which religion has contributed to social justice movements is by providing a moral and ethical framework for activism. Many religious traditions place a strong emphasis on social justice and the importance of treating all people with compassion and dignity. Religious leaders and communities have often used these values to inspire and motivate others to take action on behalf of marginalized and oppressed communities. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. the leading figure in the American civil rights movement. King drew heavily on his religious beliefs and teachings to inspire and motivate others to fight for racial justice, his speeches and writings often invoked biblical imagery and language, and he argued that segregation and discrimination were fundamentally incompatible with the Christian faith, which altered the presentation of Christianity in the United States. Similarly, the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa was heavily influenced by religious leaders and communities. Many churches in South Africa played a key role in organizing and mobilizing people around issues of racial justice. The movement also drew support from religious leaders around the world, who saw the struggle against apartheid as a moral imperative. Religion can also provide a sense of community and belong for marginalized groups, which can be particularly important in the context of social justice movements. For example, Black churches have long been a central part of Black communities in the United States, and have played a key role in organizing and mobilizing people around issues of racial justice. In many other contexts, religious communities have provided a safe and supportive space for women, and other marginalized groups. However, religion can also be a source of division and conflict within social justice movements. Different religious traditions may have conflicting beliefs and values, which can lead to disagreements and tension within the movement. For example, within the LGBTQ+ rights movement, there has been significant tension between those who see religion as a source of oppression and those who find support and community within religious communities. Furthermore, religion can be used to justify or perpetuate social inequality and oppression. In many societies, religion has been used to justify discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups. For example, many conservative religious traditions hold that women should be subservient to men, and that LGBTQ+ individuals are morally corrupt. These beliefs can lead to discrimination and violence against these groups. In some cases, religious beliefs have been used to justify violence and conflict. The Crusades, for example, were a series of religious wars fought in the Middle Ages, in which Christians and Muslims fought over control of the Holy Land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is another example of a conflict that is deeply rooted in religious beliefs and identities. Despite these challenges, many social justice movements continue to draw on the moral and ethical values of religious traditions to inspire and motivate others to take action. In some cases, religious leaders and communities have been able to use their influence to push for social change within their own communities. For example, some religious leaders have spoken out in support of LGBTQ+ rights, challenging conservative interpretations of religious texts. In conclusion, the role of religion in social justice movements is complex and multifaceted. While religion has the potential to be a powerful force for social change, it can also be a source of division and conflict. Sources https://www.agnesscott.edu/academics/majors-minors/religion-social-justice/index.html#:~:text=Religion%20has%20always%20had%20a,moral%20imperative%20in%20many%20faiths http://www.religionconflictpeace.org/volume-1-issue-1-fall-2007/significance-religions-social-justice-and-culture-peace https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/08/social-justice-new-religion/671172/

By Julia Piórko Bermig "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation." — Elie Wiesel 82 years since the start of one of the largest atrocities in human history, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on the 27 January annually. Why is it so relevant and important to this day? What led to the greatest atrocity in human history exists to this day- the infectious germ of hatred is infecting our society more than ever. Who is to say that propaganda peddled by modern populists couldn't lead to the same thing? Politicians post #WeRemember selfies and sanitised press releases. But what good is that when they ignore Sahel, DRC, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine. What good is a hashtag when hateful rhetoric plagues our political discourse? When refugees and asylum seekers become barbaric job steelers in the public consciousness. When women’s rights are being taken everyday. When anti-semitism is spewed by rappers, sports stars and heads of state. When we become numb to news of hate crimes and mass shootings. When we succumb to inaction and ignorance, atrocities occur. As Simon Wiesenthal said, “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing." In our modern world every human crisis, no matter how small, is an inherently global crisis. As Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." — Elie Wiesel Advocating for every victim and stopping extremism and propaganda is the only way to ensure such an atrocity never happens again. The greatest atrocities start with small changes that we don't even realise. Goebbels propaganda machine started spewing out anti-semetic propaganda, scapegoating minorities as to blame for economic and political turmoil (sound familiar?) . This developed into the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, which legally declared the Nazi’s racial hierarchy and codified discrimination. The holocaust did not come out of the blue. Before genocide, there were years of orchestrated hateful rhetoric of nazi propaganda dehumanizing and animalizing Jewish, Roma-sinti, Lgbtq+, disabled communities. The ministry of public enlightenment was established in 1933 - 8 years later came the “final solution”. Never has hate caused such a staggering loss of life, such a long-lasting profound trauma, such a deep scar in the social fabric of a whole continent. Then came the final solution- after years of an orchestrated hateful campaign. The Legacy of the Holocaust serves as a cautionary tale of the sheer danger of hatred, discrimination and compliance. We observe Holocaust remembrance day to commemorate and pay respects to victims, to the millions who were murdered. To educate, promote peace and prevent future catastrophe, as 63% of Americans under 40 did not know an estimated 6 million died during the Holocaust. Education is vital to pass on the lessons learned and stay aware, especially as Holocaust denialism continues to thrive. We must pass on this cautionary tale to ensure it never repeats. Works Cited Byman, Daniel L. “How Hateful Rhetoric Connects to Real-World Violence.” Brookings, 9 Apr. 2021, www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/04/09/how-hateful-rhetoric-connects-to-real-world-violence/. Ramgopal, Kit. “Survey Finds “Shocking” Lack of Holocaust Knowledge in People under 40.” NBC News, 16 Sept. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/survey-finds-shocking-lack-holocaust-knowledge-among-millennials-gen-z-n1240031. Wiesel, Elie. Night. 1958. New York, Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.

By: Anahita Biswas In today’s world, the refugee crisis becomes more prominent every day. With more people getting internally displaced or being forced to leave their homes and flee around the world to find a place of shelter and safety. What is causing people to leave their homes? The leaving of homes is a result of increased conflict, food insecurity, etc. However, the way media outlets and political leaders depict and portray this situation is one that is very dehumanizing and controversial. In this article, I will be discussing some of the controversial ways refugees are being depicted in today's society. Firstly, a lot of the time in school when we are discussing refugee crises, we often learn about them being from either African or middle eastern countries. This can lead us to believe that this is only an issue in Western countries and that refugees are a burden to these countries, however, this is not the case. As we have been seeing for the past year now, Ukraine has dealt with a very serious conflict and one that has led to many Ukrainians fleeing the country and seeking asylum in neighboring countries such as Poland. The thing is we often hear in the news a lot about how these Western countries are finding it difficult to accommodate refugees, which could be true. Still, we don’t seem to be hearing the Ukrainian refugees coming into Poland be that big of an issue. Why is that? All refugees are struggling with similar problems, so why is it that we are hearing that countries are finding it difficult to accommodate African or middle eastern refugees but not so much Ukrainian refugees? Another issue surrounding refugees nowadays is the way they are constantly depicted in the media as inhumane. The media often depicts these people as objects rather than actual people by using derogatory language such as “waves”, or “floods.” This type of language not only dehumanizes them but creates the idea that they are burdens to society rather than people who are fleeing danger, violence, and suffering each family and individual with their own story to tell. We often choose to forget that refugees are also people just like us, who lived a life just like us and have experienced something that any one of us could face any second of any day. They aren’t burdens to society, they aren’t inhumane, they are just people who have been placed in an unfortunate situation and need help. When it comes to refugees, the media needs to stop treating them like outcasts or providing them help only based on their country of origin because at the end of the day no matter where a person is from they are still human beings who have been forced to leave their homes for the sake of themselves and their families.

Artificial intelligence language models like ChatGPT have been hailed as a game-changer for the writing industry, and the use of such tools is becoming increasingly popular among journalists and writers. However, the use of ChatGPT to write political articles raises a number of ethical concerns that cannot be ignored. One of the primary concerns is the accuracy of the content generated by ChatGPT. While the model is capable of producing high-quality text, it may not always be accurate, especially when it comes to political issues. Political articles often require an understanding of complex issues and a nuanced perspective, which may not be fully captured by an AI language model. Therefore, writers must be cautious when using ChatGPT to produce political articles and ensure that they fact-check and verify the information provided. Another ethical concern is the potential for bias in the content generated by ChatGPT. As AI models are trained on large datasets, the possibility of reflecting biases and prejudices present in the dataset is high. This could lead to political articles that are biased towards certain viewpoints, political affiliations or ideologies. Therefore, writers must ensure that they actively combat such biases when using ChatGPT by double-checking the data sources and critically analyzing the generated text. Plagiarism is yet another concern when using ChatGPT to write political articles. While the text generated by ChatGPT is technically original, it may still be perceived as plagiarized if it bears a striking similarity to existing articles. Therefore, it is essential for writers to give proper attribution to their sources and ensure that the generated text is not infringing upon any copyright laws. Finally, the question of journalistic integrity arises when using ChatGPT to write political articles. Journalism has an essential role in society and aims to provide accurate and unbiased information to the public. However, relying on AI models to write political articles risks losing the human element of journalism. Journalists have a responsibility to investigate, analyze and provide informed opinions on political issues. AI models may not have the capacity to provide such an in-depth analysis, making it necessary for writers to critically evaluate the information provided by ChatGPT and supplement it with their own perspectives. In conclusion, while ChatGPT may provide an efficient and speedy way to produce political articles, it is essential to consider the ethical implications of using AI language models. Writers and journalists must be aware of the risks associated with ChatGPT and ensure that they are maintaining journalistic integrity, accuracy, and transparency in their writing. By doing so, writers can ensure that they are producing high-quality content that is both ethical and informative. Postscript by Sienna Lovelock-Burtt: Our school and even this political review have seen instances of work submitted by ChatGPT recently. As students in the IB, we’re tired and overwhelmed. Some of us may be asking if OpenAI tools like ChatGPT exist, why should we put the effort into writing, or creating new pieces of work, when a website can do it better? To put it simply, because of human originality. We can come up with new, creative perspectives on issues, use humor and irony, and have unique writing styles. This article addresses some of the issues in using ChatGPT in political reporting and will serve as UPR’s announcement that this will be the first, and last, ChatGPT article we publish. Citations: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt

By: Ishaan Patel During the December holidays, I went on a grand tour of India - visiting Delhi, Jaipur and Bombay as I wheeled between relatives, landmarks and hearty food. I would rarely be in the country for the whole break - but understandable given it was thefirst time I was there since the outbreak of Covid 19. Before my trip, I was working on an article about the Gujarati bridge collapse. Between my mocks and a creative block, it languished for quite a while. I was still determined to write a piece about India - a political landscape I find entertaining, complex and mysterious. So, I decided to do an even bigger article. This one is about the BJP - why they came to power, what they are, and why people actually voted for them. I talked to friends, families and drivers across the country, about what the BJP offered them - and why they thought that the BJP has risen to such unparalleled dominance in the country. But first of course, a brief intro on the Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP for short. The BJP is a nationalist, right wing, political party that has held a majority in Indian Parliament (the Lok Sabha) since the 2014 elections that swept them to power. The BJP specifically adheres to a special type of political ideology known as ‘Hindutva politics’, which emphasises Hindu majoritarianism, and the supremacy of Hinduism as the core defining trait of India, a constitutionally secular state. In the promotion of this majoritarian ideology, the BJP has been accused of stoking anti-muslim sentiment and pursuing discriminatory policies against Muslims. Now, I expected that in India, the type of people I would meet, who were relatively irreligious, affluent and well-educated, would be anti-BJP, and their majoritarian politics. This is something we would expect, being acclimated to a UWC mindset - us being a group vehemently opposed to right-wing governance and ideology in general. But it turns out that BJP support amongst family members and friends was widespread, and indeed extremely strong. Because the BJP’s success may not be so much in terms of their appeal to Hindus, but their appeal against a certain group. And this group isn’t religious, ethnic or caste-based - it’s purely political. The political group I’m talking about is the INC - the Indian National Congress. The INC dominated Indian Politics for most of India’s history - producing leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, considered one of the country’s founding fathers, and Indira Gandhi, its arguably infamous first female Prime Minister. From the people I talked to - the INC times produced mostly bitterness. One anecdote tells of how, in the 70s, things like telephone lines were coming to India. Of course - that didn’t mean everybody got a line. INC governance was integrally associated with corruption - more famous examples being the Bofors scandal of the 90s, which saw top Indian officials receiving bribes from defense company, Bofors, to procure their weapons. So, to get a telephone line at the time, you need a connection with a civil servant. Our friend's family at the time worked in the diamond industry - and incidentally a civil servant needed jewellery for her daughter’s wedding. Their application for a phone line had sat in a backlog for nearly 2 years - yet, within 2 days of the diamonds being transferred, a phone line was set up. Corruption wasn’t the only factor at play. Another was economic development - the INC was a left-wing party, and implemented policies with certain socialist characteristics - bank nationalisation, planning committees etc. However, it was argued due to the inefficiency of these policies, along with the corruption of the INC, caused India’s economic growth to lag behind other countries. It wasn't until the economic liberalization of the 90s (ironically under congress administration), that India’s economy exploded, with its GDP exploding from $266 billion to 2.3 trillion in 2020. However, many argue that the bulk of this growth, and the bulk of this impact came from the aggressive economic policies of the BJP, which have pursued policies of privatisation, and globalisation, which have drastically increased FDI. From the perspectives of working class people in India - the BJP has definitely led to better quality of living. From Delhi to Jaipur, our musically-inclined and friendly driver talked about his village. He spoke brightly of it, but also talked about its rapid growth and improvements. Since the election of the BJP he talked about the rapid electrification of his village, the creation of main roads. His children could finally get quality education with proper resources in his public schools. Now of course this anecdotal - not every villager in India has experienced this. But it falls in tandem with BJP policies - which have been to pursue a rapid development of villages. But of course there is the elephant in the room, the position and policies that the BJP are primarily known for. It is so ubiquitous with the party, it’s what I mentioned in 90% of my starting introduction on them. It’s their Hindutva politics. Not only are the optics of it simply ugly - the promotion of Hinduism as the superior religion, and indeed, almost as a superior ethnicity, runs foul in a country that prides itself on being one of the most diverse on earth - with the third largest Muslim population in the world, and the largest muslim minority. It was an uncomfortable topic, obviously. Few of my family, their friends and the common people could outright justify their stance on the BJP, despite their policies which are widely seen as oppressive towards Muslims and other minorities. One perspective I heard was from my Grand-aunt. She contended with me that back in the INC era, whilst minorities were given favourable treatment, they were also kept down by the INC and their ineffectual policies. She said that the BJP was getting rid of policies that discriminated against certain groups, and reserved places for others, and was trying to level the playing field - and said that the environment that the BJP was creating would enable all, including Muslims to do better. And of course this a sentiment of opinion - but it isn’t hard to see how if Indians who do not think of themselves as anti-muslim, would rationalise their stances in terms of anti-affirmation. They are against all sorts of affirmative action and advantaging policies against minorities - these not only include Muslims, but Other Backwards Castes or Tribal communities as well. So across the three weeks, if it is one thing I have learnt about support for the BJP, is that it centres for a desire for change. People aren’t necessarily attracted to the BJP because of majoritarianism, and Hindutva politics(though some certainly are), but are attracted to the idea of change and a shake up in the current political order - having vividly experienced the effects of stagnation themselves. And of course, they don’t define themselves as anti-muslim in voting for the BJP; they broaden their stances and make it more difficult to pin down. The average BJP Indian isn’t vitriolically anti-muslim; but definitely passionate against policies such as reservations that do advantage communties such as the muslims in India. They view the BJP as a general tool; a blunt sledgehammer with which to disrupt the current order. But they do not care or simply haven’t considered from those pieces, what India would be built from it. Sources: Amit Mudgill. “Since 1991, Budget Size Grew 19 Times, Economy 9 Times; Your Income 5 Times.” The Economic Times, Economic Times, Feb. 2018, economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/since-1991-budget-size-grew-19-times-economy-9-times-your-income-5-times/articleshow/62735382.cms?from=mdr. Ellis-Peterson, Hannah. “What Is Hindu Nationalism and How Does It Relate to Trouble in Leicester?” The Guardian, 20 Sept. 2022, www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/20/what-is-hindu-nationalism-and-who-are-the-rss. Accessed 6 Mar. 2023. Mehta, Gautam. “Hindu Nationalism and the BJP’s Economic Record - the BJP in Power: Indian Democracy and Religious Nationalism.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 19 Apr. 2019, carnegieendowment.org/2019/04/04/hindu-nationalism-and-bjp-s-economic-record-pub-78720. Pandey, Geeta. “Why Women Vote for India PM Narendra Modi’s BJP.” BBC News, 18 Apr. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61077736. Accessed 6 Mar. 2023. Verma, Rahul, and Rahul Verma. “The Emergence, Stagnation, and Ascendance of the BJP - the BJP in Power: Indian Democracy and Religious Nationalism.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 19 Apr. 2019, carnegieendowment.org/2019/04/04/emergence-stagnation-and-ascendance-of-bjp-pub-78735.

By Julia Piórko Bermig 2 years ago, in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a mob of mostly Trump supporters and far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, broke into the US Capitol on January 6- a date now synonymous with the insurrection. While Congress was in the process of certifying the electoral college results, the rioters, who had congregated in Washington, D.C. for a protest organized by the President, attacked the Capitol building, delaying the certification and forcing Congress members and Vice President Mike Pence to flee. The violence claimed the lives of five people, one of whom was a Capitol police officer. The events of January 6th have drawn harsh criticism from politicians, leaders, and activists who view them as an attack on American democracy and an unprecedented incursion into the Capitol building. Following the insurrection, numerous requests for accountability and an investigation into what happened that day have been made. On May 19, 2021, The House voted 252-175 to approve legislation creating the January 6 Commission, which would be tasked with investigating the attack and making recommendations for preventing future incidents of this kind. The legislation calls for the commission to be made up of ten members, with five appointed by Democrats and five by Republicans. The commission would have the power to issue subpoenas and take testimony under oath and would be required to provide a final report within 18 months of its creation. On December 22 2022, the January 6th commission released their final report regarding their investigation of the insurrection, detailing their findings after months of witness testimony, deposition and never before seen footage. The committee found that Trump and others may have committed crimes. These individuals are being referred to the DOJ. The committee makes its case for criminal referrals using 17 investigation findings, including the revelation that Trump knew the fraud claims he was making were false, yet kept on making them relentlessly. On election night, President Trump chose to proclaim victory and demand that voting be halted illegally. According to the report, this decision was deliberate and premeditated. Requests for pardons show that Trump's advisers were aware of their possible legal peril. On January 6, threats of violence were known to intelligence and law enforcement organisations, but the information was never shared publicly. Trump's aides wanted him to issue a plea for peaceful demonstrations. Shortly after, the House Ways and Means Committee release of six ear of Trump’s Tax returns: The committee has faced several barriers which could be removed by the Justice Department’s power to invoke a grand jury subpoena. Whether the committee and report is merely a symbolic condemnation of the insurrection or whether it will lead to genuine legal convictions remains to be seen. But one thing is certain- the facts presented in the hearings and testimonies have had a profound impact on the American people. The report, just like the Watergate reports and hearings, does not resolve the very threats to democracy it condemns Works cited: Grisales, C. (2022, December 23). Read the Jan. 6 committee’s report and recommendations for preventing another riot. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/23/1145160544/jan-6-report-committee-donald-trump Select January 6th Committee Final Report and Supporting Materials Collection. (n.d.). GovInfo. https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report Sneed, T., Murray, S., Cohen, Z., Grayer, A., & Cohen, M. (2022, December 20). What’s in the House January 6 committee report summary. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/19/politics/what-is-in-jan-6-committee-report-summary/index.html

By: Henrique Vieira Soares The current political climate is extremely polarised. Democrats vs. Republicans; left vs. right; us vs. them. Moreover, the past presidential elections in Brazil and the United States are good examples of this polarisation, since both countries were (and still are) divided. When it comes to Brazil, things still are pretty tense, and walking on eggshells is necessary even when discussing simple things. During the tense 2022 presidential election, there were reports of homicides motivated by divergent political opinions. Undoubtedly, one of the main factors that caused this scenario of absurdity and madness was the repeated hatred claims made by former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who was seeking reelection at the time and turned his campaign into an ideological fight of good vs. evil. "These kinds of people [leftist politicians] should be 'removed' from public life". - Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil In the United States, polarisation has intensified over time. The graph below shows the evolution of Democrats and Republicans ideologically and how these two groups got even more apart. I should admit, I have a problem with the two-party political system in the USA. I wonder how effective this system is and to what extent it represents democracy? Democrats and Republicans have been "fighting" for a long time and this has created a big polarisation in the United States since you are expected to be blue or red and agree with the party's ideology and ideas. In reality, things are different. Or at least they should be. The problem with generalisations and, consequently, thinking that all Democrats are pro-choice, for example, is that they only create more disagreement. By using general labels a lot of expectations about how one should act are created, which does not reflect with accuracy how people really are and think. Someone can have both liberal and conservative opinions; the world would be a better place if people started acknowledging that and stopped killing each other because of divergent opinions. This radicalism because of ideology has increased over the past years, which caused violence to get worse. Polarisation can influence people to get too attached to a specific ideology and not develop their critical thinking, and that has brought up a lot of far-right terrorist incidents lately. The graph above shows how far-right incidents caused by terrorists have increased substantially. For example, in October 2022 a man shot and killed two people outside of an LGBTQIA+ bar in Slovakia. The killer was identified as the son of a former far-right political party. Another similar case was reported in the United States in November 2022, where a man opened fire at an LGBTQIA+ bar, killing 5 people. It's impossible not to think of these events as hate crimes. Why do these individuals target specific populations? I believe they were probably not born full of hatred, but instead were taught because of the environment they grew up in, which influenced their beliefs and made them identify with a specific ideological group that promotes hate and violence against minorities. It is hard to say where we are going. We live in a plural society and divergent opinions should be hard; that's democracy. However, we should be aware when hatred is masked as an opinion since our beliefs should not inhibit another person's right to live. Polarisation and extreme ideologies have spread like a virus; and, for humankind's own sake, I do hope a cure is found soon. Sources https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/leonardo-sakamoto/2022/09/09/bolsonarista-mata-petista-no-dia-em-que-jair-defendeu-extirpar-opositores.htm https://extra.globo.com/noticias/brasil/eleicoes-2022/esse-tipo-de-gente-tem-que-ser-extirpado-da-vida-publica-diz-bolsonaro-sobre-lula-a-esquerda-25568617.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63239523 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/colorado-springs-shooting-gay-nightclub/index.html https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/01/break-up-two-party-system/ https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/colorado-springs-shooting-gay-nightclub/index.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63239523

By Sienna Lovelock-Burtt Late last year, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 was awarded. The accolade was jointly awarded to the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, Ales Bialiatski, a Belarusian human rights activist and political prisoner, and Memorial, a Russian human rights organisation. The Norwegian Committee’s decision is often an overtly political statement, as it was this year, rewarding groups who stood against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the selection drew some backlash from Ukraine - despite Memorial decrying Russia’s invasion at the acceptance ceremony, Ukrainian activists have said it is offensive at this point to have been grouped with a citizen of the country that has wrought so much damage, and a citizen of Belarus, Russia’s closest ally. Some members of the Ukrainian government have suggested that the Center for Civil Liberties should have rejected the Nobel Peace Prize. The deputy chair of the Ukrainian Parliament’s defence committee, Mariana Bezuhla, posted that it was “inadmissible to accept any prize with Russians and Belarusians.” There has also been backlash against the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee, for continuing a tradition of being extremely eurocentric. In 2012, the Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union (EU) itself, and the Peace Prize has a history of being awarded to primarily western activists. The other nominees on the shortlist included Ilham Tothi, an Uyghur activist in China, who worked to promote active dialogue before being imprisoned in 2014, pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, and Harsh Mander, an advocate for religious freedom in India. Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/world/europe/ukraine-nobel-prize-russia.html https://time.com/6219502/nobel-peace-prize-2022-favorites/ https://www.britannica.com/topic/2022-Nobel-Peace-Prize-winners https://www.npr.org/2022/12/10/1142087351/russia-nobel-peace-prize-memorial-war-ukraine https://www.prio.org/nobelshortlist https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nobel-eu-idUSBRE8B906M20121210 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/06/nobel-prize-2022-shortlist-contenders/ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-peace-prizes/

Let me paint you a picture. A picture of lawlessness, despair, hunger, and poverty, an ever-spiraling scene that never seems to get better or more peaceful. This is the scene of Haiti - a country that since the Assassination of its president in 2021, has been beset by a complete government collapse, the rise of gang violence in its place, and waves of electricity shortages and water shortages, a cholera outbreak and a widespread exodus from the country. To put it lightly - the situation in Haiti is grim. The Country has been stuck in this anarchic abyss since the 7.0 magnitude 2010 earthquake that destroyed much of the LEDCs infrastructure and housing, turning thousands of Haitians homeless overnight. But why is it, you ask, that an intervention is the right solution over here? And it is understandable why people are critical of foreign interventions - especially an effort that would be led by the USA, being the major cultural, economic and military power. America’s previous interventions in the 21st Century left a terrible legacy. The Iraq Intervention and Afghanistan interventions created environments of terror, extremism and ultimately failed to create thriving and democratic states. But, in my eyes, the situation in Haiti is fundamentally different. This is not a unilateral action taken by a country such as the USA - this would be a wide coalition of countries involved in military action, an action supported by the UN itself as a ‘rapid action force’ that together with Haitian police could shut down the presence of gangs. Notice here that this force would be working together with Haiti - and a much smaller action is required than the widespread interventions of Afghanistan and Iraq. And it is critical to know that the gangs are blocking the solving of other problems - for months they have been involved in the appropriation of humanitarian aid such as grain and fuel, as well as the kidnapping of journalists and aid workers who work to document and solve these problems. And of course, a peaceful solution to these gangs is out of the question - negotiating in good faith with criminals, on the international stage can legitimize this sort of banditry, and create even more instability. The limited scale of this intervention is what most convinces me that this time, it would be different. We are talking about specific goals, specific targets, and overall, a specific mission. One function of a coalition is that a coalition must agree on what they are all doing - different members of course have different wants and capabilities to achieve them. A coalition necessitates that the intervention would be far more limited in scale. Furthermore, being an UN-endorsed mission, it would have to abide by international law and conventions - further limiting the scope of what is possible with it. So there is also no doubt that the highly specialised nature of the intervention would not morph into something larger - there are too many hindrances, too many limitations, and too much distribution amongst parties involved that it would stay as a simple ‘action force’ and nothing more than that. There is also the rarer argument - that to intervene on a smaller scale would actually be more detrimental to Haiti and that direct regime change is needed. And whilst larger interventions by governmental coalitions - particularly those by the USA - were successful in establishing a new rule, their record on humanitarian grounds is more patchy. The invasion of Grenada by the US and six other Caribbean countries ended the factional conflict of the country and the imprisonment of political prisoners. The intervention in Chile however created one of the most brutal military dictatorships of the 20th century under Augusto Pinochet. This coalition would have responsibilities - namely helping restore law and order, and providing humanitarian aid to afflicted civilians. But the formation of a government and the direction of the country should be 100% guided internally. Let Haiti choose its own path - and let the world help it in starting the first step. So, of course an intervention would be messy. It would be violent, complicated, and tremendously difficult even with the strongest of nations to pull it off. But, to let Haiti spiral further into its abyss, and to let its societal collapse be would be even more painful to ignore. Haiti is not a self-contained tragedy - it will ruminate further across the world in form of organised crime and perilous migrant crossings. The Haitian people have asked for intervention, for action from the world - and the world should give it. is a great incentive for peace.

After an explosive interview where Cristiano Ronaldo openly spoke about the flaws in Manchester United and their somewhat unwelcoming environment towards him, it wasn’t a surprise that the team chose to terminate his contract. For those of you who haven’t watched the interview, Cristiano Ronaldo practically thrashed his former club Manchester United from their owners, structure, and their new coach. One of the things that was not received well by many United fans and the club itself was what he said about their coach Ten Hag, he simply stated, “I do not respect him.” Personally, I think he did the right thing exposing a major club as this is something that many would never even dare to do. Although, this decision may have cost him his career. Not shortly after the interview and amidst the 2022 Qatar World Cup, rumors about CR7's next move began and one team that stood out amongst those rumors was Al-Nassr. The no.1 team in the Saudi Pro-League. At first, it seemed like a hilarious joke, but as the weeks passed, this joke became a reality. On December 31st Al-Nassr announced the signing of CR7 to the club on a free transfer. He stands to make roughly 175m euros a year. Al-Nassr, which translates to” victory” in Arabic, is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, winning more than 30 titles. Although many clubs across Asia can be found with this name, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia was the first. For Al-Nassr, having a name like Cristiano Ronaldo on your lineup is recognition in itself. With Ronaldo on board, he would definitely bring more viewership and interest in building the club's popularity. This was proven almost immediately since not shortly after the announcement, Al-Nassr doubled its social media following from 860k to 1.6M. Many fans have now accused him of letting money get in the way of this decision, in fact, it seems that he has contradicted himself. Not only has a clip resurfaced of Ronaldo listing places where he couldn’t imagine himself playing later in his career with the USA, Qatar, and Dubai making appearances on that list, but in the same interview he also said, “In my mind, I want to finish in the top level. I want to finish with dignity. At a good club.” Personally, I do think money was a big factor in his join to Al-Nassr. After publicly shaming one of the most popular football clubs in the world, as a club manager I wouldn’t want CR7 in my club no matter how good of a player he is because he obviously created a huge scene and he could easily do this if he is unhappy at any other club. So why as a club would you want to pay so much money for a player like him if you live in that constant fear that if you do something he doesn’t like he could try and destroy your club's reputation? Rumors also spread that he wouldn’t lower his price. Al-Nassr came and saved him and offered more money than any other player in the world, this is why I believe his judgment was clouded by money. There have also been several rumors that before making the decision to join Al-Nassr Ronaldo even approached Real Madrid and waited for Real Madrid to make a decision before joining Al-Nassr. Although Ronaldo has become the highest-paid football player in the world. Was exposing Manchester United worth it?

By: Sophia Rathleff As I found myself pondering what I would write about for the final time (with this publication), the usual popped up. Recent elections and failing governments were obvious choices, an op-ed was what I was headed for. Then I spiralled, what does an op-ed consist of and what is political journalism at its core? So I landed on this idea, asking why do we actually value political journalism? Why and how does it exist? But critically, why is it so important? What is political journalism, really? “Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power.” - definition.com Essentially, it's writing informatively and critically about anything under the study of politics as a whole. However, getting into the nuances of what journalism or politics means opens an array of opportunities…and roadblocks. It is wielded as a tool for criticism and analysis of local, national and international governments. It is the backbone for freedom of the press, and freedom of expression within a country. As Don Munro, a journalist for CBC, stated “Ever play the children's game "Kerplunk"? Freedom of the press is like the toothpicks. Remove them and all the marbles fall, everything falls apart. And the game's over”. Well, those “toothpicks” now come in so many forms. Political journalism originated like all other journalism, published in newspapers. This made newspapers notoriously lean to one political party or an alignment, and state leaders would often measure their popularity through the reaction of “their'' newspaper. But, with the growing age of technology, there has been an exponential rise in different forms of publication spreading across the internet, such as the wonderful website you are reading this on now. Why do readers value it? Readers find critical analysis easy to trust or simply consider in their frame of thought. To be technical this is due to the set of standards these journalists are held to. Transparency, humility, originality, the Discipline of Verification. A backbone for not only journalism, but for life in general. We can take these principles and apply them to any aspect of life, which makes these pieces wholly more relatable for readers. All of these principles are measures of a writer's respect for their profession and their readers. The astonishing thing is that within these principles, political journalism often feeds into a reader's thoughts and validates their perspective, while offering alternatives at every opportunity. Or it may simply be because it's interesting… Why is it important? Political journalism is its own beacon, its own entity that is a quintessentially integral part of society at large. It is indiscriminate, of political system or individual, in its criticism or analysis. The beautiful thing about it is that no matter how hard a government may try to suppress the press it will always prevail. Even if your own subjects can't write about it, they know someone else will or they will die trying. The courage of political journalists, such as Marie Colvin (source), provides an example in itself to all studies of journalism. Additionally, people need perspective. We all need an independent view that provides differing perspectives, and that is what political journalism does. Without the people being able to formulate opinions there is no trust between the social and the political. To conclude Political journalism is so important, and is so often undervalued. Granted, all journalism is important, yet there is something about participating in government through this type of journalism that just raises it slightly higher. It is also a love language for many writers, where they pour their thoughts of their country into a piece or a way of demonstrating their intelligence and ability to formulate opinions. Personally, I have experienced both in the past year. I am incredibly fortunate and honoured to call myself… a thoroughly mediocre political journalist. I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the two teams of editors/heads that I have worked with over the past two years. Also, to say to all the writers to come, good luck and enjoy yourself. Sources: https://sweetspotpr.com/future-of-journalism/ https://www.definitions.net/definition/Political+journalism https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-journalists/top-10-u-s-journalists-in-politics/ https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/verification-accuracy/journalism-discipline-verification/