DOMESTIC
Floridians raised an outcry against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when a disaster relief worker ordered a response team to specifically avoid homes displaying Trump-supporting signs. The unnamed worker responsible has since been fired, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has expressed her disapproval of the perpetrator’s actions. In Criswell’s words, this targeted discrimination, especially in the wake of two major hurricanes that ravaged the Floridan coast, clearly violates “FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.” Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, also voiced his disdain, calling the incident another example of “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy” and “another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.” Ultimately, though, FEMA leadership seems intent on ensuring that such political discrimination never occurs again. Criswell has personally promised to “do everything [she] can” to guarantee fair, sufficient, beneficial aid to victims and families impacted by emergency crises.
The day after the presidential election, Black and Brown individuals across the country received explicitly racist text messages incorporating offensive language, historical references and even highly personal information. The recipients, mostly youth and young adults, suffered deep hurt and fear at the content of the messages, which ranged from telling them they were “chosen to pick cotton” to informing them of their deportation. Messages often referred to the recipient’s full name and location. As of Wednesday, authorities have been unsuccessful in tracing the origin and sender of the texts that were sent through an anonymous phone number generator. The text messaging service companies are working alongside investigators to ensure the culprits are held responsible. Meanwhile, the national community remains in disarray. Black college students express fear of walking to class alone; parents are rightfully concerned over the safety of their middle school children. Some individuals have raised questions regarding a potential correlation to the election results released the day prior. The Trump campaign, however, equally condemns the racist messages and claims no association with their creation or their sender. Whoever the racist perpetrator may be, Black and Brown Americans state that they cannot feel truly safe until the instigator is brought to justice. As long as the culprit remains free, there is no telling how far they might go to bring this racist agenda to fruition.
INTERNATIONAL
Boko Haram—an anti-Western, Islamic insurgent group—has been seeking to establish Islamic law in northeastern Nigeria for the past decade. Recently, violence by Boko Haram and its other extremist counterparts has increased throughout the region, spreading into neighboring nations such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad. On Saturday, Nov. 9, Chadian forces and Boko Haram insurgents clashed in the Lake Chad region of western Chad, resulting in the deaths of 17 soldiers and 96 rebels. Past success in military efforts to curb extremism and minimize violent encounters has been largely overturned by this uptick in assaults. Chadian President Mahamat Déby Itno has initiated a renewed military operation in hopes of fully expelling Boko Haram from the region. Extremist forces, however, have historically shown incredible resilience in West Africa. For Chad and its neighbors, the threat remains significant.
The US-China trade battle has entered another stage: Latin America. Over the past decade, the gap between American and Chinese investment in the region has widened by tens of billions of dollars. In Peru, Chinese trade exceeds American trade by over 15 billion; in Brazil, that gap has reached 82 billion. For the Latin American nations, the issue is purely business. Local suppliers are looking for the fastest, cheapest way to export their products globally. China, by building a new “mega port” and shortening sea routes, is offering tempting options for companies. The United States, however, remains wary of China’s long-term agenda. Indeed, in the words of Li Xing, a professor at the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, “China can’t start by building military bases there because it’s too sensitive and will make China’s conflict with the United States too pronounced… So it has made inroads with economic ties first.” American experts fear that if the US does not intentionally reform economic and foreign policy, the Latin American region will continue to lean towards Chinese interests. Given the region’s proximity to America’s southern border, a secure Chinese presence could pose an incredible threat to US security.
