Friday, February 13, 2015

WorldQuest: A Clash of the Brightest and Mightiest

Written By: Liz Neduva
Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Published: 2/13/2015

As dramatic as my introduction may sound, I could not be more serious about how concentrated and determined these young adults portrayed themselves at our competition last Saturday. As someone who was in charge of the prep work and constantly behind the scenes, it was refreshing to see young talent blossom before my eyes. These 32 high school geniuses spent sleepless nights studying Russian politics, Chinese foreign policy, United Nations’ millennium development goals and an array of other topics in order to compete and become the WAC Atlanta Champions. Sensing international interest after talking with a few of these young adults has restored my faith in the future generation. They were all so driven and so confident when asked about global problems such as unemployment and social unrest. I am sure that out of these students, we can find our next Ambassador to Chile or our next Chief of Staff. Creating environments in which young students can expand their global view is incredibly important. We live in a world that changes every day and we must adapt to those changes. Half of that adaption must take place with a global perspective. We are all global citizens and we must behave as such. WorldQuest motivates these young adult to think outside of their comfort zone and learn new things and experience new cultures. I am very proud to say that I participated in creating such a great event for our younger generation. And in the words of Yoda “Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view,” so expand your mind and look at the globe at a different angle.     


Thursday, January 29, 2015

Are Hezbollah and Israel on the Brink of Another Conflict?

Written By: Hend Charif
Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Published: 1/29/2015


An anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah on Wednesday in the Shebaa Farms killed two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish U.N peacekeeper. The Shebaa Farms is an area where the Lebanese, Syrian, and Israeli borders meet. Hezbollah said that the shots were fired in reaction to Israel’s air strike a few days back that killed some of Hezbollah’s fighters. Israel retaliated to Hezbollah’s strikes, firing shots across the Lebanese border. The clash between Hezbollah and Israel raised fears amongst civilians and politicians that the attacks will lead to another 2006 conflict. However, the following day after the attacks, the violence between the two stopped. This will come as a surprise to those who are familiar with the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. For decades there has been tension and violence between both parties. Did Israel and Hezbollah learn the consequences from the 2006 conflict? The 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel was a bloody conflict that lasted for a month, killing about 1500 civilians and soldiers, and costing billions of dollars in reconstruction. It has only been a day since the attacks stopped, therefore, it is too early to tell if the situation will remain calm. However, it does open a small window of hope that both actors have finally realized that the decades of violence exchanged has not improved the situation or advanced their interests.


Sources:
The Washington Post "Lebanon-Israel border area quiet after concerns of another war breaking out"
BBC "Three killed as Israel and Hezbollah clash on Lebanese border"
Yahoo News "Israel buries soldiers, says Hezbollah doesn't want conflict"