Jessica L.
It's certainly not an overstatement to say that the past couple months have been trying times for not only the United States, but also the world. 2020 was greeted with excitement... we were all abuzz at the hopes that the new year would be the beginning of a second roaring twenties, and then, the world caught on fire, literally. Between the political fires of impeachment trials, assassinations, and upcoming elections, the slow burn of sorrow at the loss of a national sports hero, and the billowing smoke as Australia and the Amazon burned, the year was off to a rocky start. Then, Covid-19 took center stage.
I remember hearing about the Corona virus on the news and thinking, “there's no way that'll happen in the United States”. Clearly, I was wrong. Even as the virus began popping up within our country, I, like many others, was still in denial... “no worse than the flu" we said, "it's just a few cases" we said. Flash forward to the present, two months later, and most of us are still in self-quarantine, and the number of cases has grown exponentially. We were wrong. It is worse than the flu, and it's much more than just a few cases. Equally concerning is the economic devastation that has resulted from the shutdown. Although I severely underestimated Covid-19, I am not ashamed of my ignorance prior to the outbreak, because I've learned from it, and I think that our country needs to learn from Corona as well. Throughout these past months and into the future it has (and will continue to) become clear who the United States' true allies are, and many of our enemies have revealed themselves as such. Many nefarious organizations, and countries, such as China, have shown their true colors and attempted to use the coronavirus shut-down as a means to further wedge their foot in the door, and hurt our nation. This interference simply cannot be tolerated.
Growing up, I was always taught to forgive and forget, and while that mantra may be successful in raising children, it is not quite as advantageous in foreign relations and politics. It is essential that America takes note of those who are attempting to lake advantage of our country in these uncertain times. Then we have to ensure that we aren't dependent, in any way, on those forces going forward. We cannot become isolationists, but we should think long and hard about offering those countries and/or organizations aid, or access to our resources in the future. Whether via trade sanctions or tariffs, we have to establish a position of power going forward so that these "bad actors" know that the United States is still a UNITED force and a powerhouse in foreign relations. We will NOT close ourselves off from the world, and we will continue our peacekeeping efforts as well as foreign aid, but we will NOT be exploited, and we will remember those who attempt to do so.
It's certainly not an overstatement to say that the past couple months have been trying times for not only the United States, but also the world. 2020 was greeted with excitement... we were all abuzz at the hopes that the new year would be the beginning of a second roaring twenties, and then, the world caught on fire, literally. Between the political fires of impeachment trials, assassinations, and upcoming elections, the slow burn of sorrow at the loss of a national sports hero, and the billowing smoke as Australia and the Amazon burned, the year was off to a rocky start. Then, Covid-19 took center stage.
I remember hearing about the Corona virus on the news and thinking, “there's no way that'll happen in the United States”. Clearly, I was wrong. Even as the virus began popping up within our country, I, like many others, was still in denial... “no worse than the flu" we said, "it's just a few cases" we said. Flash forward to the present, two months later, and most of us are still in self-quarantine, and the number of cases has grown exponentially. We were wrong. It is worse than the flu, and it's much more than just a few cases. Equally concerning is the economic devastation that has resulted from the shutdown. Although I severely underestimated Covid-19, I am not ashamed of my ignorance prior to the outbreak, because I've learned from it, and I think that our country needs to learn from Corona as well. Throughout these past months and into the future it has (and will continue to) become clear who the United States' true allies are, and many of our enemies have revealed themselves as such. Many nefarious organizations, and countries, such as China, have shown their true colors and attempted to use the coronavirus shut-down as a means to further wedge their foot in the door, and hurt our nation. This interference simply cannot be tolerated.
Growing up, I was always taught to forgive and forget, and while that mantra may be successful in raising children, it is not quite as advantageous in foreign relations and politics. It is essential that America takes note of those who are attempting to lake advantage of our country in these uncertain times. Then we have to ensure that we aren't dependent, in any way, on those forces going forward. We cannot become isolationists, but we should think long and hard about offering those countries and/or organizations aid, or access to our resources in the future. Whether via trade sanctions or tariffs, we have to establish a position of power going forward so that these "bad actors" know that the United States is still a UNITED force and a powerhouse in foreign relations. We will NOT close ourselves off from the world, and we will continue our peacekeeping efforts as well as foreign aid, but we will NOT be exploited, and we will remember those who attempt to do so.
Nicholas G.
During times of great stress, there is always controversy. When it seems as though we as a world should be working toward the greater good of ending this pandemic, there is always a group with bad intentions. The biggest controversy we have witnessed, results from China as they carefully navigate taking advantage of this situation.
Given the abundance of evidence and relevant knowledge, China has been named ground zero for the COVID-19 virus. For weeks following the initial outbreak, China's government downplayed the virus and claimed everything was under control. However, we now know that to be far from the truth. These false narratives created by China have cost the world so much more than if they had accurately informed and proactively acted in a way that would have helped prevent the spread of the virus. Preemptive travel restrictions could have limited the people entering and leaving China, and as a result, could have reduced the worldwide spread of the virus. Unfortunately, as is very apparent now, this did not occur, and the virus spread rapidly throughout the world.
Additionally, China is taking action against its own citizens and neighboring countries. The long-term conflict between China and Taiwan has gained attention as China has begun attempting to intimidate Taiwan in an effort to gain control over it. In Hong Kong, China is attempting to use this time to suppress those fighting for their democracy and independence.
Once President Trump suspended any funding to The World Health Organization after it was revealed that they partook in the spreading of misinformation by the Chinese government, China opted to increase its funding to the World Health Organization by $30 million. This gives China more leadership within the organization. It also demonstrates that China is interested in controlling the narrative of the outbreak of the virus and provides additional evidence that China is working closely with the World Health Organization in order to cover up their mishandling of the virus.
There are a few ways in which we can handle not only China but also the World Health Organization. As mentioned by President Trump, fining China for their mishandling of the virus is a feasible solution. By inactively responding to the outbreak of the virus, China did not contain the virus within their borders. This resulted in the spread of the virus to millions, the deaths of thousands, and the crippling of the global economy. Companies and countries have lost countless dollars from this, but it could have potentially been prevented or suppressed if China had responded adequately. Fining China would even the playing field of the global economy, without fines, China could emerge ahead of the rest of the world as it struggles to recover.
The COVlD·19 pandemic has revealed a lot of corruption within the World Health Organization, and it has quickly become an organization heavy in Chinese control after China increased funding. I believe it would be in the best interest of the United States and other nations throughout the world to create a new global center for health; a global center for health that is absent of biased influence and works for the greater good of the world
During times of great stress, there is always controversy. When it seems as though we as a world should be working toward the greater good of ending this pandemic, there is always a group with bad intentions. The biggest controversy we have witnessed, results from China as they carefully navigate taking advantage of this situation.
Given the abundance of evidence and relevant knowledge, China has been named ground zero for the COVID-19 virus. For weeks following the initial outbreak, China's government downplayed the virus and claimed everything was under control. However, we now know that to be far from the truth. These false narratives created by China have cost the world so much more than if they had accurately informed and proactively acted in a way that would have helped prevent the spread of the virus. Preemptive travel restrictions could have limited the people entering and leaving China, and as a result, could have reduced the worldwide spread of the virus. Unfortunately, as is very apparent now, this did not occur, and the virus spread rapidly throughout the world.
Additionally, China is taking action against its own citizens and neighboring countries. The long-term conflict between China and Taiwan has gained attention as China has begun attempting to intimidate Taiwan in an effort to gain control over it. In Hong Kong, China is attempting to use this time to suppress those fighting for their democracy and independence.
Once President Trump suspended any funding to The World Health Organization after it was revealed that they partook in the spreading of misinformation by the Chinese government, China opted to increase its funding to the World Health Organization by $30 million. This gives China more leadership within the organization. It also demonstrates that China is interested in controlling the narrative of the outbreak of the virus and provides additional evidence that China is working closely with the World Health Organization in order to cover up their mishandling of the virus.
There are a few ways in which we can handle not only China but also the World Health Organization. As mentioned by President Trump, fining China for their mishandling of the virus is a feasible solution. By inactively responding to the outbreak of the virus, China did not contain the virus within their borders. This resulted in the spread of the virus to millions, the deaths of thousands, and the crippling of the global economy. Companies and countries have lost countless dollars from this, but it could have potentially been prevented or suppressed if China had responded adequately. Fining China would even the playing field of the global economy, without fines, China could emerge ahead of the rest of the world as it struggles to recover.
The COVlD·19 pandemic has revealed a lot of corruption within the World Health Organization, and it has quickly become an organization heavy in Chinese control after China increased funding. I believe it would be in the best interest of the United States and other nations throughout the world to create a new global center for health; a global center for health that is absent of biased influence and works for the greater good of the world