Is International News Blocked By American Political News?
By LILY RAMPE ‘26 and JOSEPH KIM ‘26
Ever since the summer, the front page of any U.S. newspaper has printed familiar scenes of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. Headlines range from “Trump Is Safe After Assassination Attempt” to “Does Kamala Harris Back Free Health Care for Illegal Immigrants,” all with the same message that this will all be over on Election Day.
But, throughout the four month span since Harris announced her campaign to run for the office of the US President, what have Americans missed in the international sphere? As some Americans fight for women’s rights that are being taken away in the US, we fail to realize that women in Afghanistan lost their right to speak to each other in public. We do not see that as some Americans fight to keep immigrants out of our country, North Korea sent troops to Russia close to the Ukrainian frontlines. Although it is important to recognize and issues in the United States, we must not neglect to learn about events happening outside of our domestic sphere. Since the US pulled their troops out of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has regained control. They have stripped away women’s rights in many areas, most noticeably in education, employment, and life outside of their homes.
Recently, however, the rights of Afghan women have rapidly reduced, especially regarding religious laws. At the end of August 2024, the Taliban published the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Within these 35 articles, the law greatly restricts the freedoms of women. According to Forbes, article 13 states that a woman must veil her body at all times. Women are also not allowed to look at men not related by blood or marriage or speak loudly in public. Not only has this increased the fear of many Afghan women, but it also raises the question of how other countries could let this happen.
When Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court Case that kept abortion legal, was overturned, women’s reproductive rights became a principle issue of the Democratic Party, and now, Harris’s campaign. As Americans, specifically women and left-leaning voters marched the streets with signs reading “My body, my choice,” Afghan women’s rights were vanishing. Yet, very few Americans talk about this or even are aware that this is happening.
Overshadowed by the loss of our own rights being on the ballot during the 2024 Presidential Election, the issue of Afghan women’s rights is sidelined. Even if Americans are knowledgeable about this event, it is hard for most of us to imagine the brutality and toll living under a strict religious regime could have. It is hard for most American women to imagine not being able to go outside without a chaperone or not be allowed to attend education past the sixth grade.
Until the end of the election, stories like those of the women living in Afghanistan will continue to be overlooked. As students and global citizens, it is important for us to pay attention to more than just the headlines and learn about other complicated issues occurring around the world.
Furthermore, a potential escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War in recent weeks deserves global attention. DPRK troops entered Russian territory and are close to the Russo-Ukrainian border, with as many as 8000 as close as Kursk Oblast. Although North Korean weapons and equipment have been used in the war, this marks the first foreign non-volunteer soldiers entering the warzone. The fact that the North Korean personnel is operating so close to Ukraine may indicate Russian desperation requiring foreign soldiers to operate behind the frontlines to relieve other Russian troops from reserve and occupation duty. As shocking as this is, leaders from around the world are more concerned about the possibility of North Korean troops entering the frontlines. Not only may such an entry further strain the Ukrainian war effort, but it may significantly increase global tensions. Foreign forces on the Russian side of the war would empower NATO members to directly man the Ukrainian frontline—escalating, not subduing the conflict. Considering the plausibility of additional Western interference, Putin has denied any plans of direct North Korean interference in the Ukrainian frontline. However, the presence of the North Korean military in the vicinity of the border, which permitted recent skirmishes with the Ukrainian military, should be regarded as a concern. Some speculate that North Korea may receive Russian technology in exchange for participation in the war, which would be a long-time concern for South Korea and the United States. These recent developments indicate an escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War, extremely close cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as well as potential North Korean preparation for future escalations on the Korean peninsula. Thus, the recent events of the North Korean military in Russian territory deserve attention that is inhibited by the far more pressing matter of the United States presidential election in Western press.