Author Spotlight
Sophie Lindberg
A brutal clash between Nagorno-Karabakh — a region in Armenia — and Azerbaijan took place on their border on Sept. 27. Millions of people displaced and worries of war and we don’t see it on the news or talk about it in school, but why? It’s time American society stops pretending international conflict isn’t worth our attention and action.
Reading international news is key to staying updated on cultural, economic, and political events in foreign countries. You can discover brand new information on various countries by reading web articles or watching the morning news.
Azerbaijan has made several attacks on Artsakh since their “truce” in 1994 with Russia as the mediator. Azerbaijan reportedly refuses negotiation and acceptance that Artsakh is its own state, but with dozens of civilians killed and more soldiers injured every day, it’s mind-boggling that American news stations are not covering this more.
Olesya Vartanyan of the International Crisis Group told Al Jazeera Media Network that “We are one step away from a large-scale war.” If a war is to come of the conflict — which has yet to cease fire — then it could mean allies getting involved. Russia, the United States, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union have already asked for a ceasefire and claims of NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — stepping in to shut down the conflict.
If the United States were to potentially be involved in a war, wouldn’t you want to know? Sure, maybe TikTok and your Twitter feed aren’t giving you the rundown on international crises, but understanding what’s happening in the world outside the little U.S. bubble is vital to understanding what happens in the U.S.
Just read some more news. Five to ten minutes every day, it’s as simple as that.
International news makes its way to the U.S. most of the time, but it’s never covered as much as events taking place in the U.S. It’s understandable that news stations’ first priority is to cover American issues — in the midst of an election year with an ongoing pandemic, news cycles are pretty stacked. But the Washington Post and USA Today aren’t the only sites for news out there. Find international sources like DemocracyNow and BBC World to open your eyes to bigger pictures.
If you educate yourself on world events like the conflict on the Armenian-Azerbaijan border, not only are you educating yourself, but you can help educate people around you by spreading the word of things that aren’t popular on media pages. Raising awareness is the first step to helping a cause. If you can and would like to, I would recommend donating to the funds below to help The Republic of Artsakh with the difficult position they’re currently in.
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