Russian President Vladimir Putin’s penchant for military adventurism abroad has gained him celebrity status, thanks in part to his asymmetrical methods. His geopolitical resumé contains a number of marginal successes, including the 2008 invasion and de facto annexation of portions of Georgia, the propping up of fellow strongman Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war […]
Andrew Leonard
Posted inOpinion
Putin is at war with his own people
All too often technology and distance desensitizes us from overseas crises and conflicts, and the people suffering and dying in their midst. In unfortunate circumstances such as these, some individuals understand only the language of violence. Ukrainian-American Lena Beneke knows this all too well. Beneke, a married mother of two boys, has lived in Chatham, […]
Posted inOpinion
Springfielder from Ghana on conflict back home
Ghana is one of Africa’s biggest postcolonial success stories. Since declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the West African state has enjoyed a high degree of prosperity and rule of law, due to sustained economic growth and a strong societal emphasis on education. Robust governmental institutions have flourished over the past 63 years […]
Posted inOpinion
An Illinoisan in China on COVID-19
The cultural, ideological, and historical disparities between the U.S. and China are vast. This East-West chasm attracted the attention of Columbia, Illinois, native and former Springfield resident Tom Funfsinn during his time as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Illinois Springfield from 2008 to 2015. Funfsinn’s resulting fascination with East Asia culture […]
Posted inOpinion
U.S., China inch towards armed conflict
To say that relations between the U.S. and China are tense would be an understatement. Veiled threats, economic decoupling and geopolitical standoffs have in recent months become the norm between the world’s traditional superpower and its emerging challenger. These heated exchanges are fertile grounds for an emerging Cold War and, arguably, armed conflict. The restructuring […]
Posted inOpinion
Should support of Israel become conditional?
Recently Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a provocative and sobering speech touching on the viability of future Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and again brought into question the nature of the U.S.-Israeli relationship under the Obama administration. The speech was preceded by a 14-0 vote by the U.N. Security Council (Resolution 2334) censuring ongoing Israeli settlement […]
