Great Decisions

The Middle East has long been a turbulent region. Now nations are finding themselves drawn into a regional war. The incomplete regions of the Arab spring and the Syrian civil war have caused renewed fighting in Iraq.

ISIS, the Islamic State in Iran and Syria, shocked the global community in 2014 when it poured over the border into Iraq. Born amid the chaos of the Syrian civil war and post-invasion Iraq, ISIS represents an enormous challenge to the US and world powers.

The US gained Kurdish trust by imposing a 12 year no fly zone over the region in the wake of the first gulf war in 1991. The Kurds were also spared much of the bloodshed following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Now the US is turning to its Kurdish allies to help stop the advances of Isis.

The worst refugee crisis since WW2 is underway, driven largely by the conflict in Syria. They are fleeing their war-torn countries to Europe and the US.  But the US and Europe are having their own struggles with immigration and refugees.

Perhaps nowhere in the world is there a stranger relationship than that between North and South Korea; the south, a vibrant democracy, and to the north, a paranoid and ruthless communist regime.

The UN was founded to achieve humanity's most laudable goals: maintaining peace and to end the most extremes of poverty and hunger. They have set standards for every country to meet to improve qualities of life for everyone, however many believe the organization is in desperate need of reform.