News

On September 14, drones and missiles, allegedly from Yemen, struck a Saudi oil refinery, causing damage that could take months to repair (The Guardian, September 16, 2019). However, Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran of backing the attack. Experts warn that if Saudi Arabia responds with an attack on either Yemen or Iran, the situation will continue to escalate.

According to German news source Der Spiegel, “Never since the founding of postwar Germany have relations between Berlin and the United States been as fragile as they are today” (August 21, 2019). President Trump and Chancellor Merkel communicate very little and have not had a good relationship. In addition to President Trump’s comments that Germany needs to pay more for Europe’s defense, the U.S.

Venezuela and Colombia appear on a collision course. Due to President Maduro’s crushing economic policies, over one million Venezuelans have left the country and now reside across the border in Colombia (Deutsche Welle, September 11, 2019). Colombia has accused Venezuela of harboring terrorists who appear to be using the nation as a base from which to attack Colombia. In response, Venezuela recently sent 150,000 troops to its border with Colombia.

Just over two weeks ago, the Category 5 hurricane Dorian devastated the northern islands of the Bahamas. “Dorian was the most powerful hurricane on record to hit the Bahamas… with wind gusts topping 320 kph (200 mph)” (Deutsche Welle, September 7, 2019). Recent reports indicate some 50 people have died, and that number is expected to rise.

“Chicken” is a game where two people challenge each other to see who will quit or back down first. Historian and writer Niall Ferguson referred to this game to build an insightful analogy in his recent commentary in The Times (August 25, 2019). Professor Ferguson wrote, “Games of chicken are all around these days.