New Year’s Conflict

Ana Gore

New Year’s Day marked not only the beginning of a new year, but also the beginning of the decade. The first few days of the decade seemed relatively calm and the news cycle wasn’t extreme, but by January third, there was a shift.

On January 3rd, news came out that President Donald Trump had ordered and executed the assassination of Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani. This was done through a US airstrike in Iraq, killing several other militias.

The attack has dramatically increased tensions between the governments of Iran and the US. The President of Iran has threatened retaliation, while President Donald Trump has sent out threats through Twitter to target 52 sites of national importance in Iran.  These threats sent out by the President would be considered a war crime.

Whitney Young students were alarmed by the President’s actions. Elena Wilson, ‘21 said “I was really concerned and it was a lot to take in seeing as all the events happened so rapidly. It also kind of shattered the illusion that a new year signifies a new beginning. Climate change and political issues don’t halt for anyone or anything.”

Along with this conflict with Iran, news came into the limelight within the first week of January about bushfires decimating Australia. The fires have been burning for months and have burned through more than 17 million acres of land. The fires have also claimed the lives of over 26 people and 2,000 homes.

The fires have been fueled by prolonged droughts and an estimated 1 billion animals could be affected by the fires. It is estimated that an approximate 30 percent of the koala population has already been killed. The fires have most directly destroyed the state of New South Wales, but firefighters have been working tirelessly against it and vegetables have been airdropped for animals in hard to reach places.

 

Julia Radermacher-Wedd, ‘20 said that the whole situation has made her feel “less optimistic about the future. War and environmental devastation both have a lot of irreversible consequences. I definitely do not feel like the people in charge are taking care of things. Maybe we will have to.”

 

These two events have made people incredibly frightened. Jokes and memes about World War III and the possibility of a draft in the United States have come up in reaction to people’s fears about the tensions between Iran and the United States.

 

Andres Ocon, ‘19, who is an ROTC cadet and had a rather blasé reaction to the idea of war, said, “Whatever happens, happens.”

 

Although emotions range, it is clear that there is a sense of fear about the idea of war. The public also has major fears about the fires in Australia being a reflection of the dangers of climate change. The beginning of a new year brought fear to the public and the extremity of the situations brought tension to the end of the holidays for much of the world, and certainly for many at Whitney Young.