As students went about their daily business studying, drinking boba and hanging out, the average life expectancy in war-ravaged Syria has dropped 14 years.
Likewise, Belgium and France recently suffered extremist violence caused by the mishandling of international relations. Increased terrorist operations were caused by growing anti-Western sentiment, which in turn was caused by international meddling in Middle Eastern politics. American intervention in the Middle East inspired Arab Spring in 2011, the root cause of religious turmoil in the region today.
The repercussions of the explosions in Belgium on March 22 and in France last November were felt around the world; major Western powers immediately met to discuss migrant policies, religious extremism and homeland security.
The astounding truth is that most students know of these major events not by searching for them themselves, but rather by newsfeed icons on social media platforms like Facebook, which allow users to change their profile pictures temporarily to support these countries in their times of crisis.
While this symbolism has good intentions, it has an inherent flaw: Once the “Breaking News” headlines stop flying, people revert their profile pictures back, and life moves on — the once-important cause now largely forgotten.
This is an entirely wrong response.
We should understand that typing “#Prayfortheworld” and disregarding the whole catastrophe a week later does little to help. Promoting catchy Twitter slogans will not promote actual action to stem the tide of atrocities in the world.
Empathy must be followed by action and developing further awareness. Not all of us have to major in politics, but we need to become more attentive about the goings-on in international affairs to understand the causes for these crises by researching these issues and finding effective ways to help.
While we’re here enjoying the comforts of our prosperity, others in the world are struggling daily to scrounge up crusts of bread and drinkable water. In places like Somalia, Brazil, Bosnia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, genocides, political upheaval and starvation are a way of life; what we take for granted here is a luxury people in these nations can only imagine. America is rich and plentiful; we should see how much the rest of the world needs our support.
Although we won’t always have the resources or time to become directly involved with international affairs, we can accept that many world problems are caused by actions Americans — and other Westerners — have made. As most students are concerned with their academics, they forget to remain vigilant about foreign affairs. Some students even dismiss the concept of keeping tabs on international relations, scorning the oh-so-silly notion that they should pay attention to something that does not affect them.
Although it may not often seem so, international politics does affect us. Poverty, terrorism and economic fluctuation are all influenced by international politics. We should care about foreign affairs because international politics is not something that happens only outside of the comfortable, isolated Saratoga “bubble” of our lives. They affect the globe, they affect this nation and, ultimately, they affect us.
Most students will move out of Saratoga once they graduate and meet many new people. If students are not knowledgeable about international problems, how can they expect to understand others’ difficulties? By learning more about international politics, students are also able to comprehend how the globalized community affects how Americans respond to international issues.
With the controversy over the 2016 presidential elections, we must also consider how our awareness of foreign affairs affects our future. The presidential candidates have all voiced their opinions on how to deal with international problems like religious, extremist terrorism, trade sanctions and alliances. As more students become eligible to vote, young voters must be cognizant of contemporary international issues in order to make informed decisions.
Foreign affairs affect how we react to problems with religion, race, commerce and education. At the very least, we should be more continually aware of foreign issues to have a deeper level of understanding about the world. Knowing what’s going on in the world allows us to develop empathy with others; a better understanding of international politics and events can lay the groundwork of a better future for all of us.
