Writing Competition

The ‘Cult of Personality’ in Turkmenistanby Mhairi Buchanan A golden statue of former President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashgabat. (Image Credit: Dan Lundberg, Flickr). A “cult of personality” is widely regarded to be an attempt to elevate a leader to hero or even God-like status. This is done through carefully curating their image andContinue reading “March 2025 Entry: Turkmenistan”

M23’s Gambit: The UN’s Struggle for Peace in the DRCby Kaila Nkufo MONUSCO peacekeepers in North Kivu province in 2012. (Image Credit: MONUSCO Photos, Wikimedia Commons.) M23’s escalation and the UN’s ongoing involvement In late January 2025, the M23 rebel group seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which alsoContinue reading “March 2025 Entry: DR Congo”

Debrief on the Uyghur: Media Coverage vs. Current Realitiesby Archisha Gupta A 2008 protest in San Francisco calling for freedom for the Uyghurs and Tibet. (Image Credit: John Martinez Pavliga, Flickr). Introduction The Uyghur human rights crisis in China’s Xinjiang region attracted global media attention from 2018 to 2021, revealing mass internment camps and widespreadContinue reading “March 2025 Runner-Up”

Behind the Glittering Allure of Ghana’s Illicit Gold-Mining Industry: Examining the Dire Repercussions of ‘Galamsey’by Emily Georgiadis A ‘galamsey’ worker mining for gold. (Image Credit: Kawtey, Wikimedia Commons). Ghana stands as one of the world’s top gold producers, but beneath its shimmering wealth lies a crisis that is devastating local communities and the environment. IllegalContinue reading “March 2025 Competition Winner”