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North Korea Tests
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Potentially Capable of Reaching Any
Location in Continental U.S.
Tensions
between North Korea and the United States rose over the last year as the
nations’ leaders exchanged threats and snarky comments. As American lawmakers considered
options
for managing the escalating threat and warned
that initiating nuclear action against this rival could lead to grave
consequences, North Korea built and tested its arsenal. During 2017, North
Korea conducted
16 tests that included a total of 23 missiles. The 23rd missile,
a Hwasong-15 tested near the end of November, reached an altitude of 2,800
miles, the highest altitude any North Korean missile has ever reached.
According to CNN, KCNA, North Korea’s state-run news outlet reported that this
missile is capable of reaching any location on the U.S. mainland and “meets the
goal of the completion of the rocket weaponry system development.” This “successful”
test spurred the United Nations Security Council to approve
sanctions against the aggressor that limit the amount of refined oil North
Korea can import and scrutinize shipping into and out of the country.
ISIS Defeated in
Syria and Iraq
ISIS has terrorized parts of the world for years. Finally,
in 2017,
an international coalition took control of two key ISIS strongholds, Raqqa in
Syria and Mosul in Iraq. According to U.S.
News & World Report, 35,000 ISIS fighters held more than 17,000 square
miles in the two states in January of 2017; by December, an estimated
1,000-3,000 fighters occupied a mere 2,000 square miles. This success came
after months of fighting in both cities – fighting that killed
as many as 11,000 civilians in Mosul alone. While much of the world celebrates
the successes against the terrorist group, intelligence officers worldwide
remain concerned
about future potential ISIS-inspired “lone-wolf” attacks similar to those that
have previously occurred in the U.S. and Europe.
Ethnic Cleansing in
Myanmar
The Rohingya Crisis worsened this year as more than 6,700
Rohingya were killed, and as many as 2,300 died of starvation and other nonviolent
causes, between August and September at the hands of the Myanmar government.
This ethnic group has faced severe violence and brutality from their
predominantly Buddhist government and its military, which have attempted to disguise
the atrocities against the Rohingya as responding to internal terrorist
attacks. In fact, the Myanmar government invoked
sovereignty, which the New York Times describes as “the single biggest loophole
in international laws and norms against atrocities,” as its defense against
other world governments organizing action. As government leaders across the
world, including U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, called
for the Myanmar government and military to halt the atrocities the have led
more than 600,000 Rohingya to flee Myanmar for Bangladesh, sovereignty
has “prevailed” for the Myanmar government by allowing Myanmar to “act within
their borders and protect [its] interests.”
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