Blog Post #1-Daniel Mitchell-Global Issues

I think I generally have a strong media and information diet, especially for international politics. I’ve always loved reading the news, and that has grown into collecting a series of subscriptions for a variety of news sources. While most are American publications, I have a fondness for the reporting of the Economist–especially for international issues–and also occasionally check the Guardian (though less now that they have begun paywalling) and Al Jazeera. A lot of my research will often take place as connected to Speech and Debate in some way, and so I’ve picked up some strong insights on less common topics. For instance, in the very unlikely event I ever find someone willing to listen, I could easily talk about how BRICS+ could use the actions of the Trump administration and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to significantly expand their credibility and reach. I have also been following the rise of far-right politics in Europe for years, watching election results come in and reading analysis. I have also researched Alexei Navalny and found his memoir to be nothing short of beautiful and inspiring. Naturally, I am still not informed on every issue of global politics, or many nations’ domestic politics, and have lots more I could learn, despite having a level of knowledge I’m comfortable with. However, despite the depths of my nerdiness, I think the truly unique part of how I view global politics and American influence is that I have been exposed to more alternative views of globalization, primarily as a result of my participation within my Church. My first time outside the US was an alternative tour of Palestine and Israel in 2023, and ever since, I have been involved in activism related to the struggle. I’ve also spent the past couple of months trying to learn more about the European Refugee “Crisis” of the 2010’s, as I am volunteering in Italy with refugee resettlement after this course finishes. These particular experiences have exposed me to global views that are far less friendly towards the West and, particularly, America. I think the volatile nature of current geopolitics makes expanding to different perspectives and learning more about them increasingly important. I vividly remember how one of the first signs at the US Holocaust Museum included an inscription regarding a far-right party gaining the most seats but not forming a majority within the German government, and dreading the fact that the same sentence could describe the 2025 German elections. I’m honestly unsure how the US plays a role in current European politics with our withdrawal from global cooperation (WHO, Paris Climate Accords, JCPOA, etc.) and the unique situations on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite this, I firmly believe that it is critical that I develop a better understanding of Central Europe and the many factors that are driving its politics and policy.