Celebrating International Human Rights Day with UNA Pasadena

On Saturday, four Global Scholars and I convened on the Poly Upper School Library for an assembly featuring the illustrious Ryan Kaminski, the Senior Program Director for Human Rights at the United Nations Association. The UNA is a global non-profit organization created as an auxiliary to the United Nations in order to facilitate grassroots community involvement and diverse perspectives in places not in close proximity to official UN meeting places (almost all of the world).

Saturday was the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published by the UN at its third meeting in 1948 and voted through by 48 of its then 58 members. The UDHS lays out a fairly concise list of 30 articles detailing the essential rights that all people of the Earth are entitled to, from equal protection under the law to health and education. The document was revolutionary for its time—a reaction to the global atrocities perpetrated during WWII—yet it remains entirely relevant to this day and holds up as one of the most influential legal codes in world history.

After Ryan's presentation on human rights, the five of us had the opportunity to mingle with Public Health major who had come from Cal State Dominguez Hills to attend the presentation and members of the Pasadena branch of the UNA. In the end we made origami lotuses, which can grow from the harshest conditions to sprout beautiful flowers, in order to celebrate the importance of fundamental human rights and the tremendous opportunities that protecting them provides for all humans to blossom.

An Inside Look at the Trump White House

Reflecting on my experience at the St. Albans School of Public Service, one of the most memorable moments came unexpectedly, during an event that I thought would go a very different direction. It was a Wednesday near the end of the program, and we were all looking forward to the night's programming, a panel and dinner focused on varying perspectives on the crisis in Venezuela. We had been reading about and discussing various aspects of the situation, from the history of Venezuelan socialism to Nicolas Maduro's authoritarian streak and corrupt administration to what could be done to save the Venezuelan economy from its record instability and hyperinflation; now it was time to meet four experts and survivors and hear them talk about Venezuela in person. The panel was a moderated by a conservative Venezuelan ex-pat and St. Albans parent who regaled us with stories of the Kennedys and the CIA and also included opposition leader David Smolansky, whose work mobilizing college students has earned him renown around the world and criminal status in Venezuela.

Alex and I posing with Mr. J.

Though these speakers and others on the panel presented harrowing stories and fascinating insights into the situation in Venezuela, the most memorable moment of the night came at the dinner reception afterward. My friend Alex and I happened to be seated at with with a former high-ranking member of President Trump's National Security staff who asked not to be named and to speak off the record (I'll call him Mr. J), and over a dinner of arepas and tres leches, we questioned him about the Trump administration's often-unclear foreign policy stance and how he thought it would respond to the international emergency worsening by the day in Venezuela. As the dinner progressed, however, it became clear that Mr. J was involved with far more than Venezuelan foreign policy, and in fact had spent a significant amount of time in intimate settings with the president, answering his questions and briefing him on international relations.

When it became clear just how much time our esteemed guest had spent with the president, the tone of the conversation shifted, and we entered the Fire and Fury portion of the night. As we put away plate after plate of Venezuelan cuisine—the irony of this considering the massive, government-sponsored famine currently occurring in Venezuela was not lost on us—Mr. J first corroborated the sort of rumors you read about on Vox or Vanity Fair, but then chimed in with some of his own stories, from darting into Trump's room on Air Force 1 to brief him during ad breaks in Fox and Friends to giving the President his McDonald's order during a meeting in which Trump was hungry and particularly distracted.

It was sort of incredible hearing Trump's "Leaking White House" coming to life before my eyes. Though the tales of Trump's love of Big Macs and ignorance of international affairs were throughly enjoyable, the most memorable story of the night had far higher stakes, and much greater implications for our national security. Mr. J was a holdover from the Obama administration serving under former National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster, and when we searched him up on Google, he was targeted by multiple alt-right websites and message boards as a top "Swamp Creature" in the Trump administration. Mr. J told us he had been harassed online and even had his home address posted, and he said the trolls were always looking for an opportunity to bring him down. They got that opportunity during Putin-congratulations scandal, when someone inside the White House leaked that the President had congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his very dubious win in a notably unfair and unfree election, when the first bullet point on his briefing read "Do not congratulate." Though Mr. J assured us he had nothing to do with the leak, the alt-right trolls already doing their best to smear his name blamed him for it, and their close proximity to President Trump was enough to convince him that they were right. So Trump offered McMaster, who was more establishment-leaning himself, an ultimatum: he had 48 hours to find out who the leaker was, or Mr. J had to go. The President himself had been experiencing significant disagreement with McMaster over his "America First" foreign policy and seemed to be looking for a way to get back at McMaster, who he knew to be close friend of Mr. J. McMaster protested that an investigation like that would take months, and even though he proved the leaker couldn't have been Mr. J (he hadn't even received the Putin call talking points), Trump still insisted McMaster fire him. So McMaster quit too.

Now our National Security Advisor is John Bolton, who wanted to "strike first" against North Korea and supports an invasion to topple the Iranian government. Which just goes to show you how much influence white supremacist trolls have on our very own President Trump.

Thanks for a night to remember, Mr. J.

Democracy in the Middle East: What is the Role of Elections?

It's become pretty routine for Ted Eagles to take me and small groups of SPS students out to think tanks for enlightening discussions, and last week's visit to the Washington, DC branch of Stanford's Hoover Institution was no exception. The diverse panel of experts in the conference room above New York Avenue where the event was held included Hussain Abdul-Hussain, the Washington Burreau Chief of Alrai, a Kuwaiti newspaper, Hanin Ghaddar, the Friedmann Visiting Fellow at the The Washington Institute's Geduld Institute on Arab Politics and an expert on Shia politics, and Dr. Aykan Erdemir, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Turkish Parliament member (2011-2015). Surrounded by slogans like "free enterprise" and "improving the human condition" we heard this panel discuss recent elections in Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq, and what the value of democracy is in a region where elections can hardly be categorized as "fair" or "free."

Of the three panelists, Dr. Erdemir's perspective was notably bleak. Since a failed coup rocked the Turkish political scene in the summer of 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has overstepped more and more democratic boundaries, imprisoning journalists, rigging elections, and restructuring the Turkish government in his favor. Now that Erdogan has once again "won" the most recent election (there was widespread rigging of the news media in Erdogan's favor, with one of his opponents receiving a total of 15 minutes of air time and speaking from prison and there were reports of widespread reports of voter intimidation), he has taken even more liberties in his consolidation of power, giving himself a decree power that basically renders the Turkish assembly irrelevant. Although voter participation is at a record high of 85% in many elections, Dr. Erdemir voiced a widespread sense of Turkish defeatism that democracy can only function as a speed bump or temporary roadblock against Erdogan's frightening consolidation of power.

In Iraq and Lebanon, the situation is notably more complicated. Both nations are governed by parliamentary democracies, but their party systems are based on entrenched sectarian divides, with the Lebanese parliament literally divided by religion, with the ratios of representation based on a 1930s census, because Lebanon has refused to perform one since. The problems arise because voters are given a very narrow selection of candidates belonging to their religious group and thus are not able to exercise much democratic influence. This systemic stagnation is worsened by the immense control Hezbolah controls in the Shia population and in the government as a whole and by the Iranian efforts to help establish a religious "parallel state." Ghaddar saw the future of Lebanese democracy in independent Shia candidates who ran against Hezbolah candidates at great risk to their own lives and in the few "Civil Society" candidates running on platforms of Western liberal democracy, who a rising force in Lebanese politics, though they were only able to win two seats in the last elections.

The Mexican Ambassador Speaks on AMLO and the Future of Mexican-American Relations

Last Tuesday, on a "Ted Trip" with the St. Albans School of Public of Service, a group of about 10 students and I traveled to the Hudson Institute, a relatively conservative-leaning think tank in downtown Washington, DC, to hear a presentation from the Mexican ambassador, Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández. The date of the event, July 3rd was just two days after the extremely consequential Mexican election, which saw populist-leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador win in an landslide with 53% of the vote, with the runner-up, center-right candidate Ricardo Anaya, winning less than 25%. For Gutierrez, who serves as a diplomat under the current president, centrist free trade advocate Enrique Peña Nieto, AMLO's election likely means he's out of a job, but he had a hopeful perspective looking forward to the future of Mexican-American relations.

AMLO, who won a majority in all but two states, represents a rising brand of egalitarian, nationalist populism that arose in large part from a general frustration, especially in the southern, more agrarian states, with uneven distribution of wealth gained from globalization and foreign investment. While tech hubs like Querétaro saw major development and a significant increase in standard of living, less-developed regions dependent on agricultural experienced below-average growth rates and a persistence of poverty and economic stagnation.

In the midst of a radical transfer of power, rapidly-changing national sentiments, and a growing battle over immigration exacerbated by President Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, Ambassador Gutierrez remained quite optimistic about the future of his country, its relations with the United States, and the negotiations to work out a "NAFTA 2.0" over the past year. While he did acknowledge that drug crime had risen under the Nieto government, which scores an approval rating of under 20%, Gutierrez was hesitant to criticize the lack of progress Nieto had made in negotiations with Trump, the inflammatory remarks Trump has made regarding Mexico and its immigration policy, and the overall dissatisfaction with the widespread corruption that has damaged Mexican democracy and led to the current AMLO administration. I always find it interesting hearing from appointed government officials, especially those whose job it is to represent their country favorably, because even when they are not officially on the job, they still feel obligated to paint the country they represent in the best possible light.

As a leftist myself, I am excited to see what AMLO will do once he assumes the presidency in December, and I hope the NAFTA negotiations are as productive as Ambassador Gutierrez would have me believe.

America and China: Two Insiders' Perspectives

On Friday afternoon, just as we were all ready to retire to our dorms for free time after hours of work on bills to be presented to a mock Congress, the St. Albans School of Public Service was paid a visit by two of the foremost experts on the future of Sino-American commercial relations, Senior Trade Representative for China Affairs Lisa Rigoli and Randall Phillips, the former top-ranking CIA official in Beijing. The husband-wife team had taken different career paths to their respective positions of authority, with Randall having always had his sights set on the intelligence community while Lisa gained experience in the private sector before being hired by the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Because Randall is retired, the height of his activity having been under the Bush and Clinton administrations in the 1990s and Lisa is currently working on hot-button trade issues like Trump's tariffs and protecting American IP, the two of them offered unique and informed perspective on China's past, present, future role on the world stage.

Although they presented different evidence, the general consensus between Mr. Phillips and Ms. Rigoli was that China has witnessed over a generation of economic growth, is currently experiencing a powerful wave of nationalism, and is poised to fill the void the United States is leaving in the global power structure through isolationist policies and ineffective diplomacy. Through actions like withdrawing from the TPP, the Paris Climate Accords, and the JCPOA, as well as an inconsistent foreign policy platform and consistent devaluation of traditional American alliances, the United States has opened a vacuum, and China under Xi Jinping intends to fill the role of global hegemon. The last three generations of Chinese have seen their country experiencing massive economic growth, and the momentum in China favors this trend continuing, especially since the poverty continues to decline and President Xi has consolidated his rule as "president for life."

From the perspective of Mr. Phillips and Ms. Regoli, America's largest trading partner should not be regarded as a threat per se, but rather treated as the formidable world power it is and kept under a watchful eye as its economic and geopolitical power continue to grow.

President Trump shakes hand with Xi Jinping
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-10/malcolm-turnbull-doesnt-have-to-picking-between-trump-or-xi/9135614

America's trade deficit with China has grown rapidly over the last three decades
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2017/03/30/averting-a-chinese-american-trade-war

Russia in the Middle East: A View from Israel

Today at the St. Albans School of Public Service in Washington, DC, I took a so-called "Ted Trip" to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to attend a panel of two former Israeli Defense Force officers and one Israeli academic discussing the Syrian crisis, Iran, and the expanding role of Russia in the Middle East. So called because of Edward Eagles, the fragile but spunky and endlessly knowledgable octogenarian who has worked at St. Albans for decades and has "ins" at all of the most prestigious think tanks and government offices in DC.

On the ride from the St. Albans campus, which is located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in the Cathedral Heights neighborhood, to the Wilson Center, just blocks from the White House, Mr. Eagles filled us in on all of the necessary background, from Sunnis and Shiites, to Israel's violent history in the Arab world, to Russia's interest in leveraging its power on the world stage in Syria while keeping Iran at bay. By the time I was taking all my things out of my suit pocket at the security checkpoint, I felt I was at least somewhat prepared for what lay ahead.

Inside the Wilson Center, we took the elevator up three stories to a conference room, filled with academics, military personnel, and, most notably, a large of cluster of Israeli officials conversing in to-the-point, no-frills Hebrew (as Israelis tend to do). Seeing two seats open at the front of the horseshoe-shaped table setup where the event was to take place, my friend Chris and I decided to claim them, sticking us front-and center next to Dmitry Adamsky, a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzeliya, former Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Ministry of Defense Major General (Res.) Amos Gilead, and former deputy head of the National Security Council of Israel and IDF historian Dr. Col. (Res.) Saul Shay.

If I had come looking for sympathy for Iran and a level-headed look at the current status of the Middle East, boy was I in the wrong place. Gilead and Shay practically borrowed from our very own Ronald Reagan, calling Iran what amounted to an "evil empire" and asserting their absolute, diametric opposition to everything Israel holds dear. The most interesting part of the presentation however, was not Iran, a predictably inflammatory topic for ex-IDF, but on Russia, which the three panelists made sure to assert was not a friend of the Israelis, but rather an ally by convenience whom they would be keeping a very close watch on. "Frozen conflict" was the big buzzword in the discussion, with the panelists comparing the current situation in the Middle East to Eastern Europe in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union. Was the conflict really "frozen," why was it in Russia's best interest to keep it "frozen," and what were Russia ultimate motivations for increasing Middle Eastern hegemony were some of the many questions raised during the event.

Toward the end of the program, when they opened it up for a Q&A, I stood up, heart pounding out of my chest, and asked how the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action would affect the balance of power in the Middle East, and if those effects would be felt in the Syrian proxy war. After giving a short answer about how it was best to keep Iran from having nuclear weapons in the first place, Dr. Shay turned my question over to a balding Israeli man named Ofer in the audience, who proceeded to launch into a passionate rant attacking the JCPOA, Iran's behavior after agreeing to the JCPOA, and Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the JCPOA, ultimately concluding that although the deal had been flawed and Iran's behavior had been provocative, pulling out was still a grave mistake.

On the way out of the event, Mr. Eagles told me the enthusiasm of people like me was what kept him doing these "Ted Trips," and he would try to get me on as many as he could, so I am looking forward to more international relations-themed in the future, but possibly without as many confrontational Israelis.

Spot me doing my best to comprehend the forces at play in Syria.

Exploring Traditional Medicine in Los Angeles

For my AP Biology final project, I decided to investigate the field of "ethnopharmacology," or the study traditional medicine and folk remedies from different cultures. My  location on the South Pasadena-Highland Park border, just a stone's throw from the predominantly Latino East and Northeast Los Angeles and the heavily Chinese San Gabriel Valley and Chinatown areas put me in the perfect geographical location to explore herbal medicines from both of these cultures and meant that my research could help me deepen my own understanding of and cultural connection to my own neighborhood.

I started off my research at the small Botanica Era Nueva (a botanica is a traditional Mexican herbal pharmacy and religious relic shop) off of York by my house, but upon entering, I was disappointed to find a preponderance of spiritual candles, oils, and objects, and not much in the way of herbal medicine. When I asked the friendly elderly couple behind the desk if there was anywhere nearby that I could find what I was looking for, they said I had to visit El Mercadito in Boyle Heights, on the corner of Lorena Street and 1st Street. Intrigued, I made my plan: I would first journey to Chinatown and then make my way from there to El Mercadito.

After purchasing some ginseng, a common herb recognized universally for its antioxidant and energy-restoring properties at a small Chinese bodega, I was relieved to find Tian Xiang herbal market, which, at 6:50, was 10 minutes from closing. I walked in without any prior knowledge of Chinese herbs and looking for something to "invigorate the central nervous system," but, as I quickly found out, the owners of the store weren't too keen on selling herbs to anyone without a recommendation from a Chinese herbal doctor. After some quick Google research, I convinced the store owners to let me buy a giant lingzhi mushroom (known for its cancer-fighting, immune-boosting, and antioxidant properties), a wu wei zi or "five flavor berries" (known as an adaptogen that helps the body adjust to stressful conditions), and the surprisingly expensive but exotic-smelling Angelica root (used to treat anxiety and intestinal problems). Bags of Chinese herbs in hand, I made it out the door just as Tian Xiang was closing.

Buckets of mole

Francisco Quiroga in front of his stand

Bags of yerbas