Vol. XVIII
Issue Date 01|21|20
Iran & The U.S. Airstrikes & “World War III”
by Arden Leigh
P
resident Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal, put into place by former president Barack Obama, has caused increasing strain on America’s relations with Iran. The Trump administration has continued to set stricter regulations on Iran’s fuel industries, damaging the country’s economy. This has given birth to street riots in Iran and military disputes that are increasing in intensity - the most recent being the United State’s assassination of Iran’s most recognized military commander Qassam Soleimani, the controversy over a downed Ukrainian airliner, militias sieging a U.S. Embassy, and nearly a dozen attacks on U.S. bases. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has announced that the capital Tehran will cease to follow restrictions on their production of fuel in order to stockpile ingredients for nuclear weaponry. The potential for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon would mean military action on America’s part, which has sparked a frenzy of panic and criticism both online and off for “World War III.” The assassination of Soleimani drove Iran’s government to make attacks on two Iraqi bases that were housing American troops, but did not yield any casaulties. Some analysts believe this was on purpose, as to avoid a full on military confrontation with America. Currently, both governments are trying to move away from any further threats as to not let the conflict spiral out of control.
Key Event Timeline • In 2018, President Trump withdraws
the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Deal and launches new campaign designed to force Iran into a new deal that would prevent them from having little to any regulated nuclear fuel ingredients (Obama’s deal allowed them to possess a small amount of it). In response, Iran deliberately exceeds their nuclear substance allowance in opposition. • At the beginning of 2019, the Trump administration announces it will designate the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. May to October of 2019, oil tankers sailing around the Strait of Hormuz sea passage are attacked by Iran, causing tension between countries who use the passage. Tankers attacked were Saudi Arabian, Japanese, Panama-
nian and British. The U.S. then attempts to seize an Iranian oil tanker. Street riots begin to break out in Iran in protest to the increase in oil prices and economic turmoil, and the government kills 300 people in attempts to subdue the riots. • December 2019 Iran launched a little over thirty missiles at an Iraqi military base. An American contractor, two Iraqi servicemen, and four American servicemen were killed. In response, the U.S. launched airstrikes on the Iranian-backed militia responsible. 24 members of the militia were killed. On December 31st the militia members retaliated by breaking into the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and setting fires. • This month, the U.S. killed Iran’s top military general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis by drone strike at a Baghdad airport. A couple days later Iran launches missiles at two Iraqi bases where American soldiers were stationed, but
eady R s e t a u d 2020 Gra he world t n o e k a t to by Celina Simmons
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,898,000 college students across the country will be receiving diplomas this Spring. A handful of SMCC students, including myself, make up part of that number. It’s crazy to think back to those first couple weeks when we started our journey here. I bet most, if not all of you could say you were a different person then. It’s true, we’ve grown through our time here. Whether commuting or dorming, the campus becomes comfortable. So in honor of those graduates and new beginnings to come, I wanted to see where students were going. We all know how often plans change, but I was able to speak to different departments about what they expect to see this spring. After doing a little research I found that the most popular majors offered at SMCC were Business Management, Nursing/Health professions, and Communications. I reached out to faculty in those departments and asked about their graduates’ plans. After speaking to Business Department Chair and Professor Mark Reuscher, I learned that 200 students will graduate from that department this spring. When Professor Reuscher started his time here twenty years ago, most students graduating from the department went straight into a job in their field. Because of this, there were two types of degrees offered in the program;
No. 7
02/03 Campus News
04/05 Other World ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARDEN LEIGH
no casualties were reported. That same day, an (innocent) Ukrainian airliner takes off from Iran and is then shot down. No country admits to the deliberate crashing of the airliner, yet. Trump announces his administration will impose new and tougher sanctions on Iran in reaction to the missiles. • This January 11th, Iran admitted to shooting down the civilian airliner accidentally. This has contributed to the worldwide criticism of the situation, and yielded a possible attempt for both the U.S. and Iran to step down, for now at least. one tailored for those going directly into the job market, and another for students who planned to transfer to 4-year institutions. Now, only the latter is offered and we are seeing the majority of graduates transfer to those schools. I was also able to speak to Michael Nozdrovicky, Chair of the Nursing Department, and he informed me that 55 students will become graduates from his department this spring. He also shared that a whopping 100% of graduate nursing students have success in finding a job in the healthcare industry. They also have a highly successful completion of the National Council Licensure Exam or NCLEX. This is a nationally recognized exam taken in order to receive a nursing license. Some soon-to-be nursing graduates are planning on continuing on to 4-year universities and are even start work on a Bachelors while finishing their Associates degree. It’s estimated that 20% of graduates will be transferring after this spring. Lastly, I spoke to Kate Sibole who is the Chair of the Communications and New Media Studies department. Kate was able to find out that as of right now, 42 students are prepared to graduate from the program in the spring. She is estimating that number may go up, considering those students who only need to complete general education courses. The CNMS program has seen many students transfer to 4-year schools like MECA, USM, Emerson, Art Institute of Boston, Temple, and many others. Not all students in this department go on to continue their education. In fact, many students have gotten jobs at companies and institutes like Nacontinued on page 3
06/07 Op & Ed
08/09 Arts & Features
10 Midcoast
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