The Looking Glass - Spring 2021 by The University of Idaho

The LOOKING GLASS

An academic and creative publication of the University of Idaho Honors Program

Volume 16, Issue 1, Spring 2021

Note From the Editors “‘I mean… I lost myself. In between.’ ‘Oh,’ I said, and then I just sat there, because something about that idea—that you could be one person in one moment and then wake up and be completely different—punched me in the gut.’” -Cristina Henriquez, The Book of Unknown Americans

University of Idaho Honors Program students form a community of intellectually enriched and diverse individuals pursuing many different paths. We are artists and scientists, poets and orators, historians and performers; the creators of the works you’ll find here are the doctors, engineers, and musicians of the future. We all share a unique pursuit of our passions, and the Honors Program is a way we can reach our goals. We are united in our personal and academic journeys to expressing our values and prioritizing our ideals as we prepare to enter the workforce. We recognize the dynamic and fluid nature of humanity and appreciate our capacity for growth. Creativity and innovation are found within the realms of each of our disciplines, and it is the pleasure of the editors of The Looking Glass to be able to showcase the work of our fellow students to a community beyond ourselves. As young adults, we find ourselves tumbling into the unknown and wrestling with our futures. We struggle with the “in between" between childhood and adulthood. This magazine showcases the meaning of this season for each of our contributors. The art and literature here flows from the minds and hands of great, young scholars seeking to understand their place in the intricate web of the world. Their work is a testament to where we stand in our experiences as we grow into ourselves; it is a timeless extension of our identities and a marker of where we’ve come from. The words on these pages may be unchanging, but they spring to life through the unique perspectives of each reader. While the authors of these works have planted the seeds of inspiration, you, the audience, have the opportunity to bring the art and literature within these pages to life beyond their initial meanings. We hope you will be inspired by taking a closer look at these pieces and their implications. Embrace boldness, and never be afraid to lose yourself in the “in between;” it is simply how we grow into the next moment. You are a Vandal, and you can do anything! -The Editorial Board of The Looking Glass

Poetry

Table of Contents

Free (Fall)..........................................................................................................3 The Reflection...................................................................................................4 My Mind Swims................................................................................................6 Porcelain Ballroom..........................................................................................12 Inoculate Me....................................................................................................14 First as Tragedy, Then as Farce.......................................................................15 Inconceivable Doubt........................................................................................21 Prairie Dreams................................................................................................22 Where the Monsters Hide...............................................................................23

Fiction

Fishbowl............................................................................................................5 Addressed to Mrs. Bartleby's Angel..................................................................7 The Glowlight Generation...............................................................................17

Scholarship

The Accuracy of Measurements and Conversions..........................................25 Why "Abraham Lincoln" Exemplifies Wikipedia's "Five Pillars"..................28 1600s New England - A Repressive Place......................................................31 What Determines a European Union Member States' Likelihood of Joining the Eurozone?....................................................................................33 A Defense of the Liberal World Order Against Nationalism.........................40

Art & Photography

The Silent Sunflower..........................................................................................3 Mountain Reflections........................................................................................4 Silken Earth.......................................................................................................4 Tranquility.........................................................................................................6 Donuts and Coffee............................................................................................11 New Season......................................................................................................13 To Freeze Time.................................................................................................14 Cherry on Top...................................................................................................14 Illumined..........................................................................................................15 The Looming....................................................................................................16 Travelling Affair...............................................................................................21 Yellow Blossom................................................................................................22 Final Minotaur Head.......................................................................................24 Intestines.........................................................................................................24 Stars in the Grass.............................................................................................27 Morning Commute..........................................................................................32

Free (Fall) Kelsey Swenson

"I do not want to be free" says the wild bird with broken wings. Down at the base of a tree in tall grass there are quiet songs, sung by wild things all living. There is no free fall, no fight, no one million trajectories. "I only want to be free" says the wild bird all caged up. To be beyond bars is to simply be in quiet serenity. Unabashed by constructs of fear, windows and walls all tangled, ensnared in identity. "What does it mean to be free?" says the little girl all grown up. Down at the base of the tree Far and separate and wildly safe from the cry of expectancy. There is no fast pace, no lights, No one single trajectory.

The Silent Sunflower Megan Lolley

This piece, titled “The Silent Sunflower,” was done on canvas with acrylic paints and various sizes of brushes. -ML

It is here that we are free, shaded by branches with apples that fall far from the tree, held and let go in various paces. Wings broken, caged, healed, Not always tethered or together, but set free in a wild embarkment.

The Reflection L.E. Moon

Eyes are marbles Which hold infinite worlds. Smiles are horizons Which stretch joy across infinity. Beauty is the reflection Of eternity on the temporal, But it is not sweet. It is overwhelming, Powerful and dangerous, Stinging, cutting, biting. I bleed in beauty And beauty smiles. I smile as well, For joy cannot be stopped By pain.

Mountain Reflections Megan Lolley

This painting, titled “Mountain Reflections,” was done on canvas and oil paints with various sizes of brushes. -ML

Silken Earth Megan Lolley 4

This photo, titled “Silken Earth,” was taken in Seattle, Washington on an iPhone 7 camera with a macro camera lens. -ML

Fishbowl Megan Lolley

A mirror is wrapped around the bubbled fishbowl. Inside, a flash of color dashes to and fro’, gasping for another breath of vibrancy. A world without color presses in on the wriggling burgundy creature, shoving him further into a prison with every flare of his gills. His liquid prison echoes the silence all around him, reminding him of the blandness mulling about himthe stagnancy that cripples his color. One day, he sees himself outside the bowl. A flash of color, dashing to and fro’, moving among sluggish lumps of muddled grey. Little Poppy wobbles over to peer into the bowl. The fish approaches curiously, reflecting every movement. Poppy, with her swirling burgundy hair, finds herself looking into her own eyes, searching a foreign vessel. She sees herself inside the bowl: a flash of color, dashing to and fro’, moving among sluggish lumps of muddled grey. Her fiery hair billows around her, filling the bowl with brilliant red. The fish gawks, gasping all the more as his watery world becomes bathed in the richest hues. Poppy giggles as the nonchalant creature mimics her gaping mouth and wiggles her fingers brightly as he fans out his gills. From the outside of the bowl, Poppy watches the fish laugh. From the inside of the bowl, the fish watches her gasp and struggle for just one breath of vibrancy-for another flash of color dashing to and fro’ in her lumpy, muddled world of grey. Tears have filled the fishbowl too full. The glass screams as the bowl shatters. A beautiful burgundy bleeds from the fish bowl, freeing the flash of color from his prison of black and white-uniting worlds with a dying gasp that yearns for color: a shade of auburn. The little lungs of the fish are met only with a thick shade of burgundy as the rugged glass sinks into his gills, flailing wildly. A moment becomes frozen on his bubbled eyes-Poppy waggles her fingers and laughs. His tiny body explodes with red. Silence settles: a blotchy white sheet over a lifeless corpse. A world of muddled grey colored by blood. The following years drag by listlessly, like the hands of a clock trudging through mud with each passing minute. Likewise, Poppy moves sluggishly about her world of muddled grey. She sits by the pond each night, watching the fish, willing just one to laugh. All they do is gasp and struggle, yearning for a color that is no longer there.

my mind swims. Megan Lolley

My eyes are fiends wobbling in a stupor to touch the sun, and my lips grow dry from the allure of the ever-parching sun. A clementine hung by so thin a string in the sky casting freckles of light to fly stinging from the sun. If I had written my story, there’d be words written in the sands of a beach groomed by sapphire water and the blurred sun. Oceans surge behind the fronds of my eyelashes, only oceans swish into a fishbowl—quick glances towards the sun. Inside a Poet’s mind a fighting fish of azure and gold… jolting to escape my eyes—the fishbowl—to the sun.

Tranquility Megan Lolley

This photo, titled “Tranquility,” was taken in Hailey, Idaho on an iPhone 7 camera at a natural hot springs. -ML

Addressed to Ms. Bartleby’s Angel

Dakota Brown I never thought it would get to this point, you know? Honestly man, everyone thought you were going to be the one who left this town to go to the city. You were going to be the one who everyone wanted to see at the ten-year reunion and you we’re supposed to outlive me. I’m not the only one who thinks that, Jenna does too.

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You remember Jenna Fabre, don’t you? She gave the eulogy at your funeral. Everyone showed up. Even Ms. Bartleby and she’s on dialysis. She’s not supposed to be leaving the house, but she came out to say goodbye to you. Sat right next to me. She didn’t cry though, not like everyone else did. Jenna the worst weeper of all of us. I guess she had a right to be, after all, she was your fiancé. Ms. Bartleby told me that her mail used to get mixed up with yours since your street addresses were so similar. You used to go over to her house for a cup of tea and to deliver the mistaken mail to her. She loved that you did that, especially since her own grandkids hardly ever came to visit her anymore. I never understood how you did it. Making everyone around you love you so easily.

Some people think you did it because you were sad, is that true? No, I think you had a different reason. So does Ms. Bartleby. She told me she thinks that if you did it, it was because God was ready for you. She thinks you were an angel born on earth and that it wasn’t meant to be. You needed to be returned to the heavens so you could watch over her and me.

I’m not sure if that’s the reason either.

Ms. Bartleby never liked Jenna. She said she was the type of woman who only married a man for the life he lived. You and Jen got together junior year, classic story. Star football player ends up with high school head-cheerleader. She came from the east end of town, Oak Hill to be exact. The locals just called it the Oh. Jen and her mom lived in a onebedroom duplex at the top of the hill. She took to sleeping in the living room around the time of eighth grade. Her mom had guys around a lot, one of them was your dad. Mr. Sevan. That was the reason you and her ended up getting together too. Quite a weird story you told me, one night your dad and Jen’s mom were being loud in the backroom. You and Jen had turned up the TV to drown out the sound, some documentary about coyotes. She fell asleep in your lap and the two of you woke up the next morning late to first period. Mr. Sevan and Ms. Fabre were passed out in the backroom still so you and Jen quietly got ready for school and slipped away in your pickup truck.

She kissed you before leaving your truck for second period.

I have to admit man, I was jealous of you for that too. Having Jenna Fabre as your girl. I used to think she was the perfect girl before all of this.

You and I go back to elementary school. Kingston Prep. Both our parents were rich, 7

except yours were assholes. Your dad an investor, my parents a lawyer and a mortician. My mom actually did the work on your body for your family. She didn’t charge your mom for it though. Not after her good for nothing husband skipped the funeral for a mourning get away with his mistress Ms. Fabre. Ms. Bartleby believes Jen will grow up to be just like her mother. I hope she doesn’t prove her theory true.

You and your parents always had a complicated relationship. When you were alive you used to tell me my family felt more like your own. Your mom got super religious after she graduated from college. She believed sex was a tool from God for the creation of life, not a method of pleasure. Mr. Sevan resented this, and you knew of his discretions but were never allowed to say anything of it. He owned you. He owned your car, the roof over your head… everything. Plus, your mom had her fair share of secrets too that she didn’t want your father to uncover. Like the fact that you weren’t really his son.

He still doesn’t know that.

I folded up the letter and put it in the box on my bedside table. I would write again to him tomorrow. Turning off the lights, I crawled into bed still wearing my jeans and shirt from the day. I closed my eyes and tried to dream, but instead my thoughts flooded with everything I had ever heard about the Sevan family.

Mr. Sevan was the man that everyone knew was up to no good. On the other hand, his wife, she was the apple of the town’s eye. Her name was Wonder. People always comment on that, saying things like “her parents must’ve been hippies” or “think they were DC lovers?” The truth was though, Mrs. Sevan grew up in the foster care system. Jumping left and right to houses all across the state. She says her mother gave her up as a baby and left her with a blanket that had the word wonder sewn into it, so the foster people just took it as being her name.

Mrs. Sevan was adopted when she was fifteen years old by the Braun clan, a family consisting of eleven other children and two parents who worked as doctors here in Mayville. So, they could afford to keep all those kids around. Eight boys, and four girls now that Wonder had joined them. Wonder began dating her older brother Ethan’s best friend, Ivan Sevan.

Now I know what you’re thinking, Ivan Sevan…that must be Mr. Sevan, Wonder’s husband today, but that just isn’t true. The familial drama runs deep with the people who grew up in Mayville. No, Ivan was the brother of Mr. Sevan, who back then everyone just called Donny. Donovan Sevan.

Dear best friend, You know, it’s kind of fucked up what you did. You do know that, right? I got a call from Jenna today. She’s crying like usual. Told me your mother called her weeping away about how you got accepted into Jensen University, full-ride football scholarship. That was your dream school, and now you’re going to be missing out on it, and missing out on me, and Jenna…well, I guess you’ll be missing out on everything. 8

My pen stops moving across the paper. It’s four in the morning on a Saturday in Mayville. I hear someone moving around downstairs. It can’t be my parents. They’re out of town, will be for weeks. They decided after you died that they didn’t want to be in town for the grieving period. We were a population of under 2,000. Everyone knew just about everyone else’s business. I grabbed the super-soaker next to my bed. I kept it there as a precaution for a night like this. Last year I had bought six cans of pepper spray and dumped them into this bad boy. I was armed and ready to see who was roaming around our house. I tip-toed my way down the steps. Thank god this was a new house, nothing in it creaks. The only reason I had heard something was because a thud had hit the tiling in our kitchen. Otherwise, a burglar would have free access to the house without any fear of noise getting them caught. I slinked down the main hallway into the living room. I got down on all fours, held the super-soaker in my right armpit, and crawled to the kitchen, careful to hide behind the counters. I heard another sound. A sigh. It sounded forced, as if whoever in the kitchen expected a better welcoming. They flipped on the lights. “Otto darling. Is that anyway to treat an elderly guest? Hiding behind the countertops. I can hear you; you’re not exactly built to be sneaky.” I stood up slowly. I recognized her voice. “Ms. Bartleby? What are you doing in my house this early in the morning? Is everything okay?” The old woman smiled at me and raised a wrinkly hand to the silver crucifix around her neck. “Otto darling, would you fetch an old lady like me a glass of water before we speak? I’m rather parched and it was a long walk over here without my machine.” “Of course.” I say setting down my water-gun. I run over to the cabinet next to Ms. Bartleby and grab a glass, then I made my way over to the sink. “No ice please” she said. I sat the glass of water in front of her and she raised it up to her lips. Ms. Bartleby’s skin was the color of a new bruise diluted with cow’s cream. Pale with a purplish hue to it. Her eyebrows looked to have been tattooed on a long time ago, faded brown. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, it was a mixture of salted pepper and chestnut. While I counted all her unusual features, my mind began to brew ideas of what brought her to my home this early. So, tell me Ms. B, what business are you bringing me at four in the morning?” She sets down the glass and smiles at me. “Otto darling, I heard you got into Jensen University. I bet your parents are so proud. I know Ben is.” My arms shudder. I hadn’t said his name out loud in weeks. I’d been writing letters to him about how angry I was he’d left us, and how much harm he did to the town by leaving it behind. “What do you mean Ms. B, Ben’s been gone now for over a month. He didn’t even know I applied.”

Ms. Bartleby grabbed my hand and pulled me close to her face. As if she were analyzing my eyes for any sign of untrustworthiness. “You were his best friend Otto, and he needs you to help him now with his journey.” Okay. I thought. This is insane. I have an old woman in my house telling me my best friend who had shot himself in the head was asking for my help. “Ms. B this isn’t funny. Ben’s dead. He isn’t here anymore.” She laughed at me. “Oh, you silly boy. You just say that because you can’t see him, but you can’t tell me you haven’t felt him with you all this time. Hoovering by your side. He was there when you opened the acceptance letter to JU, he was there every time Jen called crying to you over her lost lover, and he was there when the town dedicated the last football game of the season to him, retiring his number. You would be selfish to not help him out now in his time of need. He’s trying to move on.”

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"It never occurred to me that there was someone out there in the world who could be capable of hating him."

I pulled away from Ms. Bartleby. She was still rubbing the silver crucifix on her neck. I didn’t believe in God, or an afterlife. Never had. Ms. B still loved me like a lost puppy though, almost as much as she loved Ben. I was scared by what she said to me. It was true. I had felt Ben beside me in some way every day. Whether it was a blow of the breeze billowing my curtains, or the warm drops of rain that fell after the funeral. It all felt like him. “What does he need Ms. B?” The old woman looked around us, almost as if she was expecting there to be WWII spy in the corner waiting to hear what she was about to say. “Ben needs help getting into heaven, Otto. The only way he can do it is through you.” I shook my head confused. “How do you mean Ms. B?” She looked around again and whispered, “Ben didn’t kill himself Otto. He needs you to find out who it was so he can finally move on. He needs to know that the people he cares about are okay and not living amongst the killer.” I felt like my heart stopped. All this time I had believed my best friend had taken the coward’s way out. I believed he had killed himself because of the pressure from his family to do well in school, to get a football scholarship, because of his father’s affairs or his mother’s secrets. I thought maybe him and Jen weren’t doing too great, or maybe something was wrong with his brain. I’d never considered the possibility that someone else had killed our town’s golden boy. It never occurred to me that there was someone out 10

there in the world who could be capable of hating him. The case was ruled a suicide because they had found a confessional note left behind from Ben. There was no investigation. Ms. Bartleby spoke, “I know this must be a lot to take in right now Otto. I’ll leave you with my number. Let me know what you decide to do.” With that, Ms. B sat a piece of paper on the counter and eased her old body out of the kitchen door to the yard. I picked up the paper, but a phone number wasn’t written on it. No, instead she’d written me a warning: Be careful darling, everyone has their secrets they’re hellbent on keeping buried.

Donuts and Coffee Abigail Moody

To anyone but myself, this is a normal alleyway with some particularly satisfying street lights. Though, for me, it’s directly next to my favorite coffee and donut place in Seattle Washington. When I look at this picture, I am reminded of the rich coffee smell in the air. -AM 11

Porcelain Ballroom Megan Lolley

The empty porcelain washtub invites itself into the sun’s company. Velvety warm water surges from a brass faucet, each crystalline ringlet sashaying along the sides of the tub. Rivulets of sun wash over the room, coating it in a honey-drenched glaze. Ribbons of gold tumble deliciously into the washtub, lolling in the warmth of the chuckling water. Heat dances and dashes after every sun-ray risen of day; humming and— skipping and spinning. Feathery wraiths of steam careen into the air, born of the frothy ruffles filling the tub. Hazy vapor sizzles blithely as it tastes the honeyed luminosity of sunbeams. Muted murmurs skip melodically across the water’s surface, as malleable dribbles manifest into mellifluous conversations. Individual flares of water are masterful— every gurgle belonging to powerful maestros bringing out the moon in the warmth of sunlight. The washtub purrs in adoration of effervescent guests. Within the tub, a porcelain ballroom looms—and looms until nightfall; until the sky casts a blanket of sparkling darkness over the water. Asteroids caress the valiant court with a leaden lullaby; easing its melodies into a bittersweet slumber. The washtub sleeps serenely—filled to the brim with joys of the sun and sounds of the starlight.

New Season Abigail Moody

Georgia O'Keeffe’s Summer Days has been a significant influence for what I hope to capture in my flower pictures. Although I love the vibrance and life found in blooming flowers, I find the “bones'' of the petals just as beautiful and compelling to admire. -AM

Inoculate Me L.E. Moon

I saw you again today. Inoculate me to your presence. As soon as my eyes found you My mouth ran dry. My throat cracked like a car crash, Tingling with that metallic sensation. My breath caught in my chest And my lungs choked. My heart ran a marathon And my mind ached in fever. I thought it would be better For me not to see you, But without you to inoculate me I cannot be cured of you.

To Freeze Time Megan Lolley

This photo was taken on an iPhone 7 in Boise, ID during the winter. There were so many icicles dripping off the side of the house! -ML

Cherry on Top Megan Lolley 14

This piece, titled “Cherry on Top,” was done on canvas using oil paints and various sizes of brushes and sponges. -ML

First as Tragedy, then as Farce Merrick Bonar

Tired in weary hours: cursed, languid lows; Another hypocrite dreams lax, a plot a fresh set of little illusions flow and all such saccharine suggestions sought. The ghastly showered spirits wilt in shame as mortuaries fill with brave ideals-just what a saint persists in deathless blame for loving light larceny but congeals? The lot of Man a lovely lilting fear and little begets little: lurid time! Revival ever raptr’ous drawing near for quelling yet all history’s cached crimes. A flight fortuitous filled with folly; such monotone melancholy.

Illumined

Megan Lolley

This photo was taken on an iPhone 7 through a telescope. It was interesting to tackle photography through a different lens. -ML 15

The Looming Megan Lolley

This photo was taken on an iPhone 7 in California, and I got the privilege to sing inside after taking the picture. -ML

The Glowlight Generation

Dakota Brown Yesterday an older man walked into XOXO, a club down on Saint Sebastian Street. He sat at the front by himself and talked with the bartender, who was a young man wearing black polo and matching trousers. “What’s your name kid?” the elderly man asked the bartender. The man behind the counter smiled and grabbed a rag to wipe down his mixing area. “Chuck’s what they call me. How about you? We don’t get many older folks here at this joint. Especially on a Friday night. Prime rave time. So, what brings you into XOXO?” Chuck reached into his back pocket to pull out a notebook and pen. He began jotting down a list of things they were missing from the mini freezer: martini olives, orange slices, lime… “Jim Carter. That’s my name. I have lived here my entire life and never seen this place before. I thought I would give it a try. Music’s a little loud for my liking though, could you see someone about turning it down? Oh, and the lights. They flash an awful lot. Better see to it that someone fixes those before they give someone a epileptic episode.” The young bartender laughed, “fraid not. Sorry Jim. This place is loud and alive until 3 a.m. We have signage out front telling people not to come inside if they are sensitive to loud music or flashing lights. You’re welcome to go into the back room if you would like. It’s generally a little quieter in there.” Jim followed the young bartender to a blacklight room around the corner of the club’s dance floor. Up and down the bartender’s arms were glowing bracelets in several shades of neon greens, purples, yellows, and blues. A bright sign hung above where they entered. It read, “GLOW TO ENTER.” Chuck looked at the elderly man and handed him a green bracelet. A group of four or five college students sat in a large blue booth towards the back. Jim sat down at a smaller booth across from the students and ordered a beer. Before the bartender could leave, he was caught by a brunette lady at the other table who waved him over. Chuck wandered his way between the tables that separated the old man and the college students. Each one glowing a neon color and filled with youth slamming anything from classic shots of vodka to drinks Jim had never seen in his life. “Hey Chuck, mind getting us another round? We’re celebrating tonight.” She

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grinned. Jim looked her over, she seemed to be no older than sixteen at best, and by the looks of it she was halfway hammered. “Sure Liz. What are we celebrating?” Chuck asked before exiting the backroom. A sign above the exit read GLOWLIGHT LOUNGE. “We just finished exams. I passed my MCAT, so now I can apply for Med School! Joseph over here finished with all A’s and is looking to apply to a master’s Counseling Program for next fall. Ted and Brandy are celebrating their four-month anniversary. Good things all around to celebrate tonight Chuck.” Jim was eavesdropping. These kids sure looked young to be out here, but evidently, they were well-seasoned college seniors. These days Jim found it easy to misgauge someone’s age. Everyone under the age of 25 might as well be a newborn in his eyes. At this point, Chuck had left the room and came back with a round of what looked to be neon blue shots. Jim had never seen alcohol that glowed before, “What the hell are those?” he asked. A tall, athletic looking boy looked over at Jim. This boy had his left arm draped around a blonde lady who Jim assumed was Brandy. Social calculations confirmed that this must be Ted. “They’re called electric bombers. A mixture of tonic water, alcohol, and energy drinks. They taste pretty good. Probably better than that beer you’re sipping on. Want to try it?” Jim raised his eyebrow at the kid offering him a drink. They smiled at one another, and their teeth glowed like blue-toned pearls. “Thanks kid, but I’ll pass on the glowing juice. Beer does me just fine.” “What’s a guy like you doing here? You’re not their usual market.” Brandy the blonde spoke in a high pitched, nasally voice towards Jim. He found her voice to be excruciating. “Lived here all my life and I figured I should get to know the downtown area a little more. Has changed quite a bit from when I was in my twenties. A lot louder than I remember.” The doorway flashes open and a barrage of skinny teenagers and young adults flood into the Glowlight Lounge and take up the remaining booth spots. Jim takes note of the outfits these kids wore. Girls in skimpy tube tops with splatter painted handprints from their boyfriends tapering up and down their bodies. Their men wore distasteful printed dad shirts and ripped jeans. Jim wondered what ever happened to taking a girl out for a nice meal and getting

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tickets to the showhouse? What happened to the courtship process and one-on-ones for mate selection? It seemed nowadays that young folk traveled in hoards together when searching for a partner. No, not even that. They went out on the prowl for a body to keep them warm at night, and then swapped with a friend for every day of the week. At least, that is what it seemed like to Jim while listening to the conversations being shared around at the booths in the lounge. A blue-haired girl in a sheer black crop top and sequin booty shorts turned to her friend and grabbed her thigh, “Who needs men. Am I right Melissa? Why we can have all the fun we’d ever need without them around to fuck with our heads.” She kissed her friend aggressively, probably fueled with a little liquid courage. Jim was in shock, watching these two girls make out with one another in public…even if it was the backroom of a night club. Jim watched as the blue-haired girl slipped her hand beneath her friend’s thighs. He looked around his room to find that nobody else was paying attention. A man at a booth in the corner had a girl pinned against the wall while the waiter came out to drop off glasses of water. He pulled a ten-dollar bill out of his pocket and waived it in the air for the staff member to grab, all while continuing to mess around with this girl. Jim did not know whether to be appalled or enthralled by the young around him. The place seemed to reek of sexual tension. It wouldn’t surprise him at this point if it turned into an orgy. The Blacklight Lounge appeared to be the place people go to have a time they hope they would not remember later. He exited the room and entered the dance floor. Waves of neon green and purple rays shot him in the face as he tried heading to the bar. The colorful lights were blinding. People crammed themselves against one another, making a sea of drunk underdeveloped brain cells for Jim to swim through. He could feel the graze of every man and woman who grinded up against him as he sheltered his private area from their influence. When Jim reached the counter, he ordered a bottle of top shelf liquor to go. Chuck laughed and told the old man that he would not be able to take a bottle with him. He slid over a coupon for Free Shot Thursdays between seven and eight. “You sure you don’t want to stay a little longer Jim? Everybody usually stays for the midnight rally. That’s when people tend to pair off and head to the private rooms.” “The private rooms?” Jim asked Chuck. “Yeah the private rooms. They’re all the rage right now. We advertise a night of fun, free from responsibility. Free from commitment.” “You think that’s a good thing? Having no commitments?” Jim wondered aloud. Chuck shook his head and pointed to the sound system. “Sorry man, I can’t hear

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you over the speakers. You should come back again some time. Remember my name and I’ll give you a drink on the house.” Jim left the club and stood outside for a moment. It was 11:47 p.m. His wife, Helena, was probably wondering where he was at this hour. He took out his phone and sent her a message, letting her know he would be home soon. Jim looked at the glowing letters, XOXO. The last O flickered on and off, like it was losing its electrical charge or something like that. Jim didn’t really know how all that fancy stuff worked. Jim read the signs posted on the outside of the club. We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time. You feeling lonely tonight? Join us for our matching sessions, never go home alone ever again! If you’re down for a night of pure satisfaction, you’ve found the right place. Jim thought about his grandchildren.

Inconceivable Doubt Megan Lolley

When bouts of doubt pursue illustrious lips, There looms the light of a monstrous new moon. Into the eyes the gleam shall surely slip: A noiseless noose pulled tight simply too soon, For love’s lost luster flickers by the star, And seeks to snare desire’s hollow core. From deep, nostalgic notes sound from afar To sing of horrors held by hope’s full chore. The wishful wallowing of muddled eyes Seek the seas for songs of sullied pleasure— To drink the love marooned among the skies: Love condemned to be doubt’s precious treasure. Yet, is doubt a fiend to be my neighbor? Or is hope a thing to simply savor.

This photo, titled “traveling affair,” was taken in Cape Meares, Oregon on an iPhone 7 camera. -ML

Traveling Affair Megan Lolley

Prairie Dreams L. E. Moon

Memories of nights that never happened Sensations so sweet they could never be true I sit in the grass and watch the sun set Idyllic, the light that does wash over you The warmth of the grass meets the warmth of our hair It prickles our flesh as we stare at the sky The flies of the field have made with us peace Serenity sits on the clouds floating by We are the aching of hearts never bled Pretend that the mind and the heart are still whole With you all my strife can hardly exist The eyes of the mind bear the weight of the soul

Most of my time driving through Wyoming has been spent surrounded by brown sagebrush and tumbleweeds. With this picture I wanted to highlight one of Wyoming’s more hidden, colorful gems. -AM

Yellow Blossom Abigail Moody

where the monsters hide Dakota Brown

It’s midnight in early June, the frogs are frolicking about in the nearby pond. The fish are splashing around the surface, waiting for fireflies to dip down and catch the glints of their silver scales.

It’s dark outside, and the air is very warm, very damp. The window is wide open and the curtains are blowing subtly against the gusts from the invisible swirls that dangle in the skies between silver specs, and silver streaks. It’s safer outside, more comfortable than in here. Outside is home.

drying. The eyes see the fish dying, the frogs croaking and the silver lines in the skies disappearing behind a cool, dark shadow where the moon used to be.

Now the monsters don't hide inside my home, the monsters don’t hide inside my closet or beneath my stairs.

The monsters hide inside of me.

Outside is where the willow tree hunches over my fragile body, eager to whip at the mosquitoes and the creatures that hide in the shadows. Outside there are no closets, no half-opened doors, and no creaky stairs. Outside the large yellow moon shields me like a night-light from the things that scare me. The things I wish not to see. Outside the dark air comforts me, it entangles me with the weeds that lie beneath my dull, silver body.

Inside my mind can be wild. The coppercoated, silver wires that connect my circuitry to another’s hide beneath the pink mush that is the motherboard for all humane judgement and decisions. Inside, my heart beats slowly and doesn't skip at the news of someone else’s passing. Outside the eyes see time passing by, the years crawling, the lake 23

The Minotaur Reef Diego

The Minotaur is a mythological monster of Crete that has the body of a man and the head of a bull. The Minotaur was put into the fabled Labyrinth that was constructed by Daedalus, a mythical Greek inventor and architect. This is my character of the legendary Minotaur that I sculpted in Zbrush and composited in Photoshop. -RD

Mouse Intestines 24

Gillian Glivar

I did this drawing of the intestines from a mouse for my undergraduate research lab. It was published in one of our lab's papers. -GG

The Accuracy of Measurements and Conversions

Ethan Collingwood

Introduction: The objective of this lab was to explore the different measurements of mass, length, and temperature with respect to qualitative and quantitative data, using the Logger Pro software for temperature measurements and devising unique experiments to discover conversion factors for mass and distance. Because of various factors that introduce error into the experiment, it will not be abnormal for the balances to deviate in the measurement of an object’s mass by a hundredth or a gram. Using the same reasoning, the thermometers should measure slightly different temperature changes in the boiling water because the hot plate is not designed to keep a substance at a constant temperature. It is important to investigate the phenomenon of measurements and uncertainty because the ability to produce accurate measurements and calculations is fundamental to more complicated experiments and difficult labs. Because of this, desired measurements and calculations from this lab include consistent mass and temperature measurements, which can then be used to accurately calculate the derived values. Procedure: 1. All materials were gathered and safety gear was put on. 2. The temperature was plugged into the Logger Pro, which was booted up with the computer. A 250 mL beaker was filled with deionized water and placed on a hot plate, which was then turned on to level 5 (50% heat capacity). 3. A piece of weighing paper was placed on the balance and it was then tared. 4. Weight 206 was placed on the balance to determine its mass. The data was recorded to two decimal places. 5. Step 3 was repeated four more times to ensure accuracy of the balance. The scale was tared between each measurement. 6. To determine the number of grams in an ounce: a) 0.909 ounce weight was procured and placed on the balance to convert its mass to grams. b)Using this data, the number of grams was divided by the number of ounces to find the conversion factor between grams and ounces. 7. To determine the number of centimeters in an inch: a) A ruler was used to find the height of a lab notebook in centimeters. b) The previous step was repeated, but the measurement was done in grams. c) Using this data, the number of centimeters was divided by the number of inches to find the conversion factor between centimeters and inches. 25

8. Both the alcohol thermometer and the temperature probe were used to measure the temperature of the water three times each. During the measurements, the water did not touch the wires of the temperature probe and the probes did not touch the glass edge of the beaker. 9. All equipment was cleaned and stowed.

Results:

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*The alcohol thermometer calculations were performed first, which gave the water more time to heat up for the measurements using Logger Pro. Mass of a 0.909 oz weight: 25.75 g. Height of the lab notebook: 24.78 cm = 9.74 in. Discussion/Conclusion: In conclusion, the experiment, rudimentary as it may be, was still important to perform because of the sheer importance of ensuring that one can perform accurate measurements and calculations, which are fundamental building blocks for being able to accurately perform scientific tasks and experiments in future labs. Finding the mass of the weight and the temperature of water produced results that met standard expectations. Weighing the mass five times produced nearly the same number with each trial. The minute differences can be explained when the balances were known to have been finicky and change the result when nearby motion was detected. 28.3 grams in an ounce makes sense because there are roughly 450 grams in a pound, and 450 divided by 16 is 28.1. The same was true for determining the number of centimeters in an inch, for the actual answer is 2.54 centimeters per inch, and I got 2.56 centimeters per inch. While the calculated values may not be of importance, they serve as a litmus test to determine whether measurements and calculations can be done with accuracy. The temperature calculations were far off from the boiling point of water (100 °C), 26

but this was to be expected because I took the water’s temperature when it was slightly below boiling point. The alcohol thermometer said that the water’s average temperature was 83.8 °C, while the Logger Pro temperature probe said that the water’s average temperature was 90.5 °C. However, this discrepancy makes sense because the water was still heating up when I made the measurements, and I used the alcohol thermometer before the Logger Pro temperature probe. All the results I got from this lab were very close to what I was expecting, with minor variances in the conversion measurements because the balance and ruler could only produce so many significant digits. The mass of the weight was constant throughout the different measurements, and the water’s temperature was slightly below boiling point. The lab flowed smoothly from start to finish, and there were not many improvements that could have been made. In short, this rudimentary task of taking measurements was important to perform because of its vast diversity in applications for future labs where precision in the measurements and calculations is of extreme importance.

Stars in the Grass Megan Lolley

I took this photo using a clip-on lens for my iPhone 7 camera. I have always been fascinated by the way sunshine makes dewdrops on leaves look like little glass beads. -ML

Why "Abraham Lincoln" Exemplifies Wikipedia's "Five Pillars" Rebecca Mills

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Wikipedia’s student training explains the “Five Pillars” of any article, which include encyclopedic information, a neutral point of view, verified sources, accessible and noncopyrighted content, a lack of “firm rules,” and collaborative yet civil editing discussions (“Why Verify”). These form the basic structure of many articles and provide guidelines for writers and editors to follow (“Why Verify”). The article “Abraham Lincoln” embodies these high standards and their requirements for “notability” and well-sourced articles, suggesting that this article provides a balanced encyclopedic interpretation of Lincoln’s life, characteristic of excellent Wikipedia articles (“Why Verify, Abraham Lincoln and A Note on Notability”).

This article presents a brief encyclopedic overview of Lincoln’s life which illustrates the pillar of neutrality, essential for any Wikipedia article (“Why Verify and Abraham Lincoln”). The section “Historical Reputation” discusses how Lincoln’s reputation evolved in the modern day and argues that “Lincoln’s image shifted to a symbol of freedom who brought hope to those oppressed by the Communist regimes” (“Abraham Lincoln”). This represents Lincoln’s positive symbolic meaning and image during the Cold War and throughout most of the 20th Century (“Abraham Lincoln”). In addition to focusing on how others positively viewed Lincoln, the article discusses negative interpretations of his personal beliefs and actions (“Abraham Lincoln”). For example, the article cites Lerone Bennett Jr. who asserted that Lincoln was a “…white supremacist…[and] rejected his role as the Great Emancipator…” (“Abraham Lincoln”). By presenting contrasting views on Lincoln’s modern image, the article achieves a balanced interpretation of Lincoln’s life (“Abraham Lincoln”). To achieve the standard of neutrality, a Wikipedia article must present multiple perspectives of someone’s life and tell the whole story like this article did. It becomes biased when it focuses on one side of someone’s story and life (“Wikipedia Has a Neutral Point of View”).

“Abraham Lincoln” presents free and verifiable encyclopedic content about Lincoln’s life, illustrating two of the “Five Pillars” (“Abraham Lincoln, Pillar Three and Why Verify?”). In the article introduction, it states that “Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana” (“Abraham Lincoln”). This fulfills Wikipedia’s requirements of “verifiability” since it can be found in multiple sources (“Why Verify?”). It provides basic background information on Lincoln that allows someone to gain a brief overview of a topic (“Pillar One”). Besides providing “verifiable” information, this article contains content anyone can edit (“Why Verify?”). This creates the necessity for the idea of “free [non-copyrighted] content” (“Five Pillars”). For example, the article cites David Herbert Donald, author of Lincoln, who argues that “to broaden his coalition to include War Democrats as well as Republicans, Lincoln ran under the new 28

label of the Union Party” (“Abraham Lincoln”). This illustrates the necessity of keeping the writing “original,” and avoiding what Wikipedia calls “close paraphrasing” (“Pillar Three”). This is done while maintaining an aspect of “neutrality,” and ensuring that the content is both verifiable and “free” (“Pillar Two and Pillar Three”).

This article provides content edited by many users which encourages civil yet collaborative discussion and is governed by a set of “loose” rules (“Pillar Four and Pillar Five”). The page statistics of this article illustrate that it has been edited 17, 410 times by 5, 030 editors. This stems from a previous idea of articles containing “free [non-copyrighted] content” (Pillar Three”). Free content allows anyone to respectfully collaborate and edit articles, such as “Abraham Lincoln” with few “firm” rules (“Pillar Three, Pillar Four and Pillar Five”). These “firm” rules are based on the “Five Pillars” (“Pillar Five and Five Pillars”). In their training on Pillar Five, Wikipedia states that “sometimes improving Wikipedia requires an exception to the rule” (“Pillar Five”). They assert that Wikipedia’s rules are based in “principle” instead of “firm” rules (“Pillar Five”). Thus, people are permitted to collaborate on Wikipedia’s Talk page, and use the “Five Pillars” as guidance instead of set rules (“Five Pillars”). This creates a website based on group spirit and effort, which results in content that anyone can access and share with the world.

Wikipedia’s “Five Pillars” institutes guidelines that users can follow to create wellinformed and verifiable articles (“Five Pillars”). This provides uniformity and a standard for editors to aspire to when writing articles (“Five Pillars”). The article “Abraham Lincoln” embodies these standards because it maintains a neutral perspective, provides ample and verified sources, allows access to “free content” and results in a respectful collaborative effort (“Abraham Lincoln and Five Pillars”). It becomes a resource that people all over the world can improve upon (“Pillar Four”). Ultimately, Wikipedia’s “Five Pillars” are exemplified in this article which can be used as a model for future articles (“Five Pillars”).

Works Cited

“A Note on Notability.” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia , dashboard.wikiedu.org/ training/students/finding-your-article/find-articles-using-categories.

“Abraham Lincoln.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Abraham_Lincoln.“Five Pillars.” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/students/wikipedia-essentials/five-pillars.

“Pillar Five .” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/wikipedia-essentials/ignore-all-rules.

“Pillar Four .” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/wikipedia-essentials/be-polite.

“Pillar One.” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/wikipedia-essentials/wikipedia-is-an-encyclopedia.

“Pillar Three .” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/wikipedia-essentials/wikipedia-is-free.

“Pillar Two .” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/wikipedia-essentials/neutral-point-of-view.

“Why Verify .” Wiki Education Dashboard, Wikipedia, dashboard.wikiedu.org/training/ students/sources/why-verify.

1600s New England – A Repressive Place Ethan Collingwood

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Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony were founded for the purpose of acquiring religious freedom. As time went on, the colonists expanded and desired to settle throughout New England. Despite the colonists having founded these settlements for the purpose of religious freedom, New England was ultimately a repressive place because the colonists engaged in hostile relations with the natives and they oppressed minorities because of the majority’s religious beliefs.

Part of New England’s repressiveness can be seen by looking at conflicts with natives, especially in King Philip’s War. John Easton, the deputy governor of Rhode Island, explains how this conflict originated. Essentially, the colonists and the natives sat down to have a friendly discussion about how the natives had been wronged by the colonists. When the circumstances did not allow for this to work out and blood was shed, a war broke out in which the colonists and natives sought to slaughter each other (Easton). It can be argued that this conflict originated when the Europeans got greedy and sought to expand into land that belonged to the natives.

New England’s repressiveness is primarily seen by looking at internal conflict. There was a group of progressives who called themselves the Quakers, and their beliefs that were deemed radical by society turned them into outcasts because the villagers did not like any of their religious ideas (The American Promise). The witch trials also greatly contributed to New England being a repressive place, for many witches were convicted of spiritual crimes and then severely punished, sometimes by death (The American Promise). Cotton Mather put together an account of testimony against one alleged witch, Bridget Bishop. An inspection of this testimony reveals that most of the evidence against her is only speculative and extremely unreliable, such as what the witnesses remembered a decade ago when they had a very brief encounter with Bishop (Mather).

However, some will argue that Colonial New England was a liberatory place. They use the example of John Winthrop, who strongly advocated for Massachusetts Bay Colony to be a “City in a Hill” so that the rest of the world could see their Christian example (Winthrop). This argument is inadequate, however, for Winthrop stated what he thought the colony would ideally do. The fallen nature of man prohibited the utopian “City on a Hill” from being founded and the Puritans instead founded a society where people who sought religious freedom persecuted others who were seeking the same thing.

Another line of reasoning used to argue for this is that the settlers originally left Europe due to persecution of various sorts and came to the Americas in order to start new in hopes of a better life, and with that is implied that Colonial New England was meant to 31

be a liberatory place. This argument, too, is inadequate because even though Colonial New England was founded based on religious freedom, the same people who advocated for religious freedom also oppressed those who did not conform to what they saw as the one correct faith, and minimal deviation was allowed.

In conclusion, New England was more of a repressive place than a liberatory place because the colonists oppressed both the natives and other colonists who practiced slightly different faiths, such as the Quakers. The New England colonists settled America because they desired religious freedom, but they ended up where they started by having the majority, orthodox Puritans, oppress the minority, Quakers and alleged “witches” (The American Promise).

Morning Commute Megan Lolley

I took this picture using a clip-on macro lens for my iPhone 7. I thought the dewdrops on this leaf looked beautiful and wanted to capture it.

What Determines a European Union Member State’s Likelihood of Joining the Eurozone? A Study of Nationalism in Poland, The United Kingdom, and Latvia AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAA

Ryan Palmer

One of Europe’s crowning achievements in the post-Cold War world has been the development of liberal democratic, free market, and relatively stable states in the former Soviet bloc. Countries like Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and former Soviet Republic states like Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have all seen tremendous economic growth since the collapse of the USSR as well as a remarkable decrease in human rights violations. Many scholars partially contribute the success of these states in transitioning from socialist to capitalist systems to the presence of the European Union, which has and continues to provide economic support to these states. An incentive for many of these states to democratize was to join the European Union and reap the benefits of free trade between its member states. One of the most important institutions of the European Union is the Eurozone, which is a monetary union in which participating member states have adopted the Euro (€) as their sole currency. Not all member states of the European Union participate in the Eurozone, and more Western European countries participate than Eastern European countries do. It is worth understanding why some countries within the European Union are willing to join the Eurozone while others are not because in not joining these countries are resisting greater integration and economic development that the European Union could provide them. It seems that some countries within the EU do not join the Eurozone because these countries have higher degrees of nationalism and protectiveness over their state sovereignty than other EU states. To research this question and thesis comparatively, Poland, The United Kingdom, and Latvia will be analyzed. But before individual states can be analyzed, one must first have a more established understanding of what exactly Nationalism, European Union and the Eurozone are and how they are all interconnected in relation to this research question. National identity is defined as “the sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political aspirations.” National identity is heavily tied to nationalism, the “pride in one’s people and the belief that they have a unique political destiny. Those who subscribe to nationalism tend to be concerned with their nation’s ability to self-govern and national sovereignty. In the European context, countries have varying degrees of nationalistic pride which differ between countries for historic and cultural reasons. Germany is a prime example of a country which tends to show lower levels of nationalistic pride, mostly due to Germany’s unfortunate history of previous nationalist regimes. While those who subscribe to nationalist ideals tend not to be cooperative towards those of other nations, Europe is a special case. Many Nationalists have a common enemy, the European Union.

The European Union is an international institution upheld by 27 European Member states which has created a single market to encourage free trade between members and has 33

created a system of common law which applies to member states within a context of unanimous agreement. Policy decisions made by the European Union are based on 4 pillars: the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the Union. The European Union has contributed to peace between European powers and the general economic prosperity of its citizens. All this said, Nationalists (among others) take issue with the European Union because of its arguably overreaching policy that it imposes upon European states by interfering and regulating where it should not. Nationalists take issue with the EU because it detracts from their states ability to self-govern, and their relative degree of sovereignty over their own state.

The Eurozone is a monetary union, created and agreed upon by some but not all European Union member states. This monetary union has created a shared currency between participating states known as the Euro. This was done to increase efficiency in trade for both business and the individual within Europe, as many participate daily in international business between other European states. Much like the European Union, the Eurozone has been heavily criticized by nationalists. European Central Bank, The Eurozone’s own central authority, the European Central Bank, takes away the state’s ability to independently set its own monetary policy. It determines how much currency is actually created, what interest rates are, and so on. Furthermore, the implementation of the Euro currency itself has supplanted the national currencies of all participating states, which is another issue of national pride as a country’s money is often heavily tied to its national symbols. The loss of such a currency is another afront to sovereignty. This paper seeks to explain why some European states did not join the Eurozone. As previously stated, to test this hypothesis, three EU members have been chosen for a comparative analysis. Poland, a former Soviet bloc country with high degrees of nationalism who is not part of the Eurozone, The United Kingdom, another country with high degrees of nationalism that is not part of the Eurozone, and Latvia, a former Soviet republic with high degrees of nationalism which is part of the Eurozone. Poland is a European Union

"Polish nationalism has its roots in the third partition of Poland. For the next 120 years, Polish identity was in a state of flux as many ethnic poles emigrated to other parts of Europe. Those who remained kept Polish identity alive through political art." 34

member state and former Soviet bloc state, with its current republic being formed in 1989. The country has a population of over 38 million and is extremely homogeneous. The country has a GDP (PPP) of 1.353 Trillion and per capita income is $35,651.

A more recent phenomenon, Polish nationalism has its roots in the third partition of Poland, where Prussia, Austria and Russia split the land of the Polish Lithuanian commonwealth between themselves, ending any sort of Polish state in 1795.

For the next 120 years. Polish identity was in a state of flux as many ethnic poles emigrated to other parts of Europe. Those who remained kept Polish identity alive through political art. Many Polish uprisings were squashed during this period. This finally ended in the aftermath of WW1, where the redrawing of Europe’s borders resulted in the creation of an independent Polish state. However, even this was short lived as WWII began with the fourth partition of Poland, when the same nations with new names in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union separated Poland from itself and Poles from their independent state. Poles were again, this time less willingly, taken or forced out of their homeland and prosecuted by invading powers. After WWII, Poland regained its state but did not truly become independent of an occupying power until 1989, when the Soviet Union lost its grip on its satellite states and collapsed.

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With this context in mind, it becomes abundantly clear why Poland is so fervently nationalistic and defensive of its sovereignty. Generations of Poles have been fighting for it and it has only so recently been truly won. This is also largely why Poland, while generally being favorable to the EU due to how the country has been one of the greatest benefactors of EU development funding, can come into conflict with the EU at large over issues related to sovereignty. Specific issues include foreign policy in relation to Russia, security and defense policy (such as the EU army), and immigration. Finally, the country’s stated reasons for staying out of the Eurozone are economic. As of 2018, more than 70% of publicly polled Poles believed that participation in the Eurozone would be bad for the Polish economy, and Poland’s majority governmental party, Law and Justice, is officially against adoption of the Euro. Historically, Polish governments have made arguments against joining the Eurozone based on fears that the adoption of the Euro would cause increases in prices and that before the convergence, the Złoty would become very unstable. Around the time of the Euro crisis, Poland feared joining the Eurozone due to the instability and relatively unpredictable nature of the situation. More recently, the Law and Justice Party has stated that while they will eventually join the Euro, they will not do so until Poland’s economy has reached 85% GDP per capita of Germany’s. Otherwise, adoption of the Euro will be harmful for Poland. While it is undeniable that there is an economic factor at play here, are the Polish government’s reasons for not joining the Euro more for economic reasons, or for political reasons to appeal to Nationalist sentiments?

To contrast with Poland, the United Kingdom is a former member of the EU (For the purpose of this essay, due to how recently the UK left the EU, the UK will be treated, analyzed, and referred to henceforth as though it was a member of the EU), is not part of the Eurozone. The country has a population of over 67 million , a GDP PPP of $3.131 trillion, and a GDP per capita of $46,827.

While the United Kingdom is more affluent and as culturally different from Poland as European countries can be, the United Kingdom does share a similar nationalistic attitude with Poland, be it that their history is much different. Britain as a colonial empire has a long history of national pride and British exceptionalist values. Britain’s geopolitical situation as an island country off the coast of continental Europe as well as its status as the 35

world’s premier great power during the 19th and early 20th century has created a British disposition which makes them more inclined to unilateral action and minimal reliance on other nations. This attitude is best described by the phrase, “splendid isolation”, used to describe Britain’s unwillingness to participate in permanent European alliances during this period. This type of attitude continued after WWII as Britain sought to act as a major world power independent of continental Europe until the Suez Canal Crisis. The Suez Canal Crisis forced the U.K. to reconsider its relationship with the United States and its place in world affairs. After this point, the United Kingdom worked to join what at the time was called the European Community (which eventually became the EU) for economic reasons. Opinions on membership of the EU did not vary just between the Labour and Conservative parties, but within such parties. This further proves the culturally ingrained preference towards independence in Britain.

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These peculiarities of Britain in comparison to continental Europe became more obvious as the EU developed into a body which sought greater EU integration. Polls have historically shown that British citizens hold the importance of national sovereignty in higher regard than other EU states and that Brits generally identify less with other Europeans. The United Kingdom was without a doubt interested in participating in the European single market, which was the driving reason behind why they ultimately joined the EU. However, the U.K has much higher apprehension than other EU states towards bodies that take decision-making power away from them, and the formation of the Eurozone presented such a conflict. This is one theory to explain why Britain was adverse to adopt the Euro, but it is still important to speak to the stated reasons why the U.K sought to opt out of the Euro.

In the early 2000’s, the U.K. government created five economic tests that if passed, would allow government to consider the adoption of the Euro. “The 5 tests are: 1. Are business cycles and economic structures compatible so that we and others could live comfortably with euro interest rates on a permanent basis? 2. If problems emerge is there sufficient flexibility to deal with them? 3.Would joining EMU create better conditions for firms making long-term decisions to invest in Britain? 4. What impact would entry into EMU have on the competitive position of the UK's financial services industry, particularly the City's wholesale markets? 5. In summary, will joining EMU promote higher growth, stability, and a lasting increase in jobs? “ Between 1997 and 2005 these tests were conducted multiple times and never did the U.K. government find that these standards had been met. The question of Euro adoption fell out of the spotlight as Conservative governments later took power, as the question of even remaining in the EU in the first place became the national discussion, and as we all know, culminated in Britain’s exit of the EU in 2020. Same as the Polish situation the question remains, was Britain’s decision to opt out of the Euro influenced more by Britain’s nationalist character or by economic interests?

Lastly, Latvia’s situation must be analyzed. Latvia is a former Soviet republic, meaning it was actually a part of USSR, and is now a member of the EU. Latvia has a population of almost 2 million, A GDP PPP of $64.590 Billion, and a GDP per capita of $32,986. While Latvia is most similar to Poland as a formerly Soviet oppressed nation, and 36

is similar to both Poland and the United Kingdom in its fierce reference for national sovereignty, Latvia has adopted the Euro.

Latvia’s historical efforts to maintain its sovereignty mimic Poland’s, in that Latvia was first dominated by Prussia/Germany until the end of WWI, then fought a war with the U.S.S.R which it actually won, gaining independence until the onset of WWII in Europe, when the Soviet Union occupied, and then incorporated Latvia into the Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Latvia was able to reestablish itself as an independent Nation. Since both countries suffered from German and Soviet domination, they share a similar struggle and sense of nationalism to protect their state and sovereignty.

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Latvia joined the EU the same date that Poland did. Much like Poland, Latvia has greatly benefited from its membership of the EU economically, and its citizens are generally positive on the EU’s impact on their country. Furthermore, Latvia generally shares Poland’s views on issues related to sovereignty and security, especially related to Russia. However, Latvia chose to adopt the Euro. Why was this done?

Some argue that while Poland and Latvia are similar, the power dynamic between each country and the EU is very different. Some feel that Latvia’s choice to join the Eurozone was made to draw them closer to the institution and further from Russian influence. It stands to reason that Latvia would be more concerned about this because it is a smaller, more vulnerable country than Poland and Latvia. Latvia also has a larger Russian minority living within their country than Poland, meaning that Russian influence is already high as is. All this being said, the more commonly held belief as to why Latvia joined the Euro when it did was because Latvia was experiencing a debt crisis.

Latvia was one of the hardest hit European states in the 2008 financial crisis. By 2014 when Latvia finally did join the Euro, Latvia had only just brought its finances within a reasonable range to meet Eurozone standards to join. The biggest factor in determining Latvia’s willingness to join the Euro is the stability and opportunity that the Euro brings to a small country. especially during economic crisis. Latvia determined economic benefits were worth the loss of sovereignty.

Through the analysis of Poland, The United Kingdom, Latvia, and these countries’ relation to the Eurozone, it seems that higher degrees of nationalism does have some influence over determining if an EU state joins the Eurozone. With all three countries it is clear that the protection of national sovereignty is a high priority, certainly higher than for other, specifically Western European, nations. This protectiveness of national sovereignty is rooted in the nationalist character of these states, and it is this protectiveness that has influence in determining if a state will adopt the Euro. However, analysis of these states show that nationalism is not the only factor, nor is it the most prominent factor. Economic considerations is at least equal, if not stronger than the nationalist considerations. In Poland and the United Kingdom, the reasons for not joining the Eurozone were overtly for economic welfare rather than to preserve sovereignty. Latvia also, while having more than just economic reasons for joining the Eurozone (pulling away from Russia) seems to have been more motivated by economic concerns over all else in determining their Eurozone membership status. It is also worth noting that Poland does seem to eventually plan on 37

joining the Eurozone, for what seems to be economic reasons. The United Kingdom no longer has the opportunity to adopt the Euro, but in comparison to these other countries the U.K does have the most reasons from an economic standpoint to be uninterested in the Euro.

To conclude, it does seem that economic factors have a greater impact in determining policy related to the adoption of the Euro than nationalist concerns related to national sovereignty. Nationalism is a factor, but it does not seem to be the major driver. All this being said, there does seem to be a link in these countries between nationalism and economics, specifically that degrees of nationalism can be indicative of what a state considers to be “good” for its people from an economic standpoint. In a future study, it may be worth researching how nationalism in Poland and the United Kingdom has changed how these states view economic policy in contrast to other European states. If it can be shown that Nationalism does in fact drastically change how these states view what good economic policy is in contrast with other European states, then nationalism may come to be viewed solely as the factor which determines if a state is willing to join the Eurozone or not.

References

Acemoglu, Daron, Alberto Alesina, and Christopher Bickerton. The Search for Europe: Contrasting Approaches. Madrid: BBVA, 2016. Adekoya, Remi. “Extreme Nationalism Is as Polish as Pierogi.” Foreign Policy, 9 Nov. 2018, foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/09/extreme-nationalism-is-as-polish-as-pierogi/. Bertoncini, Yves and Nicole Koenig. Euroscepticism or Europhobia: Voice vs Exit? Jacques Delors Institute. November 2014. Bodalska, Barbara. "W Polsce początek debaty o euro?" Euractiv, 23 April 2019, https:// www.euractiv.pl/section/instytucje-ue/news/w-polsce-poczatek-debaty-o-euro/ Ferguson, Niall. Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power. Basic Books, 2008. Gehler, Michael. Vom Gemeinsamen Markt Zur europäischen Unionsbildung 50 Jahre Römische Verträge 1957-2007 = From Common Market to European Union Building: 50 Years of the Rome Treaties 1957-2007. Böhlau, 2009. Georgiou, Christakis. “British Capitalism and European Unification, from Ottawa to the Brexit Referendum.” Historical Materialism, vol. 25, no. 1, 2017, pp. 90–129., doi: 10.1163/1569206x-12341511. Goettig, Marcin. “Poland President Says No Euro Entry Decision before 2015 Ballots.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 22 Jan. 2013, www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-euro/polandpresident-says-no-euro-entry-decision-before-2015-ballots-idUSBRE90L0A320130122. Hallet, Martin. National and Regional Development in Central and Eastern Europe: Implications for EU Structural Assistance. Brussels: European Economy-Economic Papers, 1997. Lynch, Philip, et al. AS UK Government and Politics. Hodder Education, 2013. Markevičiūtė, Anastazija, and Vytautas Kuokštis. “Race To The Eurozone: Why Latvia Joined Before Lithuania.” Baltic Journal of Political Science, vol. 5, no. 5, 2017, p. 5., doi:10.15388/bjps. 2016.5.10333. O'Connor, Kevin. The History of the Baltic States. Greenwood, 2015.

ONeil, Patrick H., Karl J. Fields, and Donald Share. Cases and Concepts in Comparative Politics: An Integrated Approach. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2018. Papadia, Francesco and Gian Paolo Ruggiero. Central Bank Independence and Budget Constraints for a Stable Euro. Open Economies Review, 1999. Pastāvīgo iedzīvotāju etniskais sastāvs reģionos un republikas pilsētās gada sākumā." Social Statistics Department of Latvia, 23 July 2018. https://www.csb.gov.lv/lv/statistika/statistikas-temas/ iedzivotaji/iedzivotaju-raditaji/tabulas/irg070/atsevisku-tautibu-iedzivotaju-skaits-ta "Poland.” European Union, 25 Mar. 2020, europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/ member-countries/poland_en. "Population. Size and Structure and Vital Statistics in Poland by Territorial Divison in 2019. As of 30th June.” Stat.gov.pl, stat.gov.pl/en/topics/population/population/population-size-and-structureand-vital-statistics-in-poland-by-territorial-divison-in-2019-as-of-30th-june,3,26.html. "Premier z niechęcią myśli o strefie euro". Gazetapl, 25 March 2020, https:// wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114873,3710782.html Rentoul, John. “How the Blair Government Decided against the Euro.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 18 Mar. 2016, www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/howthe-blair-government-decided-against-adopting-the-euro-a6937736.html. Sas, Adriana. “Poland: Public Opinion on Joining Eurozone 2002-2018 I.” Statista, 12 Dec. 2019, www.statista.com/statistics/957596/poland-public-opinion-on-joining-eurozone/. Sobczyk, Marcin. “Euro's Popularity Hits Record Low in Poland.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones &amp; Company, 5 June 2012, blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/06/05/euro%E2%80%99spopularity-hits-record-low-in-poland/. Stelmachowski, Andrzej. Kształtowanie się ustroju III Rzeczypospolitej [The Formation of the Third Republic System]. Warsaw: Łośgraf. 2011 "The Benefits of the Euro.” European Commission - European Commission, September 30, 2019. https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/benefits-euro_en. "The EU in Brief.” European Union, March 31, 2020. https://europa.eu/european-union/abouteu/eu-in-brief_en. "The Euro: Background to the Five Economic Tests." House of Commons Library, 2003. researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP03-53/RP03-53.pdf." "The Nobel Peace Prize 2012.” NobelPrize.org. Accessed May 7, 2020. https:// www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2012/summary/. Thoburn, Hannah. “The EU Spurred Democracy and Prosperity in Eastern Europe. After Brexit, Is That over?” Vox. Vox, July 19, 2016. https://www.vox.com/2016/7/19/12216018/eu-eastern-europebrexit. "Unione europea, in caso di referendum solo il 44% degli italiani voterebbe per restare: la percentuale più bassa d'Europa." Il Fatto Quotidiano, 17 October 2018. https:// www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2018/10/17/unione-europea-in-caso-di-referendum-solo-il-44-degli-italianivoterebbe-per-restare-la-percentuale-piu-bassa-deuropa/4698927/ Vitkus, G. European Union Foreign Policy. Quick Guide. Vilnius: Institute of International Relations and Political Science, 2008. Wójcik, Łukasz. "Czy Polska zdecyduje się kiedyś na europejską walutę." Polityka, 15 August 2017, https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/rynek/1715926,1,czy-polska-zdecyduje-sie-kiedys-naeuropejska-walute.read "World Economic Outlook Database October 2019.” International Monetary Fund, www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=14. "World Population Prospects - Population Division.” United Nations, United Nations, population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/.

A Defense of the Liberal World Order Against Nationalism Ryan Palmer

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The last 10 years of world politics has been defined by the growth of authoritarian regimes worldwide and nationalist movements in the West. While the average worldly citizen is likely knowledgeable of the populist movements that caused the Brexit referendum in the U.K., and the populist forces which enabled Donald Trump to win the 2016 U.S. presidential election, much, much more has taken place in recent times. In the Americas, the Mexican and Brazilian presidential elections of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Jair Bolsonaro, taking place in 2018 and 2019 respectively, were populist victories. In Europe, scores of national populist parties have made tremendous gains in the last 5 years, examples including the Five Star Movement in Italy, the Alternative for Deutschland in Germany, and the National Rally led by Marine Le Pen in France. We have even seen the breakdown of democratic institutions in Hungary under the leadership of populist nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, leading Freedom House to deem the country only “partially free." In Asia we have seen the election of populist Narendra Modi in India, and ongoing consolidation of power by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey. Russia is yet another example of a state which once seemed capable of achieving liberal democracy in the mid 1990’s, has now had most state power concentrated into the hands of a single individual, Vladimir Putin, who recently consolidated his position to effectively rule for life. Meanwhile, we have also seen tremendous backsliding of democratic institutions in Africa over the last 20 years. Why in a post-cold war era have we seen such a leap backwards, when in the 90’s so many were predicting a democratic revolution across the world? Why has the world grown so unstable? Obviously, a question like this has a million different answers and each country which has experienced recent turmoil has its own unique story and set of circumstances. However, the new authoritarian/nationalist era is no coincidence, and the root cause of these changes in world politics can be boiled down to two major points. First, China, as a single party authoritarian state, has risen in the last 10 years to challenge American leadership on the world stage, influencing economics and politics especially in developing countries. Secondly, the United States has begun to back down from its role as international leader, which has only made it easier for authoritarian forces to fill the power gap at the local level and for China to fill the gap at the global level. Essentially, America has begun to stray away from the grand strategy it set out on after World War II, that is to say the Liberal World Order. This essay seeks to explain why the Liberal World Order is not just essential to world peace but specifically to America’s own interests, in contrast with recent Nationalist thought. The Liberal World Order has been an extraordinarily successful institution, and should be upheld for the reasons that it has, and continues, to promote peace between

major world powers. It has led to the greatest growth in wealth across the world in any comparable time period, and the quality of life for virtually all people has increased dramatically. The arguments in favor of nationalistic political and economic policies are a direct threat to this peace and prosperity. Before getting into why the Liberal World Order is so essential, the term should first be defined. The philosophical bedrock of the Liberal World Order was first theorized by Immanuel Kant in his work, “Perpetual Peace”, where he laid out how states could conduct themselves to achieve everlasting peace. The most important of his points being that “The civil constitution of each state shall be republican, The law of nations shall be founded on a federation of free states, and, The rights of men, as citizens of the world, shall be limited to the conditions of universal hospitality.” The works of Kant and others inspired liberal internationalism, a general framework based upon five tenets. First, the openness of nations in trade and the exchange of knowledge and technology. Second, the adherence to a general set of rules and norms to facilitate cooperation between states and limit conflict (The U.N. exemplifies this). Third, states within the order will work together to ensure their collective security (NATO being the best contemporary example). Fourth, the order must be adaptable, changeable, and correctable. And fifth, the expectation that the order will move states in a progressive direction, defined in terms of liberal democracy. “The order provides institutions, relationships, and rights and protections that allow states to grow and advance at home. It is a sort of mutual aid and protection society.” It was these general themes that shaped how western powers, most notably the United States, sought to organize the world in the aftermath of WW2. This is evident in the creation of the United Nations, which began as an initiative by the United States government. America’s participation and support of other international institutions such as NATO, the World Bank, the IMF, the G20, and the European Union further proves this point. It is the interplay of these institutions and democratic states, western or otherwise, that constitute the Liberal World Order., the United States acting as its leader and protector in both the traditional and military based security realms, and in its actions economically to ensure prosperity via free trade. The benefits of this post WW2 arrangement have been immense. We have seen no conflicts between major world powers since WW2 (a period of almost 80 years of peace is an historical anomaly in the context of the last 1000 years of human history). Death from warfare or violence in general has decreased dramatically. Average yearly GDP growth has been 3.5%, with 4 Billion people having been lifted out of poverty since 1945. The percentage of people in the world living in democracies has increased tremendously and the protection of human rights has become an internationally respected norm in many countries across the world. It goes without saying that many of these tremendous achievements can be attributed to advances in technology, but from a top down perspective it can be unequivocally stated that it is the Liberal World Order that has been responsible for fostering the environment in which humanity has been able to take these steps forward. It should also be mentioned that of course the consequences of decisions made within the Liberal World Order framework do not benefit everyone equally, nor have the

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choices that the West has made always, or even usually, lead to peace and prosperity. America’s many actions in combating Communism globally, the Vietnam war in particular, stand as testament to this fact. The Liberal World Order is not a perfect system because no perfect system can exist in international politics. Not everyone benefits equally, be it some states gaining more from the system than others, or individual citizens benefiting more from opportunity than their fellow countrymen. The Liberal World Order is not above change and reform, one of its central tenets, and this paper is not arguing against change. However, what has been accomplished cannot be denied, the Liberal World Order has completely reshaped how states interact with each other for the better, and for the world’s leading states to turn their backs on such an arrangement would be a terrible mistake. This is what authoritarian regimes on the outskirts of the order desperately want, and it is where nationalist populist forces within the order are taking us. In making this criticism I do not mean to take away from the legitimate points that nationalist or populist politicians do have when it comes to how states organize their conduct on an international scale, especially in the United States. Pushing aside the less credible anti-immigration and racist undertones of right wing nationalism-populism in the United States, part of the reason why the movement has grown as large as it has, thus putting Donald Trump in the White House, is because it taps into the much broader discontent with the Liberal World Order. We have seen in recent years the hollowing out of America, as jobs and wealth have shifted from industry to service. Innovation, production, and wealth have continually been consolidated along the great coastal cities of the country. And even within these more advantaged areas the nature of the system puts more wealth into fewer and fewer hands. The criticisms of the Liberal World Order come from more than just right wing Nationalist/Populist movements in regard to these specific facts. However, it is more the Nationalist/Populist movements which see the “liberal, coastal elites” as the problem, calling for a return of industrial opportunity in the center of the country. This problem is not unique to the United States either.hile most European countries do not have an expansive heartland like the U.S, these problems still manifest in other countries in different ways. Nationalist movements often promise a return to the older times by reducing America’s involvement in free trade and the upkeep of the Liberal World Order. President Trump has continuously harped on the evils of globalism and acted as an opponent to free trade and America’s multiple alliances to foreign countries. Trump and nationalists take issue with our military commitments and alliances across the world. America has seen a deterioration in its relationship with Europe at large; if this nationalist trend continues, America may see a deterioration in its relations with Asian allies like Japan and South Korea. Now of all times, these strategic alliances have never been more important to the security and prosperity of the United States and the Liberal World Order. There is no larger threat to the current international status quo than The People’s Republic of China and the Communist Party of China which rules it. China is a state that,for the last 50 or so years, has been paradoxically intertwined with the Liberal World Order while remaining separate. After America had normalized relations with China, and the United Nations had allowed the PRC to join as a permanent member of the security

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council, China began to reap the benefits of participation in the Liberal World Order. Since 1990, China has not had a yearly GDP growth of less than 6.5% (this will undoubtedly change in 2020, but the achievement still stands), and in more than 10 of those years China’s GDP growth rate has been in the double digits. In 1980 China was the world’s 10th largest economy, and by 2010 China was the 2nd largest. By GDP PPP estimates, China today is the world’s largest economy, with a GDP of almost 28 trillion USD, compared to the United States with a little more than 20 trillion. No country has benefitted, at least economically, like China has in recent decades due to the Liberal World Order. The West opened its markets to China strategically for their benefit as well as for China’s benefit. Have things gone as expected? There was once a belief that as China continued to grow economically, the country would eventually have to liberalize politically. If the change did not come from the top, it was assumed that eventually the demand would come from the bottom as the Chinese people became more affluent and educated. A quote by President Clinton encapsulates the thinking at the time: “Without the full freedom to think, question, to create, China will be at a distinct disadvantage, competing with fully open societies in the Information Age where the greatest source of national wealth is what resides in the human mind.” Maybe it is not impossible for these changes to happen in China eventually. However, it would be foolish to expect this to be a guarantee, as many foreign analysts once did.

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"America, meanwhile, has begun to shy away from its commitments in the critical moment that China has risen to challenge the status quo"

It is now obvious to all that China has not needed to liberalize in order to continue its tremendous economic growth. The consequences of this miscalculation have manifested into the global political situation we are now all in. China seeks to stand on its own as a new leader on the world stage, China seeks to supplant the United States and the Liberal World Order with its own alternative model. This is what makes China so paradoxical as an international actor. They benefit from the system immensely, but are also seeking to upend it.

America, meanwhile, has begun to shy away from its commitments in the critical moment that China has risen to challenge the status quo. Between 1945 and 1989 the ideals behind the Liberal World Order and America’s presence in Asia and Europe may have not been understood to economically benefit the average American. However, it was understood how these actions were related to America’s security. The Liberal World Order and its many institutions had a clear-cut purpose during the Cold War as opposition to the USSR and communism. America’s presence was seen as expensive but essential. In the aftermath of the Cold War, people began to slowly question America’s need to be so entangled in the world’s affairs. The failures of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistancalled into 43

question what the actual purpose of American interventionism was, while the 2008 financial crisis made American’s citizens and politicians alike question if they even had the capacity to continue to remain as entangled in world affairs as they were. Both of these events along with others stoked discontent with America’s actions in the world, from both an American and non-American perspective. While both Bush Sr. and Jr., as well as Clinton, remained committed to the Liberal World Order throughout their administrations, Obama’s presidency changed how America interacted with the rest of the world. If only a little. It would be unfair to say that Obama’s administration turned its back on the world, yet the administration did respond to the popular discontent of America’s overbearing nature in world politics in a couple different ways. Obama sought to change America’s approach to international politics by limiting America’s forceful involvement. America was willing to act diplomatically, as was evident in the Iran Nuclear Deal and America’s rapprochement with Cuba. Obama’s administration also declined to act forcefully during the Arab Spring or when Russia annexed Crimea. In both cases America was willing to name, shame, and sanction, but military action was extremely limited. Obama was elected with a mandate to scale down American involvement in the world and in this sense, he was faithful to that ideal, regardless of the consequences. That being said, Obama’s foreign policy agenda, regardless of how one considers it, pales in comparison to that of the Trump administration. The “America First” mindset of the Trump administration signals abandonment of commitments to other nations and allies; it signals an abandonment of the Liberal World Order. Trump’s victory in 2016 proves, among other things, that a significant number of American’s agree with the abandonment of such an order whether they realize it or not. It was one thing to seek to reduce the cost of America’s commitments by reducing activity and asking allies to pick up on the slack as America had during the Obama years, but Trump’s administration has taken things in a radical new direction by treating enemies and allies alike as economic competitors. Trump himself has made it clear that he views trade between countries as something America either “wins” or “loses” at. This is a view that no American president or administration has held since before 1945, and marks a radical departure from the Liberal World Order. The administration is skeptical of free trade. To quote Robert Kagen, In the past the goal had not been to beat other nations, and least of all allies, but to seek mutual advantage in the interests of a free trade regime that bolstered peaceful relations among economic competitors. Trump’s approach meant a different kind of system entirely, a struggle of all against all. As two of Trump’s top advisors explained “America First” early in his presidency, the world was not a “global community.” “It was an arena where nations … engage and compete for advantage.” … for the most powerful country in the world to embrace such a Hobbesian vision even when dealing with its own allies would be to invite a Hobbesian response by everyone else. If the core compact of the Liberal world order is broken, how long before the other members of the order begin to view the United States as no longer deserving of their trust and cooperation? 44

The consequences of such a world view are already having an effect on American foreign policy. America’s relationship with Europe at present has never been worse in the post WW2 era. The Trump administrations demands for more NATO spending and threats of tariffs to balance trade deficits are only the tip of the iceberg. Trump has even suggested that America’s willingness to protect NATO member states will only go as far as those states’ willingness to pay America to do so. Trump is the first president in this era to be opposed to European integration, specifically the EU. Trump’s rhetoric towards Europe has been extremely off putting towards Europeans, claiming the EU is a “foe” or “competitor”, even referring to the EU as “worse than China” when it comes to trade. America has also become incredibly inaccessible and hard to predict for Europeans under the Trump administration, as the president is much more impulsive and unpredictable then previous heads of state. Furthermore, there is a serious mismatch between what President Trump says and what foreign policy professionals are often trying to achieve. This issue becomes even more exacerbated when one considers how high turnover is in Trump’s administration. European diplomats simply do not know what is going on anymore when it comes to their diplomatic relations with the US. These problems are not unique to Europe either, as American allies such as South Korea and Japan have ran into problems as well. This breakdown in trust towards America from her allies seems to point towards a serious crisis within the Liberal World Order. In four short years trust in America as a protector has been seriously eroded. This has not gone unnoticed by authoritarian regimes, most of all by China. The expansion of Chinese economic power has already been addressed in this paper, but China has also taken direct action to further its world influence in recent years. The most important has been the Belt and Road Initiative. Under this initiative China has sunk tremendous amounts of money in infrastructure to develop trade routes with countries across the Old World and South America. With this China is also creating the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which acts as an institutional alternative to the World Bank and IMF. China has been particularly active in Africa, building infrastructure to facilitate trade in many countries. While on the one hand this is leading to greater development in these countries, China is also often giving these countries predatory loans which is leaving many African nations heavily indebted. China often will allow these debts to be forgiven in exchange for key strategic ports in these countries, leading many to worry that China is exploiting countries to eventually grow military bases. All of these developments present a challenge to American leadership. China has grown its influence at a breakneck speed that is only now hindered by the Coronavirus pandemic. To conclude, I would like to speak to why this all ultimately matters. Even if China and other nations are able to upend the status quo of international relations, and even if America chooses to pull back its worldly influence, why does it matter, especially considering that the West seems to be more and more disenchanted with the system as time marches forward? From an international perspective, it matters because the nature of these states which seek to change the world order are authoritarian regimes which have shown little to no respect for human rights. The consequences of America stepping aside would allow a regime which regularly conducts egregious human rights violations in Tibet

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and Xinjiang, which has brutally put down popular discontent and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and which has a reputation of extreme censorship and denial of truths, to effectively make what it will of the world. This outcome would only be in the interest of a very narrow group. From an American perspective, as the world capitulates, the American standard of living decreases as we lose our trading partners. There will come a point, if China and other authoritarian regimes are left unchecked, that not even the United States will be able to keep it at bay. American security is dependent on not letting Chinese influence outgrow itself while the CCP is in control of the state. It is the hope of this author that, due to the current Coronavirus pandemic all countries of the world will seriously reconsider their relations with China, and act to see the country reform its institutions in an effort to make it democratic and liberal. The Liberal Order as we know it may be dying, but if it is overturned it should be by a consensus of liberal, democratic states, not by authoritarian regimes who will forcibly impose their will on others. The Liberal World order can die only after these threats have been mitigated. Until then America has a responsibility, foremost to itself and secondly to everyone else, to press on.

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Meet the Contributors

Ryan Palmer is an international studies and political science double major who is very interested in the United States relations with countries in Europe and East Asia. He hopes to work abroad after he graduates and aspires to become a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department. Rebecca Mills was born and raised in Caldwell, Idaho. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson Charter School and currently attends the University of Idaho. She plans to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in History. After graduation, she plan to attend either law school or earn her Master's Degree in Library Science. Ethan Collingwood is a freshman studying Chemical Engineering at U of I. He chose his major because it fit his academic strengths: Chemistry, physics, and mathematics, and it is in high demand in today’s society. Since a Chemical Engineering major can be used in several different fields, he don’t exactly know what he plan to do with it yet, but that also keeps him flexible when searching for a job. In his free time, Ethan likes to read science fiction and fantasy novels, play video games, and hang out with friends and family. Gillian Glivar is a junior majoring in Medical Sciences with a Pre-Health minor. While she spend much of her time working hard to get into medical school, she likes to break up difficult weeks by drawing or painting. She especially loves drawing cartoons that seem to emulate her current life. For example, it is a study week, so Huckleberry Hound is drawn on her dry-erase board as if he is explaining the difficult material that she is studying for various classes. Go to go - "Beep! Beep!" - vroom! Reef Diego is a freshman at the University of Idaho who is currently studying Virtual Technology and Design and is the marketing/graphic design coordinator at the University of Idaho Sustainability Center. His passions include 3D creation and graphic design, and his favorite programs to work with are Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, and Zbrush. Reef has won several design competitions and has worked with clients in the Moscow/Pullman area to help them achieve their vision. In his free time, Reef likes to play basketball, video games, the ukulele, and hang out with friends. He is always looking for ways to improve his art and to meet people with similar passions! Lauren Moon is a philosophy major in their senior year. They spend their free time writing, drawing, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friends. Their favorite D&D class to play is Warlock, though they most often run games instead of playing. Merrick Bonar is a junior majoring in History with an emphasis in European History and in English with an emphasis in Literature here at the University of Idaho. Abigail Moody is working towards her statistics major here at the University of Idaho. Her academic

interests include political science and using data to make real-word discoveries and analyses. During her free time, she can be found reading, hiking, or ranting about the latest TED Talk she’s listened to.

Meet the Editors

Amy Alfredson is a graduate student at the University of Idaho seeking a Masters in English and is the graduate intern for this volume of The Looking Glass. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of Oregon and has performed in both universities' marching bands. Amy is highly interested in the use of the epistolary form in fiction, particularly in how it intersects with queer literature, and is currently researching this topic for her non-thesis project. Dakota Brown is a second-year student at the University of Idaho studying English and Secondary Education. She plans on obtaining a minor in Creative Writing, and may add something else later on down the line if time permits. During her free time, Dakota enjoys volunteering and assisting with school functions. She hopes to one day work in the field of education and assist students in finding out who they are meant to be. Megan Lolley is a second-year student at the University of Idaho and in the Honors Program. She is studying English and Secondary Education with minors in Creative Writing, Spanish, and Professional Writing. In her free time, you can find Megan studying at Bucer’s or OneWorld, or taking walks around the arboretum. Kelsey Swenson is a sophomore at the University of Idaho studying English with a Professional Writing emphasis with a Biology minor. She is especially interested in writing about foreign policy and human rights and science writing. She enjoys running and exploring the Palouse fields surrounding Moscow and spending quality time with friends downtown. Matty Murphy is a sophomore at the University of Idaho, studying history and international studies with a minor in French. Following high school in Boise, he studied in Belgium for a year as a Rotary exchange student. Presently, he’s looking into a number of opportunities to study Arabic in North Africa or perhaps the Middle East. Among the many activities he is involved with on campus, he hosts a weekly radio show with student run KUOI 89.3 FM. In his spare time, he likes to flaunt his pretentiousness by reading magazines like The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The Economist.