WORLD & NATION
October 28, 2011
Stories by Becca Heller
Graphic by Daniel Vasiles
:^Lss:
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AUSTRALIA
%
On Oct. 22, a shark attacked and
KILLED AN AMERICAN MAN OFF THE
#COAST OF A POPULAR AUSTRALIAN
TOURIST SPOT ABOUT 12 MILES WEST
OF Perth. According to Reuters,
the victim had been diving
alone when he was attacked by
a 10-foot-long great white shark.
A police spokesperson reported to
Reuters that the body was found
with "obviously traumatic fatal
injuries." The man has not yet
been identified, but is believed to
be about 32 years old. While sharks
are common off of the
Australian coast, attacks
on humans are typically
^ rare.
BRAZIL
Three Brazilian doctors were convicted for killing
FOUR PATIENTS AND STEALING THEIR ORGANS, according tO
The New York Times. Two of the doctors were charged
with murder as a result of removing both kidneys from
the patients, while the third doctor, a neurosurgeon,
was charged for authorizing the organ-harvesting
by incorrectly declaring the patients brain-dead. The
prosecutors asserted that the victims' organs were then
sold as transplants to an expensive private clinic. Judge
Marco Montemor, of Sao Paulo State, sentenced each
doctor to 17 years and 6 months in prison. The New York
Times reports.
A RECENT STUDY LED BY THE INSTITUTE OF CaNCER
Epidemiology in Denmark suggests that cell phones
AND BRAIN CANCER ARE NOT LINKED, BBC reports. The new
evidence should potentially bring an end to the long-
debated issue, following the researchers' reports that cell
phone users are no more likely to develop brain cancer than
anyone else. "These results are the strongest evidence yet
that using a mobile phone does not seem to increase the risk
of cancers of the brain or central nervous system in adults,"
said Hazel Nunn, head of evidence and health information
at Cancer Research UK, to BBC.
TURKEY
On Oct. 23, Turkey was rocked by an earthquake of a 7.2
MAGNITUDE, MAKING IT THE WORST EARTHQUAKE TO HIT TFIE
COUNTRY SINCE 1999. According to the International Business
Times, the death toll has risen above 460, as the rescue efforts
continue. 1,350 people have been injured and nearly 2,000
buildings have collapsed, the Daily Mail reports. The quake,
however, also has had an unprecedented number of survivor
stories. Rescue teams have pulled out nearly 40 people alive,
including a two-week-old baby girl. As the country struggles
to recuperate, desperate survivors have begun raiding aid
shipments and nearly 200 people have escaped a prison in the
city of Van, according to the Daily Mail.
The death of American-born Anwar al-Awlaki sparks debate
By Bryan Dooley
Staff Writer
On Sept. 30, American drones flew into
Yemen destroying a car and killing Anwar
al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric allegedly
involved in many terrorist attacks.
Samir Khan, a North Carolina native and
editor of Inspire, al-Qaeda's English-language
Internet magazine, was also killed. The New
York Times reports. Both of their deaths
sparked a debate over the killing of American
citizens without charges and/or trial.
"I think one of the strengths of our
democracy is when political decisions come
up — such as this situation," said Associate
Professor of Political Science Kyle Dell. "We
have a public debate because we have rights
and values written into our constitution."
According to the Washington Post, the
American Civil Liberties Union has been
fighting the Obama administration through
our court system to prevent the killing of
American citizens without due process of law.
The ACLU objected to the attack in Yemen
because, according to their interpretation
of the Constitution, the killings violated
al-Awlaki and Khan's rights under the
Fourth and Fifth Amendments. The Fourth
guarantees safety against unreasonable
seizure of a person and the Fifth Amendment
guarantees due process of law.
"The attack goes against our policies,
rights, and more importantly it exposes our
hypocrisy," said Parveen Hasanali, assistant
professor of religious studies. "It would be
"It shows that we can make judgments on
subjective analysis," said Hasanali.
The other side of the debate contends that
the attack was the right thing to do.
"Although he did not physically take
up arms against the U.S., he clearly incited
people and convinced them to become
"I think one of the strengths of our democracy is when political
decisions come up - such as this situation. We have a public debate
because we have rights and values written into our constitution"
Kyle Dell, associate professor of political science
easier for Americans to identify al-Awlaki
as the enemy, but the same principle can be
applied to anyone across the board."
In addition to the debate surrounding
the rights of American citizens, another side
of the debate contends the U.S. should not
have carried out the attack because it further
erodes the position of the U.S. in world
politics.
jihadist (a type of religious warrior)," said
Robert Duncan, visiting assistant professor of
political science. "To me he is fair game and 1
am weeping no tears for his loss."
Duncan notes that al-Awlaki was just one
of many radical terrorists who have flocked
to al-Qaeda's cause.
"The radicalization of young Muslim men
is increasing, and it is frightening," said
Duncan. "Fortunately the Federal Bureau of
Investigation has been pretty good at spotting
this type of activity, and caught many of these
people through sting operations."
Unfortunately, with the rise of radical
terrorism, it's become impossible to fight the
movement absolutely. Al-Awlaki's death is
being celebrated as a big victory in the war
on terrorism, but some feel that the hostility
towards our country and rise of terrorism
stems from a more systemic problem.
"If we do not address the issues, they keep
coming back," said Joe Cole, visiting assistant
professor of philosophy. "For example, 9/11
was a shock to us, but al-Qaeda had declared
war against us because of our behavior."
Cole gave three issues with U.S. foreign
policy to explain the anger al-Awlaki felt
towards America.
"The issues result from: the presence of
American troops in Saudi Arabia, which is
the Islamic Holy land; the deaths of Iraqis
in the 1990s as the result of our embargo
and continuing to side with Israel over the
interests of Palestine," said Cole.
Al-Awlaki's death is a small victory in the
battle against extremism, but Cole feels we
will not win the war until we examine the
reasons behind its initial onset.