News
Summer News Recap: The Four Most Important
Stories of Summer 2014
Monique Kreisman, news editor
ISIS
ISIS stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It is
known for extreme violence, and as the group moves through
Iraq, many people are forced to flee their homes.
ISIS has roots in al Qaeda, but the two groups split in
February. In June, ISIS took control of several Iraqi cities and
some towns on the Syrian border. On June 29, ISIS announced
the creation of a Caliphate, and an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis
had been displaced by then, CNN reports.
Three hundred U.S. troops were sent to Iraq at the end
of June, almost doubling the American military presence in the
country. ISIS gained momentum in July, taking control of more
cities and a large oil field. On Aug. 19, U.S. journalist James
Foley was publicly beheaded by ISIS, and on Sept. 2, a second
U.S. journalist, Steven Sotloff, was similarly executed.
Border Crisis
NBC reports that more than 50,000 unaccompanied
Central American children migrated to the U.S. from Central
America, fleeing gang violence in their home countries.
Although each child is legally entitled to a deportation hearing,
many Americans protested their arrival and called for immedi
ate deportation. Others labeled the situation as a humanitarian
crisis and asked that the children be given refugee status.
Some argue that U.S. policy is to blame; many Democrats
argue that if more aid had been given to the Central American
region, the crisis would not exist. Many Republicans respond by
arguing that President Obama’s executive order allowing chil
dren who migrated to the U.S. before 2007 to stay is to blame.
Russia and Ukraine
Protesters have been clashing with the Ukrainian govern
ment since January. In late February, a coup was staged and
protesters took control of the Ukranian government. Russia
annexed Crimea a month later, and pro-Russians regained some
control of Ukraine. Throughout the summer, diplomatic
discussions were held, but violence continued to escalate; a
passenger plane was shot down, and dozens of people were
killed in several skirmishes. Now, there is a shaky cease-fire.
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Ebola
There was an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. Accord
ing to the World Health Organization, the fatality rate for an
Ebola outbreak can be as high as 90 percent. The virus is first
contracted from animals, but it can also spread through human-
to-human transmission. The WHO reports that several vaccines
are in development, but for now, there is no vaccine and no
specific treatment available. Although the virus has proven very
deadly in West Africa, the Center for Disease Control reports
that Ebola “poses no significant risk to the United States.”
ISIS: a Crisis of Faith?
Anna Cheshire, staff writer
ISIS, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, also known
as IS and ISIL, is a rebel force of Sunni jihadists with old ties
to some al Qaeda members. They have been around since late
2006 and are led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their mission is
to “unite” Muslims all over the world by creating a borderless,
boundless Islamic state (or caliphate) in which al-Baghdadi
would lead with supreme authority. The word caliphate is sup
posed to mean a peaceful, glorious, all-encompassing figurative
home for all Muslims, world-wide. The group’s actions suggest
that ISIS may have their own definition of caliphate.
According to CNN, since May, the group has kidnapped
dozens of Syrian schoolboys and begun to forcibly indoctrinate
them; seized Mosul’s airport, media outlets and government
offices, and they have taken control of Tikrit and several other
Iraqi towns, forcing an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis into exile.
Additionally, the terrorist group commandeered Syria’s larg
est oil field; leveled a Mosul holy site, Jonah’s tomb; crucified
dozens of people by nailing them to crosses for punishment;
and, with cameras rolling, beheaded two American journalists,
James Foley and Steven Sotloff. The footage, graphic and hor
rifying, was placed on YouTube for the world to see.
Why all the violence? Ask them, and they’ll tell you that
they are fighting for Allah or God. According to many major
news outlets and eyewitnesses, when ISIS enter a new region,
they immediately offer an ultimatum to any and all who do not
follow their particular brand of Islam: Leave, pay an exorbitant
via Getty Images
tax or die. Those who have stayed (with or without paying the
tax) have often either been killed themselves or seen their entire
family wiped out. Those who have tried to flee often get killed
anyway. And those who have managed to get away have horror
stories of hiding under dead bodies, seeing their friends
beheaded in the street and even crucifixions where bodies have
been left hanging from crosses for up to three days. Steps have
been taken in an attempt to stop ISIS, but they have proved fu
tile so far.