armed conflicts that the United Nations has been involved in

armed conflicts that the United Nations has been involved in

Part 1

United Nations is one of the essential organizations in the world. This is because it provides a common point of control in the world and a sense of belonging where countries feel bound together.

The United Nations plays several roles: one, it ensures that the world is at peace by acting as a mediator among warring nations, protects human rights, and serves as a symbol of international unity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the organizations within the United Nations. The primary role of WHO is to monitor the world’s health status by promoting the sharing of information, research, and enforcing international health norms. In the recent past, WHO has been active in Southeast Asia in an attempt to study and control the outbreak of the Corona Virus in China. One of the ways that they have been active is in the process of quarantining the most affected public areas in Wuhan, such as public transport, schools, and shopping malls. It can be argued that these quarantine projects have been successful, which can be measured by the number of new infections, which have reduced by approximately 67%. However, as the virus can be spread by body contact, the control of the disease relies also on the individual’s hygiene, which is above the WHO’s control.

One of the armed conflicts that the United Nations has been involved in recently is between Russia and Turkey. The cause of the conflict was that both Russia and Turkey support different sides that are at war in Syria. The United Nations has been involved by sending delegates to Russia and Turkey to assist end the war in Syria in a peaceful way. This strategy has been effective as the number of casualties has reduced by 37% (Marra, Marco, et al.). Through the talks with the U.N. Secretary-general, the countries agreed to a ceasefire in Syria and worked a peaceful method to reclaim peace.

One of the major non-conflict issues that the United Nations is currently involved in is the state and the spread of the Corona virus. The virus which broke up in Wuhan state in China has already claimed approximately 4,700 lives across the world, with 3,900 being Chinese based (van der Hoek, Lia, et al.). The disease that is spread by contact was at first perceived as a Chinese local virus, but its ability to survive in extreme weather conditions and transferring from one person to another, has made it an international epidemic (van der Hoek, Lia, et al.). To the United Nations, therefore, the Corona Virus is an international issue that is beyond a country’s control, and hence the union had to take over.

Marra, Marco A., et al., approaches the Corona Virus is a global issue rather than a Chinese issue for several reasons. One, as the disease can be spread by contact, the virus can affect anyone who comes into contact with the Chinese or any part that they had contact with. As described by Marra, Marco A., et al., the main challenge with Corona Virus is that any contact, be it on a bench, chair, a glass, seat on the train or a plane, or any other place can be a point of infection. Therefore, the vast possibilities of contracting the disease are above the Chinese control and need the intervention of other international bodies such as the United Nations. Secondly, the Corona Virus does not have a cure. Therefore, the virus threatens the survival of the human race and therefore is an international epidemic. Currently, approximately 13.4% of the victims of the virus have succumbed to it (Marra, Marco A., et al.). To the United Nations, therefore, it is their objective to safeguard the survival of humanity and their well-being. On the other hand, the Corona Virus is expensive to detect and treat. Therefore, many countries, especially in the developing category, lack the adequate skills and equipment to detect, prevent, and treat it. Hence, it is the responsibility of the United Nations to ensure that the people in such vulnerable countries are secure and aware of methods to prevent and treat the virus.

One of the major projects that the United Nations has undertaken to counter the spread of the Corona Virus is to finance the affected countries with quarantine to treat the affected people and, similarly, the areas. In Wuhan, Cavanagh, Dave describes that the United Nations has contributed approximately $4 billion to assist in self and area quarantine of the affected people and areas, respectively. On the other hand, the United Nations have devoted their main laboratory in their Southeast of Asia region located in Cambodia to explore the possibilities of a vaccine or an inhibitor. Besides, most of the world’s virus experts have been contracted by the United Nations to work with Wuhan University to identify the causes and possible means of prevention.

Although the United Nations have attempted to solve the spread of Corona Virus, they have been unsuccessful for several reasons. One, the disease is transferable from one person to the other through contact. Therefore, activities such as greetings that involve hands coming together are difficult to stop as they are part of the culture. On the other hand, the spread of the virus is dependent on an individual’s self-hygiene. As directed by Cavanagh, Dave, the virus can be stopped by cleaning hands with soap or a sanitizer, which is a personal responsibility. Therefore, it requires that an individual be vigilant rather than the case of the United Nations. Although it is essential for the United Nations to increase awareness of the measures required to prevent and treat the disease, it is the responsibility of an individual to ensure that it is not spread by self-quarantine and early treatment.

Part 2: Journal Entries on Contemporary Issues Concerning the United Nations

Entry 1

Today, different stakeholders expressed their concern about the slow reaction of the World Health Organization towards the outbreak and spread of the Corona Virus in Wuhan, China. As mentioned by Mahase, Elisabeth, weeks after the virus was identified and claimed approximately 400 lives, there has been no official communication on the causes of the virus, any possible treatment, or ongoing research to find one. Mahase, Elisabeth states that it is a huge risk by the WHO for society to live without precise information about the virus. Instead, people have started developing different theories about the origin of the virus, how it is spread, and possible ways of treatment. Such unreliable sources of information have increased due to the lack of official information from WHO. The spread of such unverified theories has placed the society at risk in different ways: One, as the people are not aware of how to prevent the spreading of the disease, there has been an increased level of infections. Besides, there has been an increased conspiracy theory of the causes and origin of the disease, which has caused panic in the society. Therefore, as explained by CDC in the New York Times, most of the people in the society do not have the basic information about Corona, hence placing their lives in danger.

Entry 2

Today, the anxiety about the spread of the Corona virus continue to rise as countries are encouraged by the World Health Organization to be careful about traveling to and from China. Due to this, the United States government has placed a travel ban to and from China. By today evening, approximately ten countries had already banned the entry of any direct or connecting planes from China. The travel bans have been made after the WHO stated that the Coronavirus is mobile and can be spread through contact. For example, WHO stated that if an infected person comes into contact with an object, which is used by someone else, there is a high probability of infection. Therefore, this affects social behavior such as greetings, hugging, public transport, among others. On the other hand, the government has encouraged the use of sanitizers in public transport and people using other public facilities such as staircases. This is because most of the areas can be contact points for the disease. Locally, there has been an increase in awareness campaigns on national media centers. Most of the programs are tailored to educate people on how the virus spreads, symptoms, and methods of prevention.

Journal Entry 3

Today, the first Corona Virus case was reported in the United States. As described by Holshue, Michelle L, et al., the first victim of the Corona Virus was a man in his late 50s who had recently traveled to Mexico. In addition, the victim had come into contact with Japanese while on his recent vacation two weeks ago. The patient described symptoms such as headaches, fever, and dry cough as the main signals that people should look after. The process of treating the patient was unique compared to other illnesses. As described by Mahase, Elisabeth, Coronavirus, patients have been treated in exclusion to avoid contact with other patients. Besides, everyone that had come into contact with the victim, such as their family members were put into a separate room where they are supposed to be quarantined for 14 days. On the other hand, people coming into contact with the patient, such as medical staff, have been using a face mask and constant washing of hands. The United Nations, under the World Health Organization, had issued a warning on the possibilities of a drastic spread of the corona virus in the country. Therefore, there has been an increased demand for disinfectants, such as Dettol products and face masks in the United States. The demand has been as a result of panic among American society. Similarly, I acquired mine too for $40, which is approximately 300% more than the normal prices. In most supermarkets, however, there has been a shortage of such products, which has caused panic among the majority of the people.

Journal Entry 4

The day has experienced an increased tension between the democrats and President Trump over the government’s management of the Corona Virus. As stated by Mahase, Elisabeth, the house of representatives led by the democrats, expressed their disappointment on the President’sPresident’s approach towards the disease. The legislators state that the President is placing the people under risk by not declaring the state of emergency due to the disease. The author further states that the response expressed by the department of health shows a lack of urgency on the issue. At the House of Congress, the members stated that the government needs to allocate a special fund in readiness of the spread of the virus which had already infected approximately 100 people by today. As stated by Holshue, Michelle L, et al., the PresidentPresident in his defense stated that the United States “has the strongest medical facilities in the world and that the country is ready.” These sentiments were further confirmed by the secretary of health and significant researcher in clinical health. However, this statement by the government did not provide the actual number of new infections and the process of treatment that has been set in place to counter the spread of the virus. Consequently, the government has been criticized by different civil society organizations due to the failure of providing detailed explanations of the virus. Most of the Americans expressed their opinions through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Most of the polls conducted on the social media platforms expressed that the people did not trust the government’s preparations to counter the virus.

Journal Entry 5

Today I visited the Jewish Culture Center in Washington, which was established by the United Nations under the International Heritage Organization (IHO). The aim of establishing the Jewish cultural center was to remind the people of the effects of war by retelling the story of the holocaust. In the heritage center, different arts were displayed, such as paintings, pictures, skeletons, among other cultural objects that were collected from the remnants of the war. One of the most compelling images was a painting of a woman holding on to her children while a soldier prepares to kill her with a wide axe lifted in the air. As described by Huang, Chaolin, et al., this image was recreated from a real-life story of a soldier who experienced the event. The unnamed soldier stated that the image of the wailing children watching their mother butchered to death has never left his mind and regrets to date. Another essential item in the heritage center is a transparent box that had two skulls. At the top of it, each skull had a tag stating “identify the Jew from the German.” The tag aimed at showing that there are no differences between people of different races. In the heritage center, our tour guide stated that almost every item has a real connection to the holocaust. Therefore, the guide explained that the world should reflect on the history of war and ask the right questions to their leaders in times of making important decisions. This trip was essential in creating a sense of responsibility as an American in several ways. One that the decisions made by leaders have direct consequences to us as the people regardless of whether we are guilty or innocent. Besides, the trip taught me that all humans are the same on the inside, as the skulls of the Jews were similar to those of the German soldiers who murdered most of the victims.

Journal Entry 6

One of the major items on the news today has been the war in Syria that has now attracted the interest of the United Nations after Russia and Turkey involved themselves directly. As described by Mahase, Elisabeth, the war in Syria was caused by the official opposition and a rebel group known as “Eppinos” that aims to take power over the government. The main point of difference is that the government keeps on changing the law to maintain a certain group of people in power. With the war lasting for more than five years and leading to thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes, the immediate neighbors: Turkey and Russia have got involved. Zhu, Na, et al. describes the inclusion of Turkey and Russia in Syria as the expression of the power struggles in Western Europe. The author argues that both Turkey and Russia have hidden interests in the outcome of the war and hence support different sides of the wrangle. Therefore, the United Nations, under the representation of the Secretary-General, has expressed the need for both countries to seize fire in Syria as they are causing more deaths than the war itself. Zhu, Na et al., who is a Syrian newspaper editor, states that the country has become a battleground for western Europe, which has further worsened the economy and possibilities of attaining peace.

Journal Entry 7

Today, the Washington Stock Exchange market has announced that the market has lost approximately $1 billion due to the spread of the Corona Virus. As described by Faulkenbury, Evan, the country has experienced a drastic decline in the level of imports and exports to major parts of Asia due to the air lockdown. The author further argues that the stock exchange market has never lost a billion dollars since the great depression in 2008. Therefore, it can be argued that the Corona virus is a national disaster not only to China but to the entire world too. As described by the World Health Organization, the rate of new infections in the United States has increased from 4 to 20 in approximately ten days. This is evident that the existing protection strategies are not effective. On the other hand, Faulkenbury, Evan states that there has been a low turnout of people volunteering to be tested. This, the author argues, is due to the high cost of testing that is approximately $1,200. Therefore, the associated risk, in this case, means that there might be more undetected cases of the virus among Americans, who continue to spread the disease to other people.

Journal Entry 9

Today I visited the Martin Luther King Library in Dallas, Texas, which was established by the United Nations in commemoration of the struggles that the African Americans encountered in their fight for their rights, such as voting rights. The library contains different items associated with the African American community, which includes: music records, paintings, slogans, pictures, carvings, among others. One of the items that caught my attention is a painting showing five white and black fingers, measuring one another in a perfect fit. At the bottom of the picture, the words “We are Equal” are written with a mixture of white and black colors. This image, as expressed by Faulkenbury, Evan, shows the ability of African Americans to match their white counterparts in every way. Hence, the painting shows the need to treat humanity equally.

Journal Entry 10

I had always wanted to visit Abraham Lincoln’s museum. Therefore, today was a special day for me as I had the experience of visiting the museum that is located in Springfield. The museum has most of President Lincoln’s items such as his furniture, clothes, among others. However, one of the most spectacular items in the museum was a painting that had a white and a black man, both bleeding. The aim of this picture, as expressed by Springfield, is that both the whites and the slaves were human, and no human deserved to be a slave to the other. The author further states that the painting was a gift from a former slave to the PresidentPresident as an appreciation for abolishing the slave trade in the United States. To me, this was a significant visit as it allowed me to reflect on the significant steps that the American society has made in the past century. Therefore, there still is hope that the United States has the ability to face and conquer any social, economic, or political issue affecting its people.

Works Cited

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van der Hoek, Lia, et al. “Identification of a new human coronavirus.” Nature medicine 10.4         (2020): 368-373.

Marra, Marco A., et al. “The genome sequence of the SARS-associated       coronavirus.” Science 300.5624 (2020): 1399-1404.

Cavanagh, Dave. “Coronavirus avian infectious bronchitis virus.” Veterinary research 38.2            (2020): 281-297.

Cdc.Gov, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html.

Kelly, Martin. “Coronavirus In The U.S.: Map Of Where Cases Have Been Confirmed Across      The Country.” NBC News, 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health- news/coronavirus-u-s-map-where-virus-has-been-confirmed-across-n1124546.

Huang, Chaolin, et al. “Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in          Wuhan, China.” The Lancet 395.10223 (2020): 497-506.

Holshue, Michelle L., et al. “First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States.” New         England Journal of Medicine (2020).

Mahase, Elisabeth. “Coronavirus: U.K. screens direct flights from Wuhan after U.S. case.” (2020).

Zhu, Na, et al. “A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019.” New England Journal of Medicine (2020).

Springfield, Ill. “ALPLM Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.”

Faulkenbury, Evan. “Rebel Spirits: Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, The Sixth        Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX.” (2019): 145-148.