“I don’t think that thing he has done has been beneficial to the United States. I think that we would be far better off without him as our president,” said Ava Whitman ’21 regarding President Trump’s actions through the course of 2017.
January 20th, 2017 was the date of President Trump’s Inauguration, a milestone in 2017 news. Since the beginning of his presidency, Trump has refused to give up on his goals while relentlessly reigning over the United States. He has used Twitter as a way to express his thoughts although sometimes unnecessary. “I think that like any president, he had his highs and lows. If he used Twitter less it’d be more effective. He’s said really good stuff and he’s said some stupid things as well,” said Diego Garcia-Camargo ’21.
A story that isn’t unique to 2017 is the Rohingya Muslim Crisis. They have been fleeing their homes and become refugees because of the ongoing torture they have been faced with. The Rohingya have been thought of as a threat because of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) which the Myanmar government has designated as a terrorist group. The ARSA is a group of people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, who seek to create a safe environment and home for other Rohingya.
However, due to violent acts from the group starting in October 2016, the Myanmar government has sought to end the group. Due to the generalization, other Rohingya Muslims have been facing greater consequences. Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for centuries but have been forced to leave because of the incredible amount of persecution they have faced. Hundreds of thousands have fled to the border of Bangladesh in hope of peace and they are considered, and often referred to as, the “most persecuted minority.”
Another important story of 2017 was the ongoing threats from North Korea. Living in Seattle, it’s threatening with having North Korea quite close however, Mia Meighan ’21 states that she has “never felt so threatened to the point where I was concerned for my safety.”
Hurricane Maria, Irma, Jose, and Harvey struck hard and terrorized a lot of people. Puerto Rico, The U.S. Virgin Islands, The British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, and other islands have been impacted by the storms. Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Jose left 103 people dead and 200 billion dollars worth of damage. Going into 2018 almost a third of Puerto Rico was still without power, “I think it would have been very thoughtful action if the United States reached out more because that’s what we would want others to do for our country in a time of need,” said Mia Meighan ’21 referring to the United States outreach after the hurricanes.
Although 2017 was filled with tough news stories there were also lots of encouraging ones as well. Scientists were able to find a way to breed parts of the Great Barrier Reef, this is important as the reef has been dying due to coral bleaching caused by global warming, illegal fishing, and pollution. Being able to successfully re-breed the reef means that the process of restoration to the damaged and dead parts of the islands will be faster and more efficient.
Another “win” for 2017 was the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia, Germany, Austria, and Malta. These countries joining the other 25 countries and territories where same-sex marriage has previously been made legal.
Although many stressful, scary events occurred in 2017, fortunately, there were also exciting, ground-breaking ones. Hopefully, 2018 will be filled with new and fun experiences.