Haiti is currently under a state of emergency as a result of its rampant gang violence—thousands are internally displaced, and millions are facing malnutrition. The violence is exacerbated by the damage of hurricanes and floods that have left millions without homes, causing a dramatic drop in GDP. Gang violence has seeped into all areas of the country, but most notably, the capital of Port-au-Prince. Despite its proximity to the United States, many Americans remain unaware of the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. 

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held a joint press availability with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sept. 18, 2024, in Cairo, Egypt to announce the new US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue program. This was Blinken’s 10th visit to the Middle East since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, but unlike other trips to the region, he did not make a stop in Israel. Instead, the main purpose of the visit was to strengthen the long-standing relationship between the US and Egypt.

After the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East was stunned by a highly coordinated terrorist attack at an unprecedented scale, American politicians from across the political spectrum immediately offered their complete support to Israel, giving the government a greenlight to respond how it sees fit.

Speaking at the Turkish Cultural Association’s vigil, NYU Professor Ayse Baltacioglu-Brammer said, “Your friends, your colleagues from Turkey, from Syria, they are not well.”

The war-torn part of the country has been affected by a civil war since November 2020. The latest surge in violence began in August after a five-month humanitarian truce. Ethiopia’s government declared a state of emergency in the northern region after accusing the opposing local government of attacking the federal troops.