Lost In Budapest

Chris Dadok

Period 2

Tompkins Word Lit Honors

Lost In Budapest

Tick tock tick tock. The weblike shadows clung to me  as I sprinted through the streets. My shoes clicked and clacked across the pristine cobbled streets. I weaved my way through what seemed to be a primeval castle. I retraced my steps to the coffee shop whose aromas had long since vanished into the inky night. As I sprinted around unfamiliar corners, hopelessness began to fill the air.   Here I found myself in a country where barely anyone speaks English, and the people who do are likely to be extremely intoxicated. Jeez, here I was thinking I could make my way back to the hotel on my own to find myself now stranded on a bridge, the dark waters ebbing beneath me. I force my gaze away from the mesmerizing site, and force myself to continue my ill fated journey.

The longer I meander through the city, the more my panic grows and my breath now slows into scattered gasps. As I round a bend, my eyes set upon a staunch young man who seems respectable enough to ask for directions. As I drew near I explained politely, “ Erm excuse me I was wondering if…?” my words were cut short. I had failed to realize that he was holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and a glass in the other. His breath was repugnant even from five feet away, maybe this was not the best idea. Half way through my sentence the man interjected in fervent Hungarian that was inaudible to say the least. I bowed my head slightly and made a swift exit away from the man.

I reflected on my tumultuous night with a grin, I mean what was the worst that could happen? Well my parents might call the police to look for me but hopefully they had a little more faith in me that I could make it back in time.

I start to run of again, weaving through the streets like a mad man trying to find something he lost twenty years ago. Time was blurring and condensing together like a dark fog that masked everything into a great facade. I checked my watch which glowed in the pervading darkness, I got five minutes to make it back to that hotel or else I might just be hunted down by police anyway. The thought of someone having to get me sharpened my mind to a keen edge.

I was a machine, whirring and buzzing never stopping. The pain in my left side was a distant memory as I pounded down the sidewalk. Then I saw it the crisp and glowing sign of the hotel, and my heart fills with emotion. I stopped. Two miles away I stand up from a lotus position and emerge from the deep thought, I hear a voice near. My mom inquires “ Do you remember how to get back to the hotel?” I look back at her with a sly smile, “ Ya I think I do”

The Game Plan

Chris Dadok

Period 2

Tompkins

World Lit Honors

The Game Plan

Al Shabab, literally meaning “The Youth” in Arabic, emerged as a radical youth wing of Somalia’s now dysfunctional Islamist Courts. The Islamic Court was a large militant organization that controlled large swaths of Somalia, constantly fighting the government for control of the country. In late 2006 the Islamic Court was driven out of the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu and soon after it splintered into different factions with slightly different goals. Of the many factions that have came from the Islamic Courts, Al Shabab is one of Africa’s most voracious problems. This group has been made infamous by its rampant killing sprees in Somalia as well as in neighboring countries such as Kenya. As Somalia threatens to fall to these militant groups, countries such as Kenya and the United States have become intertwined their foreign policy in order to prevent a rebuttal in their own countries.

Over the years, Al Shabab has grown in strength as well as audacity, daring to venture into neighboring countries such as Kenya to kidnap and attack villages. Though in recent years the group has lost ground to the coalition of multiple countries that is determined to eradicate them. The African Union, known as the AU, is slowly pushing Al Shabab out of key towns and cities. Losing the capital Mogadishu in 2011 as well as the vital port of Kismayo has begun to put immense strain on Al Shabab. The National Terrorism guide added “As of 2013, however, pressure from AMISOM and Ethiopian forces had largely degraded al-Shabaab’s control, especially in Mogadishu but also in other key regions of the country, and conflict among senior leaders has exacerbated fractures within the group.”  The coalition has slowly began to realize that by working in unison with each other they are able to outmatch the militants, who are unaccustomed to fighting full scale wars.

Al Shabab is slowly disintegrating due to the American presence in the region. By using drones, the U.S has managed to identify and  eliminate top Al Shabab leaders. Political analysts believe that the group will slowly separate as their leaders continue to get eliminated. The CIA Director John Brennan commented “The unmanned systems are now widely seen as the US’s weapon of choice in its war on terror, as they can “strike their targets with astonishing precision”. As their resources are slowly being shut off, it is only a matter of time when Al Shabab will lose its grip on Somalia, due to the utter onslaught of the U.S as well as the AU.

With the United States influence continuing to grow in the area, other countries are stepping up to the challenge to increase their security to repel Al Shabab.. Due to the growing amount of terror attacks in Kenya, Kenya plans to increase border security with new barbed wire fences and walls that will hinder Al Shabaab's movements onto Kenyan land. The Guardian reported “Kenya is going to build a wall. Not just any wall, but a “separation barrier”, to employ the euphemism coined by Israel to describe the towering, snaking structure that now separates it from Palestine’s West Bank.” This step up in security was in direct response to the atrocities such as the Westgate Mall attack, which claimed the lives of sixty seven civilians. Kenya is rapidly alcimating to the climate around them in order to close of their porous border with Somalia.

Due to the conflict the Al Shabab is causing and resulting in the interference of other nations, Somalia has the potential to transform into a war zone. Help from foreign countries such as the United States, as well as neighboring countries will help control Al Shabaab's aggression to the utmost extent. Countries around the world are beginning to act preemptively instead of waiting to the problem to travel to them. This evolving strategy has begun to stamp out groups such as Al Shabab, but only time will tell if their game plan will be able to stick.

Bibliography:

1. "National Counterterrorism Center | Groups." National Counterterrorism Center | Groups. National Geographic, 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
2. Allison, Simon. "Kenya To Build Wall On Somalia Border." The Guardian. The Guardian, 7 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
3. Smith, David. "CFR Backrounders." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
4. "Iran Tracker." Al Shabaab Leadership Profiles. AE, 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
5. "Al-Shabaab (militant Group)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
6. Mutiga, Murithi. "Al Shabab's Internal Split." New York Times 1 Oct. 2014. Global Issues In Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.