Allyn Gaestel

Lagos

Journalist at Freelance

Articles

What’s in a Name? Tibet, Xizang, and the Politics of Erasure

Jan 22, 2025 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

While visiting the Silk Roads exhibit at the British Museum, a seemingly minor detail caught my eye. On one of the plaques about Tibet, the word “Xizang” was also used. Most visitors would likely not even have noticed, but I recognized the inclusion of that word as a deeply political and controversial choice.
Armed Israeli Settlers Are a Growing Threat for West Bank Palestinians

Jul 9, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

Israeli settler violence is threatening Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as never before, with Israeli armed civilians and soldiers metastasizing into militia-like squads and extreme military units. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7 2023, armed settlers have killed at least nine Palestinians in the West Bank, according to figures to the end of May from ACLED, the leading supplier of global conflict data. Prior to Oct. 7, killings by settlers were much more rare.
The China-India-US Imbroglio

Apr 5, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone call in which they discussed several contentious issues including fighting narcotics production, China’s support of Russia during the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, the Houthi rebels attacks on commercial vessels, and the Taiwan conflict.
Inside Israel’s Operation at Shifa Hospital

Apr 2, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

On Monday, April 1, the Israeli army announced its withdrawal from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital after a two-week operation. The aftermath offers a glimpse of the devastation of the territory’s largest medical facility. The assault has effectively rendered the medical facility non-operational, leaving a gaping void in the already strained healthcare system. Since the conflict erupted on Oct.
Ecuador’s Escalating Emigration

Apr 1, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

When Karelis Sánchez arrived home that October 2021 night in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the coroner was already taking away her father’s body. She sobbed uncontrollably; she knew someone had targeted him because he worked as a hitman for Los Lagartos, a gang founded in Ecuador’s prisons. But then a video showed that her own 17-year-old brother had shot him, along with two other members of the rival gang, Los Choneros, which is one of the most prominent in Ecuador.
From Gojira to Godzilla: How Our Nuclear Imaginaries Have Evolved

Mar 22, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

A gigantic dinosaur-like monster landed on the soil of Tokyo with roaring footsteps. The monster moved step by step toward the center of Tokyo, destroying numerous buildings and people’s lives along the way. Godzilla launched an incandescent laser at the city center, which caused an excessive blast, then a massive mushroom cloud, and then radioactive black rain began to fall. Don’t worry — I’m describing a scene from“Godzilla Minus One,” a 2023 film, recently released in Japan.
Virtual Reality Brings Nuclear Catastrophe to Life

Mar 20, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

It has recently come to light that in 2022 the US began preparations and contingency planning for a plausible nuclear threat from Russia against Ukraine. That same year, the Virtual Reality (VR) documentary experience On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) (OTMYW), which explores the human impact of the Jan.
Will Foreign Policy Matter in the 2024 Presidential Election?

Mar 11, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

“Adults in a Room” is a series in collaboration with The Stimson Center’s Reimagining US Grand Strategy program. The series stems from the group’s monthly networking events that call on analysts to gather virtually and hash out a salient topic. It aims to give you a peek into their Zoom room and a deep understanding of the issue at hand in less than the time it takes to sip your morning coffee without the jargon, acronyms, and stuffiness that often come with expertise.
An American Mercenary Resurfaces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Feb 29, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

The UN recently linked Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, to a shady mercenary deal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s war-torn North Kivu. The alleged deal, and others like it, hold great risk for the region. International AffairsMilitary Commentary Words: Michael E.
The Suspended Future of Varosha

Feb 27, 2024 | inkstickmedia.com | Allyn Gaestel

The iconic arches of the terrace bar at the King George Hotel in Varosha overlooking Famagusta Bay seem to barely hold the weight of the derelict building. They look like they are almost crumbling and merging with the landscape. Now a protective net adorned with one of the most ubiquitous signs in Cyprus: “forbidden zone” prevents passersby from coming any closer.