Hearing about Minnesota, away from Minnesota

One of the last places my study abroad group traveled to during our Ireland embedded program in 2024 was the Glencree Center for Peace and Reconciliation. Originally established to respond to the conflict in Northern Ireland referred to as “The Troubles,” the organization now works internationally to promote dialogue and conflict resolution among strife-ridden groups.

While there, we had the privilege of hearing from Pat Kynes, one of the leaders of the organization who was himself involved in organizing the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998. He discussed various things that afternoon, but one comment in particular has recurrently come up in my mind since then:

“Much of the rest of the world keeps a close eye on what happens in the United States,” Kynes said. “Especially with your [presidential] election coming up, a lot of countries are watching to see what the outcome is.”

The U.S. had (and, for better or worse, still has) significant international influence for decades, while an international focus on U.S. activity reciprocates it.

I wasn’t surprised, then, to see “Prensa Libre,” one of the main newspapers in Guatemala, usually write multiple articles a day about recent U.S. activity, be it international or domestic. Several articles were written last fall about the mass deportations of immigrants, as well as the numerous attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea suspected by the presidential administration of drug trafficking. The capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces was front-page news for at least three days. Several more articles of this type could be mentioned; the ones I listed are simply from those which I took pictures of to save for later.

It feels different, however, when the articles focus on events in Minneapolis, where several people I know call home. Late last August, one of the younger monks, Hermano Luis, and I were paging through the daily edition of “Prensa Libre” when we came to an article giving an update on the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. “Horrible” was all Hno. Luis could say as he looked at it and shook his head. The days following their respective deaths, the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti each received dedicated articles describing who they were and how they were killed.* The subsequent increase in protests was also reported on, with one article noting how these protests took place in weather of “maximums of -16 degrees centigrade [~3.2 degrees Fahrenheit].” I only had to read the newspaper here to learn that Minneapolis in particular and Minnesota in general was facing a time of crisis because of the activity of ICE agents (though I also learned about the lingering feeling of chaos and fear while talking to my parents and friends in Minnesota).

The news didn’t stay on this side of the Atlantic. My mom learned about Alex Pretti’s death when her pen pal in England messaged her asking how she felt about the most recent killing by ICE agents. Later that day, my uncle contacted some of the foreign exchange students he hosted previously (one in England and two or three in Germany, though he possibly heard from more in other countries), and they affirmed they were also following what was happening in Minnesota.

Recently, “Prensa Libre” has focused on other subjects of U.S. activity (the offensive in Iran is the main focus as I write), but it’s clear that what happens in or because of the U.S. is generally noticed by much of the world. Moreover, what happened in Minneapolis in August and January was not overlooked. At the very least, these events are not hidden behind an iron curtain; for better or worse, the U.S. is still watched by the international audience.

*I did not see articles about the killing of Keith Proter, Jr. in Los Angeles, nor anything about those who died “while in ICE custody or under ICE supervision,” to quote the Joint Faculty Senate. This does not necessarily mean “Prensa Libre” didn’t write about them. There are days I don’t read through the daily newspaper, either due to work, fatigue or travel for visa renewal. It is entirely possible “Prensa Libre” wrote one or more articles on these subjects and I simply missed them.