Month: December 2019

Europe and Eurasia, Latin America, Policy By Region

A RUSSIAN-AMERICAN GAME OF CHICKEN IN VENEZUELA

By Tim Sadov Russia has sent troops to Venezuela while the US hasn’t. What explains the disparity in the American and Russian responses to the Venezuela crisis? Steely-nerved tactics in this “game of chicken” are to partly to blame. As the Maduro regime continues to brutally suppress political dissidents and starve its own citizens, the Trump administration continues to oppose the regime and its actions … Continue reading A RUSSIAN-AMERICAN GAME OF CHICKEN IN VENEZUELA

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Africa, Policy By Region

DARFUR: THE LOST CONFLICT

By Quang Trinh From 2003 the Darfur conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, long before the fallout of Yemen, Syria, and South Sudan. In 2004, Jan Egeland, the Under-Secretary-General of the UN for Humanitarian Affairs, described the situation as “ethnic cleansing.” The conflict that arose between rebels and government-backed Janjaweed militias over the treatment of non-Arabic ethnic groups in Darfur has … Continue reading DARFUR: THE LOST CONFLICT

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Europe and Eurasia, Policy By Region

“INCREDIBLE HULK” COMPARISON CONFIRMS BORIS JOHNSON’S FALL TO TRUMP-LEVEL RHETORIC

By Cai Markham Boris Johnson’s recent assertion that the UK will “explode” out of the EU’s “manacles” like the Incredible Hulk, confirms the government’s embrace of White House style delusion. To international mockery, Britain’s prime minister declared that “the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets”. This comment exemplifies Johnson’s similarity to Trump in two ways. The first is their willingness to make oversimplified statements … Continue reading “INCREDIBLE HULK” COMPARISON CONFIRMS BORIS JOHNSON’S FALL TO TRUMP-LEVEL RHETORIC

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Borders

WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO

By Jacquelyn Davila Sacramento may be going through an identity crisis. Our holy water tower, our beloved welcome mat on Interstate 5, was recently defiled. It once proudly proclaimed “Welcome to Sacramento City of Trees.” Now those last three words are gone, replaced with an unfamiliar phrase: “America’s Farm to Fork Capital.” It was one of our own, Visit Sacramento, the local tourism agency, that … Continue reading WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO

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Borders

MATERNITY DESERTS IN RURAL AMERICA

By Laura Robertson The night I was born, my parents almost didn’t go to the hospital. My father didn’t believe my mother when she woke up in the middle of the night, insisting she was going into labor. My mom was almost forty when she had me, making her pregnancy automatically high-risk. Luckily for her, it took me long enough to get my act together … Continue reading MATERNITY DESERTS IN RURAL AMERICA

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Latin America, Policy By Region

THE INHERENT CONSEQUENCES OF DEVELOPMENT IN BRAZIL

By Sofia Teixeira The recent forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon and the subsequent media attention reflects a wider pattern of history within the region. Deforestation and cultivation in the area began incrementally in 1958, as a result of the Belem-Brasilia highway, an incentive closely tied to the establishment of the new capital. The relocation from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia was a change in … Continue reading THE INHERENT CONSEQUENCES OF DEVELOPMENT IN BRAZIL

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Asia, Policy By Region

THE DRAGON, THE TIGER, AND A GAME OF TUG-WAR

Kanishkh Kanodia The inherent paradox of the relationship between India and China -two of Asia’s biggest economic powers – came to the limelight after China’s leader, Xi Jinping visited India in October for an informal summit. The apparent bonhomie between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese Premier at the summit coupled with the signing of deals enhancing regional connectivity, cultural exchange and … Continue reading THE DRAGON, THE TIGER, AND A GAME OF TUG-WAR

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Asia, Policy By Region

CHINA’S GOAL: A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS NATION BY 2020

By Jia Yu This year, the People’s Republic of China commemorates the 70th anniversary of its founding. In a joint celebration of military prowess and social advancements, the Chinese government is embracing the promise for a stable and prosperous nation. Yet, despite being the world’s second largest economy, China is currently home to around 16 million people living in extreme poverty. Four years ago, this … Continue reading CHINA’S GOAL: A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS NATION BY 2020

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Asia, Policy By Region

THE JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA TRADE WAR: RESPONSES TO THE LINGERING GHOSTS OF WWII

By Soo Young Yun Fraught relations between South Korea and Japan have taken a toll on economic ties in the two countries’ most recent trade spat. Japan announced in the first week of July this year that it was removing South Korea from a 27-country “white list,” tightening curbs on exports of three materials (hydrogen fluoride gas, fluorinated polyimide, and photoresists) essential for major semiconductor … Continue reading THE JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA TRADE WAR: RESPONSES TO THE LINGERING GHOSTS OF WWII

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Asia, Policy By Region

PANDA & DIPLOMACY

By Jia Yu On the 50th anniversary of China’s diplomatic relations with France, President Xi Jinping described contemporary China as a “peaceful, amiable, civilised lion” that has finally awoken. Thus having risen from the “century of humiliation,” a 19-20th century period of national weakness and indignity, the China of today runs the world’s second largest economy. However, it struggles to seek international acknowledgement. Effectively, Xi’s … Continue reading PANDA & DIPLOMACY

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