Category: Policy By Region

Asia, Featured, Global Trends

Why China Will Soon Have One of Its First Military Advantages over the United States

By Stanley Shapiro By every measure, the United States military is the most technologically advanced on the planet. Through the creation of fifth generation stealth fighter jets, nuclear powered aircraft carriers capable of launching fixed-wing aircraft, Ohio-class guided-missile submarines, and an array of other targeting systems and remote weapons capabilities, the US has firmly planted itself on top of the global military hierarchy, a supremacy … Continue reading Why China Will Soon Have One of Its First Military Advantages over the United States

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Asia, Featured, Global Trends, Policy By Region

Seventy Years after Annexation, the CCP Continues to Suppress the Tibetan People

By Kate Van Dusen While the cultural persecution of Tibetans by the Han majority government has long been an issue in Chinese society, in recent years the Chinese government’s efforts to stifle Tibetan traditions have moved past cultural suppression and begun to take an economic toll on those living in the region. Though the Chinese government has attempted to portray the practice of forced resettlement … Continue reading Seventy Years after Annexation, the CCP Continues to Suppress the Tibetan People

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Featured, Middle East

Israel Gains from a New Dialogue in the Middle East

By Rebecca Roth Just over two months ago, the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations with Israel. Bahrain followed suit shortly thereafter. Analyzing the accords, it is clear that Israel is the winner of the deals. The Abraham Accords, named after the Patriarch Abraham—who is the father of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—differs from the peace deals signed by Israel with Egypt and Jordan. Those … Continue reading Israel Gains from a New Dialogue in the Middle East

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Borders, Europe and Eurasia, Featured

NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND THE FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

Sam Harshbarger On the morning of September 27, fighting erupted along the line of contact between Azerbaijan and the self-declared Armenian statelet of Artsakh in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict marked an escalation of violence after a summer of bloody incidents in Tavush, along the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The fighting heralded a veritable beginning of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, eclipsing past incidents … Continue reading NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND THE FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

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Africa, Asia, Policy By Region

BREWING CHAOS

Kanishkh Kanodia During this epidemic, one of the most fundamental yet frequently overlooked questions policy-makers have had to confront  is drawing the line between ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ goods. Their decision determines what can and cannot be sold during lockdowns. The choice surrounding one commodity, in particular, has presented ethical and political quandaries: alcohol. While most nations have permitted the sale of liquor as essential goods … Continue reading BREWING CHAOS

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Asia, Policy By Region

THE AMERICAN PRESENCE IN JAPAN: 60 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Quang Trinh In 2019 and for the majority of the years following World War II, Japan, as opposed to American allies in Western Europe or the Middle East, has hosted the largest concentration of American troops outside of the US border. This should not come as a surprise, since security lies at the cornerstone of U.S-Japan relations. Given Trump’s “America’s First” rhetoric, the continued maritime … Continue reading THE AMERICAN PRESENCE IN JAPAN: 60 YEARS IN THE MAKING

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Europe and Eurasia, Middle East, Policy By Region

WHY THE RUSSIAN ORDER IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS A HOUSE OF CARDS

By Tim Sadov Until very recently, Russia had complete initiative and momentum for order building in the Middle East. While the Trump administration has scaled back commitments to U.S. allies, the Kremlin has built strategic partnerships with the governments of Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. And these decisions seem to be paying off. Following the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria in late … Continue reading WHY THE RUSSIAN ORDER IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS A HOUSE OF CARDS

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Asia, Featured, Policy By Region

REGIONAL COOPERATION IN SOUTH ASIA: A DREAM OR REALITY?

Kanishkh Kanodia On March 15th, citizens of eight South Asian nations witnessed a historic spectacle: their leaders came together through a virtual conference to formulate a regional strategy in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Initiated by the Prime Minister of India, this conference by SAARC—the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation—came at a time when the collective number of cases in the subcontinent had barely … Continue reading REGIONAL COOPERATION IN SOUTH ASIA: A DREAM OR REALITY?

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Africa, Featured, Policy By Region

ZIMBABWE AND THE PERILS OF REVOLUTION

Joe Becker Two and a half years ago, on November 19th, 2017, the once unthinkable happened. Robert Mugabe, at the time one of the oldest dictators in the world, resigned the Presidency of Zimbabwe after more than three decades in power—three decades which had seen the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy, the attempted genocide of the Ndebele people, and the ostracizing of the country to … Continue reading ZIMBABWE AND THE PERILS OF REVOLUTION

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Borders, Featured, Latin America

SOULS OF SUMPANGO

Jacquelyn Davila The truth is, we never really entered Sumpango, Sacatepequez. It was All Souls’ Day, November 1st, the day before the Day of the Dead, but we did not visit the cemetery. We stopped in the middle of the road and quickly hopped off our ride, a refurbished van that had probably been shipped to Guatemala from Korea. We exited as quickly as a … Continue reading SOULS OF SUMPANGO

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