Reshuffling the World Order, ‘America First’?
By: Amna Rana* On Thursday, March 22nd, 2018, President Donald Trump announced yet another change of staff. Per usual, the announcement was made on Twitter. Trump announced both the resignation of Herbert Raymond (H. R.) McMaster from the position of National Security...
An Era of Uncertainty: Analyzing US-Middle East Relations During the Trump Presidency
By: Connor A. McNairn* After declaring his candidacy in June 2015, President Donald Trump has gifted his most loyal followers with an abundance of exciting rhetoric and bold promises – much of which often uncomfortably borders, if not penetrates, the boundaries of...
Medicine or Poison: Why None of the Usual Inflation Prescriptions Are Viable Options for Maduro
By: Harry Nitzberg All experts on Venezuela seem to have a single word on their tongues in the past week: inflation. Inflation is “a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of...
The Muffled Voices of Kashmiris: Belonging to a Stateless Nation
By: Amna Rana* Sometimes, when one has been exposed to the same thing over and over again, it becomes difficult to avoid becoming numb and glance over “the thing” or ignore it. On February 11, 2018, as I read the newspaper, I glanced over the headline, “Militants...
The Road to Reconciliation
By: Mackenzie Rice* At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a powerful and reflective speech covering a breadth of issues currently facing the Canadian public. In the most emotionally charged part of...
Glamorizing Dictators
By: Tim Bynion* Every four years, the Olympic Winter Games serves as an opportunity for countries around the world to send their best skiers, skaters, and snowboarders for a chance to claim Olympic glory for their home nations. Like any event that includes delegations...
Cracks in the Dam: Argentinian Midterm Elections
By: Harry Nitzberg* On October twenty-third, President Mauricio Macri’s “Cambiamos” (“Let’s change”) coalition was able to hold back attempts of a center-left comeback in Argentina’s midterm elections. Cambiamos’ electoral victories removed the opposition’s best tool...
US-UK Relations: The “Special Relationship” in the Age of Trump
By: Tim Bynion* To say the election of Donald Trump more than a year ago led many to question their preconceived notions on the norms of American politics is quite an understatement. While his presidency has certainly made an impact within America in countless ways,...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the JDF: The Regional Implications of Repealing Article 9
By: Cameron Bell* The recent reelection of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has raised concerns about the continuation of Japan’s pacifist nature. As the President of the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe has called for repealing or re-interpreting sections of the...
Remnants of Marawi
By: Alison Keefner* Earlier this month, United States President Donald Trump toured Asia, making stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.[i] At each stop, the red carpet was rolled out for the American president, who was abroad in Asia for the...
Tightening the Noose: Motivations Behind American Sanctions Against the Venezuelan Vice President
By: Harry Nitzberg* In the past few months, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has seen some of the greatest challenges to its democracy in a generation. The streets are lined with protesters, there are mass shortages of all the basic necessities, and the National...
Covert Attack on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba: Anomaly or the Future of Warfare?
By: Chaney Taggart* Our newfound optimism regarding U.S.-Cuban relations has abruptly come to an end, and this time President Trump’s tweets are not at the center of attention. The U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba reopened in 2015 during President Obama’s impressive...
A People Apart: The Growing Military-Civilian Gap and its Consequences
By: Cameron Bell* In America today support for the military is almost omnipresent. Walk down any street and somewhere there will be a gold ribbon magnet saying ‘Support the Troops’. This by itself is not in any way wrong, however, the overwhelming lack of respectful...
Trump’s Double-Talk on Venezuela
By: Tim Bynion* In his recent and widely-discussed speech to the United Nations (UN), President Donald Trump called out several countries ruled by dictatorial regimes. Although his main targets were North Korea and Iran, Trump also criticized Venezuela and the...
Cruel Limbo: DACA’s Shortsightedness Leads to Dim Long View
By J. K. Schmid The two major parties in the United States have driven themselves to the rhetorical breaking point. Without direct, honest engagement with the forces and populations that they ostensibly manage and service, The GOP and the Democrats seem poised...
Navigating the Migrant Crisis: Europe’s Immorality in the Central Mediterranean Sea
By: Mackenzie Rice* The Central Mediterranean Sea has become one of the most infamous migration routes, both for its popularity and its fatality rate. Typically, those who travel across the Central Mediterranean Sea depart from the North African coast in Libya and...
Brexit: Brain Drain in the U.K.
By: Alison Keefner* On June 23rd 2016, forty-six million took to the polls in a nationwide referendum on whether or not the United Kingdom (UK) would remain a member of the European Union (EU). After a night of seemingly sealed victories, tense vote...
Building the Post-National Identity
By: Mackenzie Rice* July 1st marked Canada’s sesquicentennial anniversary of the British North America Act, which united Canada’s first four provinces into one nation. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, the Canadian provincial and federal governments planned a...
