Chinese National Sword vs. The World: The Green Silver Lining in Our Global Recycling Crisis
China, wielding its new “Green Sword,” cut ties with its former reputation as the world’s dumping ground in 2018. Green Sword refers to the “National Sword” policy, which was enacted in response to the developed world’s transgressions related to China’s trash...
Contention in the Canarian Waters: A Saharan Tale of Moroccan Ambitions
By: Jonathan Ocadiz** In 2016, a joint-Anglo-Spanish scientific expedition discovered a massive deposit of the minerals cobalt and tellurium in the waters between the Spanish-governed Canary Islands and Moroccan territory, which coincidentally have never officially...
Brexit: The Prospects of UK-EU Negotiations
Brexit has certainly challenged political prognosticators. Before the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union on June 23rd, 2016, both political elites and public opinion polls had little doubt that the ballot measure would be soundly rejected. Since the...
Scotland’s Move Towards Independence
Introduction England and Scotland have always had a tumultuous relationship. Many regard the election that took place in December of 2019 as possibly being the last election of a “United” Kingdom [1] as the decision was made by the citizens of the U.K. to withdraw...
Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan: A One-State Solution
U.N. Security Resolution 242, The Rogers Plan, Camp David Agreement, The Reagan Plan, Madrid Summit, Oslo Accords, Camp David Summit, Bush Declaration, Annapolis Summit, Washington Peace Talks… These are but a few of the major plans and initiatives undertaken in order...
Turkey Against NATO: Syria and the S-400 System
The current Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has put Turkey’s reputation as a reliable political and military ally in jeopardy. In particular, Turkey’s importation of Russia’s S-400 system sends the message that Turkey is willing to collaborate with players...
Femicide in Mexico: “A Day Without Us”
On Monday March 9th, 2020, thousands of women in Mexico did not go to work as protest for the increasing rates of femicide and gender inequality in the country.[1] They called it a day without women and by not participating in public life, they demonstrated that daily...
Evaluating Counterterrorist Efforts in Africa’s Sahel Region
Before the West gets too excited about downsizing in Iraq and Afghanistan, it shouldn’t forget about the Sahel, notably the West African portion. The Sahel region of Africa, along the southern Sahara, extends from northern Senegal through Mauritania, Mali,...
America’s Dwindling Influence: Consequences of Regression in a Progressive World
The New Cold War The Cold War reached its flashpoint with the development of nuclear weapons, and the new Cold War is no different. The rules may have changed, but the game is still much the same. SR-71 and U-2 spy planes have been replaced with unmanned drones, and...
The Powder-keg of Italian Rightism
Introduction From Dark Age To Republic The Italy of the early 20th century suffered. There seemed to be no end to its decline. The period was marked by conflict and violence, decimation abroad in two World Wars, governmental intrigue and corruption, as well as all...
The World Health Organization’s Paramount Role in Coronavirus Containment
Immediately following the discovery of a new strand of coronavirus in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019, the media began spreading awareness. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) is rarely recognized for the work it has been doing to protect the world from...
Coming To Terms With The Populist Moment
The word “Populism” was thrust into the public lexicon in 2015 on a wave of anti-establishment electoral contestations in the West, most notably in the United States and Great Britain. At the time, many interpreted these developments as aberrations— mere...
Chile’s Protest: And the Economic Factor
Chile has a history of being one of the most stable and economically prosperous countries in South America. As a result of this reputation, the protests that have been taking place in the country seem to have come out of left field. Chile is a place where the cries...
Immigrants are Necessary for Sweden’s Economic Growth and Stability
Sweden, like the United States, has an asylum policy in which refugee immigrants are accepted and protected from persecution or deportation. Refugees flee their home countries for fear of being harmed based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or...
How Hong Kong Authorities Stoked Pro-Democracy Sentiments during the 2019 Hong Kong Protests
By Brendan Niebel* The current protests and elections in Hong Kong showed how the lack of compromise and police violence promoted by Hong Kong authorities only increased the case for democracy in Hong Kong. Originally, the protests were mainly against the Extradition...
The Venezuelan Stalemate
By Jacob Gilbert*, As recently as the late 20th century, Venezuela was one of the richest countries in Latin America. This was due in large part to the country’s massive oil reserves, some of the largest in the entire world.(1) Despite this wealth, Venezuela suffered...
Neo-Ottomanism and the European Union
By Ronnan Rodas* The relationship between the European Union and Turkey remains one of the more contentious among the candidates for accession to the EU. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has begun accelerating the visa liberalization process for Turkish citizens...
The Sudan Massacre: A Fight for Change
In June 2019 one may have noticed a number of social media profile pictures being changed to a specific shade of blue. This was in response to a massacre perpetrated by a Sudanese paramilitary troop in the nation’s capital, Khartoum, on the Forces for Freedom and...
