On December 1, Gambians went to polls... Yahya Jammeh had developed a reputation for both strongman tactics and preposterous boasts during a 22 year presidency, which he suggested could last “a billion years.” The other name on the ballot was Adama Barrow, a realtor... In a signal that 2016 should perhaps be called the Year of the Property Developer, results surprised the world by indicating that Barrow had scored a victory.
Read MoreWanted: Federal Position
In sum, the government is struggling to attract the upcoming generation and soon the government will be in dire need of new employees. What could go wrong? Clearly, a federal hiring freeze contributes to, rather than alleviates the problem.
Read MoreTurning Against the Silicon Prophets: The Walling off of the Digital West
Seven years on, that spirit of tech optimism seems amusingly naïve. The Prophets of Silicon Valley were wrong. The much expected end of history remains as elusive as ever in the Digital Age. Occupy Wall Street slowly asphyxiated without a definite end game. The specter of austerity lingers across Europe. Of the nations involved in the Arab Spring, only Tunisia has made lasting democratic reforms.
Read MoreDesperate Times, Desperate Measures: Polarization around Arab-Israeli Relations
The relationship between the Middle East, the United States, and Russia is uncertain, but it is unlikely to become less contentious in the near future. The newly formed Palestinian unity government, brokered by Russia, opposes the Trump administration; the Trump administration approaches the Arab-Israeli dispute with a seemingly partial outlook. Yet, the President himself displays friendly feelings towards Russia.
Read MoreReacting to Russia: Strategies for Responding to Kremlin Hacking
My analysis makes it clear that the current deterrent goal of intelligence communities throughout the NATO countries is oriented toward the wrong kind of threat. If the U.S. and its allies are to successfully detect and defend against further Russian breaches of cybersecurity, they needs to reorient its strategy according to the Russian blueprint laid out in the Gerasimov Doctrine.
Read MoreThird Culture Kids’ View On Immigration and Global Citizenship
When talking about immigration, political speeches are full of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ rhetoric. However, is it possible for someone to identify with both groups? The answer is yes. Such individuals are known as Third Culture Kids or Adult Third Culture Kids.
Read MoreRusso-American Tensions in the Baltics Evoke Cold War Tactics
NATO’s military amplifications, spearheaded by the Obama administration, come at the heels of President Trump’s incendiary comments regarding the U.S.’ pledge to protect the Baltic nations from Moscow. When asked about the U.S.’ commitment to protecting these states from a Russian invasion, Trump argued that the United States would only protect the Baltics if they fulfilled their economic and martial obligations to NATO.
Read MoreU.S. Bases: The Good, the Bad, and the Future
Some key U.S. bases abroad are coming under harsh criticism from their host nations such as Japan, the Philippines, and Turkey. Despite the key role that bases play in U.S. defense and foreign policy, the topic of U.S. bases abroad is generally ignored in the popular media. This piece seeks to delve into the current controversies surrounding Washington’s bases abroad, to discuss their benefits and drawbacks, and to evaluate how these institutions will likely evolve during the Trump presidency.
Read MoreThe Fountain Pen Century
With a stroke of a pen, Putin completed the annexation of Crimea, but the confidence and power projected by the bare-chested horse-riding is completely ruined by the amateurism of annexing a region with a common Montblanc Meisterstück 149.
Read MoreAmerica and China: Unlikely, but Necessary Friends
China’s growing power marks the first time the U.S. has faced a serious “peer competitor” since the Cold War, bringing great power politics back into play. But is China’s rise necessarily a zero-sum game, where one nation benefits at the expense of another, for the United States?
Read MoreFull Veil Ban Controversy Sweeps Europe
At a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) gathering earlier this month, German chancellor Angela Merkel called for a nationwide full-face veil ban. One statement she made at this conference particularly grabbed the attention of news media- “The full veil is not appropriate here. It should be forbidden wherever that is legally possible.”
Read MoreA FARC-e? Cautious Optimism in Colombia as 2016 Nears End
It was a strange development in an already strange year for democracy; just like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, in 2016 Colombian voters made a decision that seemed to make little sense to the rest of the world. On October 3, voters rejected a peace deal between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by its Spanish acronym, FARC)...
Read MoreBoots on the Ground: Chinese Hard Power Gains in the Horn of Africa
On January 21, 2016, China announced the construction of its first overseas military installation in Djibouti, located next to the Gulf of Aden and within arm’s reach of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Read MoreThe Sino-Russian Border: A 2500 Mile Problem
As the aftermath of the U.S. election and crises in the Middle East monopolize the world’s attention, signs of tension are quietly emerging in the remote hinterlands of northern Asia. On the banks of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, an age-old dilemma between Russia and China is resurfacing on the two countries’ 2, 500 mile border.
Read MoreCulture Clash: The Burkini, and What It's All Really About
The ban represents a tangible product of deeper insecurities founded in the intersection of French national identity, immigration, and assimilation.
Read MoreOld Problems, New Agreements: China’s Armed Drone Exports
Recently, the United States, along with 52 other countries, issued the “Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).” While this declaration is a necessary first step for standardizing armed UAV export practices, the signatures of many states are conspicuously absent, namely China.
Read MoreIran: Expanding its Regional Influence
More than 18 months have passed since parties laid the framework for the Iranian nuclear deal. Though some of Iran’s assets remain frozen and the entirety of its global trade is halted, Tehran has behaved like a child set loose in a candy store with $100 billion and a hankering for something sweet.
Read MoreTrump’s Presidency: An Uncertain Future for China
Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in the November 8 U.S presidential election received much attention in China. As mass protests against Trump erupted across a number of major U.S cities, Chinese netizens celebrated on social media platform Weibo, and some stores even went as far as offering sales in response to the U.S election results.
Read MoreJustice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
On September 28, 2016, Congress overrode President Barack Obama’s veto against the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” (JASTA), making the bill a law. This law has the potential to sour U.S. relations with other countries (especially Saudi Arabia) and defies the international law of Sovereign Immunity.
Read MoreThe Forgotten War
In the lead up to the U.S. presidential elections, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, the longest in U.S. history, garnered little, if any, coverage. A 15-year war that has cost 686 billion USD and killed 2,300 U.S. troops thus far warrants some national discussion.
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