Pipe bombs and IEDs have finally ripped apart the West from its African allies. For over a decade, the United States and France have built strategic relationships across the Sahel, pairing counterterror efforts with democratic reform. However, the sheer force of insurgent violence has exposed these partnerships as a failure. Starting in 2020, the conditions […]
Tag: Russia
Ideologies on Ice
Is it possible for ideas to freeze, to chip, to settle in a snowbank, to blow away in a winter storm? Can ideas be ice? Today, the Arctic is a battleground of competing philosophies; ways to live, to govern, and to relate to others, all struggling to find their footing amongst the shifting tundra. As […]
MAXimizing Surveillance
When users experienced a “metallic buzzing” on WhatsApp and Telegram calls starting in Aug. 2025, Russia’s state internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, claimed it was because the platforms acted as aids in alleged fraud and terrorism. Just a week after the initial interference, the Kremlin announced a mandate that the VK messaging app Max would come preinstalled […]
Playing for Politics
When Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was ousted over a helmet featuring athletes killed in Russia’s invasion forty-five minutes before his competition and just about one week into the Games, it was not the only reminder in Milano Cortina that the Olympics do not unfold in a political vacuum. Anti-ICE protests, Russian athletes again competing […]
Estonia’s Iron Lady Takes Center Stage in European Politics
At just 1.4 million people, Estonia’s entire population is smaller than the city of Paris. As a quiet, reserved country, Estonia may be unassuming, but its people are formidable. For leaders like Kaja Kallas, it is that calm, fierce, and profoundly underestimated spirit that drives her courageous leadership. Numbers are never a deciding factor when […]
Russia’s Human Assembly Line
Russia has never been busier — or more exhausted. After three years of war, the Kremlin boasts record-low unemployment and record-high labor shortages. Factories can’t find welders, farms can’t find drivers, and the defense industry is devouring what’s left of the civilian workforce. The result is an economy that runs without advancing — its motion […]
Geopolitical Tug-of-War: Moldova Decides Between an EU or Russian Future
Between Romania and Ukraine, a tiny country in Eastern Europe is choosing its path for the future in historic parliamentary elections. The neighboring war in Ukraine and the country’s own ongoing challenges mark this collective choice as especially important. The Republic of Moldova held critical parliamentary elections on Sep. 28 for all 101 seats in […]
Diplomacy as Performance in Trump’s Saudi Strategy
Unlike most U.S. presidents who traditionally make their first foreign trip to Canada or Mexico, Donald Trump broke precedent in 2017 by choosing Saudi Arabia and returning again in 2019. These visits signaled a dramatic recentering of U.S. foreign policy around Riyadh, reflecting Trump’s fascination with Saudi wealth, spectacle, and geopolitical leverage. Yet, as Saudi […]
Where is Trump leading NASA?
When the world watched Neil Armstrong take mankind’s first steps on the moon in 1969, the United States solidified its place in leading the push into the great unknown of space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in turn, not only elevated humanity’s collective knowledge but also America’s international reputation for scientific innovation. However, […]
Dismantling U.S. Economic Dominance, BRIC by BRIC
The greatest threat to the U.S. dollar isn’t a rival currency–it’s a financial system that doesn’t need one. And that’s exactly what the BRICS alliance–originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–is trying to build. What started as a loose economic partnership has evolved into a strategic alliance bent on dismantling U.S. economic dominance. But […]
The Shadow Fleet’s Hidden Hand: Russia’s Sabotage of Underwater Infrastructure
The Cold War might be over, but the cables beneath the Baltic Sea suggest otherwise. In a world increasingly dependent on digital connections and undersea infrastructure, Russia’s maritime behavior feels less like routine navigation and more like a game of cloak-and-dagger warfare. The culprit? Russia’s elusive “shadow fleet”—a murky network of commercial-looking vessels suspected of […]
With Fear for Democracy, the World Dissents: The Authoritarian Surge
Reflecting on the historical tides of American politics, resisting Russian influence was a bipartisan imperative, with conservatives leading the charge against Soviet expansionism during the Cold War. Today, however, that dynamic has shifted, with segments of the American right increasingly willing to align themselves with the Kremlin, a development that would have once been unthinkable. […]
Might Makes Right: the DRC, Rwanda, and a Shifting World Order
The winding path of international politics has reached a fork of values: enduring liberalism versus an emergent imperialism. Our new path will be chosen in Central Africa, a war-ridden and oft-ignored part of the world, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a resurgence of violence inflicted by its neighbor Rwanda. In 2012, […]
Medals and Meddling: Unraveling the Olympic Paradox
This year’s Olympic games were one for the books. The world watched, enamored, as Simone Biles won gold after gold, as Turkish Yusuf Dikec nonchalantly walked to the stand and fired bullseye after bullseye, as Australian Rachael Gunn did her best interpretation of a kangaroo interpreting the movement of a dying fish. For a few […]
“Nothing But a Stain Will Remain”: Russia and the Baltics Threatening Nuclear War
The world has grown numb to the idea of nuclear war. Generations of children grew up practicing nuclear drills under their high school desks, as if fake wood covered in old gum and graffiti would fend off a nuclear winter. As a result, international media has given little coverage to the newest threats, dismissing them […]
Drone Warfare is Eroding the Right to Life
Technology has made war feel as remote as a video game: armed drones hover above like silent arbiters of life and death, striking targets with the press of a button. These “precision” machines, initially confined to distant battlefields, are now used in routine counter-terrorism operations and even domestic policing. But who really pays the price […]
Fraud at the Polls: The Last Stand for Democracy
In the early hours of July 28, Venezuelans lined up outside polling stations across the country, hoping to cast their votes for a new president, a new beginning. They waited in the sweltering heat, talking in hopeful whispers about change. But by nightfall, their hope was shattered. Nicolás Maduro, long accused of authoritarian tactics, declared […]
Russia’s Grip on Sovereignty and Democracy
Ukraine fights for freedom, while Belarus clings to dictatorship. At the heart of both struggles lies the same force: Vladimir Putin’s relentless pursuit of control over post-Soviet states. Ukraine is not the only country fighting against Russian influence. Aleksandr Lukashenko, who embraces the title as Europe’s last dictator, was elected president of Belarus in 1994. […]
Transnistria Could Be the Next Greatest Threat to Ukraine
Two days ahead of the Russian presidential election, incumbent President Vladimir Putin was asked in a national address about the potential use of nuclear weapons in the Russia-Ukraine War. He replied that he currently doesn’t see the point, but that “weapons exist in order to use them.” The war is quickly ratcheting up, and with […]
No More Neutrality: Swedish Accession to NATO
In a seismic departure from its long-standing policy of military neutrality, Sweden has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The decision, made against the backdrop of heightened Russian aggression and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, marks a significant turning point in Sweden’s foreign policy. As Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson poignantly said, “Sweden […]
Chipping Away at the Bloc: Hungary’s Crossroads with the EU
Following the large-scale casualties of World War II, the human condition was at its trough. Some 75 million lost their lives, and a similar number of people were forced to flee their home countries. Consequently, the European Union (EU) formed, intended to create a coalition that negotiates intercontinental peace in the midst of conflict. However, […]
Armenia Is on The Precipice. What Will The World Do?
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the South Caucasus has been at the crossroads of regional and great power geopolitics. For the past three decades, the most difficult to navigate of these flashpoints is Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian-majority enclave in Azerbaijan has long been at the center of a power struggle between Armenia and Azerbaijan. […]
The Koreas: Stars of a Familiar Global Standoff
70 years after South Korea and North Korea called a ceasefire on their ongoing armed conflict, tensions have run high between the two countries, but not culminating in mass violence. Their diplomatic relations continue to remain frosty, and their differences have diverged further through their respective alliances with the United States and Russia. Given the […]
Dissatisfaction and Disappointment at UNGA78
“Compromise has become a dirty word. Our world needs statesmanship, not gamesmanship and gridlock . . . It is time for a global compromise. Politics is compromise. Diplomacy is compromise. Effective leadership is compromise. Leaders have a social responsibility to compromise in building the common future of peace and prosperity for our common good.” With […]
India’s Newfound Leadership Status in the Global South: A Recap of the 2023 G20
Recently, the Group of Twenty major world economies, also known as the G20, met in New Delhi to pursue environmental and social concerns through international economic cooperation. With an ever-growing global economy and the unique international political moment of the Global South looking for a bridge to the West, India could step into that role […]
No Freedom of Expression: Russia’s Crackdown on Dissenting Musicians
On a crisp autumn evening in 2014, fans packed into Moscow’s International House of Music to see one of Russia’s most famous musicians, Andrei Makareivich, perform. However, just a few minutes into the concert, Russian nationalists would pepper spray the crowded venue. While attacking the attendees, they chanted that Makereivich was a traitor due to […]
Reworking Rocky Relations: What Burkina Faso’s New Alliances Mean for the Region
Last month, Burkina Faso rocked global news when it announced the termination of its military agreement with France. The ex-colonial European power had been occupying the jihadist-hit West African state since 2014. It has dispersed around 400 special troops in efforts to expand its presence in the Sahel region. Burkina Faso is still combatting an […]
IOC Bans 2024 Olympic Athletes Due to Nationality
“There is no such thing as neutrality when a war like this is going on, it is obvious that any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood.” – Volodymyr Zelensky In succinct unity with Ukraine, 30 countries including the United States are threatening to pull out of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games being […]
Putin’s Side Project, and the Warning It Sends to Democracies
Written in July 2022 As Vladimir Putin’s baseless war in Ukraine unfolds, the Russian propaganda machine has been hard at work churning out false narratives—like asserting the U.S. and Ukraine are training birds and reptiles to spread viral pathogens in Russia. Though seemingly trivial, this claim may be the pretext for the use of chemical […]
The New Switzerland: India on Russo-Ukrainian War
The international political community, a victim of increasing globalization, has grown to be an intertwined, tangled web of complex alliances. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent his years in office with an intense focus on foreign affairs and international relations, engaging actively with nations across the globe. While Modi works his way around the […]
War Within a War: Sexual Violence in Ukraine
Trigger Warning: Discussion of sexual assault and violence against women The United Nations departments of Sexual Violence in Conflict and UN Women put forth a joint statement on April 9th stating that they are “gravely concerned about mounting allegations of sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls in the context of the war in Ukraine.” […]
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and The Present Global Food Crisis
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought the world to the brink of what Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has described as a potentially “apocalyptic” food crisis. The ongoing conflict has halted agricultural exports from Ukraine, a country long known as the breadbasket of Europe and Russia and the world’s largest exporter of wheat and […]
Piecing Back a Shattered Peace in Europe: An Interview with Darren C. Zook
Professor Darren C. Zook teaches in Political Studies and Global Studies at UC Berkeley. His research interests include human rights, comparative Asian politics, international law, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. BPR sat down with him, dressed in one of his signature floral-patterned shirts, to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War’s impact on international law […]
Media Bias Covering the Russian Invasion
As Ukrainians continue to be forced out of their homes, lose loved ones, and are scared for the future, countries around the world have rallied their support. Still, news of wars and refugees isn’t new, and when asked what makes this situation different, reporters have shamelessly stated that Ukraine is a “white” and “Christian” country. […]
The Sino-Russian Relationship: Out of Sincerity, or Forced by Circumstance?
The scenes of the 2022 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony in Beijing stuck out as a muted affair compared to the pomp and grandeur of the Summer Olympics fourteen years ago. While the 2008 Olympics symbolized China’s ascent onto the world stage among the world’s great powers, the 2022 Winter Olympics instead highlight China’s increasing isolation […]
Russia’s Losing Fight Against the Coronavirus
Much of the world is facing the beginnings of a post-pandemic world. While countries are starting to return to a semblance of normalcy given high vaccination rates, Russia is going into lockdown. The 25th of October marked a new somber milestone—what Russians refer to as “анти-рекорд” (anti-record)—of 37,930 cases in 24 hours. The day also […]
Russian Media Experienced Unprecedented Crackdown Ahead of Parliamentary Elections
Over the past few months, many organisations in Russia have been faced with new pressures from the government which severely limit their ability to function. This came at a time when United Russia — the political party most loyal to Putin — sought to secure a majority in the Duma, the lower house of the […]
Who Has Missiles, Who Buys Missiles, Who Decides
Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, according to friends I’ve spoken with, successfully romanticized the arms contracting business in the 2016 movie War Dogs. Guns, girls, excitement and fear all play into the fetishes in a boy’s mind should he be raised amidst American capitalism and the international military industrial complex. The film focuses on those […]
The Litany of Consequences if Kremlin Critic Alexey Navalny Dies
Alexey Navalny is a man of many names: Russian dissident, opposition leader, activist, investigator, lawyer, nationalist. Navalny, the most famous Russian opposition leader against Putin’s regime, is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for embezzlement. Beginning in the early 2010s, Navalny came to embody the possibility of change under an increasing dictatorial regime. Prior to […]
Trauma Such as This in Peacetime: The Story of the 2020 Belarusian Protests
“I saw bruises that covered their entire bodies…I was particularly struck by a bruise on the face of one of the patients. It had the shape of a boot sole. The patient had been kicked in the face….I never could have imagined that I would see trauma such as this in peacetime.” These are the […]
Vaccine Disparities: The Future of Foreign Policy?
As the end of Covid-19 slowly dawns, and with it the advent of a vaccine, a troubling trend is on the rise. Faced with worldwide lockdowns that had a crippling effect on the global economy, public health, and the world at large, scientists from all over rushed to create a vaccine that would finally put […]
Imprisonment of controversial dissenter sparks protests across Russia
Russian politician and activist Alexei Navalny returned to Moscow on January 17, after five months spent recovering in a German hospital from a near fatal poisoning, which he blames on Vladimir Putin. Navalny was immediately arrested upon his return, as the government threatened would happen, and has since been sentenced to a penal colony for […]
The last stronghold of resistance: Idlib in War
Buried under the very important and drastic news of the ‘stock market crash’ and concerns over Bernie Sanders’ health lies the “insignificant” story of bloodshed and misery: the War for Idlib. In March 2011, when the Arab Spring spilled over into Syria, the Syrian people and the international community thought that change was underway. However, […]
What’s In A Word? The Republic Of North Macedonia And NATO
The EU accession process is not an easy one. To win support from current members, states pursuing membership must often make hard-fought diplomatic compromises and concerted efforts to put their domestic affairs in order. North Macedonia was expected to have a particularly difficult time; the government faces major ethnic tensions with Bulgaria and still faces […]
Gangs and Gulags: How Vladimir Putin Utilizes Organized Crime to Power his Mafia State
“I’m sorry, the Russian Mafia is after me.” While this statement sounds like it’s straight out of a 1960s Bond movie, it was actually uttered by disgraced NFL defensive lineman Justin Bannan on October 16th after non-fatally shooting a woman in a building he partly owned. The validity of Bannon’s claim is for prosecutors to […]
Heating up in the High Arctic
The idea of global warming has physically manifested itself most clearly in the melting ice caps. Series of satellite images can quantitatively determine that polar ice is receding at an alarming rate. Most often the narrative goes towards saving polar bears and seals, but rarely do people’s minds jump to the thought of warships steaming […]
Que Sarin, Sarin
Accusations of war crimes far predate the international law that defines those crimes; the first recorded international trial for war crimes occurred in 1474, while formal international law on the subject was only promulgated in the 1890s. Of course, once the concept of a war crime emerged, the exploitation of war crime accusations for political […]
Ukraine Wants Weapons, and NATO Should Give it to Them
Four years after Russia violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and seized the Crimean Peninsula, it is clear that Putin got exactly what he wanted—and at little cost. While Russia used direct and decisive military action, the international community responded with underwhelming sanctions and words of admonishment. Years later, Ukraine remains tormented by constant attacks from pro-Russian […]
Why the 2020 Census Will be Fundamentally Undemocratic (and we cannot fix it in time)
Did you know that the 2010 United States census missed upwards of 400,000 Latino children? Doing so rendered them effectively invisible in the eyes of the government. As a result, 400,000 children were denied much-needed school and community funds. This census occurs each decade in an attempt to precisely apportion congressional districts and distribute federal […]
Interview with Jonathan Reiber, cybersecurity expert
Jonathan Reiber is a security expert currently serving as Senior Advisor at Technology for Global Security, a think-tank in Palo Alto, California, and a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. A frequent public speaker, his writing and work has been featured in Foreign Policy and Literary Hub and highlighted by the Atlantic and […]
NATO: Losing Sight of the North Atlantic?
President Trump’s campaign trail rhetoric focused heavily on presenting a tough, assertive image of American power. Indeed, he broke new ground in toughness — not only did he take traditional US opponents to task, but traditional allies as well. At a July 2016 campaign rally in Wisconsin, Trump had harsh words for the North Atlantic Treaty […]
How Climate Change Will Empower Russia
Former Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Rajendra Pachauri once said, “Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change.” People fear that the very existence of the planet may be in jeopardy, given the reality of anthropogenic global warming and the fact that sea levels are rising, oceans are […]
A Real Pain in the Dniester: A New Era of Tension in Moldova
Moldova is the 33rd-largest country in Europe, a small slice of land tucked between Ukraine and Romania. Politically, however, it is stuck between the EU and Russia. While this corner of the continent rarely makes headlines in the United States, it is far from tranquil and has been unable to escape the strategic maneuvering of […]
To Engage or Not to Engage: Diplomacy with North Korea?
Editors’ disclaimer: this debate was crafted during early 2018, before the development of new events between North and South Korea’s possible peace treaty that would formally end the Korean War. The contents discussed in the debate below ought to be evaluated as if such a groundbreaking event has yet to occur. RESOLVED: The United States […]
Papa Putin and Mother Russia: The Historical and Political Implications of Domestic Violence in Russia
In Russia, nearly 40 women die every day due to domestic violence. This rate is around three per day in the United States. The women that survive are too often left with scars, burns, or permanent disabilities, and are subject to continued threats or violence. Despite this, in February of 2017, Russia’s legislature overwhelmingly passed […]
Mobile Voting: The Next Step in Expanding Democracy
On July 4th, 1776, the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to draft the Declaration of Independence, separating the colonies from the oppressive British monarchy on the principle that a government that didn’t represent the interests of the people had no right to govern. Upon later establishing a representative democracy, the power of voting and the […]
By Any Other Name: Kazakhstan’s Alphabet Migration
Kazakhstan is no stranger to changes in the national language. In the country’s history, the written script has changed four times while the language in question, Kazakh, has remained the same. Migrating from its original runic scripts, Kazakh adapted adopted Arabic script under the influence of Islamic traders in the 8th century, modified it slightly […]
Still Stuck in the Cold War? Turkey, NATO, Russia, and the Art of Patronage
Russia announces new arms deals almost daily, and successfully completes them nearly as often. But the sale of Russian arms to a NATO member is a strikingly rare event. Last month, Turkey signed an agreement to purchase the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system from Russia, following in the footsteps of Belarus, Algeria, and China, all […]
A Matter of Pride and Prejudice: The Firing of FBI Director James Comey
It all began as an October surprise. On October 30, 2016, just days before the Presidential election that would cause an upset of historical proportions as Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, headlines read much like this Politico one: “The Very Political James Comey: The FBI director says he doesn’t […]
Fear and Loathing in the Balkans
On January 14, 18 years since the end of the Kosovo War and six days before the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump in the United States, a train left Belgrade, Serbia, bound for the city of Mitrovica. Mitrovica lies in either northern Kosovo or southern Serbia, depending on who you ask, and that train […]
Uncle Sam Wants Your Rubles
Good morning, Americans. Or shall I say, доброе утро! Doesn’t it make you feel warm and fuzzy inside to know that since Donald Trump was elected President on November 8, five dozen Russian billionaires have seen their net worths skyrocket by a total of 27 billion dollars? One of these billionaires, an aluminum tycoon […]
Cybercrime: The Spark Which Started Russia’s Cyber Crusade
On the day the Soviet Union fell, the whole world watched, looking to see what would rise from the ashes of the fallen empire. By 1998, Russia’s military spending hit an all time low, and it was expected that the new federation could not compare to it’s glorious military past. Yet over the next decade, […]
A New Sino-Soviet Split
Trump’s policy of pursuing closer relations with Russia has been the center of much ridicule, often dismissed without any consideration. Yet, if carried out correctly, it could become the next diplomatic revolution. Today, the United States is stuck in a quandary. Its two biggest rivals, China and Russia, are growing closer and closer together. In […]
Terminator in Transition: Should drones be able to think for themselves?
The metal body flies without effort against the sky – searching, synthesizing, processing data at an inhuman speed. A specific face has been imprinted on this machine. Once found, the machine can summarily end that person’s life. This drone responds to no ground operator. It is autonomous – and lethal. This weapon does not come […]
Ringed by Walls – Changing Perceptions of Israel in the U.S and Abroad
As President Barack Obama delivered the words “A nation ringed by walls will only imprison itself”, many analysts pointed the statement as an adage against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Of the fences of Guantanamo Bay, the trade barriers of the Asia Pacific, the obstacles to American citizenship, Obama’s farewell address to the United Nations […]
A Shadowy Web of Unknowns: Unearthing the Underground Economy in Nuclear Materials
100 tons of plutonium, 1,000 tons of highly enriched uranium, and 30,000 nuclear warheads make up the known Russian nuclear arsenal today. However, following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, large parts of the USSR’s vast arsenal of nuclear-grade weaponry were left scattered and unmonitored, meaning the actual arsenal size may be much […]
Putin’s New Plaything
Vladimir Putin is like a cat. People don’t know what he’s thinking, and the fact that he is unpredictable makes him an enigma. However, the stakes are too high to keep misinterpreting Putin’s intentions. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine in 2014 and its recent increase in military aid to Syria demonstrate that Putin is […]
Northwest Passage
With the relentless pace at which global climate change has marched forward, the northern bastions of ice have been reduced to mere skeletons, the ice melt rapidly accelerating since the 1970s.These extensive topological shifts in the Arctic have fueled a renewed political debate over the resource rich lands and potential trade routes of the North. […]
The Deal of the Decade
Many thought this day would never come. In an interesting turn of events, negotiations between the United States and Iran over a developing nuclear deal are currently underway. Secretary of State John Kerry has led negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif over a deal in which sanctions on Iran would be lifted on […]
Apocalypse Tomorrow
Part 4 of a series on U.S. cybersecurity. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. -Albert Einstein The age of cyberwarfare is finally upon us. This transformation is irreversible; former Defense Secretary Chuck […]
The Northern Sea Route: Could It Be The New Suez Canal?
Under the influence of climate change, Arctic ice is melting away. This scares climatologists, but also intriguingly creates possible economic benefits. The melted ice has opened trade routes and energy resources, attracting the interest of many of the world’s most powerful nations. However, while the melting ice has created these two potential economic benefits, only […]
Breaking the Ice: The Politics of the Arctic Council
Arctic policy has been frozen in United States political conversation for years. However, in May of 2015, the US will take over chairmanship of the Arctic Council, an understated organization for the Arctic. This comes in a time of expanding opportunities in the Arctic as well as rising tensions where caution is the lingua franca […]
Hipsters, Murals, and Putin’s New Youth Movement
It’s easy to see why Russia’s ultranationalist youth groups have earned comparisons to the Hitler Youth. Masterminded in 2005 by Kremlin ideologist and later Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, Nashi (“Ours” in English) soon became the largest among the pro-Putin youth groups. In its heyday, it was some 100,000 members strong. Nashi members attended patriotic […]
Forging a Response
Home to strategic military bases, vital trade routes, and valuable natural resources, the South China Sea represents some of the most sought after territory in the world. In terms of trade, about a third of global crude oil traffic and half of global natural gas exports travel through the South China Sea each year [1]. […]
Underestimation Nation
On October 15th Fox News presented a poll that found 58% of Americans felt “things in the world are ‘going to hell in a handbasket.” [1] These findings tell us two things. First, we should probably question the quality of Fox News polls when a question legitimately uses the term “Hell in a handbasket” to […]
Wasteful Stadiums
The Manaus, Brazil World Cup stadium cost $300 million to build. Source: Brasil.gov The 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted in Brazil has been the most popular one yet. One Brazilian channel attracted a whopping 42.9 million viewers for a single game, the largest global sports viewing audience this year. The ESPN World Cup coverage even broke […]
Hasty Military Maneuvers
The global community continues to hear about the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At the NATO summit in Wales on September 5th, Prime Minister Poroshenko called on NATO nations to come to the defense of Ukraine in light of the latest failed cease–fire. While the conflict between the two countries is becoming increasingly more […]
Are Cold War Politics at Play in the Closure of Manas Air Base?
Next fall will be a busy time of year for our dysfunctional government. Faced with the prospect of midterm elections for a Congress with some of the lowest approval ratings ever and the near complete withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, our country’s bureaucrats will be hoping that nothing else will shake up the second […]
United American Emirates, The New UAE?
As recently as five years ago, energy analysts were in agreement the US would need to begin importing natural gas to keep up with rising consumption amidst depleting domestic reserves. Fast-forward half a decade and the US sits atop one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, looking to break into the lucrative […]