Category Topical

International Development, North America

USAID and the Trump Foreign Aid Doctrine

April 29, 2025

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, the administration launched a concerted attack on the U.S. foreign aid framework,[1] sending shockwaves through the global humanitarian landscape. Under a cloud of misinformation about USAID, this decision has already cost lives,…

Europe, Security & Conflict

Visions of Russia’s Imperial Future

April 20, 2025

History knows only very few examples of attempts to rebuild once collapsed empires, but it looks as if Vladimir Putin’s Russia is exhibiting such an attempt. More than a decade ago, I co-edited an anthology on the collapse of the…

Asia Pacific, Policy & Politics

The Silent Parallels of US-China Rivalry: A Clash of Power, Not Models

April 4, 2025

Despite stark contrasts—if not outright opposition—between modern China and the United States, subtle yet undeniable parallels have emerged across society, economy, and politics. These similarities are shaped by mutual influences and shared challenges, even as the two nations remain locked…

Asia Pacific, Security & Conflict

In the Shadow of Giants: Assessing the Strategic Ambitions and Political Implications of the Chinese Aircraft Carrier

March 11, 2025

Having lived through an era of carrier-enabled US naval domination of the high seas for decades, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been relentlessly bolstering its naval capability in defense of its most critical national interests. In the maritime…

Security & Conflict, South America

El Salvador’s Controversial Offer: Housing U.S. Criminals in Its Mega-Prison

March 7, 2025

El Salvador’s ‘maverick’[1] president, Nayib Bukele, has proposed a unique agreement with the United States, offering to house American criminals and deportees[2] in its notorious mega-prison, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Terrorism Confinement Center, abbreviated CECOT). This unprecedented deal, put…

Civil Society, Policy & Politics

The Role of Soft Power in the Digital Age

March 7, 2025

Social media and technological advances have drastically changed international communication, which has an impact on how countries exercise influence. The phrase “soft power,” which was coined by Joseph Nye[1], describes a nation’s capacity to influence international events via seduction as…

Policy & Politics, South America

Diplomacy for Democracy: Why Venezuela Did Not Defy the Odds like Guatemala

March 2, 2025

On January 15, 2024, after months of a tumultuous post-election political and democratic crisis that placed Guatemala at the top of the political agenda in the Americas, Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as president of Central America’s largest economy. Basic…

North America, Policy & Politics

Social Media, Disinformation, and AI: Transforming the Landscape of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Political Campaigns

January 14, 2025

Political campaigns have been repurposed to accommodate the importance of social media platforms as powerful tools for communication, outreach, and influence. The 2024 U.S. presidential election highlighted the key role of social media presence in reaching the American audience. Candidates…

International Development, Middle East, Regional

Participatory Interfaith Dialogue and Development:The Keys to Addressing People’s Needs in Morocco

January 7, 2025

Morocco’s Multicultural Gateway to Community Development Morocco’s policy for national multiculturalism and the diversity of its historic identity groups has emphasized the importance of intergroup dialogue and its role as a “bridge” to human development. In recent years, the Moroccan…

Governance & Law, North America, Policy & Politics, Regional

Three Myths About the Jimmy Carter Presidency

January 6, 2025

Jimmy Carter was a complex man who led the United States in a complex era. He lived humbly but was not humble. He believed in forgiveness but was unforgiving. He promised that his administration would be transparent, but he personally…

Middle East, Policy & Politics

The Contributions of Constructivism in Studying Political Islam Movements’ Foreign Policies

January 2, 2025

What happens to the theoretical and methodological presuppositions of researchers who have to deal with a grammar of International Relations that is more often than not different from, or even in competition with their own, and whose objective is the…

Security & Conflict, South America

From Bullets to Hugs: Mexico’s Security Jarabe

December 24, 2024

Understanding AMLO’s De-Securitization Towards Drug Trafficking Through a Human Security Lens [1] In the shadow of escalating violence and entrenched insecurity, Mexico found itself at a critical juncture as it transitioned from the Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto administrations…