Category Policy & Politics
The RCEP minus India: Reasons and Implications
The RCEP was to be a potent vehicle to support the spread of global production networks and reduce the inefficiencies of the multiple prior Asian trade agreements. Yet India still pulled out. Why?
How a Population of 4.2 Billion Could Impact Africa by 2100: The Possible Economic, Demographic, and Geopolitical Outcomes
Since the United Nations released the 2017 edition of its annual World Population Prospects report that predicted a surge in the population of Africa as early as 2050, African leaders and development economists have debated how the continent should prepare. This article analyzes Africa's looming demographic explosion and its likely consequences to help provide the foundational knowledge required for African leaders to make informed policy decisions.
Three to Tango: Argentina, IMF, and Debt
An examination of Argentina’s current political economy reveals that many structural vulnerabilities persist to this day. Will the current IMF program work?
The Nuclear Spectrum
Much of the public discourse on nuclear security is based on the implications of binary scenarios: a nuclear state versus a non-nuclear one. This approach does not account for the fact that beyond these two positions lies a spectrum of relative nuclear capabilities and characteristics. Factors that determine the position of a state in this nuclear spectrum include the size of its nuclear arsenal, its delivery capabilities, the vulnerabilities of its nuclear infrastructure, and its tactical deployment strategy. The state’s relative position, in turn, produces different security implications.
The Superpower and the “Stans”: Why Central Asia is Not “Central” to the United States
Although Central Asia stands as a region of strategic importance, relations between the United States and the five Central Asian republics are limited in scope. Why? [T]he absence of a Central Asian lobby, the nature of the many “linkages” between the “Stans” and other nearby Great Powers, and the onset of a “New Cold War” between Russia and the West impede the fostering of greater ties between the United States and the Central Asian republics. Central Asia’s importance from a U.S./Western perspective will also likely continue to dissipate unless local elites implement significant reforms in the near future.
From the Canal to the Comarca: Industrial Policy for Inclusive Growth in Panama
Following 25 years of GDP growth, Panama is at a turning point. It must simultaneously address both sides of these longstanding divides. In keeping with this line of thinking, the solution also relies on a dual approach. Panama should further its industrial policies both “in the small” to support current comparative advantages and “in the large” to facilitate the creation of new ones.
Crisis in Venezuela: the United States’ Duty to Respond
If you turn on the news today, you will most likely hear about the recent government shutdown, our military presence in the Middle East, or a number of other domestic and international issues. But what will most likely not be discussed, or at least at length, is the threat the Venezuelan crisis poses to the United States.
Franco-German Relations: Transition of Power in the EU, But the Same Message
If France and Germany are not able to maintain a pro-democratic message, the liberal world order will lose its foothold in Europe. Fragmentation in German politics is among the greatest threats to the democratic cause.
The Future of Diplomacy and the Hand of Social Media
Can governments eventually learn to better utilize and appreciate the growing influence of social media? The answer is not clear, and the future of diplomacy is yet to be written.
Why U.S. Foreign Aid Should Not Be Conditioned on United Nations General Assembly Voting Patterns
Tying U.S. aid to individual recipient countries’ voting patterns in the UNGA ... would ultimately deprive the United States of a great tool with which it has so uniquely built its greatness around the world and the world around it: foreign aid.
A Brief Introduction to Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies for Informed Policymaking
Blockchain has swept contemporary discourse, from tech circles to governments worldwide. But many presentations of blockchain often either oversimplify what it actually is or aim at highly technical audiences. Basic historical and technical understanding are prerequisites for informed consideration of blockchain’s implications, as well as for bringing its potential to bear in new domains. Providing that understanding is the purpose of this paper.