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Civil Society Governance & Law Policy & Politics Regional Security & Conflict South America Topical

Can the Government Police Itself? Colombia’s False Positives Scandal and its Lessons for Atrocity Prevention

Introduction In April of 2022, a Colombian general and ten other servicemembers admitted that they had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.[1] It was the first time that senior Colombian military officials admitted to wrongdoing since the systemic killing of innocents began almost two decades prior in what became known as the “false positives” […]

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Asia Pacific North America Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

Will Biden’s New Truman Doctrine Offset the Sino-Russian Pact?

During his maiden trip to Asia as president in late May 2022, Joe Biden implied that the United States would take stronger military action to defend Taiwan against China than his administration has taken to support Ukraine to fight against Russia.[1] While meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo, Biden’s robust declaration evidently […]

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Book Reviews Economics Energy & Environment North America Policy & Politics

Review: Robert Vitalis’ Oilcraft: The Myths of Scarcity and Security that Haunt U.S. Energy Policy

Of all the myths and fabrications that exist in political discourse, few are more stubbornly persistent than the scarcity of resources and the policies supposedly needed to control them. Today, that discourse has converged around one definitive commodity: oil. The omnipresence of oil in the modern economy is eclipsed only by the persistent belief in […]

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Asia Pacific North America Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

How to Weaken the China-Russia Axis: Historical Lessons from Great-Power Competition

Key Judgments Growing ties between Moscow and Beijing threaten US national security. American strategic planners should consider undermining these ties as a strategic imperative. This goal remains achievable if pursued with vigor because Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has exposed differences in worldviews between Moscow and Beijing. While these differences are not necessarily chasmic, […]

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Economics North America Policy & Politics

Domestic Policy Is Foreign Policy: Wage Stagnation and Income Inequality Threaten America’s Leadership Abroad

The negative economic effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are being felt around the world. Here in the United States, Americans face rising gas and food prices, with more trickle-down consequences on the way. The majority of Americans have been supportive of the Biden administration’s response to the Ukraine crisis.[1] The latest Russian invasion has […]

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Civil Society Europe Policy & Politics

We All Are Ukrainians

Diplomacy[1] failed to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine, leaving tens of millions at grave risk of losing their lives, independence, and freedom. The tragedy of war is upon Ukrainians, with its effects being felt around the world. Many are asking what Putin’s geopolitical goals are and what the end of the crisis will be. These […]

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Asia Pacific Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

North Korean Propaganda: The Beauty Tactic

North Korea recent attempts to change its image in the world should be viewed with caution, according to SAIS student Jaeeun Lee. She identifies several recent examples of North Korea’s use of the “beauty tactic.” By placing beautiful women such as Ri Sol-ju and beauty cheerleader squads at the center stage of their recent diplomatic efforts, she argues that the country is employing a diplomatic façade meant to obscure the reality of the regime.

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Economics International Development South America

Too Many Remittances?

At a time where the international flow of remittances has received a great deal of criticisms by those on the political right, Jorge de Leon Miranda, a researcher at the International Monetary Fund, attempts to investigate the magnitude and effects of international remittances. In doing so, he discovered that remittances from the United States make up a great deal of the remittance inflow for at least fifteen countries and that the level of remittance inflow has an appreciable effect level of that country’s development.

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Asia Pacific Economics North America Policy & Politics

The 2012 Presidential Election and U.S.-China Relations

In her op-ed, Molly Silver examines the candidates’ rhectoric on China and its implications for U.S.-China relations.

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Asia Pacific Book Reviews Economics Governance & Law North America Policy & Politics

In A G-Zero World, It’s Every Nation For Itself

Devin Stewart reviews Ian Bremmer’s new book, “Every Nation For Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World.”