Written by: Arabelle Liberacki As the COP27 kicks off, the Egyptian government is attempting to silence their people in the face of a public relations nightmare. In Sharm el-Sheikh, the small strip where the conference is taking place, many preparations have been made to welcome dignitaries and officials from nations participating in the Paris Climate…
Space Satellites, Sanctions, and Social Media: What’s Going on With Elon Musk’s Latest Business Venture?
Written by: Kate Roglieri When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004, he could not have predicted that it would one day have the power to topple dictators. Yet in 2011, dissatisfaction with regimes across Northern Africa led youth protestors to organize and begin a modern political revolution using Facebook as…
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Are About to Get Railed: the CKU Railway Deal
Written by: Layne Gebert On September 14th, the heads of state of China, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan met to move forward with plans for a landmark railway deal among their countries. If finalized, this agreement will result in the construction of a rail line that runs from China through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Although there has been…
What Went Wrong for Liz Truss?
Written by: Simon Baumberger The British economy has faced numerous challenges in recent years. Brexit in particular created an uncertain economic outlook for the country with new trade restrictions regulating interactions between the UK and its largest trade partner, the European Union. Additionally, the pandemic created its own effects in the market by dragging down…
The Rise of the Far-Right in Europe: A Grim Future for the European Union
Written by: Ken Wang On Sunday, September 25th, far-right nationalist politician and president of Fratelli d’ Italia (Brothers of Italy), Giorgia Meloni secured a major election victory with 45% of the vote. With this victory, another Eurosceptic far-right politician has stepped into European politics. Meloni’s party has its roots in post-World War II neofascism, which…
The Indonesian Soccer Stampede: The Extreme Soccer and Police Devotions in Indonesia
Written by: Marija Markovic October 1, 2022: What was supposed to be a regular rival soccer match between Indonesia’s Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya resulted in a stampede, causing at least 131 deaths and more than 400 injuries. As fans stormed the field post-match, police retaliated and used tear gas and shields in an attempt…
The Coup within a Coup – Burkina Faso’s Eagerness to Combat Chronic Insecurity
Written by: Garrett Halak Experiencing “deja-vu,” the people of Burkina Faso’s capital city, Ouagadougou, awoke to gunshots for the second time in 2022. Just nine months after the takeover of democratically elected leader President Roch Kabore’s residence, the rule of newly instated military leader Paul-Henri Damiba was cut short amidst yet another coup d’etat. Across…
Abdullah Ocalan: A Revolutionary Revolutionary
Written by: William Kammerer Abdullah Ocalan is a polarizing figure that is considered the savior of the Kurdish people by some, and one of the biggest threats to regional security in the Middle East by others. His role in incubating a new brand of ideology throughout the Kurdish population in both Turkey and Syria has…
U.S. Sanctions: a Bluff, or an Effective Measure?
Written by Ken Wang Almost immediately after Putin invaded Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden joined other world leaders to impose a series of sanctions that aimed to cripple the Russian economy in the near future. This is not the first time the U.S. imposed sanctions on other countries, especially non-democratic ones, to get what it…
Authoritarianism Finds a Friend in Germany
Written by: Audrey McGrory While Germany has positioned itself as the bulwark of European interests in intercontinental and foreign affairs, its murky dealings and relationships with authoritarian regimes have influenced important policy decisions, threatening the legitimacy of international institutions and democracy. Historically, Germany has been slow to condemn and challenge the authoritarian regimes of China…
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