Foreign Policy

Houthi Rebel Attacks in the Red Sea

The Houthis are an anti-Sunni Yemeni rebel group. Since November 2023, The Houthis have launched numerous missile and drone attacks on commercial Israeli ships in the Red Sea targeting as a response to the intensifying war in Gaza. The US has responded with self-defense strikes, which was met with mixed responses from the Middle East, Europe, and regional powers.

Greece and Turkey Sign Commitment To Friendly Relations

Poor Turkish-Greek relations are influenced by centuries of ethnic divisions and conflicting land claims, which has resulted in the countries fighting two major wars against one another. Recently, a sudden and unexpected break in tensions between Greece and Turkey led to a landmark agreement to mend ties.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 were the largest single-day loss of life of Jewish people since the Holocaust, and represented the single deadliest day on Israeli soil since the state’s independence in 1948. Over 1,400 Israelis had been killed through a combination of attacks on suburban kibbutz communities and rural populations, including the Re’im Music Festival, bringing substantial social media attention to the attacks through victim-recorded footage.

Strife and Autonomy: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one a deeply rooted dispute that has plagued the South Caucasus region for decades. It can be traced back to the early 20th century when the South Caucasus region was part of the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution and the subsequent breakup of the empire, the region’s status became a flashpoint of contention between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region, an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, emerged as a focal point of dispute as it tried to declare its autonomy and independence from the larger republic.

Remembering Afghanistan: Humanitarian Crisis

This brief covers the aftermath of the US military’s exit from Afghanistan in 2021, highlighting the ongoing refugee and humanitarian crisis within and internationally. It also recommends solutions to address existing and potential humanitarian problems.

Sino-Italian Dilemma: Exit from the BRI

Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy’s prime minister in October 2022. A co-founding member of the right-wing Brothers of Italy Party (Fratelli d’Italia), she was noted for controversial social issues and economic policy statements. Recently, Meloni shocked China with the recent announcement to pull out from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aimed at bolstering infrastructure projects abroad with China’s surplus. Following the announcement, Meloni met up with the Biden administration, showing an apparent move to strengthen economic ties with the US rather than China in preparation for departure from a once-ambitious project. This brief analyzes the reasons behind Italy’s exit from BRI, reveals the diplomatic consequences Italy may have, and provides policy descriptions for maintaining concord with China.

Wagner Mutiny and Russia’s Future

This brief covers how the Wagner mutiny came to be in Russia, revealing what the future holds for actors with vested interests and proposes policy options to help steer through uncertainties

Finland in NATO: Bolstering Arctic Defense & Baltic Stability

From World War II to the joint “friendship agreement” with the Soviet Union, Finland’s demonstration of remaining neutral in politics has been consistent through the decades. However, the long-standing policy of non-alignment with foreign countries has shifted in recent months. As Russian aggression sought to tear down Ukraine and the threat in neighboring countries grew, Finland moved swiftly to embrace collective security amid regional uncertainty. This brief traces the increasing political and diplomatic interception carried out by Finland over the years. It also details the increasing need for military infrastructure buildup in Finland along its borders and the need for caution against nuclearization in the region.

Chinese Investments in Latin America

Since the turn of the 21st century, China has strategically developed geopolitical interests within the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, with key investments in natural resources to many of the largest South American state-owned enterprises. China’s expansion of its investment portfolio within the region highlights China’s growing demand for raw materials, as well as efforts to consolidate political prowess within the region. This brief explains how China developed strong diplomatic and profitable relations within the LAC from the start of the 21st century to the status quo. It highlights prominent stances on the upsurge of Sino-Latin foreign relations, specifically emphasizing external global competitive forces. Furthermore, it explains pressing environmental and economic concerns regarding Chinese involvement within the LAC regions. Finally, it argues that the U.S. policy approach should challenge Chinese hegemony through competitive investments and focusing on relevant U.S.-Latin initiatives, rather than aggressive interruption or punitive disruption of existing Sino-Latin relations.

Korean Nuclear Proliferation

This brief explains how North Korea originally developed its nuclear program, as well as highlights the involvement of nations such as Russia and China. It also details how military aggression has stressed relations on the peninsula, with consideration to major actors such as Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Lastly, it explains the possible repercussions of escalated tensions, noting the possibility of nuclear proliferation, as well as proposing the approach that the U.S. should take to attempt to de-escalate and, at the time, commit to its allies in the region.

U.S. Data Security against Chinese Counterintelligence

U.S. relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) were established in 1979 after the U.S. confirmed its recognition and established diplomatic ties. However, since then, relations between the two countries have been contentious, with the U.S. and China experiencing strict political and economic competition with each other. In an effort to gain the upper hand, both states have launched counterintelligence programs that focus on collecting data from tragically important nations. Both China and the U.S. have their own intelligence services focused on collecting information abroad; however, this brief will focus on Chinese counterintelligence efforts towards the U.S. Specifically, it aims to detail the actors involved in the creation of China’s intelligence programs, as well track the actions they have engaged in to collect crucial U.S. data. Furthermore, it highlights current events and respective positions, which it uses to predict possible issues that could arise with tensions between the two countries. Lastly, it considered how the U.S. should approach handling Chinese counterintelligence efforts.

Finland and Sweden NATO Accession

This brief details the rationale behind Finnish and Swedish accession to NATO, highlighting historical tensions between the Nordic nations and Russia, as well as obstacles Finland and Sweden face in the ratification of their accession. Finally, with regard to U.S. interests, it outlines the measures to ensure speedy ratification and clarification and clear communication of intent during the accession process.

The Issue of Poverty In Nigeria

This presentation will investigate the subject of Nigeria's growing poverty by examining the many elements that contribute to poverty. This presentation also discusses the steps Nigeria is taking to address this issue. The presentation also proposes some possible solutions.

The Prince and the Pauper: Assessing US-Saudi Relations

The Yemen Crisis

Whose rights is over the Land: Israel or Palestine?

This paper aims at portraying the history and the detailed progression of the land of Palestine through history up to the Modern Era. The paper in no way promotes a particular house of thought or propaganda. The conclusions of the paper are inferred from factual sources of history and the available information regarding the given event.

"The Wall": Shouldn't be Built

The Question Regarding Haiti

The Rapid Covid Surge in India

South Korea’s Non-alignment Strategy: Sino-U.S. Competition

South Africa's Nuclear Legacy

Singapore in the 21st Century: Addressing the Unique Challenges of My Homeland

Singapore is my homeland, an island-state borne from the political turmoils of the 20th century — colonialism and communism. The prosperity enjoyed by Singaporeans is a product of economic prosperity and political stability. This is fascinating to many, given Singapore’s adoption of a free-market model yet with government-linked-corporations, or its unitary dominant-party nature. Nevertheless, any nuanced insight and academic scholarship on Singapore recognises the tradeoffs that have come with this success. In order to build a more prosperous society, where prosperity goes beyond material success to include economic well-being, issues from social, political and economic realms need to be addressed. This essay will examine the issues of freedom of speech, economic inequality and education, highlighting certain areas of concern and propose solutions. The issues were selected for their relevance and their nature in spanning across fields.