China: Out For Itself, or New Global Leader?
The Sino-American relationship has always been one of immense importance, shakily carried on throughout the years, but built off a mutual need for each other. Over the last 40 years, China has flourished, integrating itself into the global market and engaging with increasing confidence in the global economic order. ‘Today, China’s GDP per capita, for...
New Name, Same Strategies – Pence Promises a New North Korean Policy
American Vice President Mike Pence recently visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to deliver a speech, and emphasised that the American policy toward North Korea would be changing in the Trump era. Standing near the border between the two countries, Pence made it clear Trump would abandon the previous strategy of ‘strategic patience’ employed by...
A Tense Game of Dominoes: The U.S., Russia, and Chechnya Stalemate
The United States’ volatile relationship with Russia is poised to become yet more tense in light of recent reports of anti-gay human rights abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya. Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, notable for its courageous pursuit of investigative stories, reported on 1 April that at least 100 men had been detained...
Another Deadly Attack: The Ongoing Use of Chemical Weapons In Syria
The war in Syria has taken another horrifying turn as chemical weapons were unleashed on unprepared and innocent victims in Khan Sheikhun, in the mostly rebel held province of Idlib, killing more than 80 people. The attack occurred at 6:30 AM (EEST) on 4 April while many civilians were still asleep. Even those who made...
Trump’s Syrian Airstrikes: The Alternate Reality of Obama’s ‘Red Line Crisis’
The events of 4 April 2017 were largely unprecedented. Rarely, if ever, have two US presidents been faced with crises so similar that their responses can be thoroughly compared. It was on this day that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad allegedly employed chemical weapons in an attack that killed 80 people, 10 of which were children,...
Kushner: the Foreign Policy Puppeteer?
It is clear there are discrete divisions in Trump’s cabinet with regards to who is able to influence the president. The positions with the most direct influence may be most clearly described as appointees without the need for congressional approval. These appointees have been placed in an inner circle, which allows them greater access to...
Egypt’s Military State and President al-Sisi’s Declining Legitimacy
Last month, Egyptian demonstrators took to the streets chanting, ‘We want to eat!’ to protest the government’s policy of decreasing the number of subsidised bread loaves each family can buy. The bread riots reflect a broader issue of class conflict in Egyptian society under President al-Sisi. Egypt’s pre-existing class inequality was exacerbated when Sisi’s regime...
Right-Wing Terrorism: The Biggest Threat
Since Donald Trump entered office in January 2017 the rhetoric of terrorism has revolved around ‘radical Islamist terrorism.’ Indeed the president promised to ‘eradicate’ this type of violence ‘from the face of the earth.’ He has very much attempted to put this into practice, with his first initial travel ban against seven majority Muslim countries...
US Air Strikes and Civilian Casualties in the Battle for Mosul
On 17 March 2017, an airstrike conducted in West Mosul by the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) appeared to have resulted in the death of over 200 civilians. A full investigation has been launched by the US military to ascertain the facts surrounding what appears to be their deadliest strike in three years. According...
Secretary Zinke Rides into Roosevelt’s Legacy
President Trump’s appointees for major positions have largely been an amalgamation of wealthy individuals with various allegations against them, but not Secretary Ryan Zinke. President Trump’s Secretary of the Interior has been one of the least contested appointees, and it is easy to see why. Secretary Zinke has had a long career of service, including...
Berkeley, Middlebury, Glasgow, and the Death of Free Speech at University
It seems safe to say that just about the entire western world is sick and tired of hearing about Milo Yiannopoulos. The alt-right provocateur has been making waves for years with his controversial opinions, mean-spirited remarks, and brazen endorsement of practices such as pederasty. The Left hates him, and the traditional Right is uncomfortable even...
NATO – Europe Should Put Its Money Where Donald Trump’s Mouth Is
There has been little to cheer about in the corridors of SHAPE, NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, for the past few years. The threat from the Islamic State, a resurgent Russia and stagnating defence budgets have given the alliance much to confront, with an increasingly strained stockpile of resources. The collective sense of dread has only...