By: Will Chim, Columnist Photo Credit: CIMSEC The lands and seas of the Arctic Circle remain one of the last great frontiers on Earth and hold up to 13% of total undiscovered oil and 30% of undiscovered natural gas in the world.[1] Out of all the countries with an interest in the Arctic, the Russian … Continue reading Preventing Russian Dominance in the Arctic
Category: Environment & Health
Sri Lanka: Battleground for an Asian Power Imbroglio?
By: Husanjot Chahal, Columnist Photo Credit: BBC Japan and India’s growing bonhomie is often touted as a counter to China’s geopolitical clout across Asia, particularly in the Indian Ocean region, where the former’s recent Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) is cited as in direct competition with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).[i] Such a power struggle … Continue reading Sri Lanka: Battleground for an Asian Power Imbroglio?
Damming the Mekong: Environmental Degradation and the “Build First, Talk Later” Approach
By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: Mongabay The Mekong River, in particular the proliferation of Chinese dams along it, has become a source of conflict between the upstream countries of China and Laos and downstream countries of Cambodia and Vietnam. The basis of this conflict is the environmental impact of hydropower projects on the river’s … Continue reading Damming the Mekong: Environmental Degradation and the “Build First, Talk Later” Approach
Opportunities and Challenges for Europe’s Energy Union
By: William Haynes Photo Credit: European Commission On February 25, 2015, the European Union (EU) announced its intent to establish an Energy Union aimed to create a unified energy market to strengthen Europe’s leverage in trade agreements, to integrate the energy market, and to support its 2020 target of increasing the use of renewables to … Continue reading Opportunities and Challenges for Europe’s Energy Union
Europe’s New Approach to Energy Security
By: Andrew Johnian, Reporter Photo Credit: SolarServer Last week, Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service hosted Sascha Muller-Kraenner to discuss international climate and energy collaboration in the Trump era. Mr. Muller-Kraenner, a top European energy and environmental activist, spoke at the BMW Center for German and European Studies. Over the course of his career … Continue reading Europe’s New Approach to Energy Security
Why the United States Should Maintain Civilian Control of Its Nuclear Complex
By: Lauren Prudente, Columnist Photo Credit: PBS During his own presidential campaign in 2011, former Texas Governor Rick Perry infamously forgot the name of the Department of Energy (DOE) when listing the three agencies he would eliminate. Now, Governor Perry is poised to become the next Secretary of Energy, pending Senate confirmation, and has admitted … Continue reading Why the United States Should Maintain Civilian Control of Its Nuclear Complex
What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: CPEC Official Website The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) project, has been compared by Bloomberg to the Marshall Plan in terms of its potential economic legacy.[i] However, the CPEC’s most enduring legacy will be in the realm of security. Its infrastructural and … Continue reading What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
Deal or No Deal: What Should Be the Fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons By: Farnaz Alimehri, Columnist The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 has been labeled one of the Obama Administration’s culminating achievements in foreign policy and nonproliferation. Despite the successful negotiation and implementation of this agreement by all parties last year, political divisions in the United States … Continue reading Deal or No Deal: What Should Be the Fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?
An Arab Spring with No Water: How Uprisings in the Middle East Can Be Linked to Resource Scarcity
Photo Credit: Middle East Eye By: Farnaz Alimehri, Columnist The Middle East is often mischaracterized as an arid, desertic region; however, for the past twenty years, this misrepresentation has slowly turned into a stark reality. Most countries in the region have been experiencing a massive drought that scientists say has been brought on by climate … Continue reading An Arab Spring with No Water: How Uprisings in the Middle East Can Be Linked to Resource Scarcity
India’s Act East Policy: A Track Record and Recommendations for the Future
Photo Source: ASEAN.org By: Trisha Ray, Columnist When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s new Act East Policy in 2014, his statements were met with optimism about the prospect of the world’s largest democracy finally living up to its potential as a great power. The success of this turn is something of a question mark, … Continue reading India’s Act East Policy: A Track Record and Recommendations for the Future