Photo Credit: French Ministry of Defense By: Paul Kumst, Columnist On June 23, 2016, the people of the United Kingdom called upon their leaders to leave the European Union. This historic vote stunned the international community and fellow European countries in particular due to its significant implications for EU security. Yet, while Britain’s exit poses … Continue reading Brexit: Boosting Greater Defense Integration in Europe?
Category: Military & Defense
Duterte and the Future of US-Philippines Relations
Photo Credit: Global Nation By: Andrew Watts, Columnist The Philippines’ summer election of the firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, who replaced Benigno Aquino III as President, may have serious and adverse implications for what has been a close relationship between the Philippines and the United States. After President Duterte recently called both US President Barack Obama and … Continue reading Duterte and the Future of US-Philippines Relations
Women and the Draft: Is the House Delaying the Inevitable?
Photo Credit: Jezebel.com By: Kaitlin Sandin, Columnist While an amendment to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that bans a particular bird from being designated an endangered species has garnered more controversy and criticism, another amendment with far wider ramifications has quietly passed in the Senate. If enacted by both chambers of Congress, women … Continue reading Women and the Draft: Is the House Delaying the Inevitable?
Getting Compliance Right in the South China Sea
Photo Credit: Jay C. Pugh / US Navy By: Kyle Deming, Columnist In July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague handed down a lengthy and long-anticipated decision in The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China. The case, which the Philippines initiated in January 2013, concerned the validity of … Continue reading Getting Compliance Right in the South China Sea
Thinking Beyond Failed States
Photo Credit: Associated Free Press By: Jake Howry, Columnist This summer saw another annual update to the Fund for Peace’s “Fragile States Index”.[i] The Index has received plenty of criticism,[ii] but its continued prominence is symptomatic of a recent tendency for academics and policy officials to disproportionately focus on the inability of “financially, bureaucratically, and … Continue reading Thinking Beyond Failed States
The Challenge of the ‘Asia Rebalance’ for China
Photo Credit: Huffington Post By Danni Song, Peer Reviewer As China’s economy has maintained rapid growth for two decades, its political influence in the Asia-Pacific region has also steadily expanded. However, China’s fenfa youwei (assertiveness), the consequence of an augmentation of national power and a series of policy decisions in Beijing’s, seems to have backfired … Continue reading The Challenge of the ‘Asia Rebalance’ for China
Baby Formula – the Egyptian Army’s Latest Economic Venture
Photo Credit: Voice of America News By Katie Hillegass, Columnist A small protest in Cairo earlier this month over a shortage of subsidized baby formula exemplifies the obstacles piling up on Egypt’s road to recovery from years of political and economic turmoil. On 1 September, riot police dispersed dozens of mothers and their babies protesting in … Continue reading Baby Formula – the Egyptian Army’s Latest Economic Venture
Veteran Lives Matter: A Call to Action
Photo Credit: Stars and Stripes By Major Christopher Mercado, Guest Contributor A single gunshot pierced the chill of the Afghan air. Rushing into Staff Sergeant Thaddeus Montgomery’s room, a fellow soldier found Sergeant Montgomery lifeless next to his bed, with an apparent gunshot wound to his head. In the following hours, muddled reports of Monte’s … Continue reading Veteran Lives Matter: A Call to Action
It Doesn’t Matter If They’re Bluffing: We Have to Address North Korea’s ICBMs
Photo Credit: Defense News By Farnaz Alimehri, Columnist North Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear program is constantly making headlines, yet many officials in the West are still skeptical of the regime’s nuclear capabilities. On March 14, 2016, leader Kim Jong-un announced that there will be further testing of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.[i] Experts in the United … Continue reading It Doesn’t Matter If They’re Bluffing: We Have to Address North Korea’s ICBMs
The Psychology of Violence: Why People Kill
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com By Nicole Magney, Columnist The public often perceives lethal violence to be an action taken by troubled, immoral individuals. However, the vast majority of violent acts, including the killing of other human beings, cannot be explained by mental instability or defect. Society views soldiers’ killing of ‘the enemy’ as admirable and heroic … Continue reading The Psychology of Violence: Why People Kill