The mission of the Forum is to contribute to timely dialogue and arguments concerning ongoing debates in U.S. foreign policy, national security, and international security. The Forum publishes analyses, opinion pieces, and reports covering prominent speakers, book releases, and other academic events.
Book Review | Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War by Phil Klay
This Book Review was submitted as a guest post by Patrick Jourdan, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). In the Summer of 2021, America watched the evacuation of Afghanistan. Terrifying images of Hamid Karzai International Airport filled our screens almost every day. Marines and Paratroopers deployed to the most chaotic of situations, holding…
Ending Gender-based Violence Requires Comprehensive Engagement — A Reminder to men: Finish what you Started
Image Source: Women for Women In principle, the civil war in South Sudan ended after a peace agreement was signed in 2018. In principle, South Sudan’s constitution ensures a 35 percent representation quota for women in government. Again, in principle, initiatives, training, and bills such as the Gender-Based Violence Bill and the Women’s Empowerment Bill…
ARROS: A Universal Framework for Scrutinizing Policy Pros and Cons
Image Generated Using MidJourney AI Policymakers and researchers frequently grapple with complex questions of the form “will taking X action produce Q effect—and how good/bad is Q?” For example, lobbyists or researchers may claim that semiconductor export controls will accelerate China’s indigenization of semiconductor manufacturing, accepting Finland into NATO will increase the likelihood of nuclear…
The Need for Private Investment to Tackle Climate Change in Africa
Image Source: Focal Foto The evidence is clear: within ten years the world is likely to surpass the 1.5°C global warming threshold. Surpassing this threshold will significantly endanger natural systems and will be accompanied by major climate catastrophes. Even if the threshold is avoided, climate change will have a significant – although highly disproportionate –…
China’s Monopoly over Critical Minerals
Image Source: BBC As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken to investing in critical mineral mines globally. One of these investment hotspots is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2020, the DRC was the world’s largest cobalt miner, producing 41 of all cobalt resources. Although not…
Dr. Policymaker or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Question “Market Irrationality”
Image Created by MidJourney AI The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and economic competition between the United States and China over strategic technologies have reinvigorated the exploration of “industrial policy” as a means to bolster national security. With such attention comes an onslaught of ideological rhetoric, references to the “valley of death”, and…
To Centralize or Not to Centralize? For Defense Budgeting, that is the (Unwritten) Question
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons On March 9, 2023, the Biden administration submitted its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 defense budget request to Congress, totaling $842 billion. This budget represents a $26 billion increase over the FY 2023 budget and largely centers on deterrence and warfighting vis-à-vis China in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite widespread agreement on the…
Zambia: A Beacon of Democracy in Africa
Image Source: Salim Dawood/AFP/ via Getty Images, on PBS. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. President Joe Biden convened the second Summit for Democracy last month. This time, the U.S. government co-hosted the virtual event with regional partners, including the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia. The…
Raids, Rockets, and Riots: The Accelerating Cycle of Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Image Source: BBC On April 5, violence broke out between local Israeli police and Palestinians at al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of East Jerusalem, resulting in at least 12 Palestinians injured and at least 400 arrested. Every year tensions between Palestinians and Israeli citizens as well as Israeli security forces flare up during the…
Climate Change and Boots on the Ground: A New Frontier for Humanitarian Intervention?
Image source: Department of Defense. U.S. Marines and Nepalese soldiers unload tarps off of a UH-1Y Venom helicopter at Orang, Nepal, during Operation Sahayogi Haat, May 2015. Climate change is now at the forefront of the Pentagon’s priorities. So far, the U.S. military’s mission on climate change mitigation has focused on cleaning up and developing…
PeaceBot: ChatGPT’s Role in Conflict Prevention & Resolution
Image Source: University of Pennsylvania Our ways of waging war have evolved; it is time our ways of waging peace do as well. It’s been over a year since Russia started its war against Ukraine, and it’s not likely to end anytime soon. Despite the odds, Ukraine has managed to hold its ground, thanks in…
The United States Rights a Wrong with Critical Minerals Agreements
Image Source: California Chamber of Commerce The Biden administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) says China is “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge” and “the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.” Two key parts of the U.S. strategy towards…
Can Office Work Destroy the Taliban?
Image Source: World Press Photo In August 2021, the United States and its allies evacuated Kabul after twenty years of what the Department of Defense (DoD) described as waging “a necessary war of self-defense” following the September 11 attacks. In the words of former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in 2002, the United…
GSSR Interview: Under Secretary of the Army Hon. Gabe Camarillo
Image Source: U.S. Army Official Photo The Georgetown Security Studies Review recently had the privilege of conducting an interview with Hon. Gabe Camarillo, the under secretary of the Army. The broad topics covered reflect the most pressing issues facing the U.S. Army, as well as the under secretary’s recent trip to Eastern Europe. In light…
T-minus 6 Seconds: Starship (and Humanity’s) Next Major Step Into Space
Image Source: Screenshot from SpaceX livefeed of April 20 Starship Launch NASA liked to brag when its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launched last fall that its 8.8 million pounds of thrust made it the most powerful rocket to ever take off. That record was broken on April 20 when at T-minus six seconds SpaceX’s…
China, Too, Is Gearing Up for Tech Competition
Xi Jinping takes his oath of office to begin his third term as president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Source: Reuters It is no secret that the United States views the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a near-peer competitor. As the Biden administration describes, China has both the intent and the capability…
Security at the Expense of Human Rights: The Case of El Salvador’s “Megacárcel”
Image Source: CNN At the end of February, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced the transfer of the first 2,000 prisoners to the “biggest prison in the Americas,” the “Terrorism Containment Center” (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo – CECOT). The opening of this “megacárcel” (mega prison) is just one of the measures Bukele has undertaken under…
Analyzing the Entrenchment of Beijing’s Digital Influence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Image Source: Middle East Eye The last several years have seen a steep accumulation of linkages between China and the Arab Gulf monarchies. As China’s energy demands have exploded and oil demand from the West has fallen, the oil-exporting Gulf countries have turned eastwards. China is now Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and Riyadh has…
Globalized Crises: The War in Ukraine and COVID-19’s Impact on Al-Shabaab Recruitment
Mogadishu, Somalia. Image Source: Reuters via The Guardian East Africa is a terrorist hotbed—surpassing the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa for the most terrorist deaths in 2022. Sixty percent of the global terrorist attacks in this region occur because of the many Salafi-Jihadist terrorist groups. Al-Shabaab, the second deadliest group of 2022, operates…
NATO Needs a Unified Arctic Command
The security landscape of the Arctic is changing. After almost three decades as an afterthought in the eyes of U.S. policymakers, Arctic security is finally catching the attention of American leadership. Rapid climate change and increased military and non-military interest in the region, even from non-Arctic nations, calls for increased coordination between the United States…
Why Russia’s Hypersonics Matter
Image Source: Defense News On Thursday, March 9, Russian MiG-31 fighters employed 6 hypersonic Kh47M2 “Kinzhal” missiles in strikes on population centers and infrastructure across Ukraine. This brought the total instances of hypersonic missile use in Ukraine to five (3/19-20/2022; 8/7/2022; 9/14/2022). The March 9 attack represented the highest-volume use of Kinzhals so far, with…
Data’s Wild West: How Unregulated Access and Advanced Processing Threaten Personal Privacy
Image Source: Anura The 7-day journey of the Chinese spy balloon from Alaska to South Carolina captivated the attention of millions of Americans. While the mission and payload of the airship remain unclear, the low-tech platform likely provided two key advantages over existing satellite capabilities: proximity to targets and persistence for surveillance collection. The public…
Icarus in the Kremlin: The Fading Political Power of Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group
Yevgeny Prigozhin posing with Wagner fighters in a salt mine in Soledar, Ukraine in January 2023. Image Source: Kyiv Independent A group of Wagner fighters huddled around their patron, bundled in combat fatigues and balaclavas amidst a backdrop of chalk-colored rock. Russian state media reposted the image with glee, accompanied by an audio message from…
The Dragon, the Elephant, and the Jaguar Both Wanted to Tame
Image Source: Vivekanandia International Foundation. Image modified by the author. Guyana is a kaleidoscope of unresolved mysteries in a continent it barely resembles. The country lies geographically in South America. However, no one with a good knowledge of the region would ascribe it to Latin America. Guyanese speak English as lingua franca, yet they are…
Funding Tomorrow’s Terrorists and Criminals: Cryptocurrency’s Impact on the World Stage
Image Source: SecurityIntelligence In January 2009, Bitcoin became the first cryptocurrency available for public purchase. However, it wasn’t until two years later that the cryptocurrency saw its first real spike in popularity when the value reached (and passed) $1. Since the introduction of Bitcoin, over 21,000 different cryptocurrencies have popped up in the market, and…
Venezuela Sanctions: The U.S. Needs to Change its Goals
Photo credit: FreightWaves Between 2017 and 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump instituted comprehensive economic sanctions against the Nicolás Maduro-led Venezuelan government, cutting off access to the U.S. financial system and freezing government assets, among others. The Trump administration also sanctioned state-owned oil gas company PDVSA, state-owned gold mining company, Minerven, and the Central Bank…
Blame Governments, Not the Environment: How Political Failures Worsen the Effects of Climate Change in West Africa
With seven coups since 2020, West Africa is drawing global attention as a hotspot for conflict and a critical locus of discourse on climate security. Rising temperatures and scarce rainfall have amplified the dangerous effects of weak governance, ethnic rivalries, lack of economic opportunities, and violent extremism in the region. Government policy failures in the…
Will the EU Show Resolve or Indecision?
Source: Andrezj Rostek/Shutterstock.com The coming year will be critical for Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression. The Ukrainian people have undoubtedly shown their resilience and fortitude to fight for their sovereignty against Russian hostility. The question remains whether their fellow Europeans will continue to support them in this fight. So far, the U.K. has…
From ChatGPT to Chat CCP: The Future of Generative AI Models in China
Only three months into its release, ChatGPT has already created a frenzy among people around the world. Source: Reuters Chinese regulators recently warned tech companies not to release ChatGPT-like products, for fear that chatbots would spread “disinformation” by the U.S. government. With all the hype surrounding OpenAI’s natural language model setting off an “AI Arms…
The Case for a Nuclear South Korea
President Yoon Suk Yeol pays respect to the late president Park Chung-hee, who attempted to build a nuclear weapon during the 1970s but was thwarted by American intervention. Office of the President of the Republic of Korea For the first time, a South Korean president officially mentioned the possibility of his country going nuclear. Although…
What are we doing in Ukraine?
Unrestrained and uncoordinated Western support would go against American and European national interests, undermining Europe’s defense capabilities and escalating the risk of nuclear confrontation with Russia. On Wednesday, 25th of January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz ended weeks of frustration amongst Western states by announcing Germany’s intent to provide Ukraine with an undisclosed number of Leopard…
How Will Automation Change Ground Warfare?
Image Source: Defense News // via Textron Logistics pose the most significant challenge to any military operation. It seems like a simple concept until you factor in the enemy, personnel constraints, maintenance issues, and the operational plan. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) can help solve some of our ground transportation problems. So, where does vehicle automation…
America’s Fading Sense of Reality
Russia has inherited a perception of truth that is malleable and changeable over time, one that can be adapted to current needs. Under the Putin regime, the conspiratorial worldview of ‘Russia perpetually under threat by the West’ has been revived on a broad scale, and it is slowly impacting Americans’ perception of truth and reality.…
Reparations and Realpolitik: Lessons from Italy and Libya
Image Source: Eurosport The renewed interest in the consequences of colonialism worldwide sees former European colonial powers face increasing calls to pay reparations to the territories and people they once exploited and governed. This mounting pressure has also sparked a lively debate over what reparations should be and how European countries can deliver them. However,…
On Russian Disinformation: The Answers Are Already in Front of Us
The United States has an information crisis on its hands When the Muller Report was released, America did not breathe a sigh of relief. It gasped for more air. Special Counsel Robert Muller did not find that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government when it interfered in the 2016 election, though…
Feeding the Hungry with Feminist Theory
Image Source: Food Navigator (Getty Images) Food security, when every person has access to enough food to meet their dietary needs for a healthy lifestyle, is more important now than ever before. It’s estimated that roughly 345 million people worldwide are struggling with food security. Effects of climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the…
The Geopolitics of Nuclear Fusion
Image Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory / Flickr On December 5th, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved ignition, creating a nuclear reaction which generates more energy than it consumes. The breakthrough was announced by the Biden administration on December 13th, once again sparking conversation surrounding nuclear fusion and its…
The Future of The Indo-Pacific Through the Lens of Demographics
Image Source: NPR The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s ballistic missile launch on November 19 was not a typical launch test. What surprised the world that day was not its latest destructive missile that could reach the continental United States, but the first public appearance of Kim Jong-un’s little-known daughter. The young girl with…
The Office of Strategic Capital and the DoD Acquisition System Should Embrace the Principles of ‘Lean Startup’ to Maintain the US Military’s Technological Edge
Image source: B-21 Raider, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs On December 1, 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin published a memo establishing the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), meant to provide necessary capital to help aspiring defense companies bridge the so called “valley of death,” the significant time gap between the development…
All Eyes on Qatar: The Ethical Dilemma of Holding International Events in Countries with Poor Human Rights Records
A protester invaded the pitch during the Portugal-Uruguay game, carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a shirt that had two messages; “Save Ukraine” and “Respect for Iranian Women. Image Source: The Herald Sun Two weeks ago, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicked off — a decision that has drawn immense criticism since the Middle…
PRC’s Renewed Soft Power Strategy and U.S. Global Health Security Efforts in Latin America
Image Source: Observer Research Foundation, Diplomacy Gone Amiss. When Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” in 1990, he could not have known how strongly the People’s Republic of China (PRC) would buy into the concept; China’s leader Hu Jintao declared in 2007 that the PRC needed to invest more into soft power. Since that…
The Return of Great-Power Hubris
Image Source: Ukrainian Government Over the course of twenty years, three lead actors, and two reboots, one thing has remained consistent for the immensely popular Spider-Man film franchise: the iconic maxim that, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Both for the titular hero and his real-world audience, this quote is a sage testament to the…
No, Taiwan’s “Blue Wave” Is Not an Endorsement of Reunification
Image Source: CNBC The Kuomintang (KMT) party had much to celebrate on November 26. Not only did its candidates win 13 of the 21 cities and counties in Taiwan’s 2022 midterm elections, but the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) captured only five seats, the fewest since its founding in 1986. President Tsai Ing-wen, who has achieved…
Balancing Peace and Justice in the Colombian “Total Peace”
Image Source: Caracol Radio A Note from the Editor: This article was finalized earlier this month, before talks with the ELN began. As these conversations continue and information is released, there may be some changes relative to what is written below. Only six years after the historic peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of…
The Empress of ISIS
Image Source: The New York Post Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are all prominent international terrorists who have plotted and executed attacks against the United States. While each espoused slightly different ideologies, they all had one common goal, and all eventually met their day of reckoning. These four…
Complexity Demands Adaptation: Two Proposals for Facilitating Better Debate in International Relations and Conflict Research
Introduction Why do democratic states rarely fight one another? Does the use of mechanization/armor generally make counterinsurgents less effective? When (if ever) does the threat of Western sanctions deter foreign aggression? Will economic decoupling with China significantly increase the likelihood of great power war? Many natural and applied scientists can rely on rigorous empirical methods…
Merci Beaucoup: How Terrorist Organizations Will Benefit from the Recent Military Coup in Burkina Faso
Image Source: Institute for Security Studies The recent military coup in Burkina Faso indicates a deepening governance and security crisis in the Sahel that threatens to impede regional and international counterterrorism efforts and destabilize an ever-widening geographic area as jihadists exploit instability to expand their spheres of influence. The insecurity and violence associated with Salafi-jihadi…
Economic Crisis Threatens European Union Solidarity
Photo credit: European Parliament Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 galvanized Europe, creating solidarity at a time when many questioned the strength of the European Union (EU). However, eight months since the invasion, cracks are starting to show. Consumers are feeling the pain of record-high levels of inflation that shows no signs of…
Managing Crises in the Information Age: Escalation Dynamics in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Image: Herman Kahn (1922-1983) Over the course of the now eight-month war in Ukraine, Russia has made vague and indirect threats of nuclear escalation. Those threats become more frequent and overt as Ukrainian counteroffensives gain momentum and the Russian military cedes territory. As President Biden stated on October 11, 2022 in response to some of…
Expert Panel Report: Taiwan and the Future of U.S. Defense Strategy in Asia
Image Source: The Hill On Friday, October 28th, the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues and The Walsh School of Foreign Service’s Asian Studies Program jointly hosted a panel entitled “Taiwan and the Future of U.S. Defense Strategy in Asia.” The event featured Georgetown Professor Caitlin Talmadge,who recently wrote an article with Brendan Rittenhouse…
The U.S. Approach to African Food Security Needs a New Look
Image Source: US State Department Food insecurity in Africa – and around the globe – has long been recognized as a key, upstream contributor to manifold crises: from political instability, to unrest, to violent extremism, to mass migration. The relationship is also cyclical; war and political instability tend to worsen food insecurity. When it comes…
The Road to Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Re-examining Russia’s Theory of Victory and Prospects for Deterrence
Photo credit: Scientific American Just as many dismissed the possibility of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, academics continue to assert a low probability that Russia will employ nuclear weapons in Ukraine. To be sure, there are many disincentives: the risk of escalation with the US and NATO; the likelihood of being isolated from…
What Russia’s Weaponization of Hunger Can Tell Us About the Power of Shame
The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a UN-brokered agreement between Russia and Ukraine signed in July 2022 (Public Domain Pictures). The global humanitarian community had whiplash last week. This stems from Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement facilitating the exportation of wheat from the region, and then promptly re-entered…
Why We Should Pay More Attention to LGBTQ+ Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
Image Source: Emily Leshner, AP // on NBC News Security interests in Africa also exist outside of the strategic competition paradigm. Policymakers should be more involved in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the promotion of minority rights and democratic processes should be our primary motivation, not strategic competition. In the past two years concerns about “democratic backsliding”…
Maritime piracy is on the decline… Can it stay that way?
Photo Credit: Dryad Global: Maritime Security and Risk Intelligence; London, England. Published in The Guardian. While many associate modern day maritime piracy with the Academy Award nominated film Captain Phillips, this transnational threat is a persistent reality for many ships across the globe. There are typically two overarching goals of maritime piracy: robbery to then…
Combating the Gray Zone: Enhancing America’s Arctic Force Posture
Image Source: The Army Times After almost a decade, the White House has released an updated 2022 version of the National Strategy for the Arctic Region. The document establishes four pillars for advancing America’s interests: security, climate change and environmental protection, sustainable economic development, and international cooperation and governance. Though the strategy focuses on transnational…
Colombia’s New President Is Right: The U.S. Can End The War On Drugs By Changing The Focus Of Its Counternarcotics Strategy
Image Source: CNN This article is a guest submission from Ivan Thirion Romo. Recently, Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Gustavo Petro delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in which he criticized the dysfunctional policies of the United States’ “War on Drugs.” Petro criticized the U.S. counternarcotics strategy that has primarily focused…
Anti-Asian Racism: A Hurdle for American Tech Innovation
Image Source: The Miami Foundation Left ignored, anti-Asian racism in the U.S. may dampen new talents’ enthusiasm to immigrate, hurting American strength in technological innovation. According to numbers reported by top-tier universities, more than 1,400 US-trained Chinese scientists and engineers abandoned their tenured positions, turning to China or elsewhere in 2021, up by 22% from…
Space Force & The Limits of “Semper Supra”
Source: Image Designed by Aidan Poling (author) using Stable Diffusion AI On September 20, 2022, the United States Space Force released its fight song “SemperSupra” (Always Above). It flopped. The song was widely mocked across social media and late-night television. Much of the criticism understandably focused on the melody and lyrics. However, these critiques miss…
Is Europe Ready for the Next Wave of Climate Migration?
Image Source: United Nations While the war in Ukraine rightfully has the attention of Europe’s policymakers right now, there is a brewing crisis to the south that warrants preparation. The Lake Chad Basin (LCB) area’s climate change is increasingly connected to regional migration. Already, LCB countries are experiencing rapid population growth which is straining resources…
Diminishing Returns: Russia’s Waning Sphere of Influence Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War
Image Source: Russian Ministry of Defense On the evening of September 12, 2022, artillery barrages rang out across the sky. Gunfire and mortar shells pounded small towns while Bayraktar TB2 drones whirred overhead. One could be forgiven for thinking that these events were taken from the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv, launched days earlier, but it…
War in Ukraine Leaves U.S. Scrambling to Replenish Arsenal, and European Allies May Offer No Solution
Image Source: The Military Times Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the United States and its NATO allies have stepped up to provide military support to bolster Ukraine’s arsenal in its fights to repel Russian advances. However, the Allies are unevenly sharing the burden of supporting the Ukrainian defense, with the U.S.…
A Lie will Travel Faster: Election Disinformation and the Threat to Democracies
Photo Credit: WBUR Former U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull once stated that “[A] lie will gallop halfway round the world before the truth has time to pull its breeches on.” In many ways, his statement rings even more true today. Lies spread even faster with the availability of the internet. Not only do they…
The Problem with America’s Africa Strategy: What is Wrong and How to Fix It
Image Source: BBC It’s been two months since the Biden administration unveiled its “Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” and two months remain until the administration hosts the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington. It is, thus, an opportune time to review America’s Africa strategy and make revisions if needed. The strategy outlines four key objectives aligned with…
Health on the (Red) Line: Refocusing on Malaria in the Discourse of Climate Change
(Image source: Gerald Yuvallos – flickr/Yuvallos/2005) Malaria: The Silent Killer The second most deadly animal in the world is the human; the first is the mosquito. Different species of mosquitoes transmit parasitic infections, such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria. The Anopheles mosquito carries malaria and in the 20th and…
Reversing strategic neglect: The US-Pacific Islands Country Summit
Photo credit: US State Department On September 28-29, the United States hosted the historic US-Pacific Islands Country Summit in Washington, DC. The event marked the first summit between the U.S. and the Pacific Islands and was the first time in forty years that the U.S. President met with a congregation of leaders from the Pacific.…
Advancing a Feminist Approach to National Security
Image source: United States Institute of Peace Over the first two years of the Biden administration, multiple geopolitical flashpoints—including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the protests of “Russian mothers” against the invasion of Ukraine, and the recent women-led demonstrations in Iran—have continued to reinforce the agency of women as a catalyst for geopolitical change. However,…
China’s Dismissal of #MeToo as a Tool of Western Influence Harms Women
Image source: Weibo via ABC News Australia The #MeToo movement empowered women all across the globe to speak out against sexual harassment, including in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Yet progress in China has stifled, as social media censorship reframed the public conversation online and those in power wielded their influence to penalize victims…
The Use of Drones in the Russia-Ukraine War
A Bayraktar TB2 drone, photo credit: The New York Times While Russia’s military capabilities were overestimated, analysts failed to predict just how effective Ukraine’s adoption of asymmetric capabilities would be. Drones are making an impact on the defense of Ukraine given their ability to track targets, shoot missiles, and provide a better visual of battlefields.…
Preserving Legitimacy Through Transition: Lessons from the Republic of Yemen
Photo credit: Reuters On April 7, 2022, the leader of the internationally recognized government of Yemen, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, announced his abdication and transferred his powers to a presidential council, led by his former advisor, Rashad al-Alimi. Hadi also dismissed his vice president, Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who publicly stated his support for the formation…
The State of Russia’s Influence in the Western Hemisphere Post-Ukraine
Photo credit: CSIS On March 2, 2022, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to reprimand Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Of the 181 member states that took part in the vote, 141 supported the resolution, while Russia and four of their closest allies (Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria) voted “no.” On…
Fractured Authorities Equal Shattered Satellites: Reforming Space Traffic Management
Photo: European Space Agency Satellite Break-Up We don’t need the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The U.S. military has the radar to track aircraft and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the spectrum to communicate with and direct them. Nothing else is required for air traffic management. Sound ridiculous? It is! Unfortunately, such a scenario is…
Empowering the Early Commission Program
On a clear summer’s day in August 2021, a singular Blackhawk helicopter landed on Fort Knox’s Brooks Field. Volleys of cannon fire rang out, campaign streamers rose, and the band played their rhythmic battle calls. As the smoke lifted and the Blackhawk’s rotors ceased movement, the well-rehearsed Change of Command Ceremony began. Speeches from the…
The Correlation Between Terrorism and U.S. Embassy Security Funding
The State Department’s Annual Congressional Budget for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance, 1998-2023. Data from the U.S. State Department’s Annual Congressional Budget Justification for its Foreign Operations and Related Programs. The U.S. is not immune to the threat of acts of terrorism in retaliation for American actions abroad. The case for secure facilities from these…
Is it time for the UN to help Malians talk to JNIM?
MINUSMA Transport Company Delivers Water to Airport Guards. Photo Credit: United Nations In late January 2022, France announced it would “reevaluate” the future of its counterterrorism operations in Mali. This came after France had already downsized Operation Barkhane, and closed bases in Timbuktu, Kidal, and Tessalit. Operation Barkhane led by the French since 2014 aimed…
What Does Bongbong Marcos’ Win Mean for the United States in Southeast Asia?
Credit: RPSantos / Flickr Few countries are more vital to the United States’ strategy in Asia than the Philippines. Once a U.S. colony, the Southeast Asian archipelago remains a key ally to the United States and an important bulwark against China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. But in recent years, the Philippine government…
Environmental Warfare in Ukraine: Should We Prosecute Eco-Crimes Like War Crimes?
A factory and a store burning after being bombarded in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on March 6, 2022 (Flickr). Ukraine is on the verge of an ecological tragedy. The destruction of industrial facilities and contamination from heavy weaponry means that if Ukrainians are able to return to their homeland, they might not have…
The Revival of Strategic Competition in West Africa: Western Intransigence and Eastern Assertiveness
The Reemergence of Geopolitical Alignment On September 1, 1961, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 25 heads of state hailing from four continents—from Cuba in the West to Indonesia in the East, gathered to formally establish the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Born ideologically of the movements for anti-colonialism, non-interference, and pacifism, it would morph into an explicit geopolitical position…
“Bongbong” and China
Philippine presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos “Bongbong” Jr. Photo Credit: Rappler Marcos “Bongbong” Jr. is bound to win the Philippines’ presidential election on May 9. In the latest polling, 56% of the electorate prefers his candidacy. Through evasion of media scrutiny, a sophisticated public relations campaign, and heavy doses of social media misinformation, Marcos has been…
The Rising Dilemma
Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, where residents have had to build homemade seawalls to protect their homes and communities. Photo Credit: Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR The 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change is a “code red” for humanity. On the track we are headed, the global surface…
Taking My Dream to the Grave: Afghan Women Under Taliban Rule
Photo Credit: Human Rights Watch Farzana Ahmadi had dreamed of holding a government office after graduating university. Now, she says, she will take her dream to the grave. When the United States military left Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, the U.S. had in place a peace deal with the Taliban. The problem, however, is that…
Climate Change: A Dynamic Threat
Sunsets started to tease the Arctic horizon as scientists on board the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy headed south in the Chukchi Sea during the final days collecting ocean data for the 2011 ICESCAPE mission. Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Climate change already devastates our environment, most visibly in the form of massive…
Our Democratic Disadvantage in Space: NIMYBYism and Red Tape
Starship 20, Booster 4, and Starship launch tower at Boca Chica, Texas. Photo Credit: Elon Musk / SpaceX The United States’ democratic capitalist model has many advantages. Its freedoms serve as an engine for rapid innovation and economic growth. The advancement of the US space sector and commercial rocketry is largely due to this dynamism.…
Lest We Ever Forget
Photo Credit: Shutterstock Russia’s war in Ukraine not only victimizes Ukrainians but also negatively impacts minorities throughout the world. By encompassing almost all of the United State’s public, political, and media attention, Putin’s war is revictimizing groups like the Uighurs, the Rohingya, the Yezidis, and many other minority groups who continue to suffer unjustly at…
Will Japan and Russia Ever Be at Peace?
Then-Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida shaking hands with President Vladimir Putin in 2016. Photo Credit: Newsweek Japan On August 9, 1945, merely hours before the B-29 bomber Bockscar dropped the “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, the Soviet Union began its offensive against the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. Within days, the imperial forces surrendered and ceded control…
SSP Event: Ukraine, the U.S., and the Future of Air Warfare
Photo: ArmyInform On Tuesday, April 5, Dr. Kelly A. Grieco gave a talk entitled “Ukraine, the US, and the Future of Air Warfare” to the Center for Security Studies (CSS). She provided students with important analytical frameworks for the future of air warfare as well as an answer as to why so many analysts inaccurately…
Reclaiming Agency: The Problem with Prescriptive Realism
Photo Credit: CSIS Despite being one of the most influential scholars of international relations theory, John Mearsheimer took considerable flak for his comments on the war in Ukraine. Mearsheimer’s interview with the New Yorker last month resulted in an upswell of opposition, moral outrage, and debate for blaming the conflict on the U.S. and NATO. …
From Nordic to NATO: How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine May Affect Sweden and Finland
Photo Credit: NATO The Russian invasion of Ukraine changes the way non-NATO member states prioritize security. There are a variety of reasons why countries do not join NATO, however, these countries are reconsidering as the conflict in eastern Europe approaches its third month. Currently, attention is on the non-NATO Nordic countries of Sweden and Finland.…
Democracy in Danger: How AI-Enhanced Disinformation is Threatening Democracy
Soon after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy circulated on social media, asking Ukrainian soldiers to surrender. It appeared not only on social media, but also on Ukraine’s national television station, Ukraine 24. The entirely faked video demonstrates firsthand the threat which deepfakes pose to democracy.…
Ukraine Is Not the Leadership Case Study You Think It Is
Photo Credit: Boris Baldinger/World Economic Forum Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy became, at home and abroad, a symbol of heroic resistance to Vladimir Putin. Through bold addresses from Kyiv and emotional, heartbreaking appeals to other foreign leaders, Zelenskyy gave a human face to the impact of Russian…
The Ukraine-Russia War: An Uncertain Future for Indian Defense Modernization
Photo Credit:Agence France-Presse In the days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, India remained silent. In the United Nations Security Council, where India is currently a non-permanent member, and in the General Assembly, India has noticeably abstained on resolutions condemning Russia. This silence has prompted international criticism given Russian targeting of…
The Resource Curse, Colonialism, and The Hypocrisy of Western “Climate Leadership”
Photo Credit: Getty Images Introduction: Is Colonialism still in the Atmosphere? Western countries are often hypocrites, especially when it comes to climate change mitigation. As the world works to curb emissions and tackle climate change, many Western countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany, are investing in green energy sectors across African countries attempting…
Blowback: Deterrence Lessons from 1941
Image from Associated Press The United States applied an oil embargo against Japan in 1941 in response to a limited incursion into southern Indochina. The embargo crippled Japan’s energy supply, forcing it to choose between a complete economic catastrophe and a potentially devastating war with the U.S. Ultimately, Japan attacked the U.S., culminating in the…
Incongruence and Strategic Adaptation
Image from Twitter Military means must not be considered separately from the political ends they serve. This political-military maxim is both elementary and often ignored. In an effective system, civilian and military leaders collaborate to craft strategies that establish realistic political ends and military means capable of accomplishing them at an acceptable cost. More often…
A New Russian Strategic Calculus? Analyzing the Viability of JCPOA Negotiations
Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle Underneath the central crisis of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is more subtly challenging global security. Most recently, Russian attempts to hijack negotiations around the United States’ re-entrance into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), threaten to spiral Middle Eastern security into greater crisis. Indeed, these negotiations have constantly been…
Putin’s Hitmen: How Mercenaries Serve the Kremlin at the Expense of Stability
Photo released by the Ukrainian Security Service allegedly depicting Wagner Group mercenaries at an unknown location. Photo Credit: VOA News Volodymyr Zelensky sits in a chair next to the podium as he conducts a press conference, wearing the olive-green military clothing that has now come to symbolize his defiant resolve to fight against the Russian…
Democracy, Race, and Ukraine
Nigerian students in Ukraine wait at the platform at the Lviv railway station on Sunday. (Bernat Armangue/AP) The Russian violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty has brought the former Eastern Bloc country to the forefront of news cycles. Democratic countries standing up to the autocratic ruler of Vladimir Putin have also been a focus of the crisis.…
The Impact of Women’s Involvement in Foreign Policy and Peace Agreements
FARC fighters stand in line during the opening of a ceremony before ratifying a peace deal with the government. (John Vizcaino / Reuters) In 2011, Nicholas Kristof highlighted in a New York Times blog that, “When girls get educated, when women enter the formal labor force, when female talent can be realized, then all society…
How Will the Russia-Ukraine War Affect the Stability of Egypt?
On February 24th, Vladimir Putin initiated a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. Despite diplomatic attempts to prevent escalation, the Russian president moved to enforce his military grip on the former Soviet republic. While much has already been said about the potential consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian War on NATO, on other Eastern European republics, and on…
The Mystique of the Female Soldier: Portrayals of Ukrainian Women in Western Media
Dozens of news outlets worldwide have reported on Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lena’s viral Instagram story. The conflict in Ukraine is one of the largest Europe has seen since World War II. While warfare has changed a lot in 80 years, the way we perceive women’s roles in wartime has remained largely the same. When it…