Brief #138 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
Ukraine and Western allies are concerned about a Russian troop buildup near its border that may signal a plan for a further invasion into Ukraine. As a former Soviet republic, Ukraine shares deep social and cultural ties with Russia and, in certain parts of the country, Russian is widely spoken.
Brief #137 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The detention (or internment) camps that are housing the Uyghurs (and several other ethnic minority groups) are essentially prisons. According to NBC News, they reported that a high-level Communist Party official in Xinjiang described, in leaked documents, the security measures of the camps and they more closely align with a prison than a “vocational center”.
The leaked documents mention video surveillance in/around classrooms, dormitories, and even watch towers. The Chinese government has cited worries about extremism and even terrorism from within the Uyghur population as a main driver of these policies.
Brief #136 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
For American policymakers, the conflict in Yemen is going to be particularly challenging on many levels. The conflict intertwines regional tensions between Saudi Arabia; religious tensions between Shia and Sunnis; and the mixing in of terrorist organizations with no allegiances to either side but taking advantage of the wide-scale chaos and instability. President Biden announced three major points that outline his policy agenda towards Yemen: ending support of offensive acts in the conflict by Saudi Arabia, promoting peace talks and initiatives, and sending US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking to the region to work towards solutions to the conflict.
Brief #135 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The issue of drones is one that is coming into further examination in recent weeks as President Joe Biden ordered a drone strike within Afghanistan on August 29th which killed numerous civilians. The Afghanistan debacle has drawn criticism from political circles in the United States, in the international community, and other foreign policy experts; and as it first hit the news in the last few days, the solution of the United States government is to pay the families of the victims for their losses.
Brief #134 – Foreign Policy
By Avery Roe
As President Biden is reinventing American foreign policy, particularly with regards to the Muslim world, Russia has been able to further establish itself as a viable alternative for those unhappy with President Biden’s plans and stances.
Brief #133 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
On September 16, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden, along with U.K. Prime minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime minister Scott Morrison who joined in virtually, announced the creation of a new security partnership or the AUKUS pact, between the three nations that seeks to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Brief #132 – Foreign Policy
By Brandon Mooney
With the U.S. military officially pulling out of Afghanistan, an almost 20-year conflict and the longest war in American history comes to an end, alongside a mandate from all those whose lives were lost and impacted to reflect upon what the war and its legacy meant.
Brief #131 – Foreign Policy
By Avery Roe
With significant attention being drawn to the treatment of the Uyghur population and the rise of the Taliban, it is important to understand China’s relationship with the Muslim world as they contend for global influence.
Brief #130 – Foreign Policy
By Erin Mayer
Southern Haiti is still recovering from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck in August. The disaster left over 2,200 deaths, 12,000 injuries and decimated over 53,000 homes in it’s wake. For an island nation still reeling from disasters of the past, how is the United States lending a hand today?
Brief #129 – Foreign Policy
By Adrian Cole
The Brits, the French, and the Germans have all left, and as of August 31, the Americans have wrapped up their airlift operation and departed as well.
What happened?
Brief #128 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The last time the Taliban was in power of Afghanistan was for approximately 20-25 years prior to 9/11. The Taliban has, as they are trying to tell the world, changed a bit from their previous reign; though, they are still highly religious and conservative. The United States, and every nation who aided the United States in the war, will have to start to deal with the Taliban as a governmental entity that is representing the people of Afghanistan. The United States, and its allies, will in their dealings with the Taliban be confronting their largest foreign policy failure in the last twenty years.
Brief #126 – Foreign Policy
By Avery Roe
Recently the Chinese state media has been quoting Wilson Edwards, a Swiss biologist and whistleblower, stating that the United States had been politicizing the origins of the COVID-19 virus and pressuring scientists to keep the truth quiet. This was until the Swiss Embassy tweeted that Wilson Edwards does not exist and the Chinese media began removing the references. It quickly became clear that this was the most recent in a series of state-sponsored COVID-19 conspiracy theories coming out of China.