FOREIGN POLICY POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Foreign Policy Posts
Situation Update #12: The Ukraine Crisis
Brief #145 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
This week marked an important date for Ukraine, August 24, 2022, which marks six months since the Russian invasion and the 31st anniversary of the countrys independence from the Soviet Union. The same day also saw a missile strike on an eastern Ukrainian train station that killed 22 people.
Powder Keg – How the War in Ukraine Could Disrupt the Global Skiing Industry!
Brief #144 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The war in Ukraine has had an impact on global markets. Ukraine is a mass producer of wheat and other food items. They also are a manufacturing hub for alpine and cross country skis with a factory in Mukachevo, Ukraine, owned by Austrian-based company, Fischer Sports. Fischer is one of the leading manufacturers of skis and other skiing-related items such as ski boots and ski poles.
According to the Cross Country Ski Areas Association, based in Vermont, Ukraine produces half of the skis sold globally each and every year; globally there are around four million skis manufactured each year. This is not just a problem for Fischer but for most major ski companies who allow Fischer to manufacture at least some of their skis for them, these brands include Rossignol, Alpina, and Scott.
Assessing Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
Brief #143 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
On Tuesday August 2, 2022, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan, becoming the highest-ranking US official to visit the island since former Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Her trip was not officially approved by the Biden administration as a diplomatic mission.
The Chinese government had warned against the visit to the island that it regards as a part of its territory. The US officially recognizes Taiwan as a part of China per the one China policy, yet the US also has a long-standing relationship with Taiwan independent of China, and is its major source of military equipment.
The Ukraine Crisis: Situation Update #11
Brief #142 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
On July 31, 2022 Ukranian President Zelensky ordered civilians to evacuate from the Donetsk region. Between 200,000 and 220,000 civilians still live in the unoccupied area of Donetsk, according to Ukrainian estimates.
Brittney Griner’s Trial in Russia
Brief #141 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The WNBA is the premier basketball league in the world for professional female basketball players and has been at the center of American media attention due to the trial of Brittney Griner in Russia. Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Griner was arrested quickly after the Russian invasion into Ukraine; with critics of the Putin regime and war suggesting that she was arrested as a political pawn, however, her charges are regarding the use of hashish oil which is illegal in Russia.
The Ukraine Crisis #10
Brief #141 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C
As fighting continues to rage in Ukraine’s East, Russian President Putin on Monday, July 4th, 2022 declared victory in the region of Luhansk, only one day after Ukrainian forces withdrew from their last remaining bastion of resistance in the province, the city of Severodonetsk, which is now in Russian hands.
Analyzing the Implications of the Dissolution of the Israeli Knesset
Brief #140 – Foreign Policy
By Ian Milden
On June 22nd, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced plans to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. This means that a snap election will be held this fall. This will be the fifth election in Israel in under four years.
Vive Le Tour de France … Femmes!
Brief #139 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The Tour de France is the pinnacle of professional cycling. It is the highest level of competition on the biggest stage in the world, in one of the toughest endurance sports out there. Until now, it has been strictly for men. This 21-day stage race has taken place almost every summer since 1903 – with some breaks in competition for the two world wars which devastated much of France. Like many other major sporting competitions, the Tour de France is a 21-day period of time for France to show off its many glorious features.
TV viewers and spectators alike are treated to dazzling images of the Alps and Pyrennees mountains, views over the Atlantic and Mediterranean, mass celebrations and French heroics on Bastille Day, and to end it all – a massive sprint finish down the Champs Elysees in the heart of Paris at dusk with views of the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.
While Men Fight for Their Land in Ukraine, Their Families Try to Survive in a Foreign Country
Brief #138 – Foreign Policy
By Yelena Korshunov
I’m speaking with a man who was on his way to fight for his country, Ukraine, that was invaded by Russia’s troops on February 24, 2022. He packed his bag in his Brooklyn house to cross the Atlantic Ocean, back to the land where he was born. He was almost done with packing when his close relative stepped in.