Archive for April 2018
Rebranding Jihad: the Case of al-Qaeda in Syria
By Timothy Davis While corporations routinely rebrand to increase sales or transition to a new business model, you may be surprised to find that rebranding can be so successful that even terrorist organizations do it. In the past seven years, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, currently named Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has rebranded three…
Read MoreA UN Odyssey: In Pursuit of the Confidential Report on North Korea
This article is the first in a series “Essays from the Field,” which documents the professional journeys and accomplishments of YPFP New York members. By Matthew Edwin Carpenter My U.N. odyssey began in 2013, working for Japan’s premium media outlet. As a U.N. reporter, I had one mission, the holy grail of U.N.…
Read MoreYPFP Book Club: The Great Gamble
By Ian Kemp The Soviet War in Afghanistan is often cast as the penultimate act of the Soviet Union as a superpower. In “The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan,” Gregory Feifer explores this pivotal event but also looks beyond the Cold War and provides insight into both the life of a soldier…
Read MoreGendering US Foreign Policy in the Gulf
By Liza Kane-Hartnett Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, recently completed a two week trip in the U.S., touting his reforms, enticing investors, and heralding the close relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. While his reforms are welcome, they do not change the fundamental gender dynamics in the…
Read MoreIraq’s Elections: Powder Keg or Post-Identity Politics
By Matt Cohen On May 12, Iraq will hold parliamentary elections and continue its slow march towards normalcy after the devastating fight against ISIS. The election will occur in a fractured political landscape that has the potential to make or break Iraq’s political stability moving forward. The election will select the Council of…
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