New York
The Changing Soft Power Landscape of International Higher Education
By Dan Kent With the release of an updated strategy on international education and engagement by the US Department of Education, the US government has acknowledged the importance of education as a vehicle for advancing its international interests. Specifically, the US higher education sector has long been widely acknowledged as a source of soft power…
Read MoreSouth Korea’s Soft Power Playbook
By Lauren McCranie In 1990, Joseph Nye sought to think more holistically about global power dynamics and introduced the concept of soft power: the ability of a country to persuade foreign publics to agree with its policies and stances without explicit force (as opposed to hard power levers like military force). A country’s soft power…
Read MoreDisplaced and Vulnerable: LGBTQ People in Conflict Zones
By Dan Kent With one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since World War II continuing to unfold in Ukraine, it is worth examining the various ramifications that such an outflow of people involves, including in other conflict zones. Although much has been discussed regarding the unimaginable human toll in death and suffering across…
Read MoreThe Global Nature of Border Disputes: The Transformative Effect of Oil
By Dan Kent Many of Latin America’s border disputes are rooted in its colonial history. The dispute between Venezuela and Guyana is no different, having wide-ranging implications for the future of both nations. As energy markets continue to roil the globe with an array of supply-chain and demand shocks produced by various conflicts and the…
Read MoreThe Global Nature of Border Disputes: Tangled Borders and Uncertain Futures in Central Asia
By Dan Kent When looking at a map of Central Asia, one attribute immediately stands out: it is a tangled assortment of enclaves, exclaves, and jagged borders. Central Asia, a region of 76 million people living across five nations, can trace these convoluted borders to their long history as Soviet states. During that era, borders were inconsequential, and…
Read MoreTeam Effort: Global Institutions and their Role in Ukraine
By Colin Wolfgang September 1945 signaled the end of the deadliest war in history and ushered in a Western world order. The collapse of the Soviet Union decades later resulted in numerous political scientists positing on “the end of history” and what the future might hold. However, once again, the world is witnessing an unprovoked…
Read MoreThe Global Nature of Border Disputes: Learning from Conflict in Georgia
By Dan Kent As the Russian-Ukraine crisis continues to roil unabated, it is worth considering the broader array of crises that have characterized much of the post-Soviet world. Contention over borders and spheres of influence regarding Russia is hardly new. One of the most recent examples comes from Georgia in the Caucasus, over which a…
Read MoreThe Global Nature of Border Disputes: Recent and Centuries-Long Disagreements
By Dan Kent It is well-known that most modern nation-state borders were drawn relatively recently, resulting from the aftermath of World War II and the decline of European colonization worldwide. However, what is less well-known is the broad extent to which these borders are today, in many places, still deeply unsettled. These disputes span the…
Read MoreAn End to the Korean War: Not Anytime Soon
By Jasmine Choi In December 2021, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced South Korea and North Korea’s agreement to officially end the Korean War “in principle,” a decision endorsed by the United States and China. The 70 year-long Korean War ended in July 1953 with an armistice. However, the two countries have technically still been at war…
Read MoreGet Back to Class: How Promoting International Exchange Can Restore America’s Reputation Abroad
By Marta Millar In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought global travel to a halt, including almost all educational exchange programs. While the Trump administration implemented policies like visa restrictions and travel bans, which further reduced the incoming flow of international scholars to the United States, other countries, like Germany, Canada, and Australia, emphasized their…
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