New York
A Bias for Action on Climate Change: An Addendum to the Command’s Planning Guidance for 2020
By Tom Persico The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is its highest-ranking officer. He is responsible for laying out the agenda in the years to come in a publication called the Commandant’s Planning Guidance. The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps calls for a new fighting model to be a better fighting force…
Read MoreThe Gendered Impact of COVID-19: What Policymakers Can Learn from Gender and Conflict
By Bethan Saunders and Courtney Bale Dunlevie During this global public health crisis, leaders have used conflict-based language to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. From President Trump’s declaration of becoming a “wartime president” to Xi Jinping’s “people’s war,” they have cast the coronavirus as a metaphorical foe to be vanquished. Rhetorical flourishes aside, this public health…
Read MoreAgainst All Odds: Botswana’s Development Wonder
By Timothy Motte Noted by Paul Collier in his seminal work, The Bottom Billion, being landlocked, having bad neighbors, and suffering from a poorly educated population are just some of the obstacles countries face as they develop, and Botswana faces all three. Not only is the country bordered by Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Namibia,…
Read MoreOpening the Window: Reversing Restrictions on Landmines Signals Possible Resurgence in Old Warfare Tool
By Daniel E. White What was once a last millennium weapon has reemerged in the American arsenal. It is not flamethrowers expelling soldiers from the trenches of World War One, nor is it the wanton destruction brought on by Agent Orange during the conflict in Vietnam, it is the weapon that indiscriminately maims children and soldiers alike—landmines. Today, President Trump…
Read MoreSub-Saharan Africa: How A Nation’s Heritage Remains Overseas
By Clara Cassan By the end of the 1800s, France controlled the second-largest colonial empire in Sub-Saharan Africa. During this time, the French extracted, most often through theft, African artifacts to add to French art collections and museums for “preservation purposes.” France ultimately believed these objects would be “safer” out of African hands. Although these past colonies have progressively reclaimed…
Read MoreIran and the Israeli Border: Iran’s Influence in Recent Rocket Attacks from Gaza
By Moshe Klein Shortly after an Israeli airstrike killed Abu al-Ata, a senior commander of a Gaza militant group, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, rockets began firing from Gaza into Israel. Although Israel is no stranger to rocket attacks, the most recent barrage was different because unlike previous shellings, it was not Hamas. Instead, it was the organization’s smaller, Iranian-backed, regional companion the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Raining…
Read MoreNecessary Next Steps Against Corruption: The Need for a Well-functioning Middle-class in Haiti
By Timothy Motte Haiti is an island nation located in the Caribbean, sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Besides sharing a landmass, this country of Ten million inhabitants is also known as the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, with 60 percent of its population living on less than $2 a day. …
Read MoreA Global Threat: Sexual Assault in the Military
By Gina Magliocco Sexual assault is a prominent issue in the U.S. military, with distinguished members speaking out. As of May 2019, sexual assault in the U.S. military has risen 38 percent from 2016 to 2018. And despite people becoming increasingly aware of the worsening situation within the military’s ranks—being an institution that prides itself on…
Read MoreEducating for the Future: Case Studies from Finland and South Korea
By Jennifer Zhang The only thing that’s certain about the future is its uncertainty. This adage holds doubly true for the world’s job markets. According to McKinsey, less than five percent of existing occupations can be wholly automated using current technology. Although as much as a third of constituent activities in 60 percent of trades could…
Read MoreChina and the Islamic World: How Expanding Interests May Lead to Militarism in the MENA Region
By Ralston Hough China famously enjoyed nearly 500 years of peace between 1400 and 1894 A.D. Except for a few internal conflicts and a handful of peacekeeping expeditions, China abstained from engaging in military adventurism. Now, more than a century later, rapid industrial development has replaced an introverted agricultural society, and China’s role continues to grow…
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