By Alex Hayes Editor, International Relations & Geography Undergraduate Evidence of a shifting U.S. political landscape can be found in the outcomes of local elections in the state of Florida. An especially stunning outcome was announced on February 13th, when the Democratic candidate Margaret Good defeated Republican candidate James Buchanan in a special election for…
Category: The Americas
The Economics of Mass Shootings
By Kyra Ward Editor, Economics & International Relations Student Valentine’s Day 2018 has been marked in the United States as one of the many days that has ended in a school shooting. Like previous shootings, this one has brought back the arguments about gun control and regulation, and the extreme backlash causing mass hysteria over…
How Venezuela Became a State in Crisis
By Victoria Landaeta Correspondent, Undergraduate Student I was born in Venezuela three months before the presidential election of Hugo Chavez sparked the Bolivarian Revolution. I am writing this article to illustrate, through history and personal experience, my country’s journey from being one of the most economically promising and prosperous countries in South America, to the current…
Guns, Drugs, and Geopolitics: An Interview with Jacob Parakilas
Editor-in-Chief Adam Stromme sat down with Jacob Parakilas, Deputy Head of the US and the Americas program at Chatham House, to talk about the arms trade, drug trade, and America’s evolving foreign policy. Introductory Questions Adam Stromme: How did you first become interested in studying international affairs? Dr. Jacob Parakilas: I went through about…
Under Siege: The Iranian Nuclear Deal and the Future of a Country
By Alex Hayes Editor, International Relations & Geography Undergraduate The nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, lifted certain international sanctions in exchange for a scaling back of Iran’s nuclear program. As a result of the agreement, tens of billions of dollars in previously frozen assets and oil revenue have…
Partisanship: Is it Beyond Repair?
By Jono Davis Editor, International Relations Student Once upon a time, partisanship was a word used only in the United States to describe sports teams: if it was baseball it was the Braves-Mets rivalry, or if it was basketball it was Celtics-Lakers. Politics however, was an entirely different story: President Gerald Ford, in his confirmation…
Despite Political Challenges, Florida Rediscovers its Railway Heritage
By Alex Hayes International Relations Student Florida is finally getting an intercity passenger rail system that will link the popular tourist destinations of Orlando and Miami. After more than 16 years of political blockage by Republican governors, it took significant private investment to put the project into place. Once built Brightline will offer numerous benefits…
Why Trump Probably Won’t Make America Great Again
By Jono Davis Columnist, International Relations Student A few weeks ago, I stipulated that I was fairly positive about a Trump administration in the foreign policy field. Needless to say, despite Stephen Colbert’s brilliant analysis (sarcasm) that someone with the nickname “Mad Dog” shouldn’t be Secretary of Defense, I stand by the opinion that there…
Why a Trump Presidency Really Might Make America Great Again
By Jono Davis Columnist, International Relations Student Can’t believe I’m saying this, but: I’m excited for a Trump Presidency (if only for the promising future in the realms of defense and foreign policy). The United States of America has lost its way a bit on the foreign policy stage, both blundering into Iraq and Afghanistan…
Isolation & Trade in a Trumpian America
By James Moynan Editor, Undergraduate Economics Student As the world adjusts to the news that the US electorate has voted for a man who seems more concerned about the public perception of the size of his hands than human rights violations, discussion turns to what exactly caused an outcome that seemed unlikely a week ago to…
Unfinished Ambition: The Obama Legacy at Home
By Jono Davis Undergraduate International Relations Student Barack Obama: the 44th President of the United States, the fifteenth Democratic president and most markedly the first African-American president, but also a name that can create emotions of both elatedness and utter disgust. Whilst all presidents create and command their own unique versions of America, Obama’s tenure…
We Lost, Alright?: Reflections of a Post-Primary Bern
By Jono Davis Undergraduate International Relations Student A few months ago, I wrote an article for this very website, in which positivity radiated from the page, describing the incredible experience of contributing to the Bernie Sanders campaign in the largest way I possibly could being a UK citizen. Now, as I sit down to begin…
