Taiwan’s Silicon Shield is Under Threat: Corporate Espionage and the Future of Semiconductors
For decades, Taiwan’s technological dominance has created a United States (U.S.)-supported silicon shield. Now, repeated data breaches and trade secret thefts threaten to weaken that shield, potentially reducing Taiwan’s strategic leverage against China’s growing opposition.
A New Era?: How Madagascar Keeps Cycling Through the Same Leaders
Madagascar recently experienced a military coup d'état which deposed their long-time President after a series of protests. However, that President-Andry Rajoelina-had also come to power in a military-backed revolt. It therefore begs the question: is this coup a break from the past or just more of the same? This article traces Madagascar's history from the colonial era to the present seeking to answer that very question.
A New Monroe Doctrine: Renewed U.S. Gunboat Diplomacy and Economic Coercion
U.S. President Donald Trump's first year of his second term has shook the global economy and community. His aggressive tariff policy and rhetoric, referred to by some as "the Monroe Doctrine," is on full display in Latin America. This strategy raises several questions: Who benefits and loses in Latin America? And what are the geopolitical ramifications between the U.S. and the global community?
Funded by a Dictator?: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Convicted in Libyan Campaign Funding Scandal After Decades of Allegations
French courts ruled that Nicolas Sarkozy allowed close aides to produce a “corruption pact” with the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy himself was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and accused of utilizing secret campaign financing in exchange for political favors but denied wrongdoing throughout his trial. Calling the case a “scandal,” Sarkozy continued to insist upon his innocence, declaring throughout the trial: “What credibility can be given to such statements marked by the seal of vengeance?”
Nepal, Sudan and Palestine: Social Media as a Civilian Tool for Protest, Mobilization and Resistance Against State Violence
Nepalese Gen-Z imagined new leadership in their corrupt government. The Sudanese people look for ways to coordinate a path out of danger. International audiences desire the means to support imperiled Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Can social media be a vehicle for ordinary people to create meaningful change?
Over One Year Later: The Unfinished Story of Serbia’s Protests
November 1, 2025 marked the one year anniversary of the ongoing mass protests in Serbia over the corruption and irresponsibility of the national government. Protests have reached over 300,000 participants and drawn people from all over the country. Despite the revolution unfolding before our eyes, most of the Western media has largely ignored the scale and persistence of these demonstrations.
Can Centrism Make a Comeback? A Dutch Analysis
With the emergence of populist political parties around the globe, are there any forces that can stop them? Perhaps the answer lies in the Netherlands, where the D66 under Rob Jetten has overtaken Geert Wilders’ right-wing PVV as the largest party. Could Jetten’s leadership offer a template for stuck European centrists, or is it more of the same?
Curating Memory: International Tourism and Museums
President Trump’s March 2025 executive order raised questions about the role of museums for imparting national messaging to both citizens and foreign visitors. However, this struggle to define civic identity happens around the world. Both museums and pseudo-historical sites can shape how people understand the past, often in ways beyond the purview of the government. How does transnational memory of the Vietnam War exemplify this dynamic?
From Avocados to Extortion: How Mexican Cartels Are Taking Over The Agricultural Industry
Michoacán, Mexico, is known as the “avocado capital of the world,” generating $2.5 billion in annual revenue through exports. The booming industry has become an unexpected frontline in Mexico's fight against organized crime. As international demand continues to surge, powerful cartel groups have embedded themselves in the avocado industry through extortion and extreme violence, turning Michoacán into a battleground over cartel control and instilling fear in farmers across the state. United States and Mexico relations have only intensified over the correct response to the increase in cartel involvement, with Mexico firmly keeping U.S. military forces out of its lands.
Democracy by the Barrel: Venezuela and America’s Oil Imperative
The recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has sent the international community and U.S. citizens questioning the validity of President Trump’s anti-interventionist foreign policy promises. The administration’s moves to control and exploit Venezuela’s oil echoes operations carried out in the Middle East throughout the early 2000s and reinforces the U.S.’s long history of resource imperialism in the name of democratization. Will Venezuela be the success story of democratization that the U.S. was not able to achieve in Iraq and Afghanistan, or will it prove that American oil conquests will always take precedence over anti-authoritarianism?
Nuclear-powered submarines for seoul: The developing relationship between the United states and south korea
On October 30, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump approved plans to share nuclear-propulsion technology with South Korea that will allow them to build their own nuclear-powered submarine—one of only two countries to receive this technology from the U.S. This decision was announced alongside a new trade agreement and a pledge to increase bilateral technological investment, marking a progression in the long-standing U.S.-South Korean alliance. This strategic shift raises critical questions: What does this extension of the alliance signal about the current balance of powers in East Asia? And what does it indicate about the evolution of the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea?
The Selective Censorship of Political Satire under the Trump Administration
Former police officer Larry Bushart found himself behind bars in September for posting a meme criticizing a vigil for right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk by juxtaposing it with a 2024 quote of President Trump dismissing the tragedy of a school shooting by crudely saying “We have to get over it.” His arrest is part of a greater trend towards mass censorship and legal punishment of comedy under the current administration. This new era of political censorship allows inflammatory right-wing speech to circulate while its leftist counterpart is repressed.
Nigeria’s Many Wars, America’s Single Story: Whose Pain Counts?
Nigeria faces overlapping crises shaped by terrorist insurgency, criminal banditry, separatist movements, and communal conflict. Yet in Washington, the crisis is often reduced to a single story of Christian persecution, a framing that risks distorting both Nigerian realities and the global response.
When Paradise Pays the Price: How Tourism Brings Economic and Social Inequality to Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the countries around the globe that has recently experienced a Gen Z led protest movement. The Malagasy protests led to a successful political revolution, after which then president Andry Rajoelina fled the country. While the Malagasy people look towards the future with hope as a new system of governance is being created, there is one aspect of Madagascar’s economy that is still perpetuating a structure of inequality: tourism.
Headache at the US-China Negotiating Table: The Minerals That Had Washington in a Chokehold
Seventeen metallic elements, coined the rare earth minerals, power your college’s washing machines and Washington’s key defense technologies. These metals are almost exclusively produced in China — giving it a fundamental leverage in the ongoing trade war.
The Race to Save the Reefs: Will Coral Decline Become Permanent?
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet, referred to as the “rainforests of the sea” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These underwater structures are essential to marine life, providing habitats for aquatic organisms and protecting coastlines from harsh waves and surges during extreme weather events. Yet, rising ocean temperatures, driven by climate change, are pushing reefs to their limits. Scientists are witnessing unprecedented coral loss, raising urgent questions about whether these biomes can survive the warming decades ahead.
Uganda’s ‘Gen-Z’ Moment?: Transnational Resistance Movements in East Africa and the Regimes Working Against Them
The upcoming election in Uganda will see 81 year old despot Yoweri Museveni face off against the strongest challenge to his rule in his 40 years as president. His opponent, pop star activist Bobi Wine, has cultivated strong support from a new generation of Ugandans frustrated with corruption and unemployment. However, this confrontation represents a wider trend across East Africa that has seen youth led movements take on economic injustices and democratic backsliding. With the growing use of mobile phones and social media, these campaigns have built transnational networks of support allowing them newfound strength against their respective governments. But many fear this new wave of resistance is leading to increased collaboration between governments in ramping up censorship and control over the region. With tensions running high, the result of this election will have seismic effects on the future of East Africa.
The Expansion of Beijing’s National Security State Into Hong Kong: Societal Implications of the National Security Law
Enacted on June 30, 2020, China’s National Security Law (NSL) arrived with speed and force. Drafted behind closed doors in Beijing, the law was implemented into Annex III of Hong Kong’s Basic Law. This law sought to criminalize collusion, secession, and subversion. Five years after its implementation, Hong Kong still feels the effects of this law through its legal, political and cultural impacts. What was once a semi-autonomous political society has now been restricted tightly by Beijing. Although China has claimed that the NSL restored stability to Hong Kong, we must question whether that stability comes at the cost of addressing other issues that threaten citizens’ livelihoods.
In A “New” Syria, al-Sharaa Promises Peace. Can He Deliver?
The fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 brought an end to nearly 14 years of devastating civil war and a half century of brutal totalitarian rule in Syria. In the wake of regime change, Syria is attempting to redefine its place on the world stage under the leadership of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. As founder of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist organization that led the rebel offensive against the Assad regime, al-Sharaa has promised the Syrian people enduring peace and stability. However, bubbling sectarian divisions, a crippled economy, and acute funding shortages may challenge al-Sharaa’s ability to deliver on his promises.
"Japan is Back": Sanae Takaichi and Balancing US-Japan Relations Amidst Rising Isolationism
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takiachi has a tough balancing act ahead of her: flatter the U.S. in order to continue receiving U.S. security guarantees while simultaneously making nice with China to keep access to a wide market open for Japanese businesses. How will she do it?