WORLD
Opinion and analysis on foreign policy and global politics from the Georgetown University student body.
In El Salvador, order has emerged from an anti-democratic regime. The fact of the matter is that the Latin American country was rather lawless before, with gangs roaming the streets and bribery a norm. The U.S. must push for an order in accordance with law. There is a world where due process meets safety.
— Michael Scime
Recently, former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the upcoming 2024 election, has commented on the United States’ commitment to NATO, leaving the other allied countries questioning their safety amid the War in Ukraine.
— Christina Tucholski
The finger guns to the head are more than a gesture or a political protest. It’s a way for the world to finally understand how dire the situation in Congo has been and continues to be. Whether it is the DR Congo, Gaza, Sudan, or Tigray, you can not just tune out what is distressing to you just because you don’t want to hear it.
— Kahwit Tela
In the face of the current climate crisis, developing nations must balance the pressure to transition to renewable energy sources with the need to provide affordable and stable energy to their population. Unfortunately for climate activists, the easiest way to overcome this is through the use of fossil fuels.
— Alessia Coluccio
While the United Nations (UN) is intended to provide a forum for such coordination, its effectiveness has been increasingly called into question by members of Congress and international leaders alike. While the UN remains an indispensable asset to diplomacy, it needs to be fixed to restore its credibility and strength to meet the unique challenges of the world today.
— Stephen Blinder
The recent conflict that has occurred within the Middle East have deeply shocked Georgetown students and the international community. It is crucial to condemn the innocent killing of civilians on both sides, and to stand with both the Jewish and Palestinian communities in empathizing with their suffering.
— Peer Khan
The Filipino Coast Guard removed a floating barrier installed by China to prevent Filipino boats from fishing in a contested region of the South China Sea on September 25, 2023. A released video showed a Filipino diver cutting a 300 meter long string of buoys near Scarborough Shoal, a fertile fishing ground west of Luzon.
— Maggie Yang
Corruption investigations. Arrests of high-profile politicians. A political earthquake that fundamentally alters politics for one billion people while remaining a mystery to the rest of the world.
— Peer Khan
When Orson Wells broadcast his “War of the Worlds” episode on the radio in 1938, people across the United States feared the world as they knew it was falling under attack. While that was proven to be a theatrical performance, increased relations between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have left the world wondering if their relationship will also be a ruse, or if it will become a true War of the Worlds.
— Emily Beaman
Advocates for women’s rights throughout the world felt the victory and progress being made when the Mexican Supreme Court recently federally decriminalized abortion.
— Anna Wice
As enticing as the idea of two warring states pursuing peace may seem, peace simply for peace’s sake is not necessarily a virtue. One must understand what is at stake and consider whether diplomacy will in fact maximize international security and prosperity in the long-term. Considering the historical and geopolitical context surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exerting pressure on President Zelensky to accept Putin’s demands would be a grave mistake.
— Zach Fontiadis
Speaking in the Lohrfink Auditorium at an event sponsored by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo praised the “incredible opportunity we have as a nation to unleash the next generation of American innovation, protect our national security, and preserve our global economic competitiveness.” She was, of course, speaking of the recent, under-the-radar passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, along with new Biden administration trade rules.
— Asher Maxwell
Liz Truss resigned on the morning of October 20. In her mere 44 days as Prime Minister (the shortest of any Prime Minister in British history), Truss managed to crash the British economy, create yet another political crisis for Britain, and then promptly resign.
— Andrew Wong
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered what will likely be regarded as among the most notorious speeches in modern history. His very first grievance in the address was perhaps the most critical, as he parroted a line long professed by ardent Russian foreign policy apologists: preventing NATO expansion.
— Zach Fotiadis
Tying countries together economically intended to construct a system for automatic and discretionary consequences for aggressive action. However, through the decades of relative international peace we have yet to see a successful, full-scale test of this ideology. Russia’s war on Ukraine highlights the failures of economically bonded world peace.
— Elizabeth Johnson
Invoking the legacy of colonialism, the Kenyan delegation excoriated President Putin for his exploitation of ethnic tensions and irredentist visions to justify his bombardment of a sovereign power.
— Zach Fotiadis
In a political climate that has facilitated the rise of authoritarianism and amplified public mistrust of the media, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa comes at a critical moment.
— Ethan Johanson
U.S. humanitarian aid to Lebanon is a step in the right direction to helping the nation get back on it’s feet , but Lebanon’s recovery from economic crisis, Beirut blast, and COVID-19 will be slow.
— Rajaa Bint Talal
What happens when a civilian reporter’s life gets wrapped up in bilateral nuclear power negotiations? To what extent does valuing an individual’s survival compare with the impending threat of violent conflict? For Jason Rezaian, these questions were not hypotheticals to be debated among international relations scholars or on the nightly news. Rather, the answers to them were the only bridge between a life trapped inside an eight-by-four foot cell and freedom.
— Mia Young
Nicaragua and Colombia went before the International Court of Justice in September 2021 as the first step towards resolving alleged violations of Nicaraguan sovereignty in the Caribbean.
— Riley Swain
As Africa lags on vaccine access, the United States is ignoring its moral imperative to collaborate with African governments and support equitable vaccine distributions on the continent.
— Eric Bazail-Eimil
This month, OTR will be spotlighting articles that do a deep dive into how U.S. policies impact people across the globe. This spotlight is an opportunity to take policy analysis a step further and compel us to consider how our actions, both our advocacy and silence, impact communities beyond our borders.
— Carly Kabot
After 260 NGOs urged banks not to finance a $3.5 billion oil pipeline in East Africa, the Biden administration must consider alternatives to offer Uganda, Tanzania and other nations to generate electric power and stimulate their economies.
— Zega Ras-Work
President Joe Biden’s promise to halt all relevant arms sales to Saudi Arabia and appoint a senior diplomat to Yemen should only be the start of a long and arduous road towards peace.
— Himaja Reddy
Devastating typhoons in the Philippines emphasize the need for President elect-Biden to take decisive action against climate change. Though long overdue, now is the time for the U.S. to acknowledge its role in natural disasters across the globe.
— Ethan Johanson
Trump is hastening a national walk off the international stage, leaving the country with no better alternative.
— Austin May
During my year abroad in London, British politics has taken a series of unexpected twists and turns surrounding the issue of Brexit. Yesterday, the United Kingdom chose its future.
—Anusha Agarwal
If the opposition in parliament continues to refuse a general election and delay Brexit, this October 31 may turn out to be more sinister than a typical Halloween.
— Liam Downer-Sanderson
Even Trump allies recognize that the decision to abandon the Kurds in Syria will ensure the re-emergence of ISIS.
— Jacob Denninger
If he manages to balance the unbalanceable, Boris Johnson could be remembered as one of Britain’s great prime ministers.
— Liam Downer-Sanderson