Reactions to Extreme Symbolic Terrorism: the Cases of ISIS and al-Qaeda

by HUGO BARRILLON, '21 All terrorist attacks are not created equal. Some terror attacks bring about global campaigns against terror organizations, while others just bring about localized, national punishment within a judicial system. The 9/11 attacks and the 2014 ISIS beheadings brought about incredibly strong reactions from the victim country whereas events such as the...

A New Solution to Heal NATO’s Transatlantic Divide

by JAKOB URDA, '19 and ADAM CHAN, '19 NATO is in a crisis moment. Critics from both sides of the Atlantic and all sides of the political debate are doubting NATO’s purpose. The transatlantic relationship is fraying as America and Europe are apparently moving away from each other on policy. Current American demands that European...

A New Challenger Approaches the INF Arena

by JOSHUA ZAKHAROV, '20 On February 1st, the Trump administration formally withdrew the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The next day, Putin pulled Russia out of the INF Treaty as well, inflaming apparent tensions between the two countries and leading to a compelling popular narrative that the end of the agreement...

Immigration: A Path to Tolerance

By BECKY SCURLOCK, '22 Stroll the streets of Rockford, Illinois and you would hardly know you were in the heart of Rust Belt America. Pedestrians bustle past newly-opened shops, and renovated apartments look onto well-manicured parks. Hip cafes and yachts dot the riverside boardwalk. Unlike other mid-sized cities in the region, Rockford has withstood the...

The Foreign Policy Implications of Gerrymandering in the United States

by THOMAS WEIL, '22 Over the past several decades, polarization across the American political system, at the local, state, and national levels, has accelerated.  There are various causes for this schism, one of which is gerrymandering. Gerrymandering – the drawing of a voting district in such a way as to favor one group over another...

The United States is Undermining the WTO it Built to Advantage Itself

by JOSHUA ZAKHAROV, '20 The big engine that just barely couldn’t. On June 8th, the Peak Pegasus, a U.S. cargo vessel carrying a shipment of soybeans, embarked from Seattle on a one-month voyage to the Chinese port of Dalian. On its way, however, the Peak Pegasus caught word of China’s retaliatory 25% soybean tariffs on...

UNDRIP: The Recognition of Indigenous Peoples through Acknowledging the Past, Present and Future

by CARSON SMITH, Stanford University '19 In 2007, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples acted as the first signed piece of formal, international policy to provide indigenous peoples worldwide with a set of specific rights, including self-determination, economic development, governance, the protection of cultural practices, and land rights. Although the document...

New Approaches to America’s Longest War

by BEN SILVIAN Even though the Islamic State has lost much of its territorial holdings in Iraq and Syria, it would be a mistake to assume that security in the Middle East is no longer a serious concern. In fact, recent headlines highlighting America’s successes against terrorism in the Middle East may promote complacency and...

Chickenshit-Gate Revisited: The Obama Administration’s Open Frustration with Netanyahu’s Risk-Averse Policies

by OLIVIA LIN After decades of a special relationship between the United States and Israel, maintained primarily by stable foreign aid and political support, the White House has begun to voice frustration over Israel’s lack of cooperation and action. In October of last year, the White House’s passive-aggressive attitude towards a recalcitrant Netanyahu came to...

The American Aversion to Treaties

AIDAN MILLIFF --  Examining the Legal Opposition to the UNCRC republished from the University of Chicago Undergraduate Law Review Critics of the United States’ failure to ratify a host of UN treaties in the late 20thand early 21st century commonly point to two distinct objections. First, the US was instrumental in drafting each of these documents, which...