Background On June 5th, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt released a joint statement, announcing their severance of all diplomatic and trade ties with the gulf state of Qatar. This announcement came on the heels of rising tensions between Qatar and their fellow Arab states. The official reason given for the severance … Continue reading
The Clinton transition team recently leaked its shortlist for Secretary of State. While media attention has solely focused on Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance on the list, the rest of the list reveals what a potential Clinton administration’s foreign policy might entail. Based on her shortlist, Clinton has Russian aggression and European stability on … Continue reading
“The May Doctrine” is a three-part series discussing the three major planks of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s new foreign policy grand strategy. This second part analyzes the second plank: addressing the global mass migration crisis. Find the first part of the series here. In spite of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May recently unveiled … Continue reading
Since the start of the Syria Conflict, US policies have been inconsistent and at times self-defeating. In the fight against ISIL and the Assad regime, the US is supporting actors who themselves continue to fight each other in long-standing conflicts. This includes US ally and NATO member Turkey and the Kurdish groups favored by the … Continue reading
Early last week, the Defense Department and military officials announced that U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl will return to active duty merely six weeks after being released from Taliban captivity. After five years as a prisoner of war and six subsequent weeks of therapy and counseling at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Bergdahl will be … Continue reading
As of June 18th, President Obama’s foreign policy approval rating stands at a dismal 38%, a new low for the President. Shortly following the Bengdahl exchange, a measure that caused President Obama’s foreign policy approval ratings to fall to a staggering 41%, President Obama is faced with “renewed violence in Iraq.” Undoubtedly, the Bergdahl Exchange … Continue reading
On May 27th, 2014, President Barack Obama announced a formal “endgame” to the thirteen-year war in Afghanistan. He declared there will be less than 10,000 troops by the end of 2014, and a near complete withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of Obama’s presidency in 2016. Shortly after the President’s announcement on Tuesday, Republican representatives … Continue reading
On January 15th, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) released a review entailing the official series of events that unfolded in Benghazi, Libya on September 11-12th of 2012 as well as findings and recommendations that could have prevented this attack and future attacks on U.S. embassies and facilities abroad from happening. SSCI was … Continue reading
Gasoline prices, like prices of any commodity, are determined by many factors including supply-and-demand, government policy and even the weather. Gasoline is unique, however, because it is very nearly the only energy source used in transportation. Its monopoly on transportation amplifies the impact its price has on the economy. Low gas prices translate to more … Continue reading
Nearly everyone, regardless of personal political beliefs, will agree that President Obama’s stance(s) on Syria has been perplexing. Syria’s conflict began back in March 2011 as a popular uprising during the Arab Spring. As the conflict transformed into a civil war, rumblings grew for international intervention. On August 20, 2012, Obama stated that his red … Continue reading
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