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
Category Archives: Foreign Policy
Gas Prices are Down, Will They Stay This Way?
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
The Ripple Effects of Obama’s Disastrous Syria Policy
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
Patience for Egypt
The author of a New York Times article this month criticized the rioters in Egypt, arguing that they should have voted Mohamed Morsi out of office in a democratic way when dissatisfied with his tenure in office. Of course, he is correct. If Egypt’s democracy were thriving, dissatisfied citizens would have rallied support for the … Continue reading
3 Reasons Sanctions are Having No Effect on Iran
“The regime does not believe it can win a war against the United States,” says Trita Parsi, but “it does believe it can survive it. It does not believe, however, that it can survive capitulation on the nuclear issue.” Dr. Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council, argues that the regime in Iran is … Continue reading
The Extradition Wars: Snowden Edition
After leaking details of a classified surveillance program and briefly stopping over in Hong Kong, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has been hanging out in a transit zone at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he will not be extradited, citing the absence of an extradition treaty and the … Continue reading
Lack of Peace in the Afghan-Taliban “Peace” Talks
On Tuesday, the United States, Afghanistan, and the Taliban agreed to participate in peace talks in Doha, Qatar. But by Wednesday the Afghan government had pulled out of the talks and the American government remained confused and stung by the broken promise of discussion. The already rocky-road to peace represents what is to come, and how … Continue reading
What is an American?
Immigration seems to have only become a controversial issue in the last couple of years, when in reality this has been an American issue since the country was formed. Recent legislation such as the Arizona’s S.B. 1070 also gave way to hatred against people who looked of Hispanic background, regardless of their legal status in … Continue reading
The Fine Line Between Mending and Meddling
The United States is the largest giver of foreign aid in the world, providing $49.5 billion in economic and military assistance in 2011. Clearly, charity is one of our strong suits. But with the slow economic recovery, and approximately $12 trillion in national debt, the fact is that we cannot afford to keep this up. … Continue reading
Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom
The Bipartisan Policy Center recently hosted an event discussing the geopolitical impacts of the US’s recent tight oil boom. Tight oil, or shale oil, production has increased with the expansion of hydraulic fracturing technology used to access shale gas from shale or sandstone formations. Amidst the rallying cries of a “qualified abundance” instead of a … Continue reading
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