Social Media and International Affairs: A Question of Ethics.
Communications / Latin America / Middle East / Politics

Social Media and International Affairs: A Question of Ethics.

In today’s world where people get their news from platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Google, ethical standards reasonably come into question. Entire internet platforms are now starting to notice the impact they have on public opinion, and are starting to take a stand for what they feel is right. Take, for example, last … Continue reading

Intervention in Syria: Old Problem, New Tactics
Foreign Policy

Intervention in Syria: Old Problem, New Tactics

Events from last week highlight two very different faces of the Syrian intervention movement and how each is evolving: Senator John McCain’s visit with rebel leaders, and the as yet unconfirmed report of an American combatant’s death. These developments have attracted increased attention to the possibility of U.S. intervention in Syria, a prospect which seemed … Continue reading

Hackers, Pipeline Problems Serious Threat to Aging Electric Grid
Energy / Iran / Sanctions

Hackers, Pipeline Problems Serious Threat to Aging Electric Grid

The Keystone pipeline isn’t the only one causing a headache for energy watchdogs. Last week, the WSJ reported that Iranian hackers had gone “far enough to worry people” in possibly manipulating oil or gas pipelines through the computers that control electricity generation. Such cyberattacks, believed to be a retaliation against sanctions, are seen as a … Continue reading

In Soviet Russia, the news makes you: competing portrayals of the spy scandal
Foreign Policy / Gov. Officials / National Security

In Soviet Russia, the news makes you: competing portrayals of the spy scandal

As if US-Russian relations weren’t already complicated enough, a breaking spy scandal has resulted in the expulsion of Ryan Christopher Fogle, a junior diplomat at the US Embassy in Moscow, who allegedly attempted to recruit a Russian intelligence officer to spy for the CIA. Reading the American and Russian press in the wake of the … Continue reading

Mexico in shock: The aftermath of Peña’s first 100 days in power.
Foreign Policy / Mexico

Mexico in shock: The aftermath of Peña’s first 100 days in power.

It has been 100 days since President Enrique Peña Nieto took office in Mexico, restoring the Partido Revolucionario Institucional ‘s (PRI) seventy-year rule after a brief twelve-year pause. Today Mexico is in shock, not by the number of deaths and criminal incidents that still harass the Mexican population on a daily basis, but because several … Continue reading