by REBECCA MOONEY, University of Rochester ’18 Abstract This study analyzes the efficacy of the no-concessions policy used against terrorist groups during hostage crises and related incidents. Specifically, I address whether conceding to a terrorist organization’s ransom demand influences the frequency of future attacks committed by the group. Existing
by GABRIEL BROSHY, ’20 Many argue that we ought to refrain from giving money directly to the poor. Since it was their faulty decision-making that caused their current predicament, giving money directly to these individuals would only perpetuate the cycle of poverty. At least in developing countries, this line of
by EMMA MADDEN, ’18 On December 9th, 2016, two schoolgirls entered a crowded marketplace in Madagali, Nigeria. The young girls, posing as customers, paused to shop at a stall selling grain and second-hand goods. Suddenly, they detonated the two suicide vests hidden under their clothing, killing and wounding over 100
by GAURAV KALWANI, ’19 In May of this year, Chinese forces deployed surface-to-air and anti-ship cruise missiles on its occupied reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea (SCS).[1] China’s actions, though certainly concerning to the international community, were hardly surprising. The placement of missiles was
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
by ANNA STONEMAN, University of Chicago ’21 The democratization of the Czech Republic has long been predictive of the political and ideological leanings of Eastern Europe. For a brief period during the heart of the Cold War and the decades following, the nation became widely perceived as bastion of the
Our Spring 2018 print edition can be accessed in full on Issuu at this link, around campus in the coming weeks, and at Bartlett Lounge this coming Thursday, May 24th, at 8:00 PM. Thanks to our editors Nicole, Davis, and Gaurav, our design editor, Max, and to our contributors
by PALLAVI GEETHIKA, University of Chicago ’21 This April, the Australian Defence Ministry confirmed that Australia will not join India, Japan, and the United States in the upcoming Malabar naval exercises scheduled to take place near Guam.[1] Collectively called ‘Exercise Malabar’, these drills began in 1992 as annual bilateral
by BEN SILVIAN, University of Chicago ’20 The two largest global financial institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, impose strong conditions on their loans, and they have since their inception. This system, known as the Washington Consensus (WC), has long required that a country go through “structural
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
by VALERIE KELUN ZHU Currently, China has been collaborating with a great number of developing countries, offering loans four times as much as the World Bank offers to its partners. While China has now undeniably become one of the most crucial players in international politics, its diplomatic moves are still
by JOSH ZAKHAROV The New Year was marked by a surprising overture to peace in a region characterized mostly by crisis and brinkmanship over the last year. Drawing support from Russia, China, and the United States in a way that previous efforts have failed to, January’s agreement between the