On May 29th, 2024, nearly 16 million South Africans went to the polls and cast their votes in the general election. The results were clear: for the first time in nearly thirty years, the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in the National Assembly. With the nation and party facing mounting challenges, including economic hardship, a severe energy crisis, and waning public trust, the ANC was forced to confront a hard reality: it would now have to form a coalition government to remain in power. This election not only reflected deep-seated frustration with the ANC’s governance over the past three decades, but also demonstrated a rising demand for accountability and broader representation in the South African federal government.

Africa before the era of colonization was a dynamic region with extensive trade routes that connected diverse cultures and economies. When European colonizers arrived, they upended these trade networks, establishing colonial regions whose sole purpose was to export raw materials to Europe for manufacture. These extractive policies rendered African economies woefully underdeveloped when they gained their independence in the mid-20th century. In the 21st century, despite the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, tariffs and trade barriers are still stifling growth.

Senegal has served as a shining example of a successful West African democracy, as the country is the only West African nation never to suffer a coup d'etat since gaining independence in 1960 and one of the few to have peaceful transitions of power since the early 1990s. However, during this past election cycle, that tradition came dangerously close to being broken by outgoing incumbent President Macky Sall of the Alliance for the Republic Party (APR). How did this happen and how has the new administration fared?

On January 1st, 2024, Ethiopia officially joined BRICS, after being invited in August 2023. BRICS (named after its founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is an intergovernmental organization that can be broadly understood as a political and economic counterweight to Western-dominated organizations like the OECD, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. What does this mean for Ethiopia and how will this benefit the BRICS nations?

The first 2024 presidential debate between Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump reaffirmed the disenchantment of many with contemporary American politics. An oft-stated grievance of voters and pundits alike is the uncivil speech and conduct of political candidates, which may no longer be “unprecedented” but ubiquitous in our system. The bitter aftertaste of the debate provokes the question of whether common decency has been abandoned by our politicians.

But is this perception accurate? And can we assess how the behavior of political candidates has changed, not only within the past ten years but also since the first televised presidential debate took place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon almost six and a half decades ago? 

In 2024, the global political landscape is marked by pivotal elections, including the anticipated rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the United Kingdom's general election, and India's general election. Africa is also hosting a number of elections this year, which will likely play a seminal role in shaping regional and international politics. Let’s take a closer look at three of the most important elections happening this year on the continent: Elections in Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa.

2023 saw the near-total collapse of France's military presence in West Africa. A string of high-profile coups in the Sahel, the region straddling the transition zone between the Sahara and the Sudanian savanna, have chased the French out of their former colonial holdings. Coupled with the disastrous end of the eight year-long counterterrorism mission Operation Barkhane in November of 2022, France has departed the Sahel just as violence and instability are reaching heretofore unseen levels. The following will examine the breakdown of the French War on Terror, and what France’s departure from the region means for the future of the Sahel.

In the 23 years since the declaration of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (the WPS Agenda), national and international implementations have had both successes and failures in upholding the agenda. By evaluating the progress that has been made, we can better understand how to move forward with better solutions for the future.

Over the past years, Jair Bolsonaro has made significant and controversial changes to Brazilian politics. However, in the 2022 election, Brazil pivoted towards a more established leader as Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva, who had previously served as President, was elected. Given Lula's contrasting leadership style compared to Bolsonaro and his experience serving as President in two different decades, it is crucial to examine Brazil's foreign policy and consider how Lula's foreign policy will differ or align with previous trajectories.

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Read about the Myanmar’s 2021 coup, the military crackdown, and the protestors attempting to draw international attention to their plight.

On June 5, 2021 history was made in El Salvador as president Nayib Bukele’s government passed the unprecedented Bitcoin Law that permanently adjusted the future of cryptocurrencies on an international scale. Beginning September 7, 2021 the new official currency of El Salvador was permitted for the sale and purchase of anything and everything including meals at restaurants, taxes, and even buying and selling property. Under this new law, all establishments in El Salvador are required to take Bitcoin as a form of payment for any and all transactions tendered within the country. This new law presents a fascinating opportunity to ponder the new standard for cryptocurrencies around the world and their status in the daily lives of many living around the world.

The Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably impacted virtually every society across the globe physically, psychologically, socially, and the far reaching, powerful effects of the pandemic render its study as perhaps the most relevant and comprehensive political issue of this generation. By comparing the American and Taiwanese governments and their respective public responses with Covid-19 data, we can analyze the effect of government influence on people during a pandemic.

The United States (U.S.) faces many challenges in the Indo-Pacific, headlined by an evolving geopolitical rivalry with China stemming from notable economic, security, and human rights concerns. Yet despite perhaps the most significant strategic rebalancing since the Cold War, the U.S. remains unprepared to adequately confront this challenge as regional allies lack adequate strategic unity. Most concerning is the breakdown in trust and cooperation between Japan and South Korea, the third- and tenth-largest economies respectively, who together house tens of thousands of U.S. service personnel. Despite robust bilateral ties with the United States and mutual concern on key issues including China’s rise and North Korea’s nuclearization, a failure to sufficiently reconcile imperial Japan’s past atrocities has continued to mar relations. Thus, the Biden Administration should prioritize a just and comprehensive resolution that brings closure for the victims’ families and promotes deeper trilateral strategic cohesion between the United States, Japan, and South Korea. This opinion essay will first explore Japan and South Korea’s ongoing dispute before proposing a path towards reconciliation. This piece is meant to serve not as a detailed strategy paper but as a call to American policymakers to take action.

Thirty years after declaring its independence from Somalia, the Republic of Somaliland seems to be strategically positioning itself to make a strong push for international recognition. Though it checks nearly every box for statehood, its pursuit of independence has been largely ignored, leaving the region stable, but isolated and without a voice in international forums and debates. Now, it is combining its track record of self-governance and democratic consolidation with a more shrewd and strategic foreign policy that capitalizes on the geopolitical rivalries that are roiling the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region. Whether it will ultimately be successful yet to be seen, but with a strong case, powerful new friends, and a neighborhood in turmoil, its chances appear to be improving significantly.

The rise of an ICC chief prosecutor who has levied serious criticisms against the court's past policies calls into question the future of the ICC and International Criminal Law. Karim Khan's demonstrated recognition of the court's fixation on Africa, coupled with his commitments to peacebuilding in the Middle East, indicates that the geographic focus of the court may drastically change and with it the concept of international criminal law as we know it. This piece examines the factors that may lead to such a revolutionary shift.

This article aims to provide a new framework for analyzing the feminist movement in relation to religious symbols in Iran. After interpreting the literature in the field, it is clear that feminism and Islamic feminists have joined forces in the past in order to accomplish social change. Secular and Islamic feminists did not have a collective identity, but for a period of time they were united by collective goals. Thus, collective goals are a means of accomplishing social change.

Direct to consumer (DTC) genetic testing is a new and quickly growing business within the broader data industry. Companies such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA are leading the charge of publicly available testing kits that provide consumers with detailed analysis of their genetic makeup without involving a physician. How is collection and storage of this data regulated in the United States and EU?

As Europe looks to take more responsibility for its defense and security, talk of “strategic autonomy” has resurfaced and given rise to a great deal of controversy. How realistic is this foreign policy ambition? This article addresses its surrounding misconceptions, necessity, and feasibility in light of challenges and existing capabilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than four million lives to this day, making the global supply and distribution of vaccines critical to the health and safety of all civilians. The project discusses past and current trends in vaccine allocation as well as multilateral initiatives that address issues surrounding the equitable distribution of doses. Furthermore, the project also emphasizes the importance and benefits of vaccine multilateralism over vaccine nationalism in order to meet global vaccination needs.