Liberal Drug Policy Does Little to Combat Cartels
Rumors of the strength and size of the legal marijuana trade have been greatly exaggerated. Proponents (or those looking to jump on the bandwagon) claim that the legal weed industry will produce more jobs than manufacturing and,...
The Art of Foreign Policy: Culture Drives Foreign Affairs
Art and culture are often treated as lesser subjects in the field of foreign policy, sidelined such that the academics and policy wonks can focus on hard power—the often aggressive or coercive use of military and economic force...
One Belt One Road: Music Videos and Geopolitical Ambitions
If you have been curious about China’s ambitious “One Belt One Road” infrastructure project, look no further than the state-run Xinhua news agency, which recently released not an article or expose, but a music video aimed at...
No Big Deal: Duterte Disregards International Prosecution Efforts
Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, has officially been accused of mass murder and crimes against humanity and recommended to the International Criminal Court by a Filipino lawyer in a much needed, if rather delayed,...
One Country Two Systems Under Seige
On June 30th Hong Kong will celebrate 20 years of independence from the United Kingdom, which handed over official control of the island nation in 1997, with an extravagant program of concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, and...
Diplomacy Bots: The Evolution of Digital Relations
If any of your Twitter friends have been unusually pro-Russia lately, or retweeting comments made by Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko, they may have signed up for an online “diplomatic club” sponsored...
Cultural Genocide Funds ISIS Art-for-Weapons Trade
The 57th Venice Biennale, which will run from May until November of this year in Italy, will push boundaries with an exhibit featuring 40 artifacts from the Iraq Museum of Baghdad, many of which have never left the country...
Global Anti-Corruption Effort Would Benefit Nigerian Startups
The Silicon Valley in the United States may be in the midst of a very public crisis at the moment, but the start-up tech entrepreneur scene in Nigeria has been quietly flourishing. According to Disrupt Africa’s latest report,...
Twitter Diplomacy: Hardly A Bold New World for Foreign Policy
Over two years ago, I wrote a critique of the then newly-elected Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s use of Twitter to respond publicly to the world leaders who had reached out to congratulate him on his success. Modi’s...
Social Media Companies Join Forces to Fight Terrorist Propaganda
Four internet superpowers, Facebook, Microsoft, YouTube, and Twitter, recently announced a new partnership that puts these private companies in the rather unique position of acting as a sort of INTERPOL for online content...