Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Emma Grace Jarvis, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, and Meera Srinivasan Asia and the Pacific Written by Jesse Vu Xi Discussed Trade and Taiwan with Trump Following Putin’s Call Following  a call with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping hopped on another call on Feb. 4 to discuss trade and Taiwan with U.S. President Donald Trump. The call took place two months before Trump’s expected visit to Chin

Alexa Fishman Introduction The past two years have been volatile ones in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The war between Israel and Hamas that ended  a little more than two years after the October 7 attacks was characterized by global accusations  against Israel of genocide, the fight  for the return of the hostages, and rising  Palestinian death tolls. While this war and its ceasefire are at the forefront of the international community’s mind, a different, lesser-known thr

Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Emma Grace Jarvis, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, and Meera Srinivasan Asia and the Pacific Written by Jesse Vu Top Diplomats Discuss Myanmar's Recent Election Top diplomats of ASEAN countries met  in Cebu, Philippines, on Wednesday, January 28th, to attend their annual retreat and discuss all the critical issues in the region. These issues include the ongoing border war between Thailand and Cambodia, the recent military-run

Wells Benjamin “You won’t find a new country, won’t find another shore. This city will always pursue you.” “The City”,  C. P. Cavafy Introduction: Nothing New Under the Sun  The concept of an urban war is often thought of as a modern phenomena. Images of Stalingrad and Fallujah capture the mind and promote the idea that urban warfare is a kind of uniquely modern environment for war, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. As long as humans have begun to gravitate towards

Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Emma Grace Jarvis, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, and Meera Srinivasan Asia and the Pacific Written by Jesse Vu Japanese and Filipino Foreign Ministers Sign New Security Pacts On a recent tour of Asia and the Middle East, which included  stops in Israel and the Palestinian territory, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with his Filipino counterpart, Theresa Larazo, to sign two important security pacts. This event o

Uma Miskinyar Cyber Threats Beyond Earth Efforts to secure America’s critical infrastructure have long focused on land, air, and sea. However, as reliance on space-based systems accelerates , orbit is becoming the newest, and increasingly exposed, arena for cyber intrusion.  Cyber threats increasingly target the period of technological metamorphosis as space systems undergo  rapid innovation. As low-earth orbit constellations provide  services such as broadband to proliferate

Claire Scafidi Introduction  The trajectory of women’s rights in Afghanistan has fluctuated significantly in the past century.  In 1919, Afghan women gained the right to vote, and in 1921, the first girls' school opened. In 1950, the purdah system of gender segregation and veiling practices was  eliminated. However, following decades of civil war, interstate conflict, and insurgency, women’s rights have severely deteriorated in Afghanistan since 1950. From 1996 to 2001, the T

Emily Sawires Introduction It has  officially been a year since former Syrian President Bashar al Assad was overthrown, ushering the country into an era of reconstruction. After decades of tyranny and conflict, the current interim government is seeking to rebuild Syria and reestablish its place in the international community. The civil war resulted in a war-torn country, millions of displaced people, and the country’s political future hanging in the balance. While the end of

Kaiya Davis Introduction Since 2020, China has been gradually increasing  the number of military displays and strategic maneuvers that test the defenses of Taiwan and American commitments near the South China Sea. Backed by the United States, Taiwan capitalizes  on its semiconductor dominance as a counterpoint to increase economic relationships and push for its inclusion in international platforms, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), in the face of these thr

Katie Leslie Introduction to Japanese Women’s Political History  Formal women’s rights and privileges in Japanese law emerged  only in recent history. In 1947, Japan changed  its constitution to include political rights for women, such as voting, running for Parliament, and attending universities. Later, in the 1970s, the Second Wave of Feminism brought  global awareness to women’s representation and participation. International organizations and conferences like the 1995 UN