Russia’s latest round of youth-driven protests are as much about the Russian economy as they are about Navalny and political freedoms. Putin’s social contract with the Russian public is fraying.
All in Politics
Argument | Bhutan's Shangri-La Society Masks its Persecution of the Lhotshampas
Bhutan’s reputation as the happiest country in the world is stained by its mistreatment and mass expulsion of the Lhotshampas — a sharp contrast to the jocund paradise it claims to be.
Analysis | In 2021, How Prepared is America to Face 21st-Century Challenges?
The success of 21st-century American statecraft will be defined by its ability to meet transnational challenges with a sustainable playbook that breaches the gap between domestic governance and foreign policy.
Analysis | Poland's Overrule of Law Threatens the Fabric of the European Union
The resulting victory of Andrzej Duda is a harbinger for greater discord between Warsaw and Brussels, as the policy positions of the Law and Order Party under whose name he ran are likely to run afoul of Poland’s commitments to the respect for the rule of law, tolerance, and non-discrimination as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union.
Analysis | All the World's Stages: Discrimination and Oppression in the COVID-19 Era
In today’s world, governments are more readily able to manipulate the public’s perceived reality, just as they would an audience in a play. Separating out the front- and backstage enables actors to give their audience the impression that they are meeting standards expected of them while behaving in an entirely different manner to achieve their underlying interests.
Analysis | Germany and Russia: Uneasy Allies or Strained Competitors?
Germany and Russia share a complex relationship that is constantly evolving. Traditionally, Germany has valued its transatlantic ties, calling the United States its closest ally. However, as the United States has opted out of its traditional European role, Germany has been forced to consider other alliances and the redefinition of its role in Europe.
Commentary | Between Loss and Anger: An Account of the Beirut Explosion
ITS’ own Amanda Löwenberg saw the destruction wrought by the Beirut explosion firsthand. This is her story.
Analysis | Old Enemies, New Tools: Renewed Threats to an Open World
At a time when a polarized American political environment challenges U.S. capacity to construct and follow through on durable strategies for American engagement in the world, old enemies around the globe are empowered with new tools at their disposal. Authoritarian governments have found new ways to more effectively silence critics, harass opponents, control or influence the information at home, and manipulate online content to serve their own interests.
Analysis | Bend it like Brexit: Football and European Identity
After a massive overtime extension on London’s withdrawal process, the United Kingdom finally blew the whistle on its exit from the European Union on January 31, 2019. Following the U.K.’s withdrawal from the EU on February 1, 2020, however, it’s unlikely that Britain will ever come to see another Beckham grace the Bernabéu — or any other European football team — in quite the same way, carrying implications far beyond the stadium.
Commentary | The Freedom of Movement in Post-Pandemic Europe
While many countries continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the reinstatement of the freedom of movement of EU citizens within the Schengen zone in a post-pandemic Europe remains uncertain. Whether EU member states are ready to put aside their political differences to achieve a stable state of travel across the Schengen area in the wake of the public health crisis remains to be seen.
Commentary | Viral Antisemitism: Conspiracy Theories in the COVID-19 Period
The health crisis and economic austerity induced by COVID-19 have become tools in the hands of far-right politicians throughout the United States and Europe to foment contempt and xenophobic sentiments towards Jewish people. Through social media, extremist politics and tropes born of antisemitic conspiracy are going viral.
Opinion | Bukele's El Salvador is in the Hands of God
On the 9th of February 2020, the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, invaded the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly, backed up by armed military and police. “Now, I think it is very clear who has control of the situation," Bukele declared before praying. But he was not referring to God and it was not the introduction to the prayer. Behind the apparent act of faith lies a very real threat to those that would oppose his rule.
Analysis | The Coronavirus "Rally 'Round the Flag" Bump and Trump's 2020 Campaign
As political leaders around the world address the COVID-19 crisis, many have seen their approval ratings increase, in some cases dramatically so. What is at the root of this shift in popular support, how long will it last, and what might it mean for the upcoming U.S. presidential election?
Opinion | Turkey's Invasion of Kurdish Syria and Europe's Deafening Silence
Following Trump’s announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from parts of Syria, Turkey launched a military operation on Kurdish forces in Northeastern Syria. Not only is Europe's future relationship with Turkey at risk, but its relations with the wider Middle East, its reputation and credibility as a defender of human rights and democracy, and its geopolitical interests are all at stake.
Analysis | Joke’s On You: Zelenskiy’s Rise
Zelenskiy’s victory came as a shock to many, but was not entirely unexpected. Although Zelenskiy’s fresh face might be a balm in domestic politics, where corruption is rampant and toxic, but will it be enough to face Russia in the East?
Analysis | 5G Networks: A Necessary Risk to Information Security
5G technology will allow companies to “slice the network” and sort the signals bandwidth for different uses that require immediate and continuous connection. Nevertheless, 5G technology presents significant risks to cybersecurity. The plethora of suspected and confirmed cases against Chinese actors seeking the theft of trade secrets and extralegal network access has left many Western governments wary of both Huawei and of introducing 5G technology domestically.
Opinion | Brexit: Have you tried turning it off and on again?
An historically high number of Conservative MPs have put their hats into the ring to succeed May so the party has decided to change its rules for the leadership contest attempting to quicken the process and avoid the impression of a drawn out vanity project at a time of national political crisis. The reality is that the new PM will face the same problems that May did alongside the added anger and distrust that has accumulated over the last two years. There appears to be three options for the new Prime Minister to pursue, however each has its difficulties.
Opinion | Democracy in The 21st Century
In the United States, like much of the Western world, people are losing faith in Democracy. To many people, Democracy is as they have experienced it. What is absent from our societal conceptions of Democracy — and therefore our faith in it — is Democracy as we haven’t experienced it. Yet to the keen observer, the failures of Western democracies are not inherent to Democracy itself, but rather to our implementations of it.
Analysis | What Comes Next for Kazakhstan?
No one expected Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to step down. The 78-year-old is one of the last Soviet-era political leaders who has remained in power for almost 30 years. Despite resigning from the presidency in March, he will remain the power behind the ‘throne,’ with wide-ranging consequences for the region.
Analysis | Gantz’s Gamble vs. the Netanyahu Narrative: Israel Elects
The April 9th election will not only decide who will lead Israel as Prime Minister, but it also has the potential to make drastic changes to Israeli policies towards the Palestinian Territories. Netanyahu’s victory may strike the deathblow to the two-state solution. His defeat could herald the rebirth of the Palestinian peace process. Israeli voters must now decide: to gamble on Gantz’s promise of diplomacy under fresh leadership or to defend Netanyahu’s narrative of an Israel under siege.