Portugal’s Socialist Party Wins a Majority in Parliament
On January 30, Portugal’s Socialist Party won 41.7% of the vote and 117 seats in the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic. The victory of the social-democratic Socialist Party is unique in that it is only the second time in Portugal’s history that a single party is able to govern alone without … Continue reading Portugal’s Socialist Party Wins a Majority in Parliament
One Year into Myanmar’s Military Coup
Myanmar has faced political upheaval since the coup d’état of Feb. 1, 2021. Faced with political, economic, and humanitarian crises, Myanmar remains a subject of international condemnation and assistance. What did the Myanmar Government Look Like Before the Coup? After being colonized by Britain in the 19th century, Burma became independent … Continue reading One Year into Myanmar’s Military Coup
The 2022 Beijing Games Boycott, Explained
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is officially underway, with nearly 3,000 athletes competing in 109 events from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20. There has been no shortage of controversy in the Games. Several countries have declared a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, citing China’s alleged genocide against the Uyghur … Continue reading The 2022 Beijing Games Boycott, Explained
Disappearing Islands: What is Happening in the South Pacific
By Julia Mendes Queiroz The climate crisis has created numerous environmental emergencies in all corners of the globe. Perhaps none are more urgent than the situation unfolding in the islands of the South Pacific, where three territories have disappeared under rising tides in just one year. As temperatures climb higher and … Continue reading Disappearing Islands: What is Happening in the South Pacific
Boris Johnson’s Latest Controversy
Over the past few weeks, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his office were exposed for breaking COVID-19 protocols. What was exposed? From May 2020 to April 2021, 14 social gatherings were held in and around 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s main office and residence. Pictures and email invitations to … Continue reading Boris Johnson’s Latest Controversy
The Growth of Israel-UAE Relations
By Lucas Holloway Once long-standing adversaries, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have come to establish a growing partnership in recent years, brought about by the historic signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020. Here’s everything you need to know about this diplomatic normalization and its potential reverberations across the … Continue reading The Growth of Israel-UAE Relations
The Prospect of a New Iran Nuclear Deal
By Nick Meeker The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015, is an arms control agreement between the U.N. Security Council’s Permanent Five (the U.S., China, Russia, France, and the U.K.), Germany, and Iran regarding Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons. Under the agreement, Iran took steps to limit … Continue reading The Prospect of a New Iran Nuclear Deal
South Korea’s 2022 Presidential Candidates
By Jina Lim On March 9th, South Koreans will vote for their next president. There are four major candidates that are vying to succeed the term-limited President Moon Jae-in. These four major candidates hail from the parties that occupy at least one seat in the National Assembly. The presidential campaign, however, … Continue reading South Korea’s 2022 Presidential Candidates
“A Perfect Storm”: A Massive Energy Crisis Rocks Europe
By Liz Peron Europeans don’t need to look further than their energy bills to feel the effects of the massive energy crisis gripping the continent. According to the Bank of America, Europeans can expect their household energy bills to rise by a striking 50% this winter. Many experts attribute these price … Continue reading “A Perfect Storm”: A Massive Energy Crisis Rocks Europe
El Salvador’s Bitcoin Experiment: What Now?
By Julia Queiroz Playa de El Zonte, El Salvador: a town of 3,000 inhabitants boasting incredible surf, great food, and the pioneering adoption of bitcoin as a main form of payment. Beach vendors, aiming to increase their sales to tourists who frequented El Zonte, decided to start accepting bitcoin as a … Continue reading El Salvador’s Bitcoin Experiment: What Now?
Crisis In the Northern Triangle
Anusha Rao A wave of migrants coming from a region of Central America, known as the Northern Triangle, has showcased how the culmination of poverty, violence, and instability in the area is forcing residents away. The Northern Triangle, comprising three countries- El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, have suffered from these chronic … Continue reading Crisis In the Northern Triangle
The Future of NATO
Established in 1949 as a military alliance to protect against Soviet encroachment into Western Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has worked towards “uniting efforts for collective defense and the preservation of peace and security”, a goal that has remained unchanged over the years. However, in the face of shifting interests … Continue reading The Future of NATO
Polexit? Implications of Poland’s Landmark Supreme Court ruling
On Thursday Oct. 7, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that Poland’s national laws take supremacy over European Union (EU) laws, This marks the end of a cumulative battle between thePoland’s right-wing government and the EU. Since assuming his position in December 2017, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki implemented several changes to the … Continue reading Polexit? Implications of Poland’s Landmark Supreme Court ruling
Explaining the Pandora Papers
Just a few years after the Panama and the Paradise Papers of 2016 and 2017, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published the Pandora Papers beginning Oct. 3, 2021. It is, by the volume of information uncovered, the biggest investigative piece by ICIJ yet, exposing many offshore accounts and shell … Continue reading Explaining the Pandora Papers
Austria’s Leadership Shakeup:
For the second time in a little over three years, Austrian Chancellor and People’s Party (ÖVP) leader Sebastian Kurz finds himself out of the nation’s highest office, forced to step down on Oct. 9 amid allegations of corruption against his chancellorship. Here’s everything you need to know about this scandal and … Continue reading Austria’s Leadership Shakeup:
Explaining Upcoming Changes to Australia’s COVID-19 Policies
On Oct. 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared plans to lift some of its COVID-19 restrictions for the first time since March 2020. What was Australia’s COVID-19 strategy? During the pandemic, Australian leaders pursued a “covid zero” strategy. Australians and foreigners were not able to enter Australia, state borders were … Continue reading Explaining Upcoming Changes to Australia’s COVID-19 Policies
The Taliban’s Future in the International Community
On Aug. 30, the final U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, ending a two-decade long conflict. As American forces left, Taliban fighters swarmed into major Afghan cities and provinces, quickly occupying the country and installing a new Taliban government in Kabul. As the Taliban attempt to integrate themselves into the international community … Continue reading The Taliban’s Future in the International Community
Explaining the Iron Dome
You have seen the videos of rockets exploding in the night sky like fireworks: they have gone viral and are played on news channels, along with talks of the Iron Dome. But what is this Iron Dome and why is it important? What exactly is it? The Iron Dome is Israel’s … Continue reading Explaining the Iron Dome
Explaining the Gantz-Abbas Meeting
On Aug. 29, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority (P.A.) President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. This meeting marked the first time in seven years that major Israeli and P.A. officials have met in person. Why did they meet? The purpose of the meeting was not discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations, … Continue reading Explaining the Gantz-Abbas Meeting
Southeast Asian International Trade: CPTPP
Southeast Asia has become an increasingly important region of global trade in recent years. This trend is due in part to increasing political-economic tension between surrounding states and trade partners (for example the United States and China), but also due to the continual economic growth of the region over the past … Continue reading Southeast Asian International Trade: CPTPP
The End of an Era: Looking Back on Rodrigo Duterte’s Presidency, His Legacy, and What Kind of Vaccum He leaves Behind
“We’re the ninth-safest city in the world. How do you think I did it? How did I reach that title as mayor among the world’s safest cities? Kill them all [criminals].” President Rodrigo Duterte, May 15, 2021. In a surprising move, Filipino President, Rodrigo Duterte announced on October 2, 2021 that … Continue reading The End of an Era: Looking Back on Rodrigo Duterte’s Presidency, His Legacy, and What Kind of Vaccum He leaves Behind
Reshaping China: Xi’s recent Ideological Crackdown
President Xi Jinping has implemented a range of regulatory overhauls and cultural crackdown in China to re-centralise the Party-state’s society-wide control. These began late last year, but over the last month have significantly ramped up. Many centered around the idea of “common prosperity.” Characterized by a rapid rollback of economic liberalization … Continue reading Reshaping China: Xi’s recent Ideological Crackdown
Election Watch 2022: Five Elections to Observe Next Year
POFA’s Election Watch is a new series that aims to bring you the latest news on up-coming foreign elections and the issues at the forefront of them, as well as helping decipher the latest polling information and predictions. France: Can flailing Macron keep his hold on power? At the core of … Continue reading Election Watch 2022: Five Elections to Observe Next Year
5 Major Takeaways from the UNGA 2021 Speeches
The annual 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) returned to New York City this year from Tuesday, Sept. 21 to Sunday, Sept. 27 after a virtual 2020 UNGA summit. Here are five major takeaways from the session. Compare & Contrast: Approaches to the COVID-19 Pandemic COVID-19 was unsurprisingly … Continue reading 5 Major Takeaways from the UNGA 2021 Speeches
Politics of the Arctic, Explained
Once dismissed as a desolate wasteland, the northernmost region of Earth known as the Arctic has garnered increased attention over the past century. Within three decades, the effects of global warming have shrunken the mass of the Arctic Ocean’s summer ice by half. The melting of the Arctic undeniably presents environmental … Continue reading Politics of the Arctic, Explained
Recap on the 2021 German Elections
The Election System in Germany The Bundestag, or the Federal Parliament of Germany, held elections on Sept. 26, 2021. German citizens cast two votes. They each voted for a direct representative, with the majority winning the seat. Additionally, each citizen voted for a political party, with the number of votes per … Continue reading Recap on the 2021 German Elections
The Current State of COVAX
With the large-scale production of COVID-19 vaccines, countries around the world have been vying to get their share. However, not all countries could spend the money necessary to secure vaccines, leaving a large gap of vaccination rates between wealthy and poor countries. COVAX was created in April 2020 to bring equity … Continue reading The Current State of COVAX
The Canada-China Prisoner Swap explained
This past week, Canada and the U.S. saw through a high-profile prisoner swap with China that allowed Huawei CFO and heir apparent Meng Wanzhou to fly back home at the same time two Canadian citizens were independently released from Chinese custody. Here is everything you need to know about what went … Continue reading The Canada-China Prisoner Swap explained
Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs 