This article addresses ethical dilemmas concerning freedom of expression and Facebook in a context of religious tension and semi-democratic rule in Myanmar. It begins with a discussion of how Buddhist ultranationalists have used Facebook to stoke fear, normalize hateful views, and facilitate acts of violence against the Rohingya and other Muslim communities in Myanmar. It then analyzes the Myanmar Government’s use of Facebook in ways that have reinforced, rather than challenged, anti-Muslim rhetoric while restricting independent reporting. It concludes with a consideration of what Facebook and…
The field of conspiracy theories has previously focused primarily on the role of conspiracy theories in U.S. politics, neglecting the use of conspiracy theories as strategic narratives more broadly. A subset of question-raising conspiracy theories codes was developed for this study to include a more nuanced look at conspiracy theories and the techniques used to undermine existing narratives. Question-raising theories do not use the words “conspiracy” or “theory.” This study analyzed daily RT RSS feeds from June-July 2016 using the application of codes pertaining to Brexit, the EU, EU member…
China has developed an arsenal of counterspace weapons, which is likely to be a threat to Indian assets in space in the event of confrontration on Earth. Rahul Krishna and Radhika Chhabra propose a model for Indian deterrence in space based on the theory of deterrence through denial. The model is based on mitigating the strategic gains for China and increasing the cost of an attack on India’s space assets, thus greatly increasing the threshold for such an attack to occur.
Many commentators have hailed the current century as the 'Asian Century, reminiscent of the previous Western-led century. Analysts view this as the supersession of United States as the world hegemon, which is under pressure from Asia. But is this rise enough to hail a change in the status quo? In this piece, Advaya Hari Sing explores the argument of an ‘Asian Century’ and further analyses the roadblocks it faces.
The Trump Administration has bracketed the previous Iran containment policy in favor of a confrontational approach based on coercive sanctions aiming to cripple the Islamic Republic and bring about a regime change. Reflected in the United States’ unilateral exit from the Iran nuclear deal, Trump’s Iran policy faces formidable challenges and is unlikely to succeed. Kaveh L. Afrasiabi and Nader Entessar highlight the deep flaws in Trump’s Iran policy and call for the resumption of dialogue between the United States and Iran as an alternative to the present hostile climate between the…
The White Helmets, a group of emergency response volunteers, have received international acclaim for their heroic work in the Syrian civil war. On 21 July 2018, approximately 422 White Helmet volunteers and their families were successfully evacuated from Syria by the Israel Defense Forces. Vageesh Jain argues that future evacuations of aid workers at imminent risk would be catastrophic for the health of the Syrian population.
The term “Libya model” has gone from being an example of successful denuclearization in North Africa, to an explicit threat of military action on the Korean peninsula. This article will examine the differing definitons of the term and explore Libya’s fit as a model for North Korean denuclearization. Brian Choquette dissects the rationale for Libya’s abandonment of WMD, and looking ahead, contrasts it with the modern reality of the DPRK.
In this article, Aayush Mohanty examines India's foreign policy choices in response to increasing Chinese assertiveness in Asia. The two choices are that India pursues closer bilateral ties directly with the United States, or with Australia, Japan, and the United States through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
The International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber will soon decide whether or not to authorize an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan. In this article, Tiran Rahimian considers one of the many alleged crimes – persecution on gender grounds – in the context of the conflicted history of gender-based crimes in international law.
Dictatorships in 21st century Latin America are increasingly using democracy as a tool to legitimize authority, consolidate power, and repress their citizens. This piece considers the recent examples of Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
Somali refugees in Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya do not have rights. Identity politics has always played a role in Kenyan politics, but in recent years, with the rise of terrorism, Somali refugees have become a target of Kenyan nationalism. Unless government policy changes, whether it's forced repatriation or granting of citizenship rights, roughly 200,000 Somalis will remain in Dadaab.