International Relations and Security

For decades, the transatlantic alliance has rested on two pillars: a deep trade relationship and Europe’s near-total dependency on U.S. military protection. But recent moves from Washington have shaken that foundation.

Fifty years ago today, Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese, officially rendering the United States’ decades-long misadventure in Vietnam a failure.[i] The troubling reality of wartime decision-making is that it was not based primarily on whether the United States could feasibly win, or even whether Vietnam was strategically important. Rather, policymakers in Washington escalated the […]

“The impacts of climate change on Africa’s development are increasingly evident across the continent. Given the need for collective regional solutions, an essential normative framework is ‘extraterritorial solidarity.'”

In the turbulent theater of global geopolitics, Kazakhstan – sandwiched between two major regional powers, Russia and China – occupies a unique yet precarious position.

“Given the severe danger whistleblowers face in exposing their governments, it is surprising that the international community has not built more solid protections. Proposing frameworks for creating such a protection system using the treaties, bodies, and laws already on the books offers a feasible pathway that considers the current stalemate in geopolitics.”

“Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a wave of speculation in U.S and other media about the rise of new technologies in warfare. However, many policymakers are drawing the wrong conclusions: that due to the rise of robotics, drones, and artificial intelligence, warfare will be radically smaller. Instead, the evidence from Ukraine points to the fact that while technological change is occurring, mass remains an essential component of modern warfare and U.S. national security policy needs to adjust accordingly.”

Japan is closely watching the early days of the Donald Trump presidency.

“With President Trump in the Oval Office, Taiwan must justify continued American support by implementing large-scale and painstaking military reforms to show how seriously it takes its own defense,” writes Naveen Krishnan (HKS MPP 2026). “Large-scale reforms will align with Trump’s focus on allies becoming more self-reliant and deserving of US sacrifice.”

“Unlike political agreements often marked by contention and short-term interests, education and research transcend borders, driven by collaboration and a shared pursuit of progress. By viewing education exchanges as strategic platforms for cultivating long-term relationships and mutual respect, the U.S. and China can foster cooperation and build deeper, more enduring bonds of trust.”

Biden played a pivotal role in saving Kosovo from the genocidal regime of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, and in countering Russian influence in the Balkans.

The economic diversification goals of the Arab Gulf, combined with the high potential for renewable energy development in Central Asia, have led two regions that have been closely associated with fossil fuel extraction to collaborate on the advancement of renewable energy production.

On April 12, 2024, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor John McQuillan spoke with Karen Donfried, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.