Publications

This paper examines the definitions of armed conflict in international humanitarian law (IHL) and whether these definitions accurately reflect the nature of contemporary conflict. More specifically, i...chevron_right

This paper examines some of the main issues facing the institutions that make up the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific, with a particular focus on the Pacific Islands Forum, a political...chevron_right

This paper assesses the different phases and achievements of the democratic transition process in Tunisia that has been underway since 2011 as well as the challenges facing the process. A key argument...chevron_right

This brief focuses on the Egyptian government’s ever-increasing authoritarianism, which has its origins in the military coup of mid-2013. More specifically, the text’s author zeros in on 1) the system...chevron_right

This paper examines the ideologies of nationalist movements in Russia as well as the relationship between these movements and the state. More specifically, the author 1) examines the nationalist Euras...chevron_right

This paper examines the role US Congress plays in Washington's foreign policy-making. More specifically, the authors examine 1) the constitutional, institutional and historical aspects of the relation...chevron_right

This paper examines the process dealing with overlapping state claims to territory in the Arctic Ocean region, particularly those that take continental shelves into consideration. More specifically, t...chevron_right

This commentary considers how the US' experiences during the Cold War might influence its current grand strategy, particularly when it comes to deciding just how involved Washington should be in globa...chevron_right

This paper discusses how the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program addresses Iranian ballistic missiles and radiological weapons. In general, the author contends that 1)...chevron_right

This paper examines some of the problems associated with defining the terms "Islam" and "Islamism" and how these terms are distinguishable from one and other. More specifically, the author discusses 1...chevron_right

This essay looks at Russia’s network of natural gas pipelines, Russian ethnic enclaves in the country’s neighbors, and where these two overlap. The author contends that 1) these enclaves are located a...chevron_right

As the title suggests, this commentary looks at the foreign policy stances of the five Democratic Party candidates running for their party's nomination to run for President of the United States. The c...chevron_right

This paper assesses the impact international engagement has had on Kenya’s and Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to consolidate peace and democracy in their countries. More specifically, the author examines whethe...chevron_right

This paper focuses on how post-Soviet regimes manipulate the concept of legitimacy to secure their authoritarian rule at home. More specifically, it 1) uses the Regime Legitimation Expert Survey (RLES...chevron_right

As Valentina Kostadinova sees it, the influence of Gulf Arab countries has waxed in the Middle East while the influence of Western powers has waned. She partially attributes this reversal to the region’s post-Arab Spring protest movements, which helped empower local actors and enhanced their ability to influence evolving ‘facts on the ground’.chevron_right