For the first time in quite a while, recent escalations of tension on the Korean peninsula have prompted serious fears of war erupting between North Korea and the United States-South Korea bloc. With Kim Jong-Un’s volatile North accelerating its missile tests and development of a state nuclear program, and the
As the pressure cooker that is the Korean peninsula continues to heat up, a new wrinkle in the ongoing geopolitical tension has emerged with the detention of American citizen Kim Sang-duk, a lecturer visiting North Korea. This development comes alongside threats by the North Korean government that it is “ready
While visiting the DMZ between North and South Korea, with tensions mounting and ongoing militarization by either side, United States Vice President Mike Pence declared an end to the American strategy of “strategic patience” towards North Korea. As the US begins to work with China to develop a cohesive strategy in
Following the recent peace treaty between Colombia’s government and the FARC rebels, the murder of a Colombian soldier by a splinter FARC faction, as well as the ongoing displacement of civilians by armed gangs filling the power vacuum left behind by the disarmed FARC highlights that there is still a
The right to be forgotten, or the right of erasure, is a recently-posited right that only makes sense contextualized by modern advances in digital technology and telecommunications. Generally, it refers to the ability of an individual to autonomously decide to expunge personal data or information from the internet such that
Following a decision by Hong Kong’s Election Committee, career civil servant Carrie Lam has been chosen to serve as Chief Executive for the Chinese Special Administrative Region. Lam has been praised for her legislative competence, but many liberal reformers criticize her as being too closely tied to Beijing and having
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to stay “cool-headed” following the latter’s aggressive response to recent missile tests by North Korea. Pyongyang has been working towards a functional nuclear missile system for quite some time now, but it made noted progress on March
Colombia’s historic deal with the FARC rebels, signed last November and initiated earlier this month, means big changes are afoot for human rights and political stability in the country. Although the Red Cross maintains that the peace accord has been effective, the humanitarian organization is calling for more concerted efforts
Rapid technological progress over the last several decades has enabled marked improvements in quality of life and, thanks to medical advances, the capacity for humans to live significantly longer than in any prior era. Yet the fruits of this progress are not equitable. Expansive patenting of new drugs under international
Three United Nations (UN) agencies, in coordination with the South Sudan government, have declared an official state of famine in two of the country’s northern counties. In the midst of South Sudan’s ongoing civil war and economic crisis, many officials have identified the famine as being man-made. Although famine-like conditions
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution late last week highlighting the importance of international cooperation in protecting critical infrastructure from terror threats. Resolution 2341, which was passed unanimously by the 15-member body and emphasizes the need for multilateral partnerships and effective communication, comes in the wake of several
Following an Iranian ballistic missile test, US President Donald Trump’s administration threatened that it was “officially putting Iran on notice.” The US Treasury has since issued a round of sanctions against Iran, even as the international community expresses fears of escalating tensions. On Sunday, January 29th Iran conducted a medium-range
