China’s Trap in the Waters Around Guam

The beginning of August 2017 saw the United States and the Democratic Republic of North Korea (DPRK) trading rhetoric that appeared to threaten nuclear war. It is possible, however, that the entire situation was an international legal trap laid for the United States. What at first instance appears to be two irrational state actors threatening … Read more

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Where Do You Stand?

On February 4, 2016, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or “TPP”, was signed by the United States and eleven other countries as one of the most ambitious international trade deals in world history. Through its seven years of grueling negotiations, the criticism of this deal has been, for the lack of a better term, loud.  The TPP … Read more

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Exploring concerns over an Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism

After years of negotiations, this week saw the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (“TPP”). The TPP unites eleven pacific-rim nations and the United States–a collection of 40% of global gross domestic product and one-third of world trade–making it the largest regional trade agreement in history. Although the terms of the agreement have not been … Read more

Critical Analysis: China’s ‘Island-building’ may suppress economic growth in Asia

 November 14, 2014 The dispute between Vietnam and China over the CNOOC oil rig has been resolved by the withdrawal of the 31,000 ton structure from the disputed area of the Paracel Islands, but the fight in the South China Sea is far from over. Vietnam, China, The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan all have … Read more

Critical Analysis: Protesting China’s Pre-Approved Candidate List

October 20, 2014 Thousands of people in Hong Kong are protesting a decision by China’s top legislative committee that voters would be able to choose only from a list of pre-approved candidates for the office of Chief Executive of Hong Kong. This decision, which came down in August of 2014, is a way in which … Read more

Critical Analysis: The U.S. Should Suspend Adoptions from China

China, like the U.S., has a website that is dedicated to finding missing and exploited children called, “Baby Come Home.” Unlike the U.S., a large percentage of those children have probably been kidnapped for adoption by unsuspecting American parents. Since China opened its doors to international adoption in 1991, over 83,000 Chinese children have received … Read more

Critical Analysis: China’s Air Defense Identification Zone

On November 23, 2013, China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which stated that “aircraft in the area must report their flight plans to China, maintain two-way radio and clearly mark their nationalities on the aircraft.”  China’s declaration has drawn harsh criticism from Japan and the United States. While ADIZs are not a new … Read more

Critical Analysis: U.S. B-52s Cause More Buzz Over Disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands

On Monday, November 26, the United States sent two B-52 bombers over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea after China recently declared that the islands were within the country’s air defense zone. The disputed islands, called the Diaoyu Islands by the Chinese, and the Senkaku Islands by the Japanese, are at … Read more

Critical Analysis: China and a Clean Energy Future

When Chinese authorities fired up numerous coal-fired power plants in the northern province of Heilongjiang, a dense cloud of smog descended upon the city of Harbin.  As air pollution soared high above what the World Health Organization deems “safe”, schools, airports, and roads shut down.  With winter descending, people are left wondering whether smog clouds … Read more

Critical Analysis: The Internet: The Land of the Free?

“The Great Firewall of China” is well-recognized around the world as referring to China’s closed-internet policy.  Edward Snowden’s leaks advertised to the world that privacy online in America is more of a myth than an actuality.  But perhaps all of this is just leading to the next stage of internet freedom – not actual freedom, … Read more