The College Conundrum: How US student loan repayment policy created $1 trillion in outstanding debt

On average, a US student will spend approximately $21,000 per year pursuing a college degree, approximately 22% of which will be paid through borrowed funds. Considering the increasing costs of college tuition coupled with the need for students to borrow almost ¼ of their tuition, it no surprise that the outstanding federal student loan debt … Read more

Critical Analysis: Germany takes center stage in diplomacy

In order to reevaluate its foreign policy approach, Germany conducted a review (“Review 2014”) last year.  Review 2014 included multiple town hall meetings with German voters and debates among foreign policy experts around the world.  Even during Review 2014, voters’ and experts’ opinions and approaches changed.  Initially, the majority of German voters disagreed with the statement … Read more

Critical Analysis: A critique of Spain’s Public Security Law

Currently before Spain’s Senate is the Ley Orgánica de protección de la seguridad ciudadana (“Public Security Law”). This bill has already passed through the lower house of Parliament, Congreso de los Diputados, and is expected to soon pass through the Popular Party controlled Senate. The Public Security Law has come under great scrutiny with opponents … Read more

Loss of Culture: Can laws prevent the destruction of antiquities?  

“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” – Elie Wiesel Over the course of human history, great and mighty civilizations have emerged, such as the Romans and Aztecs, only to fall to plague, pestilence or conquest. However, the lasting effects of these civilizations are the … Read more

Myanmar religion law restricts conversion and criminalizes adultery

International organizations are outraged over proposed legislation being negotiated in the Myanmar Parliament which would require individuals to obtain government approval before converting to, or adopting, a new religion. Myanmar (Burma) is a primarily Theravada Buddhist nation of 54 million people with a generally poor, but improving, human rights record. President Obama has visited Myanmar … Read more

Sony Pictures’ “The Interview”— Freedom of speech or act of war?

            The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco is a comedy about the assassination of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.  Bitterly offended by the film, North Korea called the content an “act of war.” North Korea began making threats during the summer of 2014, going so far as involving the … Read more

Critical Analysis: Responding to the crisis facing internally displaced people in Ukraine

As fighting intensifies and peace talks remain on rocky ground, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine increases with each day that passes. One aspect of the crisis in Ukraine is the massive surge in numbers of internally displaced people. Reports of nearly 600,000 asylum seekers fleeing Ukraine, do not include the nearly one million internally displaced … Read more

Critical Analysis: Reframing Climate Change

In November of 2014, The Group of Twenty (G20) met in Brisbane Australia to discuss the state of the global economy.  Global growth, climate change, and tax avoidance were among the major issues discussed.  The Australian delegation contested the inclusion of a statement on the climate which is reflective of the recent repeal of their … Read more

Critical Analysis: Distinguishing Obama’s Drone Program from Bush’s Interrogation Program

Hours before the “Torture Report” was release by the Senate, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush Michael Gerson wrote an op-ed where he called Senators Feinstein’s and Udall’s decisions to release the report reckless in what he referred to as “a massive dump of intelligence.” In making his argument, Mr. Gerson misconstrues principles of … Read more