By Mustafa Rasheed As calamity upon calamity falls upon humanity in the form of intense hurricanes, mass shootings, genocides, terrorism, and the threat of nuclear weapons heightened by US-North Korean tensions, I will be posting a series of short essays I had written for Dr. Eric Montgomery’s Introduction to Peace and Conflict class at Wayne… Read More On Structural Violence and Social Justice
By: Rex Nazarko Russia, Charlottesville, North Korea, and a White House version of Celebrity Apprentice, let us dive right to the point, where is the presidency of Trump heading? It has only been 7 months since Donald Trump officially became the 45th President of the United States, and although no “impeachable” scandal has broken out,… Read More Trump Presidency Nearing Point of No Return
By Mustafa Rasheed In the wake of the white supremacist and neo-Nazi rallies on August 12 in Charlottesville, VA, a wave of response and anger has been directed at Confederate monuments, supremacist groups, and far-right speakers. This anger has manifested into tearing down such monuments as well as banning speakers and supremacist groups in an… Read More The Dilemma of Hate Speech
By: Rex Nazarko Afghanistan is considered “America’s Longest War”. Official US involvement in the country dates back to 2001 with President Bush’s famous “You Are Either With US Or Against Us” speech, propping up American invasion of the central Asian nation. The goal was eliminate the terrorist element governing Afghanistan, otherwise known as the Taliban.… Read More First the Americans and Now the Russians: The Taliban as a Political Tool
By Mustafa Rasheed As the nuclear threat with North Korea escalates and tensions continue to boil in the Middle East, the toxic situation in Venezuela struggles to make major headlines. Over the past several months, Venezuela has undergone tremendous inflation, food shortages, protests, alleged fraud in the midst of elections, and violence. The core of… Read More Venezuela: An Uncertain Future
By: Rex Nazarko Since his first day in office, President Donald Trump has been tormented with reports which tie him and his campaign to the Russian Kremlin. While it has been confirmed by US intelligence that Moscow did meddle in the 2016 US Presidential election, the more severe fear is that the chief executive of… Read More Trump, Mueller and The Russia Investigation: A Grand Jury Takes Center Stage
When the term “Cold War” is used, the past decades of the American-Soviet rivalry and struggle for influence usually come to mind. The American-Soviet Cold War was the most renowned global fight for influence, but there are also regional “Cold Wars” which aim to avoid direct conflict, spread influence, and assert regional control. The ideological… Read More The Saudi-Iranian Cold War
In a political climate heavily centered around the actions of American policy and Isolationism, we forget about the other regional and global powers shaping the course of our world. While it may seem as if other global leaders such as Moscow and Beijing are united in a villainous effort to undermine Washington, the reality of… Read More Balance of Power Politics: Russia Wary of Rising Chinese Influence
By Mustafa Rasheed On July 8, newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at a press conference during the G20 Summit in Hamburg. The G20, or Group of 20, are members of the world’s most powerful countries with developed economies, including the European Union. Their first meeting took place in 2008 and have convened annually… Read More The African Plan
Japanese history is one of the most intriguing narratives of nations. Spanning a period of almost 10,000 years of archeological records, and evidence, the history of Japan is one of the longest recorded accounts of any peoples. But throughout the course of such an extended time, one could hardly call the nation’s tale pacifist. Apart… Read More Japan’s Pacifism Tested
The Ambassador 