Kaveh Afrasiabi: The Dovish Iran Expert on the Regime’s Payroll
Celebrated Iran expert and political scientist Kaveh Afrasiabi was arrested at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts, on January 18, 2021. Law enforcement seized computers, a USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, videotapes, physical documents in both Farsi and English, and...
The SIV Program for Afghan Allies
When US troops began leaving Afghanistan after 20 years of military involvement, questions emerged about what the withdrawal would mean for stability and security in the region. One principal question was: What happens to the thousands of Afghan citizens who risked...
Lessons on Nuclear Negotiations: 1990s Appeasement of North Korea
Background The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has a long history of issues with nuclear compliance and other nuclear-capable nations. In the early 1990s, President Kim Il Sung had two main missions for his reign: (1) expel the United States...
Afghanistan’s Failed Constitution
The following is an excerpt from an article that appears at The Diplomat magazine. To read the full article, "Afghanistan’s Failed Constitution," please visit The Diplomat here. Following the successful efforts in 2001 of a United States-led international...
Constitutional Crisis in Haiti
In the night of July 7, 2021 several assailants entered the home of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and assassinated him, apparently without meeting resistance by his guards. Within days of the shooting, several suspects were killed and others arrested, while some...
Democracy Unmade: One Year Under Hong Kong’s National Security Law
On June 30, 2020, the People’s Republic of China inserted strict new national security provisions into Hong Kong’s Basic Law. The amendments grant broad authority to security officials in the semi-autonomous region and outlaw many forms of speech and assembly. Over a...
Evacuate Our Allies: Special Immigrant Visas For Afghans
When President Biden announced the withdrawal of United States military forces from Afghanistan in April, it didn’t take long for lawmakers and immigration experts to stress that as American troops were drawn down, Afghan nationals who were given the promise of...
Children’s Rights Trampled: Children Victims in Conflict Zones
The world has been reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and as we begin a return to normalcy, we are just beginning to see the rippling effects in other sectors. The United Nations announced that 2020 saw 19,300 children were victims of “grave violations.” Grave...
Beyond Europe: the UK Seeks to Deepen Ties with the Asia-Pacific
In June 2021, British trade minister Liz Truss announced that the United Kingdom would begin virtual talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Joining the CPTPP would deepen the UK’s trade ties in the Asia-Pacific...
The Kafala System: Incremental Reform is Not Enough to Stop Abuse Against Migrant Domestic Workers
There are an estimated 164 million migrant workers in the world today, approximately 8.5 million of them women, with roughly 19 percent of these women working in the Arab region. Despite these high numbers, due to the private nature of the work causing poor...