The Land of Six Armies: Djibouti and the the Horn of Africa

It’s really nothing impressive at first glance. On paper, the tiny African nation boasts a population less than 900,000 people. The name it carries, “Djibouti,” is derived from the nation’s capital and only major population center. However, the small country’s strength lies in its position on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which at least 4.8 … Read more

Who Will Start Rexit?

Reports in the past week that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called President Trump a “moron” stoked a flurry of speculation Tillerson would resign soon. Speaking on Wednesday, Tillerson declined to address the incident in question, but emphatically denied rumors of his resignation, saying that he would serve “as long as the president feels I … Read more

A More Confrontational Foreign Policy on the Horizon?

President Trump’s feud with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has heightened in recent days as an NBC News report revealed that, over the summer, Tillerson called the president a “moron” and considered resigning.  If Tillerson steps down, it would have significant consequences on several fronts internationally.  Compared to the president, Tillerson has pushed the administration … Read more

The World Needs Rex Tillerson

Hopefully, the rumors of Rex Tillerson’s impending resignation are untrue.  Tillerson’s resignation would not simply be a blow to the Trump administration. It would delegitimize U.S. international authority and potentially destabilize several critical foreign policy situations. Domestically, instability and uncertainty have marked the Trump administration.  One need only look to former National Security Advisor Michael … Read more

A Regime In Crisis

The year is 49 AD: Julius Caesar demands absolute loyalty from his generals as he turns the Roman Republic into a dictatorial empire. Nearly two millennia later, George Orwell writes Animal Farm. The novel’s repeated line, “Comrade Napoleon is always right” satirizes the the Soviet political hierarchy of the day. In October 2016 President Xi … Read more

Tillerson vs. Trump: The CEO-In-Chief

After decades in business, President Donald Trump has become accustomed to absolute power over his subordinates. He continues to demand loyalty in his new role as president, firing many of those who threaten to oppose him. To date, the long list of victims include former FBI Director James Comey, former Press Secretary Sean Spicer, White … Read more

Why Tillerson Must Stay

Over the past week, we have witnessed a dramatic split between the President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. NBC News reported that Tillerson called Trump a “moron” during a Pentagon meeting over the summer. Tensions only rose after a hastily scheduled press conference in which Tillerson avoided denying the claims. Reports have also … Read more

The Cost of Impeachment

Donald Trump’s impeachment—a liberal fantasy since his inauguration—now appears to be a plausible outcome. In a testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee today, Comey claimed that President Trump privately requested him to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his communications … Read more