Political science, not political science-fiction. A student-run magazine at Binghamton University.
Beyond the border of the US, this content relates to the politics of other nations and America’s relations with them
In recent years, Türkiye’s political trajectory has become one of the most debated cases in comparative politics due to its rapid transformation from a democratically promising EU candidate to an increasingly authoritarian system. Academics, policymakers, and international observers have highlighted Türkiye as a critical example of how elected governments can gradually erode democratic institutions while maintaining formal electoral procedures.
Donald Trump promised supporters that the United States would make a show of strength by forcibly removing foreign nationals from the country by any means necessary and by putting an end to “unfair” trade deals that benefited foreign countries more than the US. Prior to entering office, experts anticipated that Trump’s foreign policy would be based on a reciprocal approach to diplomacy, viewing relationships as “transactional” (Cha 2024). Both policies, mass deportations and protectionist trade policies, have become intertwined tools in a larger strategy of coercive diplomacy.
The United States and China have one of the world’s most complex relationships. The two countries have experienced periods of tension and cooperation over a range of issues. Key areas of conflict between the two include trade and economic practices. While the US and China have a critical trade relationship, they are also major competitors.
In recent years, there has been increased buzz over the United States becoming the first UN member state to recognize the independence of the self-declared state of Somaliland. In March 2022, Somalilander leaders met with members of Congress and the Biden administration to lobby for American recognition of their aspirational state. Citing growing Chinese influence in the Horn of Africa and the success of Somaliland’s democracy as opposed to Somalia’s failed state, Somalilander has made the case for recognition on the grounds of guaranteeing stability and US influence in the region
The European Union (EU) is turning to new strategies to boost its global competitiveness, which has declined in recent years. The European economy has been hit hard by rising public debts following the pandemic and rising energy costs due to sanctions imposed on Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war. However, when you look at the big picture, the crisis Europe was experiencing was not due to these two events but rather to structural problems.
We’ve all heard the word surface again and again in the news recently, from Trump’s policy agenda to numerous countries responding with reciprocal tariffs. Their effects span from countries, rates, and goods. The question is, just how impactful is this oft-wielded economic policy, and what kind of impact will it wield on us, the American consumers?
Recently, Russian and Ukrainian envoys agreed to a tentative limited ceasefire deal in the Black Sea that would temporarily halt targeting all commercial vessels in the region, as well as strikes on energy facilities after intense negotiations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On December 8th, 2024, the Syrian Ba’athist Party and the Assad political dynasty were exhumed from the Syrian administration after a grueling decade of civil war. Since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, waged an all-out war on the country’s political insurgents. The Arab Spring was a chain of protests across North Africa and the Middle East that demanded civic freedoms from their authoritarian governments, attempting to loosen autocratic regimes’ grip over their people.
Although the peace created by the ceasefire has been unstable, with some noting it to be only temporary- it has put a pause on the hostilities that have enveloped millions of people for the last 15 months. As the new year begins, the world must remain hopeful that a lasting peace can be achieved through multilateralism and faith in our international institutions.
The international system is rooted in nation states and the competition that occurs among them. In the midst of the powers vying for influence lie politically neutral states. Often, a country not involved in a given conflict will act as a third-party mediator in peace processes.
On October 7th, South Africa formally requested the Taiwanese government to move its unofficial embassy out of the administrative capital of Pretoria to Johannesburg. This move has been largely interpreted as South Africa conceding to China by subverting relations with Taiwan to strengthen relations with the former.
The 2024 British General Election resulted in a landslide victory for the Labour Party, a historic development for the United Kingdom. The Labour victory marked the end of uninterrupted Conservative domination in the British House of Commons since 2007.
A discrepancy exists between the United States’ original mission of independence and the fate faced by its subjected territories and nations. This is particularly evident in the United States’ campaign in the Philippines.
In an April 1966 edition of Time Magazine, the sociocultural landscape of Britain was vividly described as being “in the midst of a bloodless revolution” (“Time Magazine” 1966). The rejection of the elite-dominated status quo ushered in the creation of a new social order– a society in which people wore “suspiciously bright cloth[ing],” listened to catchy beat music, and talked openly about sex.
In the recent Argentine presidential election of November 2023, a surprising wave of young adult voters (almost 70% percent of the under 30’s) cast their votes for the libertarian, extremist candidate Javier Milei, instead of Sergio Massa, the candidate for the Peronist party in government. However, young voters weren’t just rejecting the current Peronist government, but rejecting the Peronists who have dominated Argentine politics for the last 80 years.
As the Berlin Wall divided a nation, the artistic landscape of modern art in the 1960s is represented by a contrast between the German Democratic Republic, or GDR, i.e. East Germany, and the Federal Republic of Germany, or FRG, i.e. West Germany. In the ostensibly free and culturally vibrant Federal Republic of Germany in the 1960s, celebrated as a hub of artistic expression, a perplexing reality emerged.
As thick black smoke billows into the sky, the president’s forces stormed the Parliament to the sound of more gunfire. The political change is palpable; Russian democracy is dead, and while no one knows it yet, the path has been laid for a new unknown political actor named Vladimir Putin to take and hold power. We know how this story ends, but where does it begin and when did things go so terribly wrong?
The extreme turbulence of the early 2000s along with the missteps of leadership by politicians created a larger problem – an overall loss of faith in government by some. The 2000s can be pinpointed as a shift in view for many Americans, splitting the American political sphere into various factions that have only continued to grow to this day.
In 2018, Danish ship Venta Maersk completed its maiden voyage from Southeast Asia to Europe through the Arctic. Stocked up with frozen fish from Russia and electronics from South Korea, Venta Maersk was the first container ship to successfully traverse the Northeast Passage.
In last year’s 117th Congress, 139 out of 535 elected officials (~25%) refused to acknowledge the existence of climate change. It is important to note that these 139 representatives have collectively received $61 million in lifetime contributions from the coal, oil, and gas industries.
Happy Medium 
You must be logged in to post a comment.