Category: Americas
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The Optics of a Golden Age: US-Japan Bilateral Summit
Executive Summary As part of his East Asia visit, President Trump met with newly-elected prime minister Sanae Takaichi on the 28th of October in Tokyo. The summit marked Takaichi’s first foreign policy engagement, serving as an important test for her leadership both on the international and domestic fronts. More importantly, it constituted the first opportunity…
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Trump’s H-1B Move and Its Impact on US–India Relations
On September 19th, Trump administration announced the largest increase in the H1B visa fees since their inception in 1990. The announcement caused significant confusion among US employers as they scrambled to recall their foreign workers travelling outside the US and cautioned against any immediate travel plans. The Trump administration later clarified that the $100,000 additional…
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Can American Manufacturing Swing the Way Trump Wants It To?
With Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs declared on 2nd April and then paused for 90 days a week later, countries are negotiating trade deals with the US, and for all we know, Trump may succeed in having countries import more from the American market. This works towards his promise of a “manufacturing renaissance” in America. However,…
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The Price of Isolation: Trump’s Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal
Trump’s protectionist and isolationist agenda has spawned a global trade war, fractured long standing alliances, caused security unrest, and led to the U.S.’s reversal of its climate obligations as the world’s largest historical contributor of greenhouse gases. The United States is no longer behaving in the manner of a traditional superpower, and instead under the…
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German Defence Spending Increase
Executive Summary After his victory in the German National Elections, Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz expressed strong support for increased European defence integration, particularly in light of Trump’s recent comments on Ukraine peace negotiations. Merz is currently negotiating the formation of a coalition government, with early reports indicating that large-scale defence spending is being considered. However, due…
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US Geopolitical and its impact on Korean Peninsula
Executive Summary Following the Munich Security Conference on the 14-16th of February, the fast paced decline of diplomatic relationships between the US and other western, democratic countries such as Canada, UK and the EU has been incredibly significant for the role of US geopolitical power in the global landscape. Its increasingly close relationship with Russia…
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The Quad in Trump’s Agenda
Executive Summary Donald Trump’s inauguration reinforces the U.S. commitment to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) alongside India, Japan, and Australia. On January 21, a summit was held, marking Trump’s first major diplomatic engagement. Newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the foreign ministers of the Quad nations, emphasizing the Indo-Pacific’s strategic significance. The…