International Relations Society at NYU

Join us at the IR Society for our next event this Wednesday, February 23 at 8:00 PM: a virtual discussion with Woodrow Wilson Center fellow and State Department employee Dr. Amy Austin Holmes!

Dr. Amy Austin Holmes currently works on Middle East issues for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. Prior to that, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and at Harvard University’s Middle East Initiative. In 2018, she published “Coups and Revolutions,” a groundbreaking analysis of the Egyptian Revolutions in 2011 and 2013.

Our discussion with Dr. Holmes will span her career in Egypt during the revolutions, her book, and the general status of the Middle East in global politics right now. Join us on Zoom to be a part of this conversation!

LAST CHANCE: Calling all undergraduates who are interested in journalism, politics, and/or international relations!

Our team at IR Insider is excited to welcome new writers for the spring semester! There are a couple of spots still available. If working with IR Insider interests you, please apply via this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLUL-fUsNiyAUMa9wEybdR7JzAMyB4_QLgeY_qPVs3b2bGwQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Writers publish weekly articles (around 500 words/article) for their respective sections. Please reach out to Julia Bails ([email protected]) or Brett Cohen ([email protected]) with any questions.
here!

Calling all undergraduates who are interested in journalism, politics, and/or international relations!

IR Insider is NYU's leading online journal for international affairs. We publish daily news stories and op-eds spanning nine geographic regions and other topics like global business, environmental policy, and technology. Our 35+ writers have the incredible opportunity to gain dynamic reporting experience on a weekly basis.

Our team is excited to welcome new writers for the spring semester! If working with IR Insider interests you, please apply via this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLUL-fUsNiyAUMa9wEybdR7JzAMyB4_QLgeY_qPVs3b2bGwQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Writers publish weekly articles (around 500 words/article) for their respective sections. Please reach out to Julia Bails ([email protected]) or Brett Cohen ([email protected]) with any questions.

What Comes Next: Women's Rights, Immigration and Education in Afghanistan -- Happening tomorrow, Nov 17 at 6:00 PM! Meet our speakers!

The IR Society at NYU is hosting its very first in-person event of the year, a panel discussion on Afghanistan!

Our aim is to discuss the future of Afghanistan beyond the American withdrawal and Taliban victory. While news sites and social media successfully reported on Biden's decision-making, we found that there was little coverage when it came to some of the more important issues that the country faces -- what does this mean for the future of women's rights? Relations with India and Pakistan? Education within the country? What will Afghanistan look like in 5 or 10 years, and what can we do to help?

To know more join us on Wednesday, November 17 at 6:00 PM!

Today, members of the outgoing E-Board met with members of the incoming E-Board to complete the transition from one to the other.

The outgoing E-Board would like to thank everyone for following IR Society, IR INSIDER, and supporting our work all these years. We are excited about the next E-Board, for they are talented individuals who will pick up from where we had left off, and we wish them all the very best.

Please welcome the members of the E-Board for 2021-22:

President: Brett Cohen
Vice President of IR INSIDER: Julia Bails
Vice President of IR Society: Gideon Lung
Executive Editors: Sanjana Bhambhani and Jolie Radunich
Publishers: Heather Law and Shriya Chitale
Events Directors: Rocio A. Fabbro and Anusha Rathi
Social Media Chair: Hannah Ferguson
Secretary: Lucerito (Maxi) Cabrejos
HR Chair: Rachel Kim

“In March 2021, several Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped from their boarding school.”

Read more in this article by Shriya Chitale

https://www.irinsider.org/subsaharan-africa-1/2021/5/7/kidnapped-schoolgirls-released-in-nigeria

Kidnapped Schoolgirls Released in Nigeria — IR INSIDER In March 2021, several Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped from their boarding school. This attack was part of a recent string of crimes specifically targeting women obtaining an education. In Nigeria, terrorist groups have found fault with young girls attending school, and due to the country’s

“Overwhelmingly large crowds of outraged citizens began to gather in major cities throughout Colombia last Wednesday, following President Iván Duque’s announcement of a tax reform proposal.”

Read more in this article by Emma Hernando

https://www.irinsider.org/latin-america-1/2021/5/6/deadly-protests-in-colombia-receive-international-attention

Deadly Protests in Colombia Receive International Attention — IR INSIDER Overwhelmingly large crowds of outraged citizens began to gather in major cities throughout Colombia last Wednesday, following President Iván Duque’s announcement of a tax reform proposal. By Monday morning, the protests turned violent, resulting in the deaths of 18 civilians and one police offic...

“The second wave of coronavirus infections currently desolates India...nearly 18 million infections were confirmed, along with over 200,000 people dead, though experts believe this to be a severe underestimate.”

Article by Pragya Parthasarathy

https://www.irinsider.org/south-asia-1/2021/5/6/india-fails-to-handle-second-covid-wave

India Fails to Handle Second COVID Wave — IR INSIDER The second wave of coronavirus infections currently desolates India. By the end of April 2021, nearly 18 million infections were confirmed, along with over 200,000 people dead, though experts believe this to be a severe underestimate .

“Several federal agencies are reportedly investigating a series of mysterious “energy attacks”, including one that occurred just a short distance from the White House and injured a National Security Council member.”

Article by Shreya Vasagiri

https://www.irinsider.org/north-america-1/2021/5/6/us-defense-agencies-investigating-potential-energy-attacks-near-white-house

US Defense Agencies Investigating Potential Energy Attacks Near White House — IR INSIDER Several federal agencies are reportedly investigating a series of mysterious “energy attacks”, including one that occurred just a short distance from the White House and injured a National Security Council member. The attack, which allegedly took place at the Ellipse, has troubled defense offici...

Thanks to everyone who attended our end-of-the-year event, "Human Trafficking: Global and Local Realities," and our discussion on the factors driving human trafficking in different parts of the world, and the policies that can exacerbate or mitigate human trafficking.

Special thanks to our speakers — Mary Caparas ([email protected]), Sabrina Talukder ([email protected]), Rafa Ch ([email protected]), and Greg Scarlatoiu ([email protected]) — for offering their unique insights on this issue. If you were at the event and would like to reach out to any of the speakers, don't hesitate to reach out to them by email!

“The interim leader of South Africa’s Zulu nation, Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, passed away last Friday.”

Read more in this article by Julia Bails

https://www.irinsider.org/subsaharan-africa-1/2021/5/4/zulu-nation-ruler-queen-mantfombi-dies-a-month-after-assuming-role-as-regent

Zulu Nation Ruler Queen Mantfombi Dies a Month After Assuming Role as Regent — IR INSIDER The interim leader of South Africa’s Zulu nation, Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, passed away last Friday. This news comes just one month after she became regent upon the death of her husband, King Goodwill Zwelithini. The cause of Queen Mantfomi’s death has yet to be revealed.

“Late last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delayed his region’s long-anticipated election that was scheduled for later this year, blaming issues with voting in East Jerusalem.”

Read more in this article by Ari Gershengorn

https://www.irinsider.org/middle-east-north-africa-1/2021/5/4/mahmoud-abbas-delays-palestinian-elections

Mahmoud Abbas Delays Palestinian Elections — IR INSIDER Late last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delayed his region’s long-anticipated election that was scheduled for later this year, blaming issues with voting in East Jerusalem. The 85-year-old career politician is entering the 17th year of the four-year term to which he was elected in 20

"As the vaccination process is being carried out efficiently throughout the country, the sharp economic growth will last through 2022," writes Luopeiwen Yi.

UK May Have Its Biggest Economic Boom Since 1948 — IR INSIDER The UK economy is expecting a strong trend of recovery in 2021 as the country boosts its COVID-19 vaccine program with a new order of 60 million Pfizer shots. So far, the UK has ordered a total of 100 million doses of Pfizer vaccines, one of three brands of COVID-19 shots approved by the country. Ac

"Through this specific plan, the Biden administration aims to expand the reach of the government’s ability to improve retirement security, healthcare, and income support — offering a federal guarantee for child-care and college," writes Hannah Liu.

Biden Unveils $1.8 Trillion American Families Plan — IR INSIDER President Biden has recently pitched a $1.8 trillion plan that would increase investments and tax credits for American families. His American Families Plan that was unveiled Wednesday follows Biden’s additional $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Together,

"The only real question will be as to whether they’ll play king or kingmaker," writes Ian Borrero.

Germany’s Greens are Rising to Power — IR INSIDER After years of obscurity on the national scene, the Green Party may very well emerge as the preeminent political force in Germany’s next elections. For 16 years, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party - the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - have dominated Germany’s political atmosphere. Now, ho...

"The mutual expulsions signify a significant deterioration of diplomatic relations between Russia and many eastern European countries," writes Kevin Qi.

Russia Expels Diplomats From Eastern European Countries Amid Dispute — IR INSIDER On Wednesday, April 28, Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered the expulsion of seven diplomats from Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The order was in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the Czech Republic roughly a week earlier on account of being suspected spies. The mutu...

Remember Greg Scarlatoiu? He spoke at our Fall 2017 North Korea Conference, and he's back to talk about human trafficking in North Korea!

Scarlatoiu is the Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK). He is a visiting professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and instructor and coordinator of the Korean Peninsula and Japan class at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Scarlatoiu is vice president of the International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS). For the past 18 years, he has authored and broadcast the Korean language “Scarlatoiu Column” for Radio Free Asia (RFA). His past experience includes three years with Korea Economic Institute in Washington, D.C. and over six years in international development. Scarlatoiu holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Seoul National University’s Department of International Relations. He completed the MIT XXI Seminar for U.S. national security leaders in 2016-2017. Scarlatoiu was awarded the title ‘Citizen of Honor, City of Seoul,’ in January 1999. Born and raised in communist Romania, Scarlatoiu is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is fluent in Korean and French and a native Romanian speaker.

Sabrina Talukder is an immigration staff attorney at the Exploitation Intervention Project at the Legal Aid Society. She has been in the Legal Aid Society since 2014, and prior to that worked as a law clerk for the Immigrant Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Her specialties include data collection on the impact of COVID-19 on trafficking survivors in New York City; holistic representation for immigrant survivors of trafficking with complex criminal histories in Criminal Court, Immigration Court, and various Appellate Courts; and work with culturally sensitive community based organizations in identifying and screening trafficking survivors.

Get a chance to meet Sabrina and hear her speak about her experiences dealing with trafficking survivors this Friday!

Meet Mary Caparas, who will also speak about human trafficking with us this Friday!

Mary is the Project Free Manager at Womankind in New York City and has been part of the organization for almost 8 years. She worked directly with community members who have faced labor exploitation, labor trafficking, domestic violence and sexual violence. Mary earned her M.S.W. from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning and Development. Prior to joining Womankind, Mary spent 14 years learning, training and working in medical and legal fields both in New York City and in London.

We are excited to introduce our powerful panel of speakers for Friday's discussion on human trafficking!

Meet Rafael Ch — Rafa is currently a PhD student at NYU specializing in political economy and political methodology, who is expected to defend his dissertation sometime in May. He works for the Human Trafficking Data Lab at Stanford University, where his research focuses in Latin America, particularly Brazil; he has studied the effect of conditional cash transfer programs on adult and child forced labor, and the relationship between different economic activities and human trafficking.

“The FBI seized phones and computers from former mayor of New York and personal lawyer to former President Donald J. Trump, Rudy Giuliani, after searching his apartment and office at 6 am on Wednesday, April 28.”

More in this article by Sanjana Bhambhani

https://www.irinsider.org/easterncentral-europe/2021/5/1/fbi-searches-giulianis-apartment-and-office-seizes-devices-for-ukraine-investigation

FBI Searches Giuliani's Apartment and Office; Seizes Devices For Ukraine Investigation — IR INSIDER The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized phones and computers from former mayor of New York and personal lawyer to former president Donald J. Trump, Rudy Giuliani, after searching his apartment and office at 6 am on Wednesday, April 28.

“Talks between representatives of the United States and Iran entered their third formal round this week after beginning in Vienna in early April.”

Read more in this article by Julia Kempton

https://www.irinsider.org/un-monitoring/2021/5/1/us-iran-talks-proceed-amid-political-pressures

US-Iran Talks Proceed Amid Political Pressures — IR INSIDER Talks between representatives of the United States and Iran entered their third formal round this week after beginning in Vienna in early April. Generally indirect and mediated by other members of the G5+1 group, they aim to reach a compromise between Iranian demands that the US remove sanctions

“Systemic police violence and killings of Black Americans...amount to crimes against humanity and warrant further investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to findings from a newly released report.”

Article by Rocio Fabbro

https://www.irinsider.org/north-america-1/2021/5/1/international-inquiry-deems-us-police-killings-crimes-against-humanity

International Inquiry Deems US Police Killings “Crimes Against Humanity” — IR INSIDER Systemic police violence and killings of Black Americans in the United States amount to crimes against humanity and warrant further investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to findings from a newly released report .

Hey everyone,
E-Board applications for the upcoming academic year (2021-22) are live!

The IR Society is seeking candidates for the following positions.

Secretary for IR Society: Performs logistical roles, including, but not limited to, event planning, ordering food, room reservations.

Treasurer: Submits and keeps track of the budget. Responsible for reimbursements for IR Society and IR INSIDER.

Social Media Director for IR Society (2): Designs promotion campaigns for events and posts daily for articles. The two social media directors divide the responsibility of managing our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Event Director for IR Society (2): Works with the President and the VP of IR Society in reaching out to potential speakers for club events. Corresponds with other clubs on-campus for co-hosting/co-sponsoring events. Once in-person, sets up card swipe for events and manages event planning logistics.
Keeps track of our past speakers, connections, and on-campus collaborators.

Executive Editor (1): Works closely with the Vice President and President to ensure that the publication runs smoothly.
Manages editors (grants freebies and assigns strikes) and edits all articles for the day, 2-3 days a week.

Publisher (1): Publishes all articles for the day, 2-3 days a week.
If any of these roles interest you, please apply by Thursday, April 29 12:00pm using the form below. Applications would be accepted on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates would be invited for a virtual interview.

Please make sure to answer using your NYU email account. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at [email protected] or the incoming President, Brett Cohen at [email protected].

https://forms.gle/AtjAwZbcqcr5SD8C8

Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free. Create a new survey on your own or with others at the same time. Choose from a variety of survey types and analyze results in Google Forms. Free from Google.

MEET OUR SPEAKER...
for our Landmines: People, Processes & Policy Event this Thursday at 5:30pm

Kristen Stevens, Head of Congressional Affairs

Kristen Stevens has worked for The HALO Trust since 2017 and leads the organization’s advocacy and legislative engagement as Head of Congressional Affairs. During Kristen’s time at HALO, U.S. funding for humanitarian demining has increased by over $45 million. Kristen holds a Master’s in Public Administration from American University and has previously taught argumentation and public speaking courses in the Communication Studies Department at Western Washington University.

What is current status of active landmines across the world? What are some key challenges vulnerable populations in these post-conflict areas encounter? What does the process of legislative engagement and advocacy at Congress for organizations like the Halo Trust look like?

Join the IR Society for a discussion with The Halo Trust on "Landmines: People, Policy, and Processes" on Thursday, April 22 5:30pm onwards.

“The Trump administration’s “America first” foreign policy position has been disrupted by President Biden’s desire to restore American alliances abroad.”

Read more by Jolie Radunich

https://www.irinsider.org/un-monitoring/2021/3/20/us-sanctions-china-for-undermining-hong-kong-days-before-alaska-talks

US Sanctions China for Undermining Hong Kong Days Before Alaska Talks — IR INSIDER The Trump administration’s “America first” foreign policy position has been disrupted by President Biden’s desire to restore American alliances abroad. However, resetting international relations is not off to a smooth start with China.

“This week, Americans started to receive yet another round of direct pandemic relief payments thanks to the much anticipated American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the latest round of economic stimulus amounting to a record high $1.9 trillion.”

Mattihas Wu

https://www.irinsider.org/economics-business-1/2021/3/20/new-stimulus-bill-poised-to-revamp-the-welfare-state-in-america

New Stimulus Bill Poised to Revamp the Welfare State in America — IR INSIDER This week, Americans started to receive yet another round of direct pandemic relief payments thanks to the much anticipated American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 , the latest round of economic stimulus amounting to a record high $1.9 trillion. In a party line vote, Congress narrowly green-lighted the

“Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s high-ranking sister, warned the United States against “causing a stink” if they hope to maintain peaceful relations, in a broadcast by a North Korean state news agency on Tuesday.”

Read more by Rocio Fabbro

https://www.irinsider.org/north-america-1/2021/3/20/north-korea-sends-warning-to-us-in-blinken-asia-meetings

North Korea Sends Warning to US in Blinken Asia Meetings — IR INSIDER Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s high-ranking sister, warned the United States against “causing a stink” if they hope to maintain peaceful relations, in a broadcast by a North Korean state news agency on Tuesday. The remarks - which are the country’s first to be addressed to the Biden administrati...