Blogs

On Saturday, September 21st, 2024, the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka voted in its tenth annual presidential election (Reuters). This was the first election for the island since the insufficiency of foreign currency pushed Sri Lanka into an unprecedented economic crisis in decades (Reuters). Sri Lanka’s crippling economy came after they defaulted on their […]

In recent years, there has been a push to increase the diversity of the federal government’s Intelligence Community (IC). The IC is the 18 organizations of the federal government that protect national security through the conducting of intelligence operations (ODNI 1). They hire individuals to collect or analyze intelligence, but they also have a need […]

The State Sponsorship of Terrorism (SSOT) list was founded in 1979 amidst the tail end of the Cold War and 17 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. As determined by the U.S. Secretary of State, countries on the list have repeatedly supported international terrorism and are “designated pursuants” to multiple laws associated with restrictions on […]

A recent report from the British Broadcasting Center (BBC) brings renewed attention to a relatively unreported issue in the country of Yemen. The northern territories and the capital Sana’a are under the control of a terrorist group known as the Houthis. The group receives military support from Iran as well as the terrorist group Hezbollah […]

In July, a GPII team visited Belfast and Dublin, where they were joined by partners from Belfast-based Rethinking Conflict, Cambridge University’s Kings College, and the University of Manchester. The delegation was hosted by Rev. Dr. Gary Mason, who is a noted global expert in conflict resolution and transformation. This was the second such GPII visit […]

With the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris came renewed discussion about Puerto Rico’s participation at the Olympics. This is evidenced by a surge in Google searches questioning if the U.S. territory has its own Olympic team (13 News Now). Since 1948, Puerto Rico has competed as an independent entity with its own […]

Orlando, FL – June 12, 2024 – The University of Central Florida Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives announced today its WUCF-TV interview show Global Perspectives has been named a Telly Winner in Television – Interview & Talk Show in the record breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards annually honor excellence in […]

Across the globe, nation, and state, policymakers are struggling to find solutions to a multitude of challenges both new and old. It is often far easier to diagnose problems than identify answers to vexing questions. Global Perspectives & International Initiatives (GPII) believes it is important to understand the nature of contemporary challenges by looking at […]

Looking at any international issue, from security to economic development to climate change, and the conversation eventually turns to the Sino-American rivalry. Will the U.S. maintain its status as the sole global superpower, or has the world power structure morphed into a bipolar or multipolar construct? Does China’s rise inevitably mean America’s decline? What are […]

It has been two years since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. The chaotic departure from Kabul reminded many of the ignominious 1975 collapse of Saigon. Critics contends the withdrawal emboldened rivals, especially Russia and China, and encouraged smaller nations and their leaders to recalculate policies and politics. The hasty exit highlighted that the […]