Global Views

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 […]

April 10 marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. The accord brought an end to a 30-year cycle of sectarian violence that cost 3,500 lives, wounded thousands more, and left much of Northern Ireland locked in a perpetual state of unrest characterized by hopelessness and revenge. The final agreement ending […]

What is beyond dispute is that China’s global influence has expanded rapidly under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative, with economic tentacles moving across South Asia, into Africa, and beyond. While many analysts have rebuked Beijing for implementing an exploitive strategy which mostly ignores governance, human rights, and rule of law issues, others […]

The recent détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran has many foreign policy observers pondering what this means for global politics and America’s role in the world. More questions were raised by President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow this past week, during which China is reported to have floated the parameters of a Russia-Ukraine peace […]

The crisis in Burkina Faso has continued to worsen over the past year, making it one of the most violent and insecure countries in Africa. This crisis is defined by a widespread lack of resources and economic opportunities, interregional tensions, the absence of government authority, and violence stemming from criminal and armed groups within the […]