Every week, GPII Interns and Fellows scour the global news to write about what is happening in a specific issue area or region. Each post includes multiple sources and gives a brief recount of a timely event. Check back regularly to see what GPII Interns and Fellows have written.

Navigating Puerto Rican Statehood: Unpacking Political Dynamics and Misconceptions


With the nation’s first caucuses only a few months away, the issue of Puerto Rican statehood has become one of the latest topics of controversy among Republican candidates. In late October, the “Make America Great Again Inc.” SuperPAC endorsing Donald Trump shifted its campaign strategy to target fellow Republican candidate Ron DeSantis once again. The […]
Posted November 27, 2023

Growing tensions between Israel and Palestine


Growing tensions in the Israel – Palestinian Conflict is forcing action from much of the international community, testing diplomatic relations and humanitarian and military discussions. Several countries have chosen sides denouncing Hamas as a terrorist organization or focusing on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza claiming war crimes against Israel’s actions; each side with their own […]
Posted November 27, 2023

Iceland’s Volcanic Threat and Potential Eruption


Since November 17, 2023, Iceland has been grappling with the imminent risk of volcanic eruptions, marked by a relentless series of over 4,000 earthquakes striking the southwestern region. Situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland experiences heightened tectonic activity as the North American and Eurasian plates gradually drift apart. GPS and satellite data indicate the rising […]
Posted November 20, 2023

The U.S.-Iranian Hostage Trade


On Friday, September 8th, 2023 Secretary of State Anthony Blinken signed waivers and alerted Congress to initiate the process of transferring the sanctioned $6 billion of Iranian funds (State Department Press Briefing). Days later, on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023, Matthew Miller spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, addressed the negotiation in a press briefing. […]
Posted November 20, 2023

Renewable Energy in Puerto Rico


On March 28, 2023, Puerto Rican governor Pedro Pierluisi announced a plan to renew Puerto Rico’s power grid through solar energy initiatives (AP News 3). Weakly maintained by a private company and devastated by storms like Hurricane Maria, the power grid is responsible for providing electricity to 3.2 million people (AP News 3). Pierluisi has […]
Posted October 12, 2023

Debt Bondage in India


On March 31, 2022, the Indian Government lifted all Covid-19 restrictions (Business Today, 2022). Despite that decision, millions of migrants or “informal” workers in India are still locked in exploitative debt bondage arrangements at increasing levels. Despite supposed government intervention this Human Rights crisis has only deepened due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. India […]
Posted April 21, 2023

The Impact of the Short-Term Rental Industry in Puerto Rico


Since Puerto Rico’s economic crisis in 2006, the island’s housing market has faced a growing and evolving set of challenges. The widespread devastation of hurricanes, earthquakes, and natural disasters in general, severely worsened an already existing housing problem. Hurricane Irma and Maria alone damaged over 725,000 households, representing nearly 60% of all occupied housing units […]
Posted April 21, 2023

2023 Nigerian Presidential Election


On February 28th, 2023, three days after the Nigerian Presidential elections started, Bola Tinubu from the All Progressives Congress Party was declared the winner (AJLabs. 2023, March 1). Even though the former governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, beat Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party by over a million votes, there are claims of […]
Posted April 14, 2023

The IRGC and Iranian Foreign Policy


Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has emerged as a key player in the shifting power balance of the Middle East, serving as the Iranian government’s primary power projection tool abroad. Formed in the aftermath of the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in 1979, the IRGC’s paramount mission is to preserve and […]
Posted April 14, 2023


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