The 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz buried several Colombian communities beneath deadly volcanic mudflows, killing more than 25,000 people and exposing the catastrophic failures in the country’s disaster preparedness. Nearly 40 years later, what can the tragedy of the eruption and destruction of Armero still teach us about disaster risk management and the consequences of ignoring scientific warnings?

Nations can be ripened through democratic institutions or still be raw and vulnerable to the negative impacts of an autocratic regime. This article explores the rise and fall of Nicolás Maduro Moros, the collapse of a previously booming petro-state, and the human cost of authoritarianism and its impact on democracy. The article examines the current international and Venezuelan hope for democratic renewal in a country caught between crisis and change.

The Darién Gap has emerged as a popular route for migrants traveling to the United States, with hundreds of thousands women, men and children attempting to make the dangerous journey. With the intention of reducing migration, the U.S. has partnered with Latin American governments to establish policies that halt migration before migrants reach the U.S.-Mexico border. The question remains, are these policies actually reducing migration, or are they simply pushing migrants to take more dangerous paths? 

Facing increasing threats, Japan and Korea share significant interests. Yet, the two countries rarely cooperate with each other, with tense diplomatic relations at a stalemate. Many scholars have attributed this to the rocky history between Japan and Korea, specifically during the colonial period and World War II. Through the examination of Japanese nationalism focused on identity and collective memory, this paper argues that the failures to resolve the historical problems as a result of the humiliation to the Japanese identity impedes East Asian state cooperation, which eventually leads to perpetual reliance on the United States and attempts at rearming. 

States in South and Southeast Asia have found themselves increasingly dependent on oil traded through the Strait of Hormuz. With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, energy shortages and reliance on coal have become the new trend. In an effort to rapidly secure energy for their people and to keep their economies up and running, these states are forced to turn to alternatives to oil and liquified natural gas, pushing the region into a new era of energy use. 

Japan’s longstanding emphasis of stakeholders in business decision making has shifted into one that is focused on pleasing shareholders through profitability. However, what are the legal mechanisms of doing so? This article analyzes the origins of the shift in corporate governance from stakeholder-oriented to shareholder oriented in response to increased global competition, as well as explores legal reforms indicative of such shift. 

Skyscrapers without residents, malls without shoppers—China’s “ghost cities” feel like urban mysteries frozen in time. Yet behind the silence lies a complex story of ambition, speculation, and long-term planning. Are these empty landscapes cautionary tales of overbuilding, or bold investments in a future population that has yet to arrive?

After the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda has emerged as one of the world’s fastest growing economies, earning the title of the “Singapore of Africa.” However, this economic development has occurred alongside humanitarian violations and growing authoritarianism. The West’s response to human rights abuses in Rwanda has been limited, where meaningful action occurs only when mineral and economic interests in the region are threatened, most recently when the Trump administration applied sanctions.

Since Nigerian independence in 1960, ethnic salience between the Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani groups has prevented Nigerians from building a shared national identity. Subsequent government programs attempting to address this issue have faced uneven results, showing the limits of public policy in bridging highly salient ethnic divides. However, everyday cultural movements like the widespread consumption and celebration of Jollof Rice show a new means to nation-building that is contrary to popular political theory.

The 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz buried several Colombian communities beneath deadly volcanic mudflows, killing more than 25,000 people and exposing the catastrophic failures in the country’s disaster preparedness. Nearly 40 years later, what can the tragedy of the eruption and destruction of Armero still teach us about disaster risk management and the consequences of ignoring scientific warnings?

Nations can be ripened through democratic institutions or still be raw and vulnerable to the negative impacts of an autocratic regime. This article explores the rise and fall of Nicolás Maduro Moros, the collapse of a previously booming petro-state, and the human cost of authoritarianism and its impact on democracy. The article examines the current international and Venezuelan hope for democratic renewal in a country caught between crisis and change.

The Darién Gap has emerged as a popular route for migrants traveling to the United States, with hundreds of thousands women, men and children attempting to make the dangerous journey. With the intention of reducing migration, the U.S. has partnered with Latin American governments to establish policies that halt migration before migrants reach the U.S.-Mexico border. The question remains, are these policies actually reducing migration, or are they simply pushing migrants to take more dangerous paths? 

Facing increasing threats, Japan and Korea share significant interests. Yet, the two countries rarely cooperate with each other, with tense diplomatic relations at a stalemate. Many scholars have attributed this to the rocky history between Japan and Korea, specifically during the colonial period and World War II. Through the examination of Japanese nationalism focused on identity and collective memory, this paper argues that the failures to resolve the historical problems as a result of the humiliation to the Japanese identity impedes East Asian state cooperation, which eventually leads to perpetual reliance on the United States and attempts at rearming. 

States in South and Southeast Asia have found themselves increasingly dependent on oil traded through the Strait of Hormuz. With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, energy shortages and reliance on coal have become the new trend. In an effort to rapidly secure energy for their people and to keep their economies up and running, these states are forced to turn to alternatives to oil and liquified natural gas, pushing the region into a new era of energy use. 

Japan’s longstanding emphasis of stakeholders in business decision making has shifted into one that is focused on pleasing shareholders through profitability. However, what are the legal mechanisms of doing so? This article analyzes the origins of the shift in corporate governance from stakeholder-oriented to shareholder oriented in response to increased global competition, as well as explores legal reforms indicative of such shift. 

Skyscrapers without residents, malls without shoppers—China’s “ghost cities” feel like urban mysteries frozen in time. Yet behind the silence lies a complex story of ambition, speculation, and long-term planning. Are these empty landscapes cautionary tales of overbuilding, or bold investments in a future population that has yet to arrive?

After the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda has emerged as one of the world’s fastest growing economies, earning the title of the “Singapore of Africa.” However, this economic development has occurred alongside humanitarian violations and growing authoritarianism. The West’s response to human rights abuses in Rwanda has been limited, where meaningful action occurs only when mineral and economic interests in the region are threatened, most recently when the Trump administration applied sanctions.

Since Nigerian independence in 1960, ethnic salience between the Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani groups has prevented Nigerians from building a shared national identity. Subsequent government programs attempting to address this issue have faced uneven results, showing the limits of public policy in bridging highly salient ethnic divides. However, everyday cultural movements like the widespread consumption and celebration of Jollof Rice show a new means to nation-building that is contrary to popular political theory.