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The World’s Most Powerful Passports in 2023
Some fast facts about passports (generally and in terms of “power”), courtesy of Ranking Royals. What is a Powerful Passport? The most powerful Passport is the one that provides visa-free or visa-upon-arrival access to a greater number of countries worldwide. For instance, the Japanese and Singaporean Passports are considered the most powerful Passport in the… Continue reading
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New Mexico USA
New Mexico is the only state whose license plate says “USA” at the end (this is from our rental when we visited last November). This reflects a widespread belief among many Americans that it is not part of the U.S. The biggest and most obvious reason for the misconception is the state’s name, which isn’t… Continue reading
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The Rise of the Middle Powers
Foreign Policy has a great piece exploring the rise of six so-called “middle powers“—a complex and often nebulous classification of countries that occupy the space between “regular” nations and the “great powers” that substantially influence global geopolitics, economics, and culture. American political analyst Cliff Kupchan describes middle powers as “countries with significant leverage in geopolitics” but that… Continue reading
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Mongolia Rising (Again)?
Amid all the great power politics, smaller nations are leveraging their natural resources and/or strategic locations to punch above their weight. French President Emmanuel Macron stopped in Mongolia some weeks back on the way home from the higher profile G7 Summit in Japan. This was the first time a French president officially visited the country.… Continue reading
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The Unlikely Adversaries that Eliminated Smallpox
During the height of the Cold War in the 1960s, the United States and Soviet Union, working through the United Nations World Health Organization, cooperated to eradicate smallpox. The Russians provided 450 million doses of vaccine, while the Americans provided key financial and technical support; the WHO, as a global institution, helped bridge the two… Continue reading
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Africa Day
Today is Africa Day, which commemorates the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (now known as the African Union) on May 25, 1963. Like the better-known European Union, the AU is an ambitious effort to unite an historically fractious continent along political, legal, and economic lines; it includes a founding charter (much like a… Continue reading
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The Global Dimensions of Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education, perhaps the most famous and influential U.S. Supreme Court decision in the 20th century, centered on the constitutionality of segregation—a seemingly wholly domestic controversy, given it was implemented at the state and local levels. Nevertheless, both the international community and foreign policy considerations undoubtedly influenced the decision in ways that are relevant… Continue reading
About Me
Humanist | Bibliophile | Writer | Wiki Editor | World Citizen | Esquire (J.D. / LL.M.)