Journal of International Studies

Soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division and service members with Military Transition Team 7 pick up trash at the Al Asad oasis and palm grove. (Cpl. J. Jones/US Marine Corps) Ring of Fire: Why Our Military’s Toxic Burn Pits Are Making Soldiers Sick By Katie Drummond The Verge In this week’s most disturbing and comprehensive exposé, Katie Drummond reveals the alarming extent of the U.S. military’s pollution problem and its devastating effects on soldiers and their families. The Snowden Leaks and the Public By Alan Rusbridger The New York Review of Books The Guardian’s editor, Alan Rusbridger, reflects on his experience with British officials who opted for archaic tactics such as smashing hard drives that held Snowden information in a technological world where information is no longer that easy to stifle. A Game of Shark and Minnow By Jeff Himmelman The New York Times Magazine Jeff Himmelman analyzes the geopolitical battleground for control of the South China Sea and ...

The End of Hypocrisy By Henry Farrell and Martha Finnemore Foreign Affairs In one of this week’s most talked about articles, Farrell and Finnemore assess the real threat leakers like Snowden and Manning pose to American diplomacy. Rather than a direct assault on national security, they argue that leakers compromise the U.S.’s ability to act hypocritically and get away with it. Al Qaeda’s Teenage Fan Club By Hannah Lucinda Smith Vice Al Qaeda’s success in Syria is as much about savvy marketing strategy as it is about political vision. Smith describes how moderate, even friendly, young men are joining extreme jihadist forces. On the Ground with Syria’s News Struggle By Matthew Shaer New Republic Shaer explores Reyhanli, a town bordering Syria that was once a backwater and has now become the hub of many Syrian citizen journalists. Through accounts given by citizen journalists, Shaer reflects on the difficulties and increased dangers of the Syrian media en...

President Barack Obama listens to Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel B. Poneman The Russia Left Behind By Ellen Barry The New York Times Through a string of narratives about towns and villages stretching between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Barry captures the deterioration of small-town Russia and explores how these towns — while not very far from the Kremlin’s reach — are worryingly far from modernity. The War For Nigeria By James Verini National Geographic In what ought to be “God’s own country in Africa,” a brutal conflict is tearing apart the north. James Verini explores the Boko Haram, the extremist group behind the chaos, and the Nigerians enduring its terror. My Year with Malala By Christina Lamb The Sunday Times From social activism to nominations for the Nobel peace prize, Malala Yousafzai’s accomplishments are unique for a sixteen year old girl. Christina Lamb highlights an equally intriguing personal account of the Pakistani girl’s story. ...