U.S. Legislators and the public are reconsidering TikTok for its potential security risks and adverse effects on youth. America’s teens are the primary users of TikTok. Two high school students, Raunak Mondal and Inara Woodrum, present their views and those of their peers as they argue why TikTok should or should not be banned and how it could be reformed.

Nikki Sadat, an International and Global Studies student at Middlebury College and Pacific Council Summer Fellow, examines the women-led protests reflecting the frustration of the Iranian people and the international support it has spurred.

Nikki Sadat, an International and Global Studies student at Middlebury College and Pacific Council Summer Fellow, investigates the devastating epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women across California and the nation.

On August 15, 2021, Kabul fell to the Taliban — and with it, the devastating elimination of women’s liberties began, writes Nikki Sadat, an International and Global Studies student at Middlebury College and Pacific Council Summer Fellow.

As the debate for the greatest Olympian of all time continues to live on, the story of American track and field hero Jesse Owens is one of inspiration and bravery to all writes Yanis Sebti, a recent graduate of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

What does Ping-Pong have to do with geopolitical dynamics? Well, a lot. More than a singles and doubles event in the Summer Olympics since 1988, Ping-Pong has historically played a significant role in opening US-China relations. Ping-Pong epitomizes the power of sport as a catalyst for broader international dialogue and development writes Andrew Adams, master’s student at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism and Communications.

The alliance between the United States and South Korea (Republic of Korea) is a cornerstone of the US security architecture in the Indo-Pacific and, increasingly, in the world. Both the United States and South Korea must do all they can to strengthen this vital alliance, writes James Jongsoo Lee, Senior Managing Director at Brock Securities and Center Associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Money only works because of social trust. When social trust disappears, the entire system can crash with disasters like the recent demise of Silicon Valley Bank, writes Peter Katona, clinical professor at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Kavita Patel, Stanford University biodesign policy adviser, and Seth Freeman, Emmy-winning writer/producer for television.

During the peak of techno-optimism in the early 2010s, market-driven self-regulation was the norm. Internet and technology companies were kept at arm’s length from the government and were trusted to uphold democratic values and promote a safe space for all, writes Patricia Gruver, Tech Diplomacy Fellow for the “Korea-U.S. International Exchange and Cooperation in Tech Diplomacy” research project.

In early April, the Summit of the Americas Secretariat confirmed the Organization for Social Media Safety’s (OFSMS) place and opportunity to participate in several key working groups related to the IX Summit of the Americas, writes Cameron Gil, Director of Student Advisory Councils at the Organization for Social Media Safety.