South Korean President Park Geun-hye, U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a summit in March 2015. Photo credit: Japanese Prime Minister’s office

U.S. Military Rebalance in the Asia-Pacific

In the fall of 2011, President Obama announced significant policy changes constituting a complete “rebalance” of defense resources and foreign policy interests to the Asia-Pacific region. Also known as the “Pivot to Asia,” these policy changes included intensified regional U.S. involvement in terms of military spending, military presence, foreign policy, and economic policy. During this…

Violence escalates in Burundi following the unlawful reelection of President Pierre Nkurunziza [Photo Credit: REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic]

Burundi’s post-election political conflict needs international intervention

Burundi, a small land-locked nation in East Africa, has been in political turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced in April that he would run for a third term, despite the nation’s constitutional limit of two terms. Nkurunziza subsequently won the July presidential election. Opposition responses included violent protests, a boycott of the election, and an…