By John W. Parks As part of the Patterson School experience, students participate in an annual Spring Break trip to regional hubs of politics, research, diplomacy, and international commerce. This year, the Patterson School took on the nation’s capital, Washington DC, where the 2024-2025 cohort was exposed to the facilities and professionals that many will... Continue Reading →
Mehr News Agency, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Noah Eubanks On March 4, a U.S. attack boat torpedoed and sank Tehran’s 1,500‑ton Moudge‑class frigate IRIS Dena about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, killing 84 Iranian sailors and injuring 32, with many more missing. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it... Continue Reading →
Prime Minister's Office (GODL-India), GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons By Brooke Bihl Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, recently completed a nine-day trip across Asia aimed at strengthening trade relationships and deepening bonds among middle powers by visiting India, Australia, and Japan. This comes after Carney announced late last year that Canada intends to double its... Continue Reading →
Pierre Blaché, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Hungary is scheduled to hold Parliamentary Elections on April 12th. Two main political parties are running for control of the Hungarian National Assembly: Fidesz (Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party) and Tisza (Viktor Orban’s main opposition). Tisza is projected to win the elections, and the lead over Fidesz is projected... Continue Reading →
Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Mia Durham On February 28th, the United States and Israel conducted coordinated airstrikes on Iran. President Trump claimed that the goals of the operation were to encourage the removal of the authoritarian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regime, to remove all of Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, and... Continue Reading →
Eneas De Troya, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Jack Kolesar Venezuela is currently in a prolonged state of profound uncertainty amid a series of events and crises over the past several years. Over a decade of economic collapse, hyperinflation, and chronic shortages have left its people struggling to meet basic needs. Currently,... Continue Reading →
Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, meeting with European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola in 2024Gov.pl, CC BY 3.0 PL https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons By Ionut Moga The Polish President, Karol Nawrocki, and the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, are in disagreement over an EU loan. Specifically, the question is whether Poland should access funds from the... Continue Reading →
Gathering for Tarique Rahman, 2026 Frameofashik, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Noah Eubanks Bangladesh’s 2026 election is a pivotal transition to democracy following the Gen-Z protests that forced leader Sheikh Hasina into exile in 2024. Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won by a landslide on Thursday, positioning Rahman to become the... Continue Reading →
Semiconductor PanelFritzchensFritz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Katie Braman On February 12, 2026, the United States and Taiwan finalized a new trade agreement between the two nations. This agreement brings along major tariff reductions, lowering the U.S. tariff rate for imports from Taiwan to 15% from the previous 20,% as well as committing Taiwan to a schedule for lowering or eliminating tariffs on nearly all US goods. Taiwan... Continue Reading →
Mexican Navy Ship Arm BravoU.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brien Aho, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Brooke Bihl Two Mexican Navy ships carrying humanitarian aid have docked in Cuba after a U.S. blockade cut the island off from receiving fuel supplies. The ships reached a local port in Havana two... Continue Reading →
President Yamandu Orsi Intendencia de Montevideo, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Jack Kolesar In January 2026, Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi embarked on one of Montevideo's most ambitious diplomatic missions in decades. Orsi led a delegation of 150 to the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai with aims of expanding trade, investment, and... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 