The Marcellus Policy Fellowship is the John Quincy Adams Society’s most selective program, providing promising foreign policy minds an early-career opportunity to produce independent, impact-minded research under expert guidance. Fellows learn about U.S. foreign policy from top scholars and path-breaking thinkers, refining their own ideas into a high-quality policy paper and supporting materials. The Society is pleased to release the Fall 2022 Marcellus Policy Analyses which can be found below.

Scarlett Kennedy is an undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill studying Political Science and Peace, War, and Defense. Scarlett’s policy analysis examines how the U.S. can protect its sovereignty from Iranian terror and assassination plots without triggering armed conflict. Read Scarlett’s paper here.

Connor Matteson is a senior at Wesleyan University in its College of Social Studies, studying History, Government, Economics, and Social Theory. He is the co-founder of his campus’s chapter of the JQAS as well as the author of The World As You’ll Live It: A Young Person’s Guide to the Next Thirty Years. Connor’s paper will focus on the Biden administration’s ongoing talks with the Pacific Island nations of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands on reauthorizing their Free Association Agreements with the United States. In particular, his analysis will focus on how an approach featuring renewed diplomatic engagement and targeted economic/climatological assistance can help best position America in the strategically important islands. Connor’s paper is forthcoming.

Juan García-Nieto is an intern at the Energy and Climate Action unit at the Union for the Mediterranean in his hometown of Barcelona, Spain. He was an intern at the Defense and Foreign Policy Department at the Cato Institute in early 2022, which deepened his conviction that a more prudent and nuanced foreign policy lies in the US interests. Juan graduated from a MSc in International Politics at SOAS, London, having previously studied Law and Global Governance at ESADE. He is focused on Euro-Mediterranean relations and the Trans-Atlantic alliance. His articles have appeared in The National Interest, The Diplomat and Atalayar.com, among others. Juan’s policy paper will posit that the E.U. can only build a cohesive Common Foreign and Security Policy if the US has a much more restrained approach to its security role in the continent and that the U.S. (and consequently NATO) and its grand strategic aims would benefit greatly from allowing Europe to be really autonomous, once and for all. Read Juan’s paper here.

Simeone Miller is a first-year graduate student in the Social Sciences and Globalization program at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). He also graduated from CSUSB with his B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and a certificate in International Relations. He previously completed an undergraduate research internship with the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, where he collaborated on numerous projects related to the study of violent non-state actors in both the Middle East and North America. Simeone’s paper outlines the need for the U.S. to reimagine and develop a more progressive foreign policy towards the Middle East. Ultimately, he argues that the U.S. should be willing to rely more on engagement with both allies, partners, adversaries, and work closely with local populations to achieve its objectives. Read Simeone’s paper here.

Keenan Ashbrook is an analyst at Simon Everett, where he provides research and analytical support in subject areas including national security, international development, cybersecurity, and strategic planning.  Prior to joining Simon Everett, Keenan was a research assistant at Eurasia Group Foundation (EGF), a nonprofit think tank associated with political risk firm Eurasia Group. At EGF, he supported the Independent America Project, an initiative to envision a more restrained approach to U.S. grand strategy.  Keenan holds a B.A. in Government from Cornell University, where he concentrated in international relations and completed an honors thesis on the foreign policy implications of populist nationalism in the U.S. Keenan’s policy proposal will seek to develop a better strategic approach to U.S. security assistance.  His proposal will discuss the failure of “institutional capacity building” efforts in fragile states, and examine the benefits of providing security assistance on a much more limited basis to partners who 1). play an essential geopolitical role in supporting US security interests and 2). have the pre-existing institutional capacity to minimize corruption, waste, and human rights abuses. Read Keenan’s paper here.

David Winter graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2014 with a B.A. in neuroscience and anthropology. After his undergraduate studies, he spent five years in Japan teaching English and studying Japanese language, culture, and history through the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program. His overseas experiences developed his interests in geopolitics, diplomacy, and intelligence. To further pursue these interests, David is currently attending Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government & Public Service to complete an M.A. in international affairs. He hopes to commit his career toward supporting the intelligence community by providing insight into international affairs and foreign policy analysis. David’s paper considers U.S. options for pursuing influence in the South China Sea and the Asia-Pacific amid tensions between the U.S. and China. It will study alternatives to unpredictable kinetic warfare in seeking to promote peace and security in the region. Read David’s paper here.

Hunter Slingbaum is an honors undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities majoring in Political Science, Global Studies, and Asian & Middle Eastern Studies. They are currently in their senior year and working as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and completing their thesis project on South Korean legislative politics. She is also the president of the UMN chapter of the John Quincy Adams Society, having spent the last two years building a robust and active community of restraint-oriented students at the university. Hunter’s policy paper will be centered on U.S. military presence in East Asia, more specifically South Korea, and the potential for the adoption of more restrained policies. As a most-likely case for success, the project will discuss the potential for troop removal and/or a general reduction in U.S. military involvement in both the East Asia region and elsewhere in the world. Read Hunter’s paper here.

Patrick Fox is a Program Assistant with the John Quincy Adams Society and the former president of the Syracuse University JQAS chapter. He serves as Assistant Editor at Realist Review. Patrick’s policy paper will analyze the costs and benefits of America’s current approach to national security in Africa and recommend an alternative restraint-based approach that prioritizes communication and coordination with African security forces to achieve mutually beneficial ends. The focus of the work will be on effective coordination-based approaches to Africa’s worsening terrorism problem and developing improved relations with African countries who are best suited to encourage regional stability, such as to limit the need for American resources flowing toward the region. Read Patrick’s paper here.

Alex Little is a Development Assistant at the Cato Institute. He received his BA in Linguistics and Russian from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and his MS in Global Media and Cultures-Russian from Georgia Tech. He previously interned at the Heritage Foundation in its Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, focusing on issues concerning the U.S.-UK “special relationship”. Afterward, he interned at the Cato Institute in its Conference and Events department, as well as served as a Research Assistant intern at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, working to support Lucian Kim’s project “Converging Worlds: How Globalization Destroyed the Soviet Union and Turned on the West.” He also spent over two years studying in Russia to achieve Russian language fluency and gain cultural experience. His policy analysis will detail a narrow, realist, and restrained approach to U.S. foreign policy in Central Asia that emphasizes avenues for cooperation rather than great power competition. Read Alex’s paper here.  

Jack Immanuel is a junior studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) with a concentration in Globalization at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also minoring in International Relations and Survey Research & Data Analytics. In the past, Immanuel has interned for the Asia Research Program of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Immanuel’s policy analysis focuses on the power struggle for the South China Sea, especially in light of the growing decoupling between the U.S. and China. He counters China’s claims to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within the South China Sea, pinpointing policy practices that the U.S. can utilize to exercise restraint in its engagement with this Indo-Pacific region. Through a restraint-based lens, the U.S. can more effectively regulate China’s expansion of its military and maritime activities to the South China Sea. Jack’s paper is forthcoming.