Our Spring 2022 Marcellus Policy Fellows
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 […]
For the Defense of East Asia: Recommendations for US Policy (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Zoe Desch, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow The United States’s pivot to Asia has suffered from inconsistency across its diplomatic, military, and economic fronts. A coherent strategy benefits the U.S. by properly balancing and consistently applying its foreign policy tools in the region. The U.S.’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control–a strategy of military primacy–is […]
Rethinking War Powers: Options for Reestablishing Congressional Authority over US Foreign Policy (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Alyssa Kann, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow American military actions—most not subject to public scrutiny or congressional accountability—have occurred in at least 20 countries in 20 years. These military operations have been made possible through increasingly broad presidential war powers, despite the fact that the Constitution reserved most war powers for Congress. In addition […]
Demanding Better: A Just Vision for US-Iran Relations (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Sahand Yazdanyar, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow Iran may be the most sanctioned country in history and is currently the nation that the U.S. imposes heavily targeted sanctions against the most. The United States placed sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran ten days after Iranian students seized the American Embassy in Tehran in […]
Victory Without Battle: A Smarter Vision for US-Taiwan Policy (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Zachary Yost, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow American leaders, policy makers, and the public at large are invested in the continued de facto independence of Taiwan. These reasons vary, ranging from strategic power projection concerns in East Asia, to historical ties and deeply felt moral obligations to defend democracies against totalitarian governments. Setting aside […]
Restoring War Powers: Repealing the 2001 AUMF (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Emerson Victoria Johnston, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow After the September 11th terrorist attacks, the United States Congress enacted the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001 AUMF; P.L. 107-40; 50 U.S.C. §1541 note) to enable the use of military force against those thought to be the perpetrators and supporters of the attacks. Since […]
Why Sanctions Aren’t Working (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Adam DuBard, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow Even as the U.S. continues to levy sanctions with increasing frequency, the results are clear. Economic sanctions are simply not working. Policymakers utilize sanctions to portray themselves as crusaders fighting to punish bad actors, while their actions work against American interests. With years of evidence, American sanctions […]
From Retribution to Re-engagement: A New Framework for US-Cuban Relations (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Jaime Vazquez, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow Both the United States and Cuba face a crossroads for determining how to preserve their interests and influence in a 21st century Western Hemisphere. Confronting an uneasy populace and economic crisis induced by the global coronavirus pandemic, U.S. sanctions and Cuba’s own mismanagement of its economy have […]
Suits Before Boots: Diplomacy Over Militarism in Somalia (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Emma Sanderson, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow American foreign policy in Somalia has failed. For years the United States has been entrenched in a counterterrorism campaign against al-Shabaab, Somalia’s most prominent militant group. Today, the U.S. war in Somalia offers a clear example of what happens when Washington leads with its military despite mounting […]
Reevaluating the US-EU Defense Relationship (Marcellus Policy Analysis)
By Rylee Boyd, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow The current state of U.S.-European Union (EU) defense relations is unproductive and detrimental to both U.S. and EU interests. The U.S. is spending too much time and money on enhancing European continental security, to little benefit of its own. The EU is unable and unwilling to muster […]