A New Balancing Act: Rejecting War & Protecting Taiwan (Marcellus Policy Analysis)

By Matthew Gallagher, Spring 2022 Marcellus Policy Fellow If maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region — and if preserving the economic autonomy, political freedom, and human rights of Taiwan — is in the national interest, then U.S. policy must adapt to changing security conditions. The U.S. should commit to military non-intervention if the […]

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Reforming Foreign Military Financing (Marcellus Policy Analysis)

By Byron Stokes, Fall 2021 Marcellus Policy Fellow Utilizing foreign military financing (FMF) has been a key tool in the U.S. foreign policy toolkit. From 2010 – 2020 over $48B has been spent on U.S. foreign military aid in the Middle East. Investments continue to flow into the region, even as U.S. influence has dwindled […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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