TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES

Karen Wharton
(RIEAS Research Associate and Security Analyst)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 21 November 2017

Mission

FEMA’s mission is to support citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.
History

For 38 years, FEMA's mission remains: to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of "A Nation Prepared."
FEMA can trace its beginnings to the Congressional Act of 1803. This act, generally considered the first piece of disaster legislation, provided assistance to a New Hampshire town following an extensive fire. In the century that followed, ad hoc legislation was passed more than 100 times in response to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters...Read more

Binoy Kampmark (PhD)
(Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 5 November 2017

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Re-search Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

The Pirate Party are buccaneering their way into European politics, having found a foothold in the testy soil of Central Europe after colonising, in small measure, various hamlets in Sweden, Germany and Iceland. The Czech Pirates (PPCZ), a term certainly exotic by current political pedigrees, managed to obtain over 10 percent of the vote, a result that gave them a rich harvest of 22 members in the parliamentary elections...Read more

Nathan T Webb
(Postgraduate Student, MA IREL Global Program, Webster University, Missouri, USA)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 1 October 2017

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Re-search Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

On December 17th, 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a historic policy change to begin the normalization of diplomatic relations between their two countries. This landmark decision was already paying off, as U.S. engagement with Cuba increased bilateral cooperation in areas such as national security, immigration enforcement, and countering narcotic smuggling (Eaton, 2017). But today, the Cuban-American détente is at risk of collapse in the hands of the Trump Administration’s new direction. While studies show that 63% of Americans oppose the continuation of the U.S.-Cuban embargo in favor of better relations with their neighbor to the south, President Trump has taken a clear stance opposing the economic and foreign policy changes put in place by his predecessor (FIU, 2016). However, President Castro intends on returning Cuba to the international community, and if the U.S. refuses provide support - someone else will. A complete reversal of diplomatic restoration would take the U.S. back to unsuccessful Cold War-inspired policy, allowing current foreign opposition to fill the gap left behind...Read more

Kelsey Wheatley
(Postgraduate Student, MA IREL Global Program, Webster University, Missouri, USA)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 17 September 2017

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Re-search Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

The flow of people around the globe has become a heightened concern for international security analysts. While ease of travel is an advantage of a developing world, the logistics of international migration can threaten the security of the borders. To combat these risks, airports began using advanced technology to not only decrease the time travelers spend in Customs, but to simultaneously make the borders more transparent, yet stronger....Read more

Nathan T Webb
(Postgraduate Student, MA Global Program, Webster University, Missouri, USA)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 11 September 2017

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Re-search Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

Atrocities committed by the Assad Regime in war-torn Syria and the resulting migration issues in Europe have captured the attention of the international community. But approximately twelve thousand miles away – widespread violence, extortion, and corruption continue to define an equally pressing humanitarian crisis that is still unknown to many. (Cantor, 2016) The Northern Triangle of Central America, formed by the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, is currently overrun by organized criminal gangs with a history going back to the bloody civil wars of the 1980s. (Katel, 2015) The region has the highest murder rate in the world, and the epidemic of gang violence has caused far-reaching displacement issues both internally and externally. (Kuek, 2017) As the region desperately searches for a solution, effects of the violence have reached the U.S.-Mexico border, forcing U.S. policy makers and migration experts to shift their attention from Europe to Latin America...Read more

Michael Dagan
(Former Deputy Editor, Haaretz)

Copyright: https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/online-privacy-journalists/ Published date on RIEAS web site: 13 August 2017

Many veteran journalists, but not only these, surely noticed that we are all of a sudden bombarded again from all-over with mentions of Watergate. Books like George Orwell’s 1984 are on display at bookstores and an air of danger to freedom of speech and freedom of the press is spreading slowly like a dark cloud over the Western Hemisphere, raising old fears. Read more