1 - 14 of 14
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
2. PART I: How Auctions Helped Solar Become the Cheapest Electricity in the World
- Author:
- Benjamin Attia, Shayle Kann, and Morgan D. Bazilian
- Publication Date:
- 02-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The global energy transition has reached an inflection point. In numerous markets, the declining cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) has already beaten the cost of new-build coal and natural gas and is now chasing down operating costs of existing thermal power plants, forcing a growing crowd of thermal generation assets into early retirement. Perfect comparability between dispatchable and non-dispatchable resources invites debate, but the cost declines in solar PV are irrefutable: the global average unit cost of competitively-procured solar electricity declined by 83 percent from 2010 to 2018. This is due in part to module cost reductions of approximately 90 percent, capacity-weighted average construction cost declines of 74 percent, and a global paradigm shift in renewable energy procurement policies in the last six years.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Science and Technology, Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Electricity
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3. What Has Changed in the Turkish Coal Mining Industry Five Years After the Soma Mine Disaster?
- Author:
- H. Sebnem Düzgün
- Publication Date:
- 02-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The Soma Mine Disaster (SMD) was the most massive mine disaster of the twenty-first century, with 301 fatalities. This was due to a mine fire in an underground coal mine. Although mine fires usually do not cause a large number of casualties in comparison with other explosions in underground coal mines, the SMD has an anomaly. The cause of the mine fire has not been precisely determined, though various groups of experts developed several hypotheses. Most of the fatalities were due to an inadequate safety culture, unstructured organizational and human performance, and improper decision-making and risk perception during the emergency management. So far, only minimal steps have been taken to improve the safety standards of the coal mines. Larger improvements are necessary to address the variety of factors that contributed to the disaster.
- Topic:
- Disaster Relief, Science and Technology, Natural Resources, Labor Issues, Regulation, and Mining
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East
4. Catching Up: China’s Developing Military Power
- Author:
- Ian Williams
- Publication Date:
- 01-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- For decades, China has engaged in a fervent game of “catch-up” with U.S. military capabilities. This effort, which has ballooned China’s defense spending to 620 percent of its 1990 level, is beginning to bear real fruit. While still far from achieving military parity, China’s military technology and doctrine are quickly coalescing into a coherent form of warfare, tailored to overpowering the U.S. military in a short, sharp conflict in the Eastern Pacific. This strategy of “informationized” warfare focuses first on eroding U.S. situational awareness, communications, and precision targeting capabilities.
- Topic:
- Security, Science and Technology, Military Affairs, Weapons, Military Spending, Conflict, and Surveillance
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, North America, and United States of America
5. Big Tech, Antitrust, and Breakup
- Author:
- Michael A. Carrier
- Publication Date:
- 01-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Big Tech is in the news. At the center of our political and economic dialogue is the effect that Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google have on our lives and what, if anything, governments should do about it. In this article, I explain how Big Tech has come under scrutiny, the antitrust implications of the industry’s behavior, and the potential remedy of breaking up the companies.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, Science and Technology, Regulation, Internet, Social Media, and Business
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus and United States of America
6. A New Type of Threat: Russia, China and Digital Authoritarianism in West Africa
- Author:
- Gabriel Delsol and Claire M. Metelits
- Publication Date:
- 12-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- For several decades, US security policy in West Africa focused on transnational terrorist organizations, domestic armed groups, and the general spread of instability. This article argues that an increase in digital authoritarianism in West Africa, facilitated by Russia and China, is an emerging threat and necessitates increased attention by the US security community.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Governance, Law, Authoritarianism, and Cybersecurity
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Russia, China, and West Africa
7. How to Design a Co-benefit Framework Between Air Quality Improvement and Climate Policy: The Case of South Korea
- Author:
- Tae Yong Jung
- Publication Date:
- 11-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The South Korea case study indicates the co-benefits of air quality and climate change policy, by designing relevant legal and institutional frameworks in a more comprehensive and holistic way.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, Environment, Science and Technology, Law, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Asia and South Korea
8. The Lungs of the Earth: Shifting a Metaphor from Superstition to Science
- Author:
- Aria Ritz Finkelstein and Porter Hoagland
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Poor metaphors can muddy the nature of environmental policy problems, but good ones can help policymakers begin to understand how to solve them. Using language carefully is critical to crafting effective international agreements to encourage the sustainable conservation of the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdictions.
- Topic:
- Environment, Science and Technology, Governance, Law, Multilateralism, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
9. PART I: COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Why South Korea’s Success is Hard to Replicate
- Author:
- Justin Fendos
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This article is the first installment in a two-part series. Unlike South Korea’s centralized approach to contact tracing, other democracies faced legal impediments to similar approaches. The second installment reviews alternative, non-centralized approaches currently being implemented in these countries and their limitations.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Science and Technology, Law, COVID-19, and Health Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Asia and South Korea
10. PART II: COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Why South Korea’s Success is Hard to Replicate
- Author:
- Justin Fendos
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This article is the second installment of a two-part series. It reviews the alternative, non-centralized approaches to contact tracing currently being implemented in many Western democracies. The first installment described South Korea’s centralized approach to contact tracing and the legal impediments to its implementation in other countries.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Science and Technology, Law, COVID-19, and Health Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Asia and South Korea
11. Ecosystem Restoration as an Immunization for Humanitarian Crisis: The Case of Lake Chad
- Author:
- René Castro-Salazar, Moctar Sacande, Danae Maniatis, and Danilo Mollicone
- Publication Date:
- 08-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- It may come as a surprise to many readers, but since 2005, Lake Chad has stopped shrinking; in fact, it has actually stabilized in the last two decades, reaching more than 13,000 square kilometers today. The conflict surrounding Lake Chad continues to be one of the world’s most challenging conflict-traps (a cycle of economic deterioration and repeat conflict), with seasonal migration of people in search of natural resources such as fuelwood, fish, water, and arable land to sustain their livelihoods.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Civil Society, Environment, Science and Technology, and Humanitarian Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Chad and Lake Chad Basin
12. Internet Freedom: Fighting Back Against Digital Authoritarianism
- Author:
- Olivier Alais
- Publication Date:
- 07-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- One of the great challenges of cyberspace is defending freedom and human rights on the internet, all of which are in steady decline. In a decade, we have moved from a free and open internet to one dominated by closed platforms that are more centralized and easier to control. The internet has become a space where digital giants defend shareholder interests, authoritarian governments squash human rights, and private companies spy on politicians, activists, and journalists.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Authoritarianism, Internet, Multilateralism, and Data
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
13. China Leverages Tibetan Plateau’s Water Wealth
- Author:
- Brahma Chellaney
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- While the international attention remains on China’s recidivist activities in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where it continues to incrementally expand its strategic footprint, Beijing is also quietly focusing its attention on the waters of rivers that originate in the resource-rich, Chinese-controlled territory of Tibet.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, Science and Technology, Territorial Disputes, Water, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, and Tibet
14. Laboratory of Democracy? Turkey’s Scientific Institutions After the July 15 Coup
- Author:
- Reuben Silverman
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Since Turkey experienced a failed coup attempt a year ago, hardly a week goes by without news of new firings, suspensions, detentions, and arrests. By the end of June 2017, over 138,000 government employees had been removed from their jobs and over 110,000 citizens had been detained—with nearly half of these detentions leading to formal arrests. Numbers of this size are daunting. To put them in perspective and to give some sense of how the post-coup purges have affected institutions and lives in Turkey, consider the case of TÜBİTAK.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Democracy, Economy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Coup
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East