Category Archives: Topic Brief

Turkey’s War With the PKK

[fblike] For the last thirty-two years Turkey has been in conflict with Kurdish separatists.  These separatists, of which the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is most prominent, desire to create an autonomous Kurdish republic, arguing that Turkey represses Kurdish culture.  In … Continue reading

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Voter Apathy in the United States

[fblike] Although Americans enjoy a privilege that billions of people in the world do not currently enjoy, a sizable number of them decide not to exercise it each year.  This privilege is voting.  Since 1828 Americans have had the opportunity … Continue reading

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U.S.-Vietnamese Relations (2016)

[fblike] Extempers that have had any introduction to American history are aware that the United States and Vietnam have had a strained relationship since American troops attempted to prevent Vietnam from becoming a communist country during the Cold War.  For … Continue reading

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The Decline of Leftism in Latin America

[fblike] For the past decade and a half, leftist politicians in Latin America were elected at a higher rate than their conservative counterparts.  These leftist leaders, which included Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, Brazil’s Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, … Continue reading

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The North Korean Threat? (2016)

[fblike] Although the Cold War has been over with for decades one of its proxy conflicts persists.  The Korean Peninsula today remains divided between a democratic, capitalist South Korea and a totalitarian, communist North Korea, with both sides technically still … Continue reading

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First Quarter GDP Numbers (2016)

[fblike] Last week the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. economy grew by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2015.  This was below the number that economists had projected and it was below the 1.4% growth rate that the economy … Continue reading

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The North Carolina “Bathroom Bill”

[fblike] While the LGBT community won a significant victory at the Supreme Court last year when it came to same sex marriage, transgender individuals are now pressing for constitutional protections of their rights, namely their right to express their identity.  … Continue reading

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The Fight for $15

[fblike] Arguably the biggest demand of the progressive activists over the last two years has been a demand for a $15 minimum wage.  Striking the nation’s low-wage establishments such as fast food chains, advocates insist that a massive wage hike … Continue reading

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Reconstructing Libya

[fblike] In 2011, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) secured the approval of the United Nations Security Council to intervene in Libya to prevent Muammar Gaddafi from slaughtering civilians.  Gaddafi was in the midst of a widespread revolt after he … Continue reading

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Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh

[fblike] Last weekend fighting resumed between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan-backed forces in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.  The remote territory, located within Azerbaijan territory, is largely Armenian in ethnic composition and since 1994 it has been controlled by rebels that … Continue reading

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