ISSUE II : Note from the Editor
Actions and Words
By Sean Jacobs
A few days after Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President, pressure group Progressive International released a briefing on his foreign policy, calling it a “New Monroe Doctrine” for the 21st century. The original Monroe Doctrine, introduced in the 19th century, outlined U.S. influence over the Americas and pledged non-intervention in Europe as long as Europe stayed out of the Western Hemisphere. However, it led to over a century of U.S. military interference, coups, and efforts to undermine Latin American and Caribbean political and economic sovereignty.
Progressive International warned that Trump’s version could target strategic resources, like Panama’s canal, Venezuela’s oil, and Mexico’s autonomy, alongside threats to Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and Greenland. Trump also ramped up tensions with Latin American leaders through mass deportations, pressuring countries like Colombia and Honduras, who eventually fell in line.
This New Monroe Doctrine extended beyond the Americas. Trump withdrew the US from climate agreements as Caribbean nations faced rising seas, militarized migration policies, and labeled cartels as terrorist organizations—new pretexts for intervention. Progressive International argued that this new administration abandoned even the pretense of respecting international law, multilateral institutions, or cooperation, replacing them with a blunt doctrine of “submission or punishment.”
Though the articles in this issue were prepared before Trump’s inauguration, they anticipate his rule and advocate for political alternatives to the bleak future offered by his version of strongman politics.
In our contribution, my colleague Sakiko Fukuda-Parr (Professor of International Affairs) and I call for political alternatives grounded in the Global South’s experiences. These alternatives demand a new research agenda by scholars and an interrogation of knowledge production structures that reflect power dynamics serving the Global North. We argue that our current analytical models don’t adequately answer the questions raised by our students, especially in areas such as refugee governance, infrastructure development, and international trade agreements.
Bisan Hamayel, an MA candidate in international affairs, argues that developments in Syria, the latest flashpoint in the Middle East, could either undermine or embolden Western strategies in the Middle East, with Israel’s role, supported by the U.S., being crucial. Meanwhile, the Global South is challenging Western dominance through alliances like BRICS and emerging powers like China and South Africa. China’s support for Palestinian self-determination at the ICJ and South Africa’s case against Israel reflects a shift in the geopolitical balance. As these alliances strengthen, they could redefine the global stage, forcing traditional powers to reconsider their strategies.
Some pieces explore local histories for political alternatives. GPIA alum Christina Wong highlights the potential impact of an eco-socialist party in Mauritius on expanding environmental struggles. Part-time GPIA professor Gabriel Vignoli suggests that Cuba challenges U.S. politics not through socialism but by offering political alternatives.
Not all politics in the Global South are optimistic. Jon Schubert, a Basel-based urbanist who was a visiting professor at GPIA in Fall 2024, critiques big infrastructure projects in oil-driven economies like Angola, which prioritize "business-friendly" agendas and lead to superficial outcomes. The closest parallel to Trump’s politics in the Global South is Argentina’s President Javier Milei. Mariana Giacobbe, a contributor to the first issue of The New Context and a student in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism, examines Milei’s rejection of state intervention and collective solutions that push democratic institutions to their limits in favor of individual liberties.
Two film reviews offer a more somber perspective of contemporary global politics. Roni Zahavi-Brunner, a GPIA MA student, reviews indigenous struggles against big oil in "so-called Canada," while Belinda Sanchez, a recent GPIA graduate, analyzes the global battle for vaccines. In Canada, activists sport kaffiyehs, linking their fight to Palestinian resistance. However, the settler-colonial nature of their struggle is evident: the CEO of LNG Canada, a key player in the pipeline project that threatens Wet’suwet’en land in British Columbia province, is Andy Calitz, a white South African, who struggles to understand the strong opposition from Indigenous groups.
Finally, we imagine Kendrick Lamar as an international affairs theorist. He follows Diego Maradona, who inaugurated the series. Ivan Pech Luna, a GPIA MA student, questions whether Kendrick’s lyrics consistently deliver a powerful message, even if his actions sometimes fail to match that intensity.
As usual, thanks to our designer, Nirkhunan Govindan Kuppuram, an MS student at Parsons.