Six PIPS students present white papers

Opening no-go zones Bembenek wants Washington to build community resilience and provide the necessary guidance to empower grassroots initiatives. Courtesy PIPS

How to help Part of the solution, Bembenek wrote, is found in community policing and community courts. Courtesy PIPS

Making virtual economy work for the U.S. Samuel Dunham argued that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin facilitate money laundering. Courtesy PIPS

Government oversight needed Dunham advocated that the U.S. intreoduce new federal-level licensing for businesses that trade cryptocurrencies. Courtesy PIPS

Approaching peril Andrew Hashim wrote that Saudi Arabia will become a net-oil importer by 2030, which will threaten its social and economic stability. Courtesy PIPS

The U.S. as broker Hashim suggested that the U.S. broker an energy deal between Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to protect its interests in the Middle East. Courtesy PIPS

by Staff | April 30, 2014

On April 23, six William & Mary student Fellows involved with the 2014 Projects in International Peace and Security (PIPS) delivered white papers at the Sadler Center addressing emerging challenges to international stability.

It was a reprise of an event that had occurred in Washington, D.C., the week before at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. That is the oldest international think tank in the United States, one whose more than century-old mission is “to advance the cause of peace through analysis and development of fresh policy ideas and direct engagement and collaboration with decision-makers in government, business and civil society.”

Each year, PIPS selects six undergraduate research fellows who are juniors and seniors and six research interns who are freshmen and sophomores. Research fellows identify emerging international security challenges and develop original policy white papers. Research interns support the work of the fellows and learn the craft of conducting policy research and writing briefs.

{{youtube:medium:center|jq5sAwT_hBY, Three PIPS Fellows discuss their white papers}}

The 2014 research fellows presented papers on a diverse range of topics.

Phoebe Benich ’14 addressed promoting the benefits of U.S. foreign aid conditionality among Africans to offset growing Chinese involvement in Africa.

Samuel Dunham ‘15 explored the potential threat of and methods for regulating cryptocurrencies.

Andrew Hashim ‘15 advocated using U.S.-facilitated natural gas deals to stabilize the Saudi Arabian economy in the medium term to enable long-term reform.

Dylan Kolhoff ’14 argued that the United States should make a “soft pivot” to Asia that emphasizes the creation of numerous small capacity-building bases that rely on the logic of deterrence to defend allies and avoid provoking China.

Grace Perkins ’14 investigated the promise of geographic information systems (GIS) for understanding the connection between foreign aid and militancy.

Tyler Bembenek ‘15 opined that the U.S. should work closely with local governments to combat urban no-go zones in the developing world by encouraging grassroots security initiatives and governance.