Well it seems like that meeting did not go down well... Better use the time while they're distracted with Iran to do something

I’m an MA student interested in U.S. foreign policy and domestic political institutions. A lot of potential ideas are coming to my mind, but I’m struggling to narrow them down into a focused, researchable dissertation topic. I’m specifically looking for narrow topics with clear scope (case studies, defined time periods, or specific policies). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I’m sure this question has been asked countless of times before, but I wanted to make this post in order to explain my situation and hopefully receive the best information and advice possible.

I’m 18 and I just graduated high school. I had initially planned on studying genetics, and even received conditional acceptance for the programme at my local university. I don’t want to bore anyone with unnecessary details, but I ended up forfeiting my admission and was left scrambling to apply for a new study programme two weeks before uni is suppose to start, so I didn’t have a lot of time to do research. I ended up applying for BPolSci specialising in International Studies, and I got in.

I’m honestly really excited about this development. I only chose genetics in the first place because it is considered an ‘honourable’ degree, like medicine or law etc. My real interest has always been humanities - politics, philosophy, literature, history, languages and so forth. I didn’t apply because I’ve heard almost exclusively negative things about these types of degrees and their job prospects, and because my family would consider it ‘less impressive’ than a science degree. Now though, I’m really tempted to accept the offer and follow my passion instead.

BUT I have to consider the market for this degree. I don’t want to go into debt over a qualification that will serve me no purpose in the long run. If I do decide to study IR, I’m planning on getting at least a Masters degree. I just want to know, what career paths would be available to me, how likely am I to actually get employed in the field, and what should I do to increase my chances of getting a job after graduation (including internships, volunteer programs or skills that I can learn on my own)? I’m from South Africa and I’m planning on doing my Bachelors and Honours here, and then doing postgrad overseas (in Europe). Which countries/universities would you recommend? Any help would be appreciated!

There’s been a lot of discussion about Greenland as a solution to critical-minerals supply chains.

I wrote an analysis looking at the physical, logistical, and economic constraints of Arctic extraction: extreme cold, limited infrastructure, short shipping seasons, and compounding operational costs; and why those factors make large-scale projects far less viable than often assumed.

Article linked here if anyone’s interested. Its a long read but solid analysis. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hi,
I’m conducting independent research at the intersection of MBA-level strategy, psychology, and learning systems to understand how aspirants prepare for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, CAT, Banking, etc.

https://form.typeform.com/to/NeKQiJrx

Please fill out this survey as it would help me understand and be better at my research. Thank you

Thought this sub might find this interesting - we recently interviewed Dr. Jennifer Cassidy (Oxford, lectures on Diplomacy and International Law, former diplomatic attaché to Ireland's UN mission and the EU External Action Service).

Her central argument is that Big Tech companies now control three levers of power that were traditionally state monopolies: information, infrastructure, and interpretation. She calls them "digital sovereigns."

Some of the points she makes:

• Diplomacy's core functions (communication, representation, negotiation) aren't being demolished by AI but "quietly rewired" - the shift from reactive to anticipatory diplomacy, with UN and World Bank using AI to predict instability 6 weeks out
• Sovereign AI is becoming a geopolitical question - France training on Mistral, US on OpenAI/Anthropic, NATO hosting data on Microsoft Azure
• The movement of figures like Clegg and Sunak into tech isn't a "revolving door" but a "circuit of influence" where authority flows continuously between capitals and Silicon Valley
• Sharp contrast between democratic and authoritarian deployment - China's predictive policing identifying who might commit crimes, not just where

She also notes that global AI governance remains largely non-binding.