Call for Submissions

ities now seem to point to attempts to expand its naval presence by means of a
civilian maritime infrastructure bordering the IOR whereby each pearl created
extends through a connected set of strings. Thus, Hayward examines China’s
past, current, and potential projects in the area that its leaders call commercial but
have definite military import. While Western nations watch suspiciously from the
sidelines, other nations in the IOR—India, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand,
and Australia—use all the geopolitical resistance available to smaller nations to
counter what appears to many as military expansion and maritime control and to
evoke a vision of Chinese hegemony in the IOR.
In the final article, John Baden, a history doctoral candidate at Case Western
Reserve University, addresses the collective American conscience regarding
Middle Eastern refugees and the effects of anti-Muslim prejudice. Opponents
of Afghan immigrants argue that they represent a serious national security risk,
while advocates question how America can turn its back so easily on the promise
of “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free.” Baden’s article, “Can Refugees Be National Security Assets?, ” offers a brief
account of the role that Afghan immigrants have had in shaping U.S. defense
and foreign policy during the past three-and-a-half decades. From the Cold War
era to the Global War on Terrorism, Baden proposes a more logical, quantifiable
perspective on Afghan contributions to the United States to balance the fear and
widespread mistrust of immigrants from the Middle East as international attacks
plague the popular media.
In our penultimate section, the review essay titled “The Intelligence Dilemma”
introduces the spring issue’s book reviews. In it, reviewer Robert J. Kodosky
discusses the nature of intelligence operations and the American government’s
approach to secrecy by comparing three recent monographs on the topic: The
Billion Dollar Spy, The Hidden Hand, and The Rise and Fall of Intelligence. Terrorism,
and the technology combatants use to wage war, has become the singular topic
of national consideration. Kodosky ponders whether the United States can balance
the safety of the nation against decades of government secrecy intended, at
times, to protect us from ourselves.
Overall, our authors have broached a wide range of issues, but the themes of
national security, U.S. policy, and the implications of past and present actions resonate
throughout the articles and the reviews. In this next year, we look forward
to another stimulating regular issue to be released in fall, as well as our first special
issue, “Climate Change and Policy.” Look for both of these issues, and feel free
to give us your feedback via email or on social media. MCU Press can be reached
on both Twitter and Facebook.
Vol. 7, No. 1
From the Editors
7