Sean Cotter-Lem is a student at the University of Groningen, and the Editor-in-Chief of Checks & Balances for the academic year 2017-2018. Through his writing, he hopes to capture some of the nuances of contemporary international relations and politics. You can follow him on Twitter: @scotlem7

Malaysia’s 92-Year-Old Comeback Kid, Mahathir Mohamad

With the surprise victory of the opposition on May 9th, it is the first time since its independence in 1957 that Malaysia has seen a peaceful transfer of power like

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Misinformation & Uncertainty Ahead of Italian Election

Ahead of Sunday’s election in Italy, where a number of parties are vying for the top spot in a tight race, concerns about the dissemination of misinformation are high. Following

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It’s the Economy, Stupid: Rising Food Prices Provide Impetus for Protests in Iran  

In the last days of 2017, Iran experienced the largest protests in the country since the protests that followed the disputed Iranian presidential elections in 2009. After incumbent President Mahmoud

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The Role of Internet Memes in Modern Political Discourse

In his 1976 bestseller, The Selfish Gene, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined the term “meme”, ascribing it to any idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within

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Reimagining “Reaching Across the Aisle”

In American political rhetoric, the oft-repeated phrase “reaching across the aisle” refers to the bipartisan cooperation, a nod to the physical separation in Congress between the members of the two

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Cooperation & Competition in the Arctic Circle

Climate change is more apparent in the Arctic Ocean than nearly anywhere else on the planet. In the coming decades, this area is likely to be of increasing interest to

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