This brief examines the UK’s move towards energy independence in response to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Once a net energy exporter, the UK is now focused on reducing foreign oil reliance. The British Energy Security Strategy, launched by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, emphasizes renewable energy investments and job creation. Current Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues this focus on offshore wind, hydrogen, and nuclear power. The shift aims to enhance national security, stimulate economic growth, and support the UK’s climate commitments, positioning it as a leader in global climate action.

With the new Ishiba administration in Japan starting to take hold, it is about time to talk about Japan's maritime capabilities. Tensions between Japan and China only seem to be increasing, one part being an incident where China flew a plane into Japanese airspace. Japan itself navigated the Taiwan Strait for the first time, proclaiming the need for freedom of navigation within international waters. Under Shigeru Ishiba, Japan's navy does not seem set to expand, but rather to improve, and to increase its range of actions by revising the Status of Forces Agreement with the US. While ministers he has appointed, such as Foreign Minister Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen, are both former defense ministers, they both may clash with Ishiba's own vision, showing a steady, yet possibly uncertain future for Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) and its maritime capabilities.

Child marriage is a violation of human rights that occurs worldwide. An estimated 640 million women today were married as children. Child marriage can occur in countries with high poverty, deeply set cultural practices, and social expectations which young girls face with no other alternative. Malawi is a country in Southeastern Africa, a region that is home to 50 million child brides. The United Nations Population Fund of Malawi states that 47% of women in the country are married before the age of 18. However, the Marriage Act of Malawi in 2017, which protects young girls from underage marriage, was passed due to the work of civil society. The country displays hope in preventing child marriage within the country through intervention that other countries can display in efforts to solve this major human rights violation. 

The contentious political environment surrounding the 2024 American Presidential Election between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump provides the golden opportunity for America’s adversaries to interfere in the election. Chief among these adversaries is the government of Iran. Continuing their history of American presidential election interference, the Iranian government and its agents are seeking to sow distrust and create chaos in the electoral process and democratic systems of the United States. They are attempting to achieve this aim through the coordinated compromising of critical computer accounts, distributing stolen restricted information, and the dissemination of disinformation through social media and news websites. Additionally, the Iranian government stokes fears of political violence through the ongoing threat to the life of Former President Trump. This multi-pronged interference campaign against the 2024 presidential election is the most serious threat ever posed by the Iranian government in an election. By sowing distrust in the American democratic electoral system, the Iranian government is seeking to make the United States less stable and secure.