“Some ephemeral moments must be given a memory, because the temporality of an instant may radiate a twinkle of eternity.”
Erik Pevernagie
Exactly one year ago today, I waved a bittersweet farewell to New York and the United Nations to venture south to our nation’s capital, Washington DC, to continue my development as a foreign policy professional. With all my guitars, books, and a clutter of new furniture for my first apartment rustling around the back of…
In December 2023, I completed my time as an assistant in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. For a nerd all things UN/multilateralism-related, this was an incredible experience for countless reasons. However, I left New York with a grave concern over the state of multilateralism and its future. Throughout the 78th…
When I began college, I had with me a little blue UN badge granted to me from the NGO I worked for at the time, the Foundation for Post-Conflict Development. After classes on Thursdays of freshman year, I’d rush over to the train station, commute all the way up to the city, and attend First…
On the 26th of May 2023, I walked across the stage to receive my B.A. in Government from Cornell. As I looked across the field of families present to support their loved ones, I caught a glimpse of my mother tearing up as she watched me accomplish the very thing she came to the United…
Written for Emma Leynse in December 2022. This is a short story I’ve had in mind since high school, and finally got about to writing it in the middle of my Senior year at Cornell. The Last Person on Earth Frederick Brown, 1948 and the shortest horror story wrote the brief two sentences below. This…
Hello again! It has been quite a long time since I’ve written in the journal, I’ll admit. 2021 proved to be a year of many, many disruptions that I had never experienced before. Taking a gap year from school during the pandemic and three surgeries on my AC joint left me more in a state…
For the Fall 2021 semester, I wrote this article for The Cornell Diplomat for the magazine’s fourth issue Borders. The goal of this semester’s issue was to write an article that focused directly or theoretically on the concept of borders in international affairs. For years, Yemen has been crippled by severe political violence, a weak…
Uyghur detainees, in April 2017. Photo source: Wikimedia Since the Hague Convention of 1899, the protection of human rights has been a hot topic in the field of international relations. Being recognized as a vital part of development, institutions such as the United Nations and the ICC have been developed to guarantee they remain defended.…
This month’s blog is a quick, but important read. To begin, I’d like to ask you; are you proud to be an American? Following the outrageous year 2020 had in store for the nation, this question has become more challenging than not. For the prideful American I’ve grown to be, I personally struggled with this…
It was a chilly afternoon on November the 19th, 2019 when I opened the letter that would change my life. I arrived at my dorm, exhausted from 200m repeats, with just enough time cut out in the day to prepare for a huge Arabic presentation in two days. I decided to check my Cornell portal…
Hello all! It is with GREAT excitement that I welcome you to my journey in International Relations! This blog is meant to be a sort of journal in which I regularly write in throughout my time in this field, detailing thoughts, concerns, and lessons learned over the course of this exciting journey. Given the complexities…
Oscar's Journal 