Discourse,
‍with Direction.

This brief focuses on the critical role that NATO plays within foreign policy, laying out the organization’s history, structure, and beliefs and analyzing potential solutions to the current challenges it faces today.

In February 2026, U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran triggered a conflict in which Iran moved to close the Strait of Hormuz (a chokepoint for roughly 20% of global oil exports) using naval threats, drone swarms, and sea mines. This brief examines the standoff between U.S. demands for open, toll-free navigation under maritime law and Iran's claim to control the Strait and levy transit fees. It traces the conflict's roots to the 1979 Revolution, defines the core policy problem, and evaluates options ranging from military confrontation to diplomacy and a return to the status quo.

The following brief discusses the nationwide judicial injunction against courthouse arrests imposed by Judge P. Casey Pitts of the Northern District of California, which nullified the 2025 ICE courthouse-arrest policy after finding it arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. This brief will look at the legal issues considered by Judge Pitts in making the decision, including the failure of ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review to give valid reasoning for rescinding the restrictions on courthouse civil immigration arrest. Also, this brief will explore the consequences of this decision, the Trump administration’s response, and the related litigations in other jurisdictions.