Dear readers,
I am pleased to introduce the second issue of Annotations, a bi-monthly newsletter by the Journal of Public and International Affairs (JPIA) featuring commentary on policy and politics by students and alumni of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.
This issue comes at the cusp of a new school year in which public health coordination will be top-of-mind for everyone returning to campus. As a community, we have experienced the onset of innovative technologies and organizing principles as a mediating force against the uncertainties of our current pandemic reality. Our contributors for this issue identify echoes of this dynamic in the discussions and paradigm shifts occurring in their chosen areas of study.
What futures do emerging technologies make feasible, and which ones do they foreclose? How can we reform and iterate human systems of organization - our most timeless technology - to meet challenges in politics, diplomacy, and social service provision? In this issue, Merlin Boone, Samantha Libraty, and Lynne Guey tackle these questions across fields ranging from international diplomacy to crisis education and the development of artificial intelligence.
Annotations Issue 2 Articles
STRATEGIC INFLUENCE OPERATIONS: A CALL TO ACTION
by Merlin Boone, PhD Candidate, International Relations and Security Studies
Merlin Boone diagnoses key weaknesses in the existing United States bureaucracy for international military and diplomatic operations, arguing for the development of a centralized national-level command system to reshape the strategic nature of US influence abroad.
EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES AND THE FALL-OUT FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (INTERVIEW)
by Samantha Libraty, MPA ‘23
In conversation with Yayoi Segi-Vltchek, UNESCO Chief of Section for Migration, Displacement, Emergencies and Education, Samantha Libraty explores UNESCO’s contributions to crisis education and the promise of innovative data management and monitoring capacities for overcoming the impact of COVID-19 and ongoing displacements on global educational outcomes.
CLOSING THE AI SKILLS GAP REQUIRES A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY APPROACH
by Lynne Guey, MPA ‘22
JPIA Co-Editor in Chief Lynne Guey deconstructs mainstream narratives around Artificial Intelligence, emphasizing the need for new social values and institutions to ensure that emerging technologies contribute to human advancement without consuming us in the process.
You can find all Annotations articles on the JPIA website. If you’d like to contribute to future issues of Annotations, check out our Call for Pitches and submit your idea by Wednesday, September 15. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for the newsletter, please reach out to us at jpia@princeton.edu.
Happy reading,
Francis Torres, MPA ‘22
JPIA Co-Editor in Chief