Welcome Refugees from Ukraine — and Everywhere
There is laser focus on the unfolding crisis in Ukraine following Putin’s aggressive invasion of the country. Heart-wrenching images of Ukrainian civilians in makeshift bomb shelters and…
Associate Editor
Laila Ujayli
Associate Editor
Laila Ujayli is passionate about the intersection of narrative and policy, concentrating on using stories to reorient US foreign policy towards human needs. She currently studies public policy as a graduate student at the Blavatnik School of Government, where she is a Rhodes Scholar. As a former Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow at Win Without War, she worked on reimagining US security spending to invest in the tools necessary to confront today and tomorrow's major challenges. She is especially interested in the use of film to engage the public on global issues and holds a Master of Studies in Film Aesthetics from the University of Oxford.
The Military's Love Affair with Football
The Washington Football Team’s protracted deliberations over a new name reportedly didn’t much consider drawing from the city’s political realm — too controversial, too unpopular.…
American Militarism Undermines Diplomacy in Ukraine
My job is to prevent wars. I belong to a community of peace professionals in the US. Arguably we suck at our work, because the possibility of war in Ukraine is real and the US is a key…
The US–China Tech War Isn’t Inevitable
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a column in collaboration with Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen network, a premier group of next generation foreign policy leaders committed to…
Countering China's Rise Through Sanctions Reform
You can hardly enter a discussion on foreign policy today without encountering the topic of China’s seemingly inevitable global rise. In December 2021, I helped to host an event attended…
Foreign Policy Redesigned
“Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that…
The Great Power of Ukraine
The current crisis in Ukraine intensifies a stalemate over European security into a standoff between three great powers. Russia caused the crisis when it moved an estimated 130,000 troops…
A Tale of an Afghan Airstrike
In May 2021, the now toppled Afghan Republic asserted to have killed al-Qaida operatives and wounded the Taliban commander hosting them in an airstrike in a remote district in southern…
Targeted Killing Isn’t the Solution to Terrorism
Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died much as his predecessor did: Surrounded by US special operations troops, with an explosive ready to be detonated nearby. The US…
How Washington Can Help Mitigate North Koreans' Suffering
Rather than maintaining antagonistic policies, the Biden administration should actively engage Pyongyang in order to induce the hermit kingdom to change from the inside. Washington’s…