Abstract: This analysis documents the increased international relations and the formalization of a strategic alliance between the United States and the East African nation Kenya over the past decade. Primarily, this analysis attempts to answer the question: “Why Kenya?”, from the perspective of both nations. I look at the economic, democratic, and security transformation of Kenya, particularly as the United States concludes the War on Terror, the global COVID-19 pandemic winds down, and Kenya’s first peaceful and fair election in 2022. (April 2024 – unpublished)

Abstract: This analysis documents the rise, peak, and then fall of the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State, solely within the territorial confines of the nations of Syria and Iraq. The decline of the declared caliphate began in 2016 due to the precision warfare of the United States and its allies, the intervention of the Russian military on the Syrian front, and the U.S. support of the Iraqi military. (June 2023 – unpublished)