Foreword
From the Founders
Christina Lu and Janet Malzahn
Dear Readers,
We started The Cornell Diplomat in August 2018 to share student perspectives on the most pressing international issues of our time. Over the past three semesters, we have worked hard to craft a publication that considers these challenges from different angles, places, and positions. Through themed magazine issues filled with concise, engaging articles, we have explored the thought-provoking subjects of regime instability and the politicization of gender in our first two issues, Regime (In)Stability and The Gender Issue.
In our third issue, Rethinking Resources, we wanted to understand how resources influence, and are influenced by, different politics, cultures, and economies. We see a resource as an asset that an actor–whether that is a person or a state–is endowed with, which can then be used for another purpose. From oil that is traded for money, to a river that is relied on for drinking water, resourc- es are essential to everything from growing an economy to sustaining human life. And, as with any important subject, they come with an abundance of questions. How can resources prop up–or dismantle–a government? Can physical resources be affected by intangible factors, such as culture or religion? How should resource benefits be ethically distributed? How must states modify their resource strategies to save the imperiled environment? And, do resources belong to the country they are found in, the people who use them, or even the entire world?
None of these questions are easy to answer–that is exactly why we chose to explore them in this semester’s issue. We are so excited to share our staff’s hard work and perspectives with everyone and hope you enjoy!
Christina and Janet
Special thanks to the SAFC, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and the Cornell International Students Union for their support.
