Brandon Fischer is currently working towards his Masters in International Affairs at the New School in New York City. He received his BA in International Relations and Spanish from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX. His regional interest lies in the Middle East where he intends to explore the intersection of development and institutional accountability vis-à-vis macroeconomic efficiencies in aid flows. Brandon feels strongly that the youth of our day may serve as significant actors in global affairs through community activism and social media which enable political mobility.
Brandon Fischer
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The Effect of Refugee Migration and the Internally Displaced on Development in Afghanistan
April 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Both refugees and the internally displaced inhabit the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder in the conflict in Afghanistan. This population has been hugely disenfranchised by a clash of competing interests between the Taliban and the quasi-functional Afghani government. With the vacuum of power following the Taliban’s removal in 2002 with Operation Enduring Freedom, the Taliban and others have sought to claim some amount of authority. In the midst of the competing interests of insurgency movements, particularly the Taliban, al-Qaida and … [Read more...]
Islamophobia on Capitol Hill
January 17, 2011 By 1 Comment
Terrorism. How does the term even apply in today's turbulent global environment? Well, a recent move by the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee seeks to redefine the term in the American national security context. Meanwhile, public awareness of this new direction adopted by the committee does not match up to its level of importance. Representative Peter King, when entering his role as chairman at the start of the year, pledged that he will "drive the public debate" on the issues presented by Islam in the States. In a bold step, the Representative … [Read more...]
The Role of Refugees and IDP’s on Development in Afghanistan
December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Both refugees and the internally displaced inhabit the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder in the conflict in Afghanistan. This population has been hugely disenfranchised by a clash of competing interests between the Taliban and the quasi-functional Afghani government. With the vacuum of power following the Taliban’s removal in 2002 with Operation Enduring Freedom, the Taliban and others have sought to claim some amount of authority. In the midst of the competing interests of insurgency movements, particularly the Taliban, al-Qaida and … [Read more...]
Countering Prescriptive Secularism
December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Societies have become increasingly more complex as globalization and modernization have run their course. A significant portion of this complexity has come from the subtleties involved in prescribing social norms and policies when in a climate of differing religious and nonreligious views. Unfortunately, this has often been addressed by the use of prescriptive secularism, which many policy makers resort to by default. Secularism works to strip a society of public forms of religious expression so as to maintain a level of neutrality that will do away … [Read more...]
On Expanding the Muslim-American Youth Electorate
November 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Brandon Fischer, Global Peace & Security Issue Analyst As beneficiaries of the American system of government, the chance periodically arises for us to forge our voices into its framework during election season. On November 2, 2010, residents who are of 18 years or above will be granted this opportunity. Through this act, American youth will be able to imprint their mark upon the political climate which will affect them and their families for decades to come. Muslim-American youth, in particular, have much to benefit from contributing in this … [Read more...]
Towards advancements in US-Muslim Affairs
October 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Brandon Fischer Brandon is one of AIDemocracy’s 2010-2011 Issue Analysts. Find out more about Brandon below or take a look at the Student Issue Analysts. In the turbulent state of affairs along the intersection of Muslim and American culture, the question often arises as to what exactly can be done to allow for a certain progress which will counter the trend of regression which has taken hold of relations in recent years. Evidence is ever the more present, typified today by controversy which has surrounded Park51, a Muslim community and … [Read more...]
