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Given the current political climate and the whimsy which plagues policy relating to Russia, all members of the electorate need to self-educate in order to increase awareness and the wherewithal to make rational decisions about American foreign policy. This paper unpacks some of the mystery and confusion of why Russia acts in certain ways by analyzing the transformation of the Russian identity throughout many eras. Delving into the cultural, historical, and religious aspects of how the average Russian views himself begins to give shape to the jigsaw, ultimately revealing common ground and talking points for future relations.

Indonesia has proven to be successful in isolating itself from violent extremist activities that have plagued other Muslim and Western European nations over the past ten years.  Although the current population is predominately Muslim, and influences of the faith are embedded in their political system; Indonesia does not contribute radicalized foreign fighters overseas in support of radical Islamic causes at the same rate as other smaller Muslim nations. It is assessed that the entrenched regional and ancestral links outline a broadminded methodology towards equality that may prove to be an ethnic archetype for other Muslim dominated populations to duplicate.

The nation state of Somalia and its people have been on the periphery of global attention for the better part of the past three decades. During this time, the global community has branded Somalia as a failed state, with no legitimate functioning central government that provides for the population and represents the country internationally.  While there have been other countries labeled as failed states during this time, Somalia is unique in both the duration of this label and the number of attempts to make the country a productive member of the international community. The intent of this writing is to shed light and enhance the understanding of some of the aspects of the issues that exist in Somalia that have contributed to the failure to establish a legitimate and functioning central government. These failures are due both to the lack of cultural understanding by the donor nations and some of the cultural views held by a segment of the Somali population. The approaches that have either worked in donor nations or that the donor nations have had success with in nation building endeavors may not work in Somalia due to cultural differences and factors that external actors may be aware of but not truly understand. This paper highlights and offers potential solutions to some of the cultural issues that have prevented the Somalia from developing a legitimate, functioning government during this time despite support from the international community.