The Harvard International Review is a quarterly magazine offering insight on international affairs from the perspectives of scholars, leaders, and policymakers. Since our founding in 1979, we've set out to bridge the worlds of academia and policy through outstanding writing and editorial selection.
The quality of our content is unparalleled. Each issue of the Harvard International Review includes exclusive interviews and editorials by leading international figures along with expert staff analysis of critical international issues. We have featured commentary by 43 Presidents and Prime Ministers, 4 Secretaries-General, 4 Nobel Economics Prize laureates, and 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Inspired by our growing high school readership around the world, we created the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest to encourage and highlight outstanding high school writing on topics related to international affairs.
Congratulations to all Fall/Winter 2024 medal winners on the quality of your submissions!
Gold Medal
Jina Song. Seoul Foreign School. “Tradition or Transgression: The Tangled Reality of Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan”
Holden Kim. Harvard-Westlake School. “Silicon Gold or Green Colonialism: The Hidden Costs of the Philippines' Semiconductor Boom”
Josh Zhang. Episcopal High School. “A Tale of Two Chinas: How China's Wealth Imbalance Impacts Government Policy”
Thomas Guo. Bellarmine College Preparatory. “An Abandoned Humanitarian Effort: The Conflict in Cabo Delgado”
Kaiwen Gu. Upper Canada College. “NIMBYism: Causes, Effects, and Solutions”
Tianyu Li, Yixuan Ouyang. Beijing No.101 High School. “From #MeToo to “Rice Bunnies”: Digital Feminism in China”
Yiran Zhu. Haidian Foreign Language Academy. “Fermenting Crisis: The Global Fertilizer Disruption and Its Unequal Impacts”
Donghyeon Oh. Avon Old Farms School. “Pharmaceutical Patents: How a System Designed to Foster Innovation is Costing Lives in Poor Countries”
Seoyeon Kim. St. Mark's School. “Breaking the Blade: A Call to End Female Genital Mutilation”
Wanjing Ye. Wellington College International Shanghai. “Strategizing Against the Rise of Organized Crime Networks”
Yunchao Tan. UWC Atlantic College. “Precarious Brotherhood: Challenging Government Narratives About Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia”
Kento Yanase. Mita International School. “Starving in Silence: Examining North Korea’s Food Crisis Under Sanctions”
Wing Lun Liu, Qiao Tang. BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour, Shenzhen Middle School. “Reclaiming the Motherland: An Eco-Feminist Critique of Land Grabbing”
Tsz Ham Yang. Huitong School Shenzhen. “From Rights to Commodities: The Neoliberal Transformation of Citizenship”
Justo Jin Zhang. Radley College. “The Arctic Dispute: An Economic Battle at the Cost of Indigenous Peoples’ Futures”
Jolin Tay. Shanghai Singapore International School. “Global Perspectives on Sex Education: Overcoming Socioeconomic and Cultural Barriers”
Yujie Xiang. WLSA Shanghai Academy. “Digital Colonialism: Unequal Foundations of a Connected World”
Zhao Nanxing. German Swiss International School. “Green Gold or Blood Spice — The Bitter Truth Behind the Vanilla Crisis”
Michael Yang. Appleby College. “From All Fronts: The Multi-Faceted Problems of Pakistan’s Economy and the Available Solutions”
Yerin Cho. Emma Willard School. “Rising Issues from Ayahuasca Spiritual Tourism: Spiritual Healing or Impairing”
Zichen Xu. Keystone Academy Beijing. “A Green Miracle or Just Another Broken Promise: Lithium”
Ziyue Qi. BASIS International Parklane Harbour. “Antarctica in Crisis: Why Russia’s Discovery of Oil in Antarctica Threatens the Decades-Old Antarctic Treaty”
Gefei Zhang. YK Pao School. “Taliban Oppression in Afghanistan Devastates Healthcare Services for Women”
Wang YanZhe. The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China. “Behind Guns and Bombs: The Water Crisis in Gaza”
Siqi Huang. Nansha College Preparatory Academy. “The Shadow of National Security: Inequalities Challenging Transnational Digital Companies”
Claire An. Canyon Crest Academy. “Middle East and North Africa’s Struggle for Agriculture in a VUCA World”
Yikai Zhao. Shanghai Foreign Language School. “A Silent Green War: The Fight for Critical Minerals”
Chu Him Chon. Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School. “Day After: Postwar Plans for Gaza and Prospects of Peace in the Middle East”
Ziping Dai. American Heritage School Delray Beach Campus. “Alleviating Poverty for Sub-Saharan African Women Through Micro Financing”
William Kim. Lone Star High School. “Losing the Page: The Erosion of Literacy in the Digital Post-Covid World”
Mingqian Liao. Keystone Academy. “Innovative Financial Inclusion: Empowering Refugees in Jordan through Microfinance and Digital Access”
Ziming Guan. Shenzhen Middle School. “Colonial Echoes: Language Inequality in Africa”
Silver Medal
Lin Hanwen. Beijing No.35 High School. “Doping with Danger: Abuse of Anabolic Steroids Among Non-Athletes”
Mandy Wu. American Heritage Broward. “The Code of Violation: How AI Created a New Form of Sexual Violence”
Can Gu. Selwyn House School. “The Illusion of Empowerment: The Unfulfilled Promises of Microfinance”
Junahn Choi. Heritage Innovation School. “Africa’s Climate Crisis: The Gender Divide We Can’t Ignore”
Zhaoyuan Wu. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “Make-or-Break: Climate Change that Promotes and Prevents Locust Plagues”
Isabel Gao. The Westminster Schools. “The Cost of Nationalism: COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity Between the Global North and South”
Eason Ha. Seoul Foreign School. “The Silicon Triangle: Semiconductors as Bargaining Chips”
Junyan Zhou. Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy. “Spying On the World’s Largest Population: The Hidden Costs of Mass Surveillance in India's Fight Against Crime”
Rubi Wu. Singapore American School. “The Cost of Online Gambling Bomb and How the World Confronts Gambling Addiction”
Zhuoyi Zhou. Beijing Haidian Foreign Language Shiyan School. “Augmented Access: Building the Future AI-powered Assistive Technology”
Siyuan Shan. San Domenico School. “The Unsweetened Truth: How Financial Distress and Gender Exploitation Trap Women Laborers in India’s Sugarcane Plantations”
Taehong Ha. North London Collegiate School Jeju. “Will the World Build Borders Around Open-Source Software?”
Haoran Zhang. Shanghai Southwest Weiyu Middle School International Division. “Breaking the Ice: The Consequences of Climate Change for Sámi Communities”
Huang Yuxiao. Iolani School. “Disinformation in Africa: A Tool for Destabilization and Control”
Anoushka Tandon. Dhirubhai Ambani International School. “The Quantum Lens: Forecasting Financial Freefalls”
Miyu Kim. St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju. “Solar Geoengineering: Sunshine for the Rich and Droughts for the Poor?”
Ruxin Sheng. Basis International School Park Lane Harbour. “All Eyes on Haiti as Calls for International Peacekeeping Force Grow Stronger”
Le-Chi, Chen. Taipei Fuhsing Private School. “Barriers to Knowledge: The Unseen Struggles of Rural Education”
Zhan Yi Mou. American International School of Guangzhou. “Unveiling the Dark Scam in Myanmar: A New Transnational Crime Through Exploitation and Theft”
Lu Junyi. YK Pao School. “Scammed into Crime: Southeast Asia’s Human Trafficking Crisis”
Huanchu Liu. Upper Canada College. “Can ASEAN Sustain Its Nonaligned Path Amid Heightened U.S.-China Tensions?”
Emily Fan. University of Toronto Schools.“The Unanswered Question About AI: Canada’s Approach to the Regulation of Virtual Child Sexual Abuse Material”
Jooha Roh. Korea International School.“Giving up Wombs to Sugar: Forced Female Sacrifice Under the Koyta System”
Aerin Jeon. Korea International School. “Cosmic Chess: The Anti-Satellite Space Race”
Tian Zhengxuan, Zhou Yicheng. NLCS Singapore, Damai Secondary School. “Globalisation, Inequality, and Inuit Resilience: The Role of Collective Action”
Lang Han. Beijing City International School. “From Nuclear Deterrence to Drone Deterrence: Shifting Dynamics of the International Military Arena”
Alvin Wonjae Choi. Korea International School, Jeju Campus. “South Korea’s National Security in Jeopardy: Challenges in Military Academies and Building More Trusted Military”
Ma Xiaozhe. Hefei No.1 High School. “From Silence to Song: The Revival of Endangered Language”
Ryan Jung. Orange County School of the Arts. “The Hemp Revolution: Maximizing China’s Biodegradable Resource”
Kunye Yang. Basis Independent Silicon Valley. “Bridging the Skies: Inequalities in Access to Satellite Data for Disaster Monitoring”
Jean Hu. Hong Kong International School. “Victims of Another's Success: Foreign Students, Labor Markets, and Taiwan's Economic Miracle”
Tzuhan Su. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “The Disappearing Mongolia”
Xinzhi Mao. Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy. “The Cry of the Few: an unnoticed Renaissance”
Juan Jin Zhang. Radley College. “Integrating Indigenous With Invasive Species (IAS)”
Letian Wang. Asheville School. “The Quiet Force of Youth Sports”
Michelle Huang. Newport High School. “Language: The Missing Link to Educational Equity”
Jiaxuan Fu. AIA online High School. “Breaking the Silence: The Global Struggle for Female Sexual Autonomy”
Elias Ye. YKPao school. “The Forgotten Nomads: The Evenki in struggle”
Weiyi Xia. Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School. “The Silent Crisis: Understanding and Navigating Non-suicidal Self-injury Among Chinese Youth”
Yutong Zhao. Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science. “From Waste to a Sustainable Future: Biofuel’s Energy Potential”
Kaicheng Frank Yang. BASIS International School Guangzhou. “Tuvalu: Digitization Through Collective Action as a Means to Survive Climate Change”
Junkai Zhang. Shanghai Unlink. “Breaking Barriers: Inequalities in Global Sports Participation”
Jiaxing Song. UWCSEA. “Bridging the Gap in a Warming World”
Xue Kaiyuan. Shanghai Pinghe High School. “China's High-Performance Computing: A Balancing Act Between Technological Ambition and Environmental Responsibility.”
Haochuan Ding. Basis International School Park Lane Harbour. “Shanghai’s Silent Struggle -The Hidden Costs of Lockdown”
James Xiao. Brighton College. “Shackles hidden in plain sight: How a hunger for growth constructed a slave-state”
Hong Jiaqi. Keystone Academy. “From Misconception to Action: A Peek into Neurodiverse Children in Kenya”
Yaqi Chen. Shenzhen College of International Education. “Safeguarding the Amazon: Collaborative Efforts to Tackle Fires and Sustain Global Climate Health”
Xunyi Zhao. North Broward Preparatory School. “Far from the Finish Line: Educational Hurdles to Girls of Traditional and Conflict-Prone Regions”
Alice Zhang-Kim. James Ruse Agricultural High School. “Sea Nomads: The Moken Fight Against Decades of Destruction and Dispossession”
Violet Yan. Langley High School. “Right or Crime? Access to Female Reproductive Health Resources”
Jiayue Feng. No.2 High School of East China Normal University. “The Inequality Challenge Brought by Algorithmic Bias”
Jessica Liang. Kang Chiao International School (Xiugang). “Left Behind: Bridging the Divide in Elderly Dementia Care”
Jingting Shen. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “Controversy Over the Attempts to Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Ainu People in Hokkaido”
Sijie Rong. Shanghai United International School Gubei Campus. “The Indian Medical Brain Drain: Decolonizing Global Health Curricula”
Ziqing Dai. Beijing 21st Century School. “Between Flexibility and Exploitation: Volatilities Lead to Insecure Lives of Gig Workers in a Digitized Economy”
Catherine Zhang. St. Mark's School. “Fashion’s Hidden Cost: Exploitation, Inequality, and the Fight for Fair Labor”
Benjamin Jin Wei. Shanghai High School International Division. “Extremism Religions in Asia: Political Instabilities and the Need for Global Solutions”
Wu Tianyi. Shenzhen College of International Education. “The Strange Economics of Chinese Collectibles: How Subculture Boosts a Market”
Bronze Medal
Xu Yang. SHSBNU. “The Next Pandemic? The Growing Threat of Seasonal Allergies in the Age of Climate Change”
He Zhang. Shenzhen Foreign Languages School. “Post-Conflict Education Reconstruction: The Role of Government”
Rosalina Zhang. Western Academy of Beijing. “How Air Conditioning Contributes to Nigeria’s Role in Global Warming: Perpetration and Victimization”
Yucheng Su. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “HPC and the Global Digital Divide: Challenges and Opportunities for Balanced Development and Environmental Sustainability”
Cathy Zhang. Colonel By Secondary School. “The Mental Impact of Urban Densification on the Average Working Person”
Jiaqi Zhang. UWC Changshu China. “A Gap in the Market: The Marginalization of Non-European Art”
Darren Lin. Choate Rosemary Hall. “The Urgency of Collective Action in Tackling Climate Change: A Multi-Layered Approach Involving States, Organizations, and Businesses”
Michael Chuchev. Waterford High School. “Citizen Action as a Means to Getting WTO Reform Off the Ground”
Wang Enxun.Shanghai Pinghe School. “China’s Inferno for Children: Why Chinese Youth Boot Camps are Out of Control”
Ivy Lu. Fairmont Prepatory Academy. “Surveillance and Inequality in the Computer Age”
Yinan Wang. Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School. “The Silent War: Film Censorship Does More Than Censoring”
Zimo Zhao. British International School Kuala Lumpur. “Migrant Labor: Host Of Opportunities or A Modern Slavery”
Yi-Dong, Jhang;I-Hsiang, Lu. Pu Tai Senior High School. “Reviving Voices: Combating Language Extinction — A Case Study of Orchid Island”
Tianhong Deng. YK Pao School. “Bridging the Divide: Digitization in China’s Education System and Its Ethical Challenges”
Bella Victoria Wang, Kyle Benjamin Wang. United World College Changshu. “The Indian Scamming Epidemic and Inequality”
Mengyuan Ren. Keystone Academy. “Sustainability and E-Pollution in the Next Gold Rush: Are Cryptocurrencies "Greenable"?”
Junwoo Park. Korea International School. “Unveiling the Hidden Chains: Forced Labor in Ghana’s Gold Industry”
Xinmeng Zhang. Indian Springs School. “The Long-Lasting Effects of Colonization: Turmoil in Haiti”
Wong Ching Laam. German Swiss International School. “How have government policies addressed or exacerbated housing issues in Sham Shui Po over time?”
Chen Jiayou. NIST International School. “Esports Greenwashing: The Industry-Wide Educational Scheme Targeting High School Gamers”
Mohan Zhang. Beijing No.13 High School. “Education: A Flower Watered by Money”
Sihyun Yoon. Busan Foreign School “Gen Z’s Graffiti Revolution In Bangladesh”
Amy (Yieum) Park. Gimhae Mosan Middle School. “Nihilism on the Internet: How Contemporary Nihilism is Destructive to Society”
Zihan Liu. United World College South East Asia. “Lingua Franca or Lingua Trap: how lack of English Proficiency Traps Migrant Workers in the Shadow of Singapore's Workforce?”
Jiwoon Lee. Korea International School Jeju Campus. “Reverse Ageism in South Korea: Generational Tensions in a Changing Society”
Daeho Kim. Eaglebrook School. “Nature and Nurture: The Cyclical Impacts of Generational Trauma Caused by Genocide”
Woojin Sung. Cairo American College. “Rising Early-Onset Cancer Rates: Are We Really Supposed to Just Sit and Watch?”
Jianing Song. Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy. “ Global Challenges and Collective Actions”
Naiyuet Joyce Huang. Beijing No.80 High School. “War Zone Education: How Students Can Receive Quality Education”
Yuheng Xie. Beijing National Day School. “Green Horizons: Ecotourism and the Future of Sustainable Traveling”
Wang Zihan. Shanghai United International School Gubei Campus. “Breaking the Cycle of Chhaupadi: The Nexus of Period Poverty and Gender Inequality”
Zhixun Du. International Department, The Affiliated High School of SCNU. “Economic and Spiritual Complexities: A Delicate Balance Between Indonesians and Volcanoes”
Fanxi Li, Zehan Zheng. Beijing No.4 High School International Campus. “Contesting for Breath and Survival: Single-Use Plastics in Southeast Asia”
Kevin Hong. Eaglebrook School. “Kutupalong: The World’s Densest Refugee Camp Versus Perpetual Arson”
Megan Su. Taipei American School. “Echoes of Empire: The Discriminatory Nature and Colonial Legacy of Petty Crimes”
Alisa Ng. Kang Chiao International School Xiugang Campus. “The Costs of Sustainability: Deepening Inequalities Between Global North-South”
Huici Yu. Keystone Academy Beijing. “Bridging the Gap: Technology in Overcoming Inequalities in Healthcare for the Visually Impaired”
Bowen Sun. Shanghai High School International Division. “The Limit of the Stratopause: The Global Impacts of the Russo—Ukraine War on Aviation”
Zhao, Yuntian. Shanghai United International School, Wanyuan Campus. “The Overlooked Issue of Global Overfishing Management: “Command and Control" approaches”
Jiarui Wang. The International School of Penang (Uplands). “A Modern Human Rights Crisis: The Detrimental Impact of Child Marriage”
Chengdong Jiang. Shenzhen Middle School. “Madrasas of Division: How Taliban-Controlled Education Fuels Inequality in a VUCA Afghanistan”
Mi Xi. Shenzhen College of International Education. “The 4B Movement: BBBBlowback to Global Gender Inequalities”
Heran Wang. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “Workplace Mental Health: A Case Studies on Nigeria”
Tongchen Wang. The Experimental High School Attached To Beijing Normal University. “Marine Life’s Hidden Threat: Ghost Gear and its Innovative Combat”
Wooseok Ryoo. NLCS Jeju. “Global Trade Under Siege”
Xia Weicong. Beijing National Day School. “Rise of the Machines: The Impact of Workplace AI on Economic Inequality in the United States”
Xintong Li. Guangzhou Foreign Language School AP&AL. “Collective actions against air pollution as underappreciated diplomatic bridge between India and Pakistan”
Muyuan Chen. Beijing No.2 Middle School. “Breaking Barriers: Addressing Educational Inequality for Rural Girls”
Du Yuxuan. Shanghai United International School Gubei Campus. “Navigating the Identity Crisis in Confucian Asia: The Cultural Fallout of Capitalism's Pursuit”
Siqi Ling. Shanghai Jianping High School. “Rising Tide of Deepfake Crimes in South Korea: Legislators Struggle to Establish Effective Regulations”
Justin Lin. Morrison Academy Taipei. “The Untold Story of Palestinian Refugees: the Struggle of Seeking Asylum with a Shrinking Homeland”
Zhao Yucheng. Chinese International School Hong Kong “The Influence of a City’s Prosperity and Family Background on Cultural Innovation of Both Collective and Individual Artistic Development: "The Case of China.""
Cynthia Chen. Harrow International School Beijing. “Child Labor, Educational Disruptions, and Eradication Methods”
Ziqing Xiao, Zhixuan Liu. Guangdong Country Garden School. “Shattered Futures: The Struggle for Education in Gaza Amidst Conflict and Crisis”
Celine Zhang. Shanghai Ykpao School SJ campus. “Malawi's Political Transformation and Budgeting: A Gender Lens”
Hanjin Lee. NLCS Jeju. “From Meritocracy to Inequality: Betrayal of Korea’s Golden Ticket”
Junyoung Bae. Holderness School. “From Counterculture to Crisis: Korea’s Zero-Tolerance Drug Laws Are Fueling a New Epidemic”
Xintong Qin. Shenzhen College of International Education. “The Deteriorating Mental Health of Women in Afghanistan: Reasons, Impacts, and Solutions”
Shirui Chen. WLSA Shanghai Academy. “Trapped in Rings: Cultural Exploitation and Poor Healthcare Access in the Lives of Kayan Women”
Qing Wenhui. Beijing National Day School. “Causes and Solutions of Human Trafficking Targeting Women and Girls”
Chengyu Gu. SJI International School “Beyond the Screen: The Silent Struggles of Seniors in a Digital World”
Shouxuan Li. Xi'an Liangjiatan international School. “Alleviating South Korea's Care Crisis through Foreign Domestic Workers”
Timothy Wu. Weston High School, MA. “AI in Africa: Navigating Uncertainty, Inequality, and Opportunity”
Seunghun Lee. Yongsan International School of Seoul. “Revealing Singapore's Hidden Hunger Crisis”
Amber Bai. Winsor School. “Patriarchy and Psychiatry: The Hidden Burden on Indian Women’s Mental Health”
Yiyuan Mo. WLSA Shanghai Academy. “Tourism and Displacement: Balancing Indigenous and Development in China’s Ancient Towns”
Xiaonuan Wang. The Experimental High School Attached To Beijing Normal University. “Dalit Women in India’s Brick Kiln Industry: Health, Labor, and Social Inequities”
Wang Haoze. Shanghai Pinghe School. “Why Aren't You A (rural) Doctor Yet?: The Rural Doctor Shortage Threatening China’s Future”
Peijia, Xie. YK Pao School. “Neocolonial Violence: Christian Evangelical Funding for Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation in Africa”
U San Eudora Zhang. Shanghai American School. “Shattering the Chains of Racial Inequality: Forging a World of Diversity and Equity”
Shiyi Dai. Nanjing Foreign Language School. “The Gig Economy in the Digital Age: Food Deliverymen Trapped in Endless Loop”
Ding Runzhuo. Emma Willard School. “Combating Century-old inequality in Me-too Movement Era”
Yiting Jiang. YK Pao School. “The Silent Crisis”
Yuexuan Ni. Lord Byng Secondary School. “Internal and External Inequality: the Child Sexual Abuse Case of Haiti”
Mingya Cai. Jian Foreign Language School. “Buddhism and Gender: Exploring the Journey from Tradition to Modern Equality”
Ziyao Ma. United World College Mostar. “Wounds and Wombs: Grassroots Resilience Amid Genocidal Rape”
Haorui Wang. Beijing SMIC Private School. “What Do Nematodes, Regenerative Agriculture, and Addressing the Climate Crisis Have in Common?”
Evan Zhang. Cushing Academy. “The Largest Dam in The World: to Build or Not to”
June-seo Lee. Trinity College School. “Teaching Happiness: The Remedy for Lost Meaning of Education”
Isabella Ziye Huang, Alex TY Wang. Stanford Online High School, Shanghai American School Puxi. “Free Access, Costly Consequences: Digital Colonialism in the Global South”
ZhengHao Chen. Guang Dong Country Garden School. “Beyond Borders: Female Genital Mutilation and the Global Challenges to Project Women’s Rights”