Author: Bryan Kerr Marco

Bryan Kerr is a Filipino who recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs. He mainly specializes in the fields of international security and defense studies and is currently a freelance researcher and analyst for political and security risk consultancy firms. Before this, he was an intern for the Philippine Coast Guard, as an advisor directly under the Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for International Affairs, where he provided insights to guide policy formulation and decision-making. Bryan Kerr was also a delegate for two Model United Nations events with a few commendations. In 2020, he was also a writer and editor for The Kalinaw Initiative, which was a short-term project he helped found that have similar goals as TNGO.

World News

Fold or Call: Is the Philippines’ POGO Problem a National Security Threat?

By Bryan Kerr Marco October 29, 2024 October 29, 2024 0

Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGO) have shaken the Philippines’ perception of its internal security amid allegations of linked violent crimes and espionage. For several months the ongoing situation created more questions than any of the country’s officials can answer. Such issues have led to calls to raise it as a national security threat. However, security agencies refuse to do so despite the issue’s overwhelming severity.

REPORT

[REPORT] The Broken Nation: Myanmar’s Struggle Towards a National Identity

By Bryan Kerr Marco July 29, 2024 July 29, 2024 0

For the entirety of Myanmar’s existence as an independent state, the civil war is the clearest opportunity for the country to form a shared national identity. The Tatmadaw’s repression effectively united the warring minorities towards the goal of peace and unity. If this emerging unity remains intact and further develops, it can be said that this conflict’s end may very well determine whether or not Myanmar will become a nation that identifies itself as wholly united in its diversity.

World News

BRP Sierra Madre: The Waves of Uncertainty Surrounding the Sentry of the Second Thomas Shoal

By Bryan Kerr Marco May 29, 2024 May 29, 2024 0

The BRP Sierra Madre acts as the Philippines’ stronghold over the Second Thomas Shoal against Chinese advances in the South China Sea. In the past year, tensions in the region have escalated, with both nations’ coast guard services engaged in heated confrontations. Due to the shoal’s strategic location, both countries employed risky strategies to pursue their goals of controlling this location. Hence, turning the shoal and the BRP Sierra Madre into the South China Sea’s new geopolitical flashpoint towards the boundaries of a possible conflict.