FEATURES

June 2020

In Buzzfeed.com:

38 Great Books To Read This Summer, Recommended By Our Favorite Indie Booksellers

In Boston.com: Boston-area bookstores are sharing anti-racist reading lists. Here’s what’s on them.

March 2020
In The Boston Globe: Wondering what to read while stuck at home? Try these 10 engrossing fiction suggestions from local booksellers

February 2020
In American Booksellers Association, Bookselling this Week: Indie Bookstores Celebrate Black History Month

June 2019
In The Boston Globe: Performing hallucinatory poetry, Nantucket book fest highlights

CONTACT

To contact Mwahaki King, you may reach out to one of the addresses below based on the nature of your question:

• Writing related to your brand, blog or company: writing@mwahakiking.com

• Photography related to your brand, blog or company: photography@mwahakiking.com

• Bookselling/Publishing Enquiries: books@mwahakiking.com

• GIS Mapping Enquiries: gis@mwahakiking.com

• For all other general enquiries: contact@mwahakiking.com

ABOUT

About Mwahaki King: 

Mwahaki King is by profession a foreign policy analyst and international programming specialist with experience in university administration and international student programming. She holds a master's degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where she focused on socioeconomic development in The Caribbean and foreign policy in the Middle East.

Ms. King has professional experience working with non-profits on development issues, and with universities and high schools on international student programming. She is comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced multi-cultural environments and able to multitask efficiently. She works well both independently or as part of a team. 

Ms. King is also a Bookseller, GIS Mapping Specialist, Freelance Writer and Photographer. Literary recommendations she has provided to news outlets, samples of the maps she has made using ArcGIS software, articles she has written and a portfolio of her photography can all be found on this website. References are available upon request.

Valentine’s Day Reading: A Review of Josie Silver’s “One Day in December”

Now you may be wondering why I would recommend a book for Valentine’s Day if it has December in the title, but trust me Josie Silver’s debut novel is full of enough charm, realism and tender moments to melt even the iciest hearts this Valentine’s Day. Across London, Scotland, Bali and Australia, we follow the friendship and foibles of Laurie, Jack and Sarah for almost ten years. While the central story is an emotional connection between Laurie and Jack with the romantic fervour to rival Love Actually; “One Day in December” is so much more than a simple love story. It is a highly relatable tale of one’s twenties, wherein Silver expertly addresses the themes of friendship, change and overall turbulence the decade carries in shaping the people we become.

Between Fallacy and Fulfillment: Dismantling the Re-emergence of the Clash of Civilizations Narrative

Mwahaki King

B.A. Diplomacy and World Affairs | Occidental College
M.A. Law and Diplomacy | The Fletcher School, Tufts University

December 2015

Between Fallacy and Fulfillment: Dismantling the Re-emergence of the Clash of Civilizations Narrative

Recently, terrorist attacks in New York, London and Paris have resurrected the “clash of civilizations” narrative that pits Islam and the West as monolithic entities locked in an eternal battle with one another for supremacy and domination. Mainstream media and political candidates in the United States have taken this up with fervor, preying on the American populace’s fear and inciting rampant Islamophobia. The “clash of civilizations” is not only an antiquated and lazy term that minimalizes an entire religion [1] and casually ignores centuries of communication, trade and peaceful cross-cultural co-existence [2]; but it is also highly dangerous to the safety of Muslims everywhere as they are forced to live in a climate of fear at the mercy of the bigoted, ignorant or simply misinformed. Furthermore, Muslims like any other group of people are individuals and as such react to and process information differently from one another. There is no singular reaction when accused of being inherently dangerous and naturally predisposed to violence. Some moderate Muslims react by distancing themselves from such benighted and incendiary claims, while others fueled by anger, resentment or socioeconomic inequalities can become radicalized by such remarks. As such, the “clash of civilizations” can sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy when manipulated by the media, politicians and those with no understanding of historical nuance. Quite frankly, it serves as a divide and conquer tactic that is counter-productive for anyone truly interested in proactively confronting and eradicating Islamic terrorism [3] and violent extremism. 

Saving South Asia: How the Negative Effects of Climate Change in South Asia Will Create Some of the Greatest Security Challenges of the Twenty-First Century

Mwahaki King

Spring 2015

B.A. Diplomacy and World Affairs || Occidental College

M.A. Law and Diplomacy ||  The Fletcher School, Tufts University 

Saving South Asia: How the Negative Effects of Climate Change in South Asia Will Create Some of the Greatest Security Challenges of the Twenty-First Century

Background

This paper proceeds from the assumption that addressing the effects of climate change in South Asia will be one of the greatest but also one of the most important challenges of the twenty first century. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), temperatures are predicted to rise worldwide by 0.6 to 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st Century. Specifically for South Asia, the temperature is expected to rise on average by 3.3 degrees (Celsius) but could reach a maximum of 4.7 degrees (Celsius).Temperature rises on the Tibetan Plateau have already started glacial retreats in the Himalayas. Furthermore, these increased temperatures will have a profound effect on sea levels. Sea levels are expected to rise between 0.18 and 0.59 meters, and that is without taking into account the possible rapid changes from ice flows. The IPCC predicts that the cities of Thatta and Badin in Sindh, Pakistan will be entirely submerged by 2025. Today, sea level rises have already submerged low-lying islands in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Sundarbans in Bengal. The Sundarbans is one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, covering approximately 10,000 square kilometers and thousands of people have already been displaced due to increased sea levels. This information provides the statistical foundation for the progression of this paper. 

The Possibility of World War III: Outbreak in the Middle East

Mwahaki King

Spring 2015

B.A. Diplomacy and World Affairs || Occidental College

M.A. Law and Diplomacy ||  The Fletcher School, Tufts University 

Prompt: Your Head of State has asked you to assess policy towards the most volatile, dangerous flashpoint on the globe. Drawing upon your knowledge of the origins of World War I, where do you see the greatest risk of World War III breaking out? Is it inevitable? If not, what policies might help stave it off? Will "appeasement" or the "Vietnam syndrome" help or hurt? Write a memo of four (4) pages.

The Possibility of World War III: Outbreak in the Middle East

The area that poses the greatest risk for an outbreak of World War III is the Middle East. This is due to resource competition exacerbated by severe environmental concerns and the internal conflicts stimulated by regional instability and large youth unemployment. 

Water scarcity is a major problem for several Arab states. This, in conjunction with rapid desertification is having a detrimental effect on agriculture and increasing malnutrition rates.[1] These environmental concerns will only worsen as the century continues. [2] Furthermore, the regional instability seen in the Syrian civil war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, coupled with the largely disenfranchised youth population that ignited the revolutions of the Arab Spring will lead to inter-state warfare as the environmental factors place additional stress on already limited resources. As this region is the epicenter of global oil production, Western powers such as the United States will feel the need to intervene to protect their national interest in the oil, elevating the conflict to a World War III scenario. Additionally, water scarcity is also a massive problem for rising power, India [3] and unless a solution is found the consequences in a World War III situation could be disastrous. 

However, an outbreak of World War III is not inevitable. The similarities do exist between this World War III scenario and World War I, particularly internal conflict, resource competition and in some spheres of the West the belief that with modern technology war can be easy. Nevertheless, we are not doomed to make the same mistakes. If policies are enacted to address the underlying issues, primarily water scarcity and youth unemployment the risk of war can be greatly reduced. While being problematic, regional instability alone will not lead to an inter-state conflict of World War III proportions. The Swedish and Swiss governments have already developed measures to tackle the water crisis designed for the Middle East and the World Economic Forum has made suggestions specifically targeted at Middle Eastern youth.