Drew Madson is an award winning illustrator, educator, and entrepreneur. He studies Technology, Innovation and Education at Harvard Graduate School Education when he’s not in class at HKS. See more of his illustrations here. Instagram @drew1drew2drewyou

A hand-written sign on the front door of Bell’s Market, a small South Boston grocer, asks patrons to cover their mouth and nose while shopping. But the store’s owner, my father, says they have had trouble with compliance. “Ninety percent of the people are great, but five to ten percent give us a hard time. […]

On March 15, 2020, the Peace Corps announced the global suspension of all programs and the evacuation of all Volunteers – for the first time since John F. Kennedy founded the organization in 1961, no Peace Corps Volunteers are currently serving abroad. The Peace Corps reassuringly stated, “We are not closing posts, and we will […]

Two miles across the water from Miami’s glamorous beaches and luxury apartments lies what is perhaps the city’s most important but underappreciated waterfront property – the Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant. Donning hardhats and reflective vests, a team of Harvard Kennedy School environmental policy fellows toured this lesser-known side of Miami. The facility is operated […]

American democracy is increasingly more like a Homeowners Association (HOA) than the participatory and empowering system to which we should aspire. Property owners control decision making over the community by virtue of their wealth, excluding those unable to access property and pushing aside those with insufficient resources to participate. What’s more, the whims of long-passed […]

During his recent visit at Harvard University, Dr. Joseph Agyepong, one of Ghana’s most successful businessmen answered APJ’s questions.

Drew Madson is an award winning illustrator, educator, and entrepreneur. He studies Technology, Innovation and Education at Harvard Graduate School Education when he’s not in class at HKS. See more of his illustrations here. Instagram @drew1drew2drewyou

Since the attempted coup on 15 July 2016, Turkish state authorities have engaged in what they characterize as a counterterrorism campaign against the political enemy they blame for the attacks: the expatriate cleric and government critic Fethullah Gülen, as well as hundreds of his followers who fled the country. The Turkish government still maintains that […]

Violations of Medical Neutrality in Syria: The Need for Accountability   During a time where the strength of healthcare systems is as crucial as ever, we must remember the state of healthcare in Syria.   Syria reported its first covid-19 cases a week ago– and has now reported its first coronavirus deaths. However, many analysts noted […]

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar have increased their geopolitical influence in the Middle East in the last decade. In the case of Syria, the foreign policy of Gulf monarchies the past years has been on of rapprochement towards the regime of Damascus after initially opposing it firmly and funding some armed opposition groups. This article analyzes the potential economic and political implications of the return of Gulf investments in Syria. It argues that Gulf investments would have consequences on the political economy of Syria by deepening its reliance on projects in short-term profit-seeking sectors, mostly in trade, real estate and services. At the same time, significant obstacles to Gulf investments in Syria will persist.

Facing the ashes of an economic model based on sectarianism and cronyism, Lebanon currently endures a perfect storm of overlapping financial, economic, and political crises. Since its inauguration on January 31, 2020, the technocratic government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, aided by international advisors, elaborated an “economic rescue plan” to explore options for recovery. Leaked […]

Original Cartoon by Drew Madson. See more of his illustrations here. Instagram @drew1drew2drewyou   Back in 2007, I was holidaying in Iran with a Danish friend. This was a few months after the Cartoon Crisis where the Danish satirist Kurt Westergaard drew the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. To put it mildly, it didn’t go down […]