Democracy and Governance

Although the Netanyahu administration has been roundly criticized for its brutal treatment of Palestinians, lack of commitment to the peace process, and flouting of international law, it might ironically be the more mundane charges of common graft that ultimately bring about the Prime Minister’s downfall.

Hicham Alaoui, Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and D.Phil. Candidate at Oxford University, sat down with JMEPP Lead Editor Anna Boots to discuss current trends in North African politics, including Tunisia’s nascent democracy, North Africa’s unique position in the Middle East region, and ongoing protests in Morocco’s Rif.

Thanks to all those who attended Monday’s discussion with Glen Mpani. Glen spoke on his views of the military coup in Zimbabwe, countries’ responses, and the impact on democracy. The talk was hosted by the Harvard African Law Association (HALA) and moderated by Priyanka Naidoo who serves as HALA’s Secretary and as the APJ’s Interview Editor.

Prince Turki al Faisal spoke at the Arab Conference at Harvard on November 10th, insisting that Saudi Arabia stood united, even during a time of major political upheavals in the kingdom.

Tunisia celebrates 160 years of constitutionalism.

The rise of Mohammad bin Salman raises the question of Saudi Arabia’s future relationships with the US and Russia.

While members of the Palestinian diaspora occupy a precarious social position and are often subject to successive removals from new homes, refugees have nonetheless put down roots and sought to secure their new homes in a number of ways.
Dr. Nadya Hajj, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College, shows how this is the case.

Has the possibility of an independent Kurdistan forced the governments of Turkey, Iran, and Iraq to overlook their intersecting rivalries in the Middle East?

BY KATHERINE MANSTED Benjamin Clayton’s recent post is another outing in a long line of U.S. power pessimism, which history will ultimately prove wrong. The world has a penchant for predicting U.S. decline. Indeed, reports of U.S. decline predated its rise. Charles Dickens famously wrote that, to its 19th century citizens, America “always is stagnated, […]

BY MATT MCDOLE The clatter of rocks on limestone brings our conversation to an abrupt halt as we dart for cover along the sides of the narrow street. Under the questionable protection of torn awnings, our group of Harvard graduate students resumes the journey into the heart of the medieval Palestinian City of Hebron. Overhead, nets and metal grates hang down, sagging under the weight of kitchen […]

He may be a political insider, but Hassan Rouhani ran his 2017 presidential campaign as an anti-establishment candidate. More than 40 million Iranians voted, and despite the close election President Rouhani won a second term in May with 57% of the votes. When the election results were announced, thousands of people spilled into the streets dancing, singing, […]

BY COLIN MURPHY In the United States, twenty-two million people work in government.[1] These people sweep our streets, educate our children, and protect our borders. So much of our quality of life depends on how well these employees and their teams are working. Government performance—the ability of the people and organizations within government to deliver […]