Democracy and Institutions

BY BALE DALTON In the United States we are gearing up for another electoral season. Even though we won’t be electing a new president in 2014, candidates for Congress as well as state and local positions are girding themselves for political combat, convening staff for strategy sessions in war rooms and readying salvos for the […]

For all the calls for change in U.S. politics, the most likely scenario for the 2016 presidential election presents two familiar family names: Clinton vs. Bush. For a country supposedly based on meritocracy, this is a curious turn of events.  It is also bewildering how no one questions the legitimacy of this postulation as nepotism.  […]

Most people who have an opinion about Mike Huckabee feel quite strongly about him. He is very popular amongst a wide swath of conservatives voters, especially those who root their political inclinations in their faith. For most progressives in America he seems dangerous, a bit fanatical, and out of touch. They fear what he might do with great power. Regardless of your opinion, I think you’ll see in the interview that he is quite intelligent and articulate. He is quick on his feet, and comfortable in front of a microphone. He doesn’t mind a good back and forth, and that’s good, because I asked him about what he sees in the Latino electorate, the separation between church and state, and the future of the equality movement in America.

BY VIRIDIANA RIOS, PH.D While the emergence of civilian self-defense groups in Mexico has gained the most attention as a strategy to fight drug cartels, the most profound change in that country’s security strategy has largely passed unnoticed. Early on 2014, Mexico approved an entirely new national code of judicial procedures that will transform the […]

In this installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Dr. Khalil Al-Anani, Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, democratization in the Middle East and the hope for political stability in Egypt. You can watch the interview, conducted by Nada Zohdy, senior editor […]

BY DENISE LINN Recently, while we’ve all been busy binge-watching House of Cards, our cable companies and online content providers have been splashed across the headlines. The announced $45 billion Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and the Netflix-Comcast deal have flooded the Internet with articles about pricing, speed, and customer satisfaction. While sources have speculated about […]

BY RORY GERBERG As a female graduate student at the Kennedy School, I use Boston’s public transportation system. Last Wednesday, I wore a skirt. You might ask, was it long or short, loose or tight? Would my answer impact my rights? I consented to wearing an article of clothing and to boarding a bus, not […]

Climate change is transforming the circulation patterns which bring us our weather, but do journalists have enough scientific understanding to tell us what’s going on? BY MEGAN ALBON 2014 was the year a polar vortex came to town, wreaking wintery havoc for months on end. Reporters were quickly on its tail. “Trapped in a ‘polar […]

BY THOMAS TOBIN As the nation celebrates Presidents’ Day and students nationwide enjoy the long weekend, this holiday is a time to reflect on the nation’s highest office. U.S. Presidential history is rife with stories of political intrigue, personal triumph, and leadership in turbulent times. Yet while some presidents are carved into mountains or enshrined […]

BY CLAIRE LEHMANN The political divide between conservatives and liberals is growing increasingly bitter. Each side thinks that the other is evil. At the same time, a new currency is emerging within the eco-chambers of social media. It is the currency of outrage, and it is eroding our ability to listen to one another. Those […]

Just as Egyptians were preparing themselves for the third anniversary of the 2011 “Lotus” Revolution, a sold-out theater on the other side of the globe eagerly waited for the Oscar nominated documentary, “The Square,” to begin. Ironically, the documentary that beautifully captures the struggles of those who demanded freedom, transparency and social justice, has been […]

POLICY AREA: HEALTH CARE BY EMILY HARTMANN It is clear that President Obama wants to move the conversation forward on health care. In the State of the Union address he acknowledged the early struggles launching health care exchanges, but he quickly turned to the successes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Speaking directly to the […]