An unfortunate characteristic of the discourse on Islamism is the muddling of definitions, terminology, historical references, and political positions. It is not uncommon to find criticisms of contemporary Islamist parties rooted in criticisms of premodern Islamic ideas. Even the basic definition of political Islam and “Islamism” is unclear, with no consensus as to what the […]

The following article contains excerpts from an interview that was conducted on October 30, 2016 by APJ staff member, Abdul Carrupt. Abdul: Could you tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up? Ahlijah: I’m from Ghana but I was born in Nairobi, Kenya where I spent the first few years of my […]

The phrase “times have changed,” has become commonly used in conversations concerning race in America. It’s employed by both those who endorse the status quo, and by those who helped to usher in progress. As a student of history, my tendency is to concede that times have obviously changed for the better. But, as a […]

Innovation is now at the epicentre of Angola’s drive towards economic diversification. Innovators build business from the ground-up; creating new job opportunities and contributing to a diverse, healthy supply chain. It’s a model that made America the world’s biggest economy and has sustained the developed economies through good times and bad. Indicative of how important […]

Embed from Getty Images With last week’s election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, the anxiety of Arab and Muslim Americans was perhaps the timeliest topic of discussion at the tenth annual Harvard Arab Weekend. In a panel on Saturday, entitled “Arab and Muslim America: Facing Today’s Challenges,” four activists and professors spoke passionately on the […]

  In times of conflict, humanitarian organizations aim to meet the “basic needs” of those in crisis. But too often this model of emergency intervention ignores chronic conditions – and especially the pressing question of mental health, according to Fouad M. Fouad, a professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of […]

BY COURTNEY HAN The early 2000s was a heady time to be a researcher in Busia, Kenya. The town along Kenya’s western border was packed with young aspiring economists sharing group houses, waiting for roast meat at Chauma, the local eatery, and practicing Kiswahili with their Kenyan host families. They worked on projects ranging from […]

Privatizing SMRT in July has longer-term implications for efficiency and resilience of our public rail network

BY DAVID PAYNE In 1st grade, I was labeled as gifted in math. One problem, I was not gifted. I can understand the error; I solved advanced problems with ease. Over the years, my teachers kept me occupied with a variety of approaches while my classmates were in math class. In 2nd grade, I was […]

BY ANDREW MCCLURE Last week, the Harvard Kennedy School Student Government (KSSG) voted on a Resolution that would “support the Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) workers’ decision to strike for a fair contract.” The statement comes after some 700 food service employees have been on strike since October 5, 2016 following the expiration of their […]

Boston’s Palestine Film Festival, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, opened on Friday, October 15 with a timely, searing showing of Mai Masri’s 3000 Nights. 3000 Nights tells the story of Layal Asfour, a newlywed schoolteacher turned political prisoner in the early 1980s. She gives birth in Israel’s Ramla prison, and, with the other women inmates, raises […]

Embed from Getty Images In late September, the largest hospital on the rebel-held side of Aleppo was bombed by Syrian or Russian planes, taking it temporarily out of commission and leaving only six hospitals operational in the area. This week, Aleppo’s M10 hospital was bombed yet again, leaving two doctors and a pharmacist wounded. The […]