Transnational Hip-hop: A Lens into Social Protest
From the heart It’s a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange People, people we are the same. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power,” Fear of a Black Planet (1990) When people first heard those lines from the unparalleled baritone of Chuck D., the frontman for the hip-hop group Public Enemy, […]
The Kurdish Question: In Context
The recent withdrawal of United States military forces from Syria has thrust the Kurds—an ethnic group inhabiting the south of Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, and Iran—into the international spotlight. In recent years, Kurds predominantly located in Syria and southern Turkey have fought successfully with US forces against the regional strongholds of the Islamic State and […]
The Most British Man in the World
Beheadings are unpleasant. Not that a living person can confirm it, but it seems like an awful time. For most of us, beheadings are not a daily concern. We worry about disappointing our bosses because we don’t want to be shouted at, demoted, or fired. But even in the worst-case scenario, we don’t presume we’ll […]
A Lot on the Line: Students, Brexit, and the Upcoming General Election
Undergraduate students in the United Kingdom (UK) went to the polls in full force during the 2016 Brexit referendum. While there were initial concerns about youth turnout due to confusion over registering to vote by postal/proxy, 87 percent of eligible university students voted in the referendum, 15 percent higher than the general population’s turnout. Further, […]
The Culture of Silence Inundating India
Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and violence against women. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, the world shuddered at India’s inability to swiftly prosecute the attackers. Finally, in May 2017, four out of the five perpetrators were sentenced to death. Their punishment has yet to be carried out. More sexual assault cases […]
Unmasking Peronismo: Juan Perón’s Legacy on Argentina
October 27 marked an important day for the people of Argentina, as the country voted for a new president. Alberto Fernández, a center-left politician, triumphed over the incumbent, Mauricio Macri—a center-right politician. This election came at a pivotal time for Argentina’s politics and, more importantly, its economy. Argentina’s economic crisis spans decades, but the current […]
Censorship and Self-Censorship: China and the NBA
Illustration by Ellie Strayer “Tank Man”—the photo of a man defiantly standing in front of four advancing tanks during the Tiananmen Square massacre 30 years ago—is one of the most iconic photographs of the twentieth century. Search for it in the United States and Google returns millions of hits. Search for it on the Chinese […]
(Back)stop it: The Role of the Irish Border Problem in Brexit
During the 2016 Brexit referendum, Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union (EU) with 56 percent of the vote, but the United Kingdom (UK) as a whole voted to leave, with 52 percent of the vote. While the Irish border problem was not a talking point in the initial Brexit debate, it quickly […]
Re-Examining Japan’s North Korea Strategy—What Can Be Done?
On October 3, North Korea launched a missile into the Sea of Japan. It was the eleventh missile test this year, and the first one launched from a submarine. Japan claimed that the missile landed in its exclusive economic zone—an area two hundred nautical miles around the island. In response, Japan’s Self Defense Force (SDF) […]
Hong Kong Attempts to Criminalize the Basic Right to Protest
Photo courtesy of Aidan Marzo June 1989 marked a flashpoint for Hong Kong activism, when one million Cantonese people protested the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Many Hong Kongers continue to observe June 4th to remember those who died in the crackdown. Martin Lee is one such observer. Lee is the founding […]