Volume 2 Issue 3

Death Row: Trusting a Broken System

On March 9, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation effectively abolishing the death penalty in the state of Illinois, making it the 16th state without the death penalty.[i] The next day, on March 10, 2011, Johnnie Ray Baston was executed in Ohio for aggravated murder.  He is the 9th person to be put to death […]

A Judge’s Neutrality: Recusal in the Supreme Court

Impartiality and equality in the eyes of the law are the cornerstones of the American justice system. In fact, when Cass Gilbert designed the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C. he etched “Equal Justice Under Law” into the western façade of the building, highlighting the importance of this guiding principle[i]. Ensuring the impartiality of judges […]

Film Review: We Are Egypt

Three months ago, the political conflict in Egypt appeared on people’s radars. The social and political turmoil that erupted in January 2011 was unexpected to say the least, and took its rightful place on the front page of every major media outlet around the world. Hearts went out to the struggling nation. Every outcry was […]

Somali Piracy: When Short-term Solutions Turn to Long-term Problems

Kidnappings and hijackings off the coast of Somalia have been the topic of sensationalist media attention over the last few years. When Americans Jean and Scott Adam, Phyllis Macay, and Bob Riggle were killed this past February in a Somali hijacking, most saw a one-dimensional report of a crime committed by a barbaric people.[i] The […]

Feeding the People: What Has Lead to the Global Food Crisis?

Rising global food prices do not only threaten the lives of individuals but threaten the political stability of entire regions. High food prices have been cited as one factor behind the current instability in Africa and the Middle East, and a spike in food prices this year risks the potential of even more widespread problems.[i] […]

The Myth of the Muslim Women: The False Narrative of Salvation

On November 17, 2001, Laura Bush made an appeal to the American people to support the war in Afghanistan. In her speech, no link was made between the military operation in Afghanistan and the September 11th attacks. Instead, she called upon the American people to support an operation that would encompass the salvation of Afghan […]

The Price of Being Gay: The Constitutionality of DOMA

In a letter to the Speaker of the House, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder signaled that the White House would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. In doing so the president took a proactive step for the equal rights of gay men and women across this country. This […]

Rereading The Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Radicalism, 1860-1914: The Mobilization of Radical Ideologies in the Arab World

Northeastern University’s own Ilham Khuri Makdisi published the groundbreaking work The Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Radicalism, 1860-1914 last April, less than a year before the international community rested its gaze on the rapid ideological revolution and protest movement that has swept the region in the last few months. Rereading Khuri-Makdisi’s work in […]

The Right to Connect: Universal Internet Access

In the United States, one often sends so many text messages, accepts (or rejects) so many Facebook “friend requests,” and reads so many tweets that social media can feel banal. Whether at home, in class, at work, or in transit, North Americans are constantly connected. However, the boundaries of the Internet and communication are no […]