Volume 4: Issue 1

Innocence of Americans?

The incendiary anti-Muslim movie trailer titled, “Innocence of Muslims” elicited anger and protest across the Muslim world in reaction to its derogatory portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad as a child molester, murderer, philanderer and extortionist. In one extreme and tragic case, the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked, resulting in the deaths of […]

Argo: The Intersection of Hollywood and American Perceptions of Iran

Argo, a film centered around the Iranian Hostage Crisis and inspired by a true story, premiered this past month. The plot focuses on the CIA’s attempt to exfiltrate six US Foreign Service workers who managed to sneak out of the American Embassy as Iranian students stormed the building and started President Carter’s worst nightmare. Although […]

Badgers, Bombs, and Backstreet Boys

Until summer 2012, the United States of America knew very little about the modern existence and popularity of British boy bands. Groups like One Direction and The Wanted exploded onto airwaves and the Beliebers were able to fanatically devour music created by five boys instead of just one. Little do they know that boy bands […]

Unelect the Electoral College

The Electoral College is the entity that, despite ongoing popular opposition, continues to choose the leader of the free world. In the College, there are 538 total electoral votes, and the number of electoral votes each state receives is equal to the number of Senators plus the number of House Representatives, ensuring a minimum of […]

Does Consensus Exist in the United States?

Today, the US is in a perpetual state of disagreement. As a nation in dissention, we can neither agree on when life begins or whether the death penalty should be outlawed.  Disagreement is around every corner and appears to erode whatever semblance of a common ground once existed in the US. In Federalist Paper #2, […]

Ethnic Complexities of the Syrian Conflict

Despite starting out relatively peacefully, the conflict in Syria has escalated into civil war with over 10,000 civilians massacred by both government and anti-government forces alike. International debates over intervention have dominated the UN Security Council for months with the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies pushing to oust President Bashar al-Assad via NATO […]

Voto Latino: A Profile of Latino Voters in the United States

Pandering is a time honored tradition in American politics, and the national party conventions this year are proof. The cast of speakers at the Republican National Convention were familiar: Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, and Rand Paul among others; even more impressive was the lineup of Hispanic names alongside, including Governor Susana Martinez, Governor Luis Fortuño […]

Third Time’s A Charm?

On September 13, 2012 the Federal Reserve Board of Governors announced their newest foray into monetary policy: Quantitative Easing Three (more commonly referred to as QE3). Benjamin Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, announced that the Fed would enact the policy starting immediately, and that this current round of Quantitative Easing would last until […]

The Future of NATO: Towards Where Will It Turn?

Originally founded as a deterrent to Soviet aggression in Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is now the most successful and effective alliance the world has ever seen. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Alliance has often become the focus of attack by those that see it as arcane. To the […]