What is Happening in Israel
On May 10, 2021, in the final days of Ramadan, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stormed the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque with tear gas and stun grenades. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, but is part of a larger complex called the Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism. Though Israel […]
How to Fight a War Without Weapons
War between states no longer starts on the battlefield. States continue to pursue hegemony—being powerful enough to dominate all other states. As weaker states become stronger, other powerful states will attempt to undermine them to prevent the rise of an alternative unipolar or bipolar power balance. Within the modern context of nuclear proliferation and the […]
All Is Fair in Love Island and War
Illustration by Emily Rubin. “Anye impietie may lawfully be committed in love, which is lawlesse.” –John Lyly, Euphues Lyly’s adage—commonly uttered as “all is fair in love and war”—implies that conflict is as inherent to human nature as love and that rules don’t apply. The proverb also reflects realist theory, which believes states are rational […]
App-tivism For Syria
We are in the depths of one of history’s largest human rights crises. Syria is hemorrhaging refugees, and its citizens inside and out are being deprived of basic living, educational, and health resources. Humanitarian assistance organizations are overloaded with need, and strong Western governments need to step up to bridge the gap. Instead of focusing […]
Counterbalance: the Grudge Goes Global
Following November’s midterm elections, it was quite clear that with a shift in the balance of power, current policies were going to be modified . What may have been less obvious before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s US visit and Senator Tom Cotton’s Iran Letter, is that the new conservative majority would overhaul basic democratic […]
SGA Senate Tramples Student Speech
On Monday, March 16, the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate voted “no” on a referendum proposed by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which advocated for divestment from 4 companies that support Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. The companies – Raytheon, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola – have sold products directly to the Israeli […]
The Future of Net Neutrality
“After more than a decade of debate and a record-setting proceeding that attracted nearly 4 million public comments, the time to settle the net neutrality question has arrived.” (1) Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, published an article on Wired.com announcing his proposed plans to settle the net neutrality debate. Net neutrality contends […]
Counterbalance: the Beginnings of Legislative Tug-of-War
On January 20th 2015, when delivering his second to last State of the Union (SOTU) address, President Obama assertively used the podium to unveil his progressive agenda, and emphatically prove that he has indeed got his swagger back. The 2015 SOTU was particularly unique; Obama abandoned his fleeting hopes of constructively working with his opponents […]