Election plunges Australian politics into uncertainty After an Aug. 21 election in which neither major party in Australian politics received a majority, Julia Gillard of the Australian Labor Party managed to form the first minority government since 1940 by attracting the support of one Green parliamentarian and three independents. The incumbent center-left party led by … Read more
One thing is clear, the Pentagon isn’t reading this blog. Last week I wrote about the ills of contract spending in Afghanistan. This week the Pentagon announced that it has awarded a 630 million dollar contract to Mina Corp, a company currently under investigation by Congress. The Afghan contractor was given a deal to supply … Read more
Addressing regional conflicts is at the heart of disarmament Throughout the 20th century, the threat of “mutually assured destruction” held nuclear war in check. Today, however, there is legitimate concern that rogue nations, reckless regimes, and international terrorists are intent on detonating a nuclear device in a major city. While many argue that disarmament is … Read more
As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time for a midterm post-mortem. Fortunately, Barbara Boxer kept her senate seat in California, and the Democrats held the senate, so Senator Boxer will remain chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works committee. Unfortunately, Henry Waxman will relinquish his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, … Read more
Recent policy changes suggest a new openness towards Cuba Both Cuba and the United States have recently taken steps towards opening up relations after the half-century-long chill between the two neighbors. Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former longtime president, recently told The Atlantic, “The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore.” (He later retracted the statement … Read more
The midterms will leave the GOP facing a key decision for 2012 At press time, most political prognosticators give the Republicans better-than-even odds of taking control of the House of Representatives in the November elections. Regardless of the outcome, however, President Obama will likely tack towards the center to prime himself for reelection. This will … Read more
Hailed by President Obama as “[t]he most popular politician on earth,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil is stepping down from his post after two terms following the Oct. 31 election of Dilma Rousseff, whom the president endorsed as his successor. Barred by the constitution from seeking a consecutive third term, President Lula … Read more
Impartiality and the judiciary are frequently considered synonymous. Even outside of the U.S., the Supreme Court, judges on state supreme courts and other higher-level positions enjoy lengthy terms, a good degree of freedom from political pressure, and the promise of being appointed based upon their merits rather than party affiliation. Or at least they should. … Read more
What the Ground Zero mosque controversy has taught us The controversy over the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” dominated the last couple months of summer and sparked an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric and activities around the country. A Florida pastor’s plan to burn the Koran was headline news, there were numerous protests against the building of … Read more
How we count, not who we count, matters most In October 2009, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) sparked a debate when they introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have required the 2010 census to collect data on citizenship status. This kind of controversy, revolving around precisely what data … Read more