After thirty years of autocratic rule in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak has yielded to the dictates of a democratic revolution. In living up to the political ideal held most sacred by Americans, the Egyptian people deserve our congratulations and well-wishes. But with Egypt’s fate unresolved, it is too early to discount bleaker possibilities: a military … Read more
For democracy to prevail in Egypt, deposing Murbarak will not be enough. What is needed is an overhaul of state-military relations. For supporters of democracy around the world, there was something inspiring about the sight of protestors gathered around Tahrir Square at Cairo. In his 1994 book, The End of History, Francis Fukuyama posited that … Read more
All sane people want government (like everything else) to cost less. Due to the horrifying predictions about our national finances over the next couple of decades, our leaders are now faced with the inevitable, yet nearly impossible task of getting the United States out of the red. To this end, President Obama has proposed a … Read more
This past weekend at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee Convention, the notorious first straw poll of the 2012 Presidential campaign. Not surprisingly, Ron Paul won for the second time in as many years, getting 30% of the mostly young and libertarian-leaning crowd’s vote. Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, came in second with 23% … Read more
There are some issues about which we talk too much and do not listen enough. The presence or absence of ROTC on the Harvard campus is one of these issues. This blog alone has gone back and forth on whether ROTC should come back, and there has been ample disagreement between the right and the … Read more
10 all-star professors from diverse fields come together at Sanders Theater for the second Harvard Thinks Big event, because as host Peter Davis ’12 puts it, “ideas and the pursuit of them .. are at the center of the Harvard experience”. Here are some of the best parts. 8:09 Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, takes … Read more
Long-shot presidential candidates face numerous hurdles when it comes to mounting a credible campaign for their party’s nomination. Considering the name-brand advantage enjoyed by some of candidates for next year’s Republican primaries, and the fact that none of the big names have announced their 2012 plans, making the decision to jump into the race is … Read more
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroy ourselves” remarked Alan West (R-FL), quoting President Lincoln at the 2011 Conservative Political Action conference. CPAC, the largest annual gathering of conservatives in Washington D.C. each year, is a time for conservatives to gather, … Read more
During the recent protests in Egypt, the Chinese government was understandably nervous. Wary of inspiring similar outbreaks in Chinese cities, its state-run media opted to keep coverage of events in Cairo to a minimum. Moreover, the search term “Egypt” was blocked on major social media websites. Though massive protests erupting in China seem unlikely, the Chinese … Read more
During the last election cycle, it seemed that social issues took a backseat to economic issues. While abortion and other related issues were not totally ignored, the poor state of the economy and the furor over health care occupied the majority of the electorate’s focus. One notable exception was the great fight over funding of … Read more