As an oft-static region of the world erupted in protests this past winter and spring, onlookers might have had fair reason to ask what had changed. Hosni Mubarak had ruled Egypt since 1981, his party undefeated since its founding. Yet in a matter of weeks, the “Pharaoh-for-Life” relinquished office, a man without supporters. Even more … Read more
The revolution was the easy part. In the wake of the various governmental transitions in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and other nations across the Middle East, the idea of democracy in the region is once more in full swing. With the death of the traditional autocracies, reformers dream of a new wave of representative, constitutional government. … Read more
The idea that demand for oil may affect American foreign policy is neither a new nor particularly novel thesis. Many commentators from Pat Buchanan to Thomas Friedman have argued that the United States counteracts its own interests through its purchases from authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Less examined, but equally potent, however, may be … Read more
Democracy is a messy business. As the ongoing conflicts throughout the Middle East illustrate, the pendulum of social upheaval often swings wildly and in unpredictable directions. Since 2006, Thailand has found itself in the throes of political uncertainty, punctuated by outbreaks of anti-government protests and violent repression. The pattern may seem deserving of a “revolutionary” … Read more
As citizens and policymakers alike wait to see where the 2011 Egyptian revolution will head, the anxiety may come with understandable sense of déjà-vu. Some 59 years ago, in fact, British colonialists faced similar turmoil, following a 1952 coup in which the Free Officers, a group of junior military officers led by Gamal Nasser, deposed … Read more
Dani Rodrik is the Rafiq Hariri professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. His father-in-law, Cetin Dogan, is a lead defendant in Turkey’s Sledgehammer trial. Harvard Political Review: How has Turkey responded to the recent events and uprisings in the Middle East? Dani Rodrik: Turkey was caught unaware by … Read more
In 1993, when novelist William Gibson called Singapore “Disneyland with the death penalty,” the phrase struck a chord. Nearly twenty years later, Gibson’s formulation is still around, but the bite it once struck seems to have worn off. In those intervening years, Singapore has risen to become a model state in the eyes of the … Read more
With advocates ranging from documentaries like Waiting for “Superman” to policymakers like Michelle Rhee, charter schools remain the hot topic in education policy. Supporters argue that the schools’ innovative teaching strategies, progressive teacher evaluation models, and superior administrative structures offer a panacea to inefficient public education. More broadly, scholars contend that anti-regulatory, anti-union approaches have … Read more
In the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s death, the merits of enhanced interrogation are at issue again. Required reading on the topic is Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) op-ed in the Washington Post on Thursday. For anyone who distinguishes between “new McCain” and “old McCain,” this is old McCain at his finest: principled, independent, and convincing. … Read more
For the past ten weeks, writers from the Harvard Political Review have been meeting with 6th graders from the Clarence R Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA to talk about politics and the fundamentals of journalism. Together, we’ve taken on some of the biggest issues facing our country — from health care reform, to education policy, … Read more