As a Jew, a liberal, and a lover of the State of Israel, it is with great sadness that I reflect on what has transpired over the last few days in Beit Shemesh, Israel. On Monday, Haaretz reported an escalation of gender-based violence in the city of Beit Shemesh. Beit Shemesh is home to a … Read more
An Argument for the Abolition of Capital Punishment by the States One’s stance on a particular social issue can often tell us a lot about that person’s character and values. Similarly, the character of a nation and the values of its people often are reflected in the policies that govern such issues. One such matter, … Read more
By this point, most have probably heard the news that Kim Jong-il is dead, and seen the countless videos of mourning citizens in hysterics. In the wake of the North Korean leader’s death, pundits and governments have been scrambling to reassess their strategy toward the hermit country. Most fundamentally, international observers are concerned with questions … Read more
It is no longer fashionable merely to call 2011 a watershed year in modern history – so much was already clear within a few weeks of Mohammed Bouazizi’s fateful self-immolation before the year even began. Well-mannered people are much more likely to go for comparisons: with its revolutionary movements, economic foibles, and political realignments, is … Read more
Without publicly predicting any outcome in the extremely volatile Iowa Republican race, I can still entertain the “ifs” by postulating a number of different scenarios which take into account Iowa’s potential impact on how candidates will have to position themselves moving forward. So… if… It’s a Gingrich Night: Anti-Gingrich Republicans will have reason to fear, … Read more
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is either the big deal that no one’s talking about or a standard budgetary bill that shouldn’t be getting much attention at all, depending on whom you believe. For those in the first category, certain sections of the bill (to be discussed here) are radically anti-civil liberties and shouldn’t … Read more
North Korean state television announced tonight that Kim Jong-Il has died mid-train ride – according to the announcer, of fatigue resulting from “physical and mental overwork“. Indeed, Kim Jong-Il was rather old, and strained under the burden of a stroke which he probably suffered in 2008. Fatigue is about the most natural cause of death I can … Read more
To the editor of the Crimson: I am writing in response to an article published on December 12th about Professor Mansfield’s book, Manliness, and his more recent article, “Manliness and Morality” in the Weekly Standard. The authors, Sandra Korn and Marina Bolotnikova, have called into question the abilities of Professor Mansfield to teach, given his … Read more
Few social commentators are as notorious and prolific as Christopher Hitchens. Formerly of The New Statesman, a foreign correspondent for Harper’s, a columnist for The Nation, Vanity Fair, and the London Review of Books, Hitchens editorializes with biting wit and unremitting scrutiny. Whether indicting Henry Kissinger, doubting Elie Wiesel, or deconstructing Mother Theresa, Hitchens offers … Read more
Gary Johnson is a former two-term governor of New Mexico and current candidate for the GOP nomination for President. He is known for his low-tax libertarian views and is an avid mountain climber and triathlete. For an audio version of this interview, click here. Harvard Political Review: Where do you differ with fellow libertarian-leaning presidential … Read more