“Jesus Christ was a feminist.” Some might not believe that this statement comes from a nun whose Catholic religion often comes under fire from feminists for its stance on issues such as contraception, abortion, and female ordination. Yet Sister Florence Deacon, President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, offers this observation based on her … Read more
A Preposterous Powerhouse The story goes that one evening, Raoul Walsh was driving along a remote Utah highway when his jeep suddenly collided with a jackrabbit, spraying Walsh’s face with glass and debilitating his right eye such that it had to be surgically removed. When recommended he install a glass replacement, Walsh refused, saying that … Read more
Narratives of crisis and dysfunction in the American political system increasingly dominate our news cycles. The protracted negotiations over the national budget are simply the latest in a string of governmental failures to garner substantial news coverage. Every year, it seems that the United States spends ever more time on the verge of fiscal collapse. … Read more
Jon Huntsman served as the governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009, as United States Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011, and was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Harvard Political Review: In thinking about the future of your party over the next few decades, what do you think the ideal Republican Party … Read more
As Elba Esther Gordillo, the 68-year-old leader of the largest teachers’ union in Mexico, stepped out of her private jet in Mexico City, she was apprehended by federal police and arrested on charges of embezzlement and corruption. It was Feb. 26, one day after President Enrique Peña Nieto signed his extensive education reforms into law, … Read more
After years of expansion and growth, the Eurozone finds itself in crisis. Austerity measures following a sovereign debt crisis have spurred anti-European sentiment and a wave of nationalism, recently illustrated by the outcome of the Italian elections. The European project is at risk of being undermined by economic forces, while the region is in dire … Read more
The rise of economic competitors, combined with a decline in the education system at home, has threatened the United States’ position as the global leader in science. Although foreign competition advances scientific knowledge more rapidly, a loss of leadership in science could diminish U.S. economic growth and national security. Last year, China graduated more English-speaking … Read more
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Constitutional arguments over the First Amendment have always been legally treacherous and fraught with political strife. While the first half remains clear (“establishment of religion”), the latter half (“free exercise thereof”) has been the subject of much legal and … Read more
There has been much sturm und drang about the dismal fate of our generation recently. First, the New York Times columnist David Brooks published excerpts from an essay by a Yale senior, which declared millennials the “Cynic Kids.” We have, apparently, lost faith in American primacy, the capitalist system, and idealism. And the meritocratic system … Read more
Dear Readers, When Jon Huntsman spent a week on campus in early April as an Institute of Politics visiting fellow, he met with faculty and administration, toured facilities, and tried to take in as much of the Harvard experience as possible. But Huntsman also took a keen interest in the students, taking the time out … Read more