Reevaluating the U.S.-Saudi Partnership

As victors of World War II in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union immediately began preparing for a new conflict that would pit the two superpowers against one another in a struggle for global supremacy. Realizing the need for oil and a base of operations in the Middle East, the United States cultivated … Read more

Extra! Extra! Click All About It!

Joseph Pulitzer once exclaimed, “Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together.” Just more than a century after the death of the famed newspaper publisher, cracks are slowly beginning to materialize in the foundations of both institutions. The United States suffers from polarized, inept governance, a deep divide on meaningful social issues, and … Read more

Food Safety in Numbers

On March 23, 2013, the civic organization Smart Chicago launched an ambitious program to enhance the city’s food safety efforts: Foodborne Chicago. Using a mix of statistical techniques and computer science, Foodborne searches Twitter for complaints of food poisoning, then follows up with users and generates formal investigations. Chicago is not alone in these efforts; … Read more

Cuban Freedom and the Marketplace of Ideas

On December 17, President Obama announced long awaited release of USAID contractor AlanGross from a Cuban prison. Gross, in Cuba to bring communications equipment to marginalized religious organizations, had been accused by Cuba of working for U.S. intelligence agencies and held captive since 2009. Gross was released alongside a U.S. intelligence agent in exchange for the … Read more

The Evolution of Taylor Swift

Why is America so unwilling to love Taylor Swift? Generally pigeonholed as a feminist nightmare due to her ex-boyfriend-centric musical themes, critics such as Camille Paglia have been quick to condemn Swift: “Her themes are mainly complaints about boyfriends, faceless louts who blur in her mind as well as ours.” But with the release of … Read more