As recently as a few months ago, Manuel Baldizon of the center-right Renewed Democratic Liberty party probably felt pretty good about his chances of becoming Guatemala’s 37th president. With a huge corruption scandal engulfing the leadership of the ruling party, the withdrawal from the race of his nearest rival, and a comfortable lead in the … Read more
[BOSTON] On September 19, hundreds of Bostonians gathered in Copley Square to stand in solidarity with the 4 million refugees that have fled the war in Syria. The HPR spoke with some of the attendees, who expressed a variety of reasons and perspectives for the joining the event. Many people at the vigil emphasized the mislabeling of refugees in media discourse. “They are … Read more
Fr. James Martin, SJ is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America Magazine, and author of over 10 books. Before entering the Jesuits, he graduated from the Wharton School of Business and worked for General Electric. His debut novel The Abbey will be released on October 13. Harvard Political Review: Why did you feel called to join the … Read more
Yesterday, dual bombings at a peace rally in Turkey’s capital Ankara killed 95 people and injured 246 more. The rally was organized by trade unions and civic associations, including the Turkish Medical Association, to protest against the climbing violence in the southeast between Turkish security forces and the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla group widely known … Read more
Since Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December of 2010, the small Gulf nation has been the target of a hailstorm of criticism from abroad while also seeing tremendous excitement from residents of the region. International scrutiny of the decision to let Qatar host the tournament has focused on … Read more
Talk of a Chinese slowdown and the worrying U.S. equities market have led many to question whether the broader U.S. recovery is on the brink of a downturn. These past few months have been especially concerning, with one of China’s most notable indices, the Shanghai Composite Index, down more than a third over the course … Read more
Talk of a Chinese slowdown and the worrying U.S. equities market have led many to question whether the broader U.S. recovery is on the brink of a downturn. These past few months have been especially concerning, with one of China’s most notable indices, the Shanghai Composite Index, down more than a third over the course … Read more
The United States’ nuclear deal with Iran, struck formally on July 11 of this year, represented a historic moment and potential turning point in U.S.-Iranian relations. In the immediate aftermath of the deal, supporters from within the United States and its Western allies heralded the deal as a victory for diplomacy and compromise over sanctions … Read more
This past September, Singaporean politicians made history by contesting the nation’s premier political authority (the People’s Action Party) in all 89 parliamentary districts. At first glance, this opposition to the country’s foremost ruling party since 1954 suggests a transition in popular opinion away from traditional authoritative constructs and towards more modern democratic ones. However, the … Read more
On June 7, 2015, Turkey held general elections in which the governing Justice and Development Party, commonly known as the AKP, lost its outright majority in Parliament for the first time in 13 years. The electoral system in Turkey allocates 550 total seats. But the country also has the world’s highest election threshold, barring from … Read more