The following is a piece written by an HPR staff writer. It is by no means tied to the Russian government or any of its employees or affiliates. MEMORANDUM FOR PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN FROM: A Loyal Adviser SUBJECT: Russian Grand Strategy Executive Summary Mr. President, despite Western attempts to characterize Russia as a … Read more
The song opens to a jostling crowd of men, all holding beers, asking—no, demanding—that a woman named Jumma come out to give them a kiss. When she comes out, she is doused in water, and sensuously dances to the beat while everyone feverishly watches. Though she repeatedly says “no” when the men ask her for … Read more
An unmistakable intersection between business and politics exists in the United States. Beyond the conspicuous crossover found in interest groups, lobbyist organizations, and corporate donations—a staple of modern-day political campaigns to both parties—our nation’s leaders also epitomize this intersection. While the route from business to politics is fairly transparent, the path from politics to business … Read more
This June, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew announced a redesign of the $10 bill that would replace the current figurehead, Alexander Hamilton, with a to-be-determined woman “pioneer” and “champion of democracy.” However, Hamilton’s removal from the $10 bill drew widespread criticism, and rightly so. Replacing Hamilton, the Treasury’s foremost founding father and an emblem … Read more
Jameel Jaffer is a deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Harvard Political Review: What do you do at the ACLU? Jameel Jaffer: I direct something called the Center for Democracy, which houses the ACLU’s work on free speech, privacy, national security, and human rights. I also litigate cases myself, particularly cases having to … Read more
American education is still segregated. Even after the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and despite the valiant attempts of state legislatures and courts, under the very nose of a nation that heralds education as the greatest tool and restricted freedom as the greatest evil, black children and white children still do … Read more
The way we elect the president of the United States is fundamentally flawed. The winner-take-all Electoral College disproportionately favors swing states, depresses voter turnout, and corrupts our democracy. Americans across the political spectrum realize the need for substantive electoral reform: according to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 61 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of Independents, and … Read more
The story of rap group N.W.A. begins with a pounding beat and a promise. “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge,” growls rapper Dr. Dre as the group’s debut 1988 album Straight Outta Compton roars into anarchic life. The group’s five members—Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella—knew all … Read more
The Yasukuni Shrine houses spirits of fallen Japanese soldiers from the Meiji Restoration to World War II. Yet, it also enshrines 14 World War II war criminals convicted by the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, including the wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Yasukuni is a reminder of Asia’s unhealable wounds from World War II, housing ghosts … Read more
Nigeria faces a critical crossroads as it wages war on the terrorist group Boko Haram. This April, the country’s citizens elected Muhammadu Buhari president, forwarding a broad mandate to overhaul the nation’s counterterrorism strategy. Since its inception in 2002, Boko Haram has been responsible for numerous kidnappings, suicide bombings, and armed attacks on popular landmarks. … Read more