September 12, 2001. On that day, millions of Americans woke up shaken, wondering who or what could have been responsible for the murder of thousands. In the weeks that followed, the terrorist organization al Qaeda declared responsibility, a claim verified by the U.S. government. In the ensuing War on Terror, the United States and its … Read more
In the 1990s, urban development expert Christopher Leinberger dubbed Atlanta the poster child for urban sprawl, and “the name kind of stuck.” The city’s suburbs were growing at a rapid pace, adding over a million people between 1990 and 2000. With MARTA, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, confined within city limits because of worries … Read more
The Operating Room and Elsewhere Surgery as Reconstruction Here’s the funny thing: It actually does resemble TV. The scrubs, the instruments, the surroundings are nearly indistinguishable from what Grey’s Anatomy would have one believe. Even the terminology that floats through the air feels familiar from actors’ lips. I hurried back and forth, evading wires, … Read more
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known as the voting body in charge of awarding the 88th Oscars this Sunday, has demonstrated a severe loss of legitimacy as an institution on the basis of its very purpose. The Academy claims to “honor outstanding artistic and scientific achievements” in motion pictures, evaluating hundreds of collective … Read more
Anne Hawley is the former director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA and a Spring 2016 Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Read here for an abridged excerpt of the interview: Harvard Political Review: I would like to start talking about a really recent development. The mayor of Boston has introduced … Read more
In the world of politics, not all issues are equal. For better or worse, our conversations are driven by media coverage. And while the most talked about issue in 2015 was the 2016 presidential election, certain aspects of the divisive and newsworthy campaign were often overlooked. Despite the political mudslinging, record-setting debates, and pundit predictions, … Read more
With Donald Trump’s victory in the Nevada caucus, he appears to be on track to become the Republican nominee for president. He has won three of the first four contests and has a substantial lead in delegates. Certainly, in any normal year where all of the candidates are guaranteed the party’s general support should they … Read more
In our enlightened and postmodern culture, pollsters talk often about the rise of the “nones,” a category of people who profess no religious affiliation. They cite the decline of the church in Europe and the similar trajectory of mainline Protestantism in the United States as the natural result of scientific advancement, education, and a more … Read more
At least 5,000 pregnant women are currently infected with the Zika virus, which is linked to microcephaly—a birth defect that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and often requires lifelong parental care. Most of these mothers reside in conservative Catholic countries. They face restrictive abortion laws, inadequate access to contraception, and lack … Read more
The Zika virus epidemic struck Brazil at the worst possible time. The country, once considered one of the most promising emerging markets in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, is in complete political, economic, and institutional disarray. Labor Party president Dilma Rousseff and the Chamber of Deputies led by evangelical deputy Eduardo Cunha have … Read more