One of the Spring 2016 Fellows at the Harvard Institute of Politics, Christopher Smart has spent the last six years as a senior policymaker for international economic affairs in the Obama Administration. He also worked as an advisor to the Russian government following the collapse of the Soviet Union and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of … Read more
Over the last decade, Africa has experienced previously unseen levels of economic growth and market vibrancy. Developing countries can only achieve equitable growth and reduce poverty rates, however, if they are able to make the most of their available resources. To do this, they must maximize the impact of aid from donor governments and NGOs … Read more
The 1964 U.S. presidential election was the most lopsided election in U.S. history by popular vote—Democratic candidate Lyndon Johnson crushed his Republican rival, Barry Goldwater, by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent. While the margins this year probably won’t be as wide, the parallels between 2016 and 1964 should serve as an ominous … Read more
On Nov. 20, 2014, NYPD officer Peter Liang accidentally shot and killed African-American man Akai Gurley in Brooklyn’s Louis H. Pink Houses. The Polarized Truth On Nov. 20, 2014, Peter Liang, a rookie NYPD officer, entered a dark stairwell inside the Louis H. Pink Houses, one of the most dangerous housing projects in Brooklyn. Officer … Read more
For freshman Ana Andrade, the rigid divide between the privileges of being a Harvard student and the struggles of coming from an undocumented family became all too apparent at a time of joy for most college freshmen: move in-day. Driving down JFK Street in the midst of the commotion and bustle of move-in day, Andrade … Read more
I accept the terms and privacy policy. The instant that my browser connected to a wifi network in London, I mindlessly proceeded to check this box as I had done countless times before. What could be so different between my consent to a privacy policy in the Harvard Square Starbucks and in London’s Heathrow Airport? … Read more
The tattered flag of the Syrian government flying in Aleppo. Toufik laughs outwardly at my question. “No, there’s no party scene at all. You’d be lucky to meet cool people in your classes and go to cool places after school was out.” He continues, describing his dissatisfaction with the college nightlife in Syria. “No Greek … Read more
Richard Stengel is the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, providing global strategic leadership of all Department of State public diplomacy and public affairs engagement. After working alongside Nelson Mandela on his autobiography, he later served as associate producer for the 1996 Oscar-nominated documentary, Mandela. As former managing editor of TIME … Read more
In every city he’s visited, every rally he’s held, Donald Trump has incited both virulent protests and unbridled—frequently nativist—patriotism. On March 13, Trump demonstrated his ability to draw crowds at a rally in the Sunset Cove amphitheater in Boca Raton, Florida. The amphitheater was filled almost to its capacity of 6,000 people. “Let’s call them … Read more
With estimates ranging from one to three million total deaths, the Vietnam War spawned some of the most ferocious domestic resistance to government policy to ever exist in the United States. This sentiment was strongly reflected in protest music, which gained significant popularity in the ’60s and ’70s. While the public often views Vietnam as … Read more