When I think of a farm, I usually imagine an Iowa cornfield stretching for miles on end. A combine harvester spews out straw in collecting this crop; perhaps it’s destined for our plates, but more likely it will become biofuel. Indeed, forty percent of the nation’s corn supply goes to ethanol. The vast majority of … Read more
Earlier this year, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg began an unlikely rise to the spotlight after announcing his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Throughout Mayor Buttigieg’s several media appearances and advertisements, one unique characteristic has become all too apparent. Every time he is on television, Buttigieg reliably sports the exact same outfit: a white … Read more
Among the pressing political issues addressed in the first Democratic debate for the 2020 presidential race this past June, one topic — while not explicitly mentioned — was surprisingly prevalent: federalism. From Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) calls for a federal abortion law to Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-Calif.) attacks against former Vice President Joe Biden and … Read more
In the tunnels of the “Underground Great Wall” are stacked hundreds of nuclear ICBMs, hidden from the eyes of the world. This 5,000 kilometer passageway is just one part of China’s plan to modernize and increase the size, power, and efficiency of its already gargantuan military. In 2019, the People’s Liberation Army’s annual defense budget … Read more
After Obama won the White House in 2012, few were surprised at the demographics that voted for him. Obama won traditional Democratic voting groups such as African-Americans and women and also received heavy support from millennials. In the run-up to the 2020 Democratic primary election, “every one of the 23 candidates running is looking at … Read more
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic meets Ambassador George Moose at the U.S. Institute of Peace on April 9, 2019. Armed groups in the Central African Republic have apparently given peace deals short shrift. Negotiators had signed five peace deals to stop the six-year-old conflict, resulting in no more than short lulls in … Read more
In April, activists around the world took to the streets to demand that global leadership take climate change seriously. Protesters lay themselves out like corpses near Manhattan’s City Hall; dozens blocked traffic on Germany’s Oberbaum and Jannowitz Bridges; adults and children doused the streets outside the Hague’s government offices with fake blood; and in London, … Read more