Crossing over the Charles River to the Murr Center is an unfamiliar trek for most students, but upon arrival, one suddenly becomes aware of a dynamic foreign to Harvard’s main campus. Students stroll outside athletics complexes clad in workout gear with the university’s insignia, a symbol of their belonging. The Murr Center is theirs, a … Read more
Over the last few weeks at Yale, there was a series of student outcries following an email sent out by Erika Christakis, a resident housemaster. She had written an email that advocated for free expression and challenged the Yale administration’s apparent restriction of certain “offensive” Halloween costumes. The email sparked immediate outrage from student activist … Read more
It is not an unreasonable expectation of the Harvard Institute of Politics’ John F. Kennedy, Jr. Forum that it host events that produce critical, informed, and productive dialogue. Unfortunately, an event hosted on September 14 titled, “Islam and the Future of Tolerance,” did anything but that. This panel discussion between Sam Harris, a neuroscientist and … Read more
On a chilly fall evening one month into my first semester at Harvard, I sat alone in my dorm room, talking to my parents on Skype. My roommate was away and there was a party taking place at a nearby dorm. Music was blaring, strobe lights were flashing and freshmen were consuming beverages of questionable … Read more
Historians have written extensively about the profound political, economic, and cultural changes ushered in by the Second World War. But in the greater narrative of that era they have paid much less attention to the western world’s shift toward a liberal, globalized ideological status quo, central to which is an emphasis on human rights. The … Read more
For Europe, the five years since the beginning of the Arab Spring have meant a dramatic influx of Muslim and Arab migrants into the continent. The rhetoric surrounding this influx has become more stern and unforgiving in the past year. Angela Merkel’s administration in Germany, the Financial Times reported, is seeking to eliminate “pull factors,” … Read more
A potential “Grexit”. Terrorism. Security threats. The specter of uncertainty continues to loom over the European Union as the migrant crisis increases tensions between member nations. And yet, each pressing issue presents an opportunity—a critical window for change. Tragic events and adversity tend to reveal themselves as key players in relationships, possibly strengthening ties, possibly … Read more
This is not the first time in history that Europe has been forced to come to grips with an urgent and overwhelming refugee crisis. Nor, as it turns out, is it the first time that refugees have been slandered with xenophobic hate speech and broadly stroked suspicion. In 1933, T.S. Eliot proclaimed to an audience … Read more
The refugee crisis occurring in Europe has brought out the true feelings of many. This challenge has exposed the racists and drawn an unmistakable line in the sand among the people there. It has brought to light how much some countries value the help they could provide, or how much they value the idea of … Read more
Le Front National. United Russia. Jobbik Hungary. Golden Dawn. These are the names of just a few of the active and increasingly popular nationalist parties in Europe. Once considered unpopular and offensive remnants of the continent’s troubled past, these political groups have reemerged as the voice of a growing population in Europe. Their policies rely … Read more