7:25 pm: He outlines a handful of improvements that could be made in state politics, energy, and a host of other issues, and concludes the event with the words, “but I’m just an unemployed former governor”—much to the amusement of the crowd. -Andrew Seo 7:23 pm: Richardson states how more female candidates are needed in … Read more
Anyone who hasn’t watched President Obama’s speech on Libya should. When you do, obviously pay attention to the important foreign policy questions involved, but also keep your ears tuned for a favorite Sarah Palin image snuck into Obama’s speech. And as I’ve said before, our strength abroad is anchored in our strength here at home. That … Read more
There are many interesting aspects to the conflict in Libya and the decision of the United States and now NATO to intervene. Lost in the rain of tomahawks and declarations of opposition is the evolution of Barack Obama’s choice and what it tells us about American leadership abroad. A vision of Obama as interventionist is … Read more
At some point this weekend, I noticed a minor adjustment to Facebook’s front-page console: along with status updates, photos, links, and videos, the social network’s 500 million users have been given the option of asking popular “questions” to friends and general audiences. I’m not going to comment on the intricate, stochastic social dynamic behind Facebook … Read more
Andrew Sullivan gives us his blistering take on the neoconservative legacy: [T]he neocons might be better defined as aggressive democracy-promoters who actually don’t like real democracy and constitutional checks at home. They believe – and have long believed – that Western systems cannot truly compete with dictatorships. One response to this has been the unleashing of the … Read more
Protesters are being violently suppressed in Bahrain and Yemen, the Congo has had the bloodiest armed conflict since World War II, and Israel and Palestine have been bleeding each other for decades. Meanwhile, the international community has come together to devise a special formula that decides when it is time to intervene. I am in … Read more
“Let me help you with the difference, Ms. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon. Iran – we were held by a foreign government. In Lebanon, you had a wanton, terrorist action where the government opposed it.” “Congresswoman Ferraro?” “Let me just say, first of all, that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your … Read more
There’s a special circle of American social hell reserved for those who flagrantly engage in identity politics. Still smarting from memories of Bernhard Goetz, Tawana Brawley, and the Crown Heights riots, many Americans who came of age in the last two decades of the century have little patience with the open politicization of racial and … Read more
Despite being an isolated island nation devoid of great natural resource wealth, Japan ranks third globally in national energy production. As industrialization in Japan increased exponentially after World War II, the nation gradually diversified its energy sources. A key component of this diversification was the incorporation of nuclear power; before the disaster at the Fukushima … Read more
I awoke this morning hungry and groggy. Today is Harvard’s last day of spring break and the last day the campus dining halls are closed. Rightfully branded by my friends as too cheap to spend money on Noch’s, Berryline, or even printing, I was thrown into a tailspin upon my realization early this morning that … Read more