Citizen apathy in the United States has reached levels that are symptomatic of a disillusioned populace, if not systemic failure. In the 2012 presidential elections, only 57.5 percent of eligible voters came out to vote. In a new survey by the Harvard Public Opinion Project, that disillusionment has only grown, with only 40 percent of … Read more
With the “Ready for Hillary” Super PAC already $4 million-strong and the “Correct the Record” research group supporting and defending Clinton in the media, an overwhelming level of support casts optimism on the prospects of a Clinton presidential bid in 2016. However, while some groups are buying bumper stickers and lending their support to the … Read more
If our biggest concern in selecting a commencement speaker is finding somebody famous to pat our graduates on the back, we are missing a tremendous opportunity to learn as a community. Similarly, if our biggest concern with a chosen speaker is their policy record, we are also missing an opportunity to learn as a community. … Read more
The recent appointment of Michael Bloomberg to speak at Harvard’s commencement has generated massive backlash from some students due to the ‘stop-and-frisk’ police procedures that were put into place during his tenure as mayor of New York City. Yet choosing Bloomberg as commencement speaker does not mean that Harvard is supporting his policies, just as … Read more
As soon as Michael Bloomberg was announced this year’s commencement speaker, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media filled with debates over whether the appointment was a good or bad decision on the part of the Harvard administration. There’s space for both sides of the spectrum. Supporters of this invitation could cite Bloomberg’s distinctive personal history … Read more
The selection of Michael Bloomberg as the speaker for commencement has been surrounded by controversy. Many articles have been printed expressing outrage and disgust with the university’s choice; however, these articles refuse to acknowledge anything Bloomberg accomplished outside of the political world of New York City. I, like many of us, have never lived in … Read more
The word “Harvard” is instantly recognizable with or without the word “University” attached to it. The name is as singular as Beyoncé or Madonna. Harvard is an entity, a cultural bastion worldwide. Every person in my parents’ very small hometown in southern Nigeria is familiar with the name and my exchange family in Madrid knew … Read more
Esraa Abdel Fattah Ahmed Rashid is a leading member of the April 6 Strike Group, which protested in support of workers in 2008. Called the “Facebook Girl” for her organizing role on social media, she was subsequently imprisoned for her activism. She reappeared during the 2011 Arab Spring protests both on social media and on … Read more
Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in early 2011, Egypt has undergone intense political turbulence and reshuffling as various parties vie for political control of the nation. The political landscape is dotted with myriad different organizations and groups—the military, the police force, the secularists, the Coptic Christians, the Islamists, the non-aligned Muslims, and many others—which … Read more
[LETTER FROM CAIRO] I was there on the third anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, as thousands of Egyptians flocked to Tahrir Square, homemade flags and faded banners in hand. Faces, bright and shining from excitement and the hot desert sun, were decorated with cheap, flaking paint, the words “Al-Sisi” hastily scrawled across their foreheads. As I … Read more