In the late hours of July 15, 2016, various elements of the Turkish Armed Forces attempted to stage a coup d’état, primarily centered in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Calling themselves the Turkish Peace Council, the coup’s perpetrators aimed to wrest control of the country from the ruling government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and … Read more
In an April 2013 interview with The Atlantic, Jordanian King Abdullah II told the world how he really felt about Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then the prime minister of Turkey. According to Abdullah, “Erdogan once said that democracy for him is a bus ride … ‘Once I get to my stop, I’m getting off.’” Indeed, to … Read more
On July 15, bystanders in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, and its largest city, Istanbul, witnessed low flying fighter jets and helicopters, heard sporadic gunfire, and looked on as military tanks took to the streets and highways. Given Turkey’s long, storied history of military intervention in political affairs, many jumped to the conclusion that the military was … Read more
Amidst the tumult causing disorder and despair the world over during the past month—think Orlando, Brexit, Baghdad, Dallas, Nice—last week’s events in Turkey were marked another tragedy for the global community. The aftermath of a failed military coup to depose the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saw 256 deaths in clashes between civilians supporting … Read more
Trey Grayson is the current President & CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the former Director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics from 2011 to June 2014. While at Harvard, he was known as an expert on the political views of millennials and the role of technology in politics and government. Prior … Read more
Eric P. Lesser was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in November 2014. He serves Western Massachusetts as the youngest member of the State Senate, representing nine communities in the First Hampden & Hampshire District. His legislative agenda focuses on the expansion of economic opportunity and quality of life for the residents of Western Massachusetts through … Read more
Mark Gearan, SAC 1978, is the current president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Outside of his work in higher education, he has had experience working as a lawyer and public servant as White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications under President Bill Clinton in 1993. He graduated … Read more
Juliette Kayyem has spent over 15 years managing complex policy initiatives and organizing government responses to major crises in both state and federal government. Most recently, she was President Obama’s Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. There she played a pivotal role in major operations including handling of the H1N1 … Read more
While at Harvard, Eva Guidarini served as the student President of the IOP. After graduating in 2015, she joined the Policy Team on Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign, and is now working on Facebook’s government and politics team. She graduated from Harvard College in 2015. Harvard Political Review: So today’s interview is a part of the … Read more
Current Spring 2016 Institute of Politics (IOP) Fellow, Anurima Bhargava served as the Chief of the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2010, addressing issues of school segregation, sexual assault, and undocumented students. She has also worked on the White House Task Force to Prevent Campus Sexual … Read more