A Preposterous Powerhouse The story goes that one evening, Raoul Walsh was driving along a remote Utah highway when his jeep suddenly collided with a jackrabbit, spraying Walsh’s face with glass and debilitating his right eye such that it had to be surgically removed. When recommended he install a glass replacement, Walsh refused, saying that … Read more
Narratives of crisis and dysfunction in the American political system increasingly dominate our news cycles. The protracted negotiations over the national budget are simply the latest in a string of governmental failures to garner substantial news coverage. Every year, it seems that the United States spends ever more time on the verge of fiscal collapse. … Read more
Jon Huntsman served as the governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009, as United States Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011, and was a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Harvard Political Review: In thinking about the future of your party over the next few decades, what do you think the ideal Republican Party … Read more
As Elba Esther Gordillo, the 68-year-old leader of the largest teachers’ union in Mexico, stepped out of her private jet in Mexico City, she was apprehended by federal police and arrested on charges of embezzlement and corruption. It was Feb. 26, one day after President Enrique Peña Nieto signed his extensive education reforms into law, … Read more
After years of expansion and growth, the Eurozone finds itself in crisis. Austerity measures following a sovereign debt crisis have spurred anti-European sentiment and a wave of nationalism, recently illustrated by the outcome of the Italian elections. The European project is at risk of being undermined by economic forces, while the region is in dire … Read more
The rise of economic competitors, combined with a decline in the education system at home, has threatened the United States’ position as the global leader in science. Although foreign competition advances scientific knowledge more rapidly, a loss of leadership in science could diminish U.S. economic growth and national security. Last year, China graduated more English-speaking … Read more
“Costs of Incarceration Rising in US.” The headline is familiar and unremarkable. It could be from the last decade or last week, from a local tabloid or a national newspaper. The article will review the usual statistics—the United States has the largest prison population in the world, recidivism rates continue to climb—and will conclude that … Read more
Stepping out of the darkness, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, introduces himself to the audience. “There are two kinds of pain,” he begins, cradling the head of a whimpering dog injured in a hit-and-run, “pain that makes you strong or useless pain.” Brusquely, he tilts the dog’s head to one side and rotates. “I … Read more
Soon after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Shelby County v. Holder last February, NBC Nightly News declared the Court was “considering whether or not to strike down the Voting Rights Act.” Other media outlets have portrayed similar gravity about the fate of the VRA. Yet, the real issues at stake in Shelby are … Read more
During last year’s debate over Egypt’s new constitution and the various power-grabbing moves by President Muhammad Morsi that followed, the Muslim Brotherhood’s offices suffered a series of attacks and thefts. Anti-Brotherhood protesters clashed with supporters, leading to ten fatalities. This March, demonstrations erupted outside the Brotherhood’s Cairo headquarters once again. As before, many protesters focused … Read more