In perhaps the most visible feature of participatory democracy—the electoral process—change seems afoot. The goalposts of elections—the nature of their discourse, build-up, and outcomes—appear to be shifting, no more so than in the United States and the United Kingdom. The recent popularity of outsider candidates Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn respectively in the two nations … Read more
Since its enactment in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” has not been a runaway success. Public opinion has moved from disapproval to lukewarm support: monthly Kaiser Health tracking polls show that 40 percent of American adults viewed Obamacare unfavorably in July 2015, down from 53 percent in July of 2014, but … Read more
In the first Republican debate of the 2016 election, Carly Fiorina told the American public that her second phone call from the Oval Office would be to the Supreme Leader of Iran, to whom her message would be “crystal clear: new deal, new deal.” Later, Donald Trump, on Good Morning America, in usual bombastic fashion, … Read more
“For words and discussion are not a substitute for strength—they are an instrument for the translation of strength into survival and peace.” – John F. Kennedy, June 14, 1960 Updated: September 22, 2015, at 2:41 p.m. On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University on the subject of … Read more
On July 23, Turkey formally entered the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, granting the United States and its allies access to strategic airbases within its border with Syria and initiating its own air and artillery strikes to secure its southern border. While some have hailed the agreement as a milestone in the effort against … Read more
During Thursday’s primetime GOP debate, not all of the candidates received equal airtime. This much was obvious to viewers, and also makes sense; there is substantially more audience interest in poll-leader Donald Trump than in ninth-place Chris Christie. But the differences among the candidates were both more substantial and less correlated with polling averages than one … Read more
Jim Daly is the president and CEO of Focus on the Family, a Christian non-profit organization that promotes a variety of positions on family-related issues through media and outreach programs. Daly also hosts Focus on the Family’s flagship radio show, which premiered in 1977 and broadcasts daily on 2,000 stations. Harvard Political Review: Could you tell … Read more
Matthew Vines is the author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships and is the president and founder of the Reformation Project. He is widely known for his viral video “The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.” Harvard Political Review: What was your community like growing up? Matthew Vines: I grew … Read more
In November 2004, five months after Massachusetts became the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage, voters in Georgia overwhelmingly adopted an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. With just 17 percent of Georgians approving of same-sex marriage, the outlook for same-sex couples in the state who … Read more
Update (6/1/15): an earlier version of this article misattributed testimonies about Church of Scientology practices to the film Going Clear. These errors have been either removed or corrected. Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney’s latest picture Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief has stirred controversy within the Scientologist community and beyond. The film … Read more