Tim Roemer was first elected to serve Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served through 2003. In May, 2009, President Obama nominated Mr. Roemer to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to India, a role he filled until April, 2011. Harvard Political Review: What was your inspiration for entering politics? Tim Roemer: Two things … Read more
David S. Muir worked in global marketing for fifteen years prior to becoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Director of Political Strategy in 2007. Mr. Muir came to the Institute of Politics this fall as a Visiting Fellow. Harvard Political Review: How did your business background help you as a political strategist? David Muir: Coming from … Read more
A young teenager sits in a cell with hands clasped and head down. His face suddenly brightens when three visitors enter and say that they are from his home country of Canada. They chat, give the teenager a Subway sandwich, and copiously use his first name, Omar. However, despite Omar’s enthusiasm in welcoming his potential … Read more
The recent partial legalization of women’s suffrage in Saudi Arabia has sparked debate over the progress of feminist groups throughout the Middle East. In the wake of such news, however, advances in women’s rights in arguably the freest Middle Eastern state, Iran, have been overlooked. The feminist movement in Iran builds upon a long history … Read more
As President Obama’s Affordable Care Act works its way through the federal courts, and public figures label numerous federal agencies unlawful, the Constitution has never been more relevant to modern political discourse. Though the highest law of the land has historically been a fulcrum for debates over controversial legislation, three crucial factors have increased the … Read more
This summer, a powerful, organic, and populist movement emerged to combat the systemic political corruption that has plagued India for decades. The front of the movement, Anna Hazare, spearheaded an effort to pressure the Indian Parliament to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. This proposal would establish an intermediary organization between the people and the government … Read more
Twelve percent. That’s the portion of the country that approve of the job Congress is doing, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll. Lack of faith in its competence has led politicians, pundits, and ordinary citizens alike to claim that Congress is “broken.” Incumbents in Congress face increasingly difficult re-election bids and the … Read more
The top one percent of Americans now control 24 percent of national income, yet recent statistics from the Census Bureau suggest that more American are living in poverty than ever before. The economic disparity in the United States is the greatest it has been since 1928, and, if current trends continue, the gap between rich … Read more
As government spending across western democracies has increased to combat a three-year-old financial crisis, government debt has become the target of new fiscal scrutiny. Developed nations had enjoyed access to fairly inexpensive credit and were able to cover expenses that exceeded revenues. The European Union debt crisis, austerity measures, and the debt debate in the … Read more
Europe has been shaken by a social and political crisis. A collection of nations striving to create a community has been forced to reevaluate their relationships with each other. Today, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain all faced economic insolvency. Despite the establishment of a large bailout fund to heal the Euro crisis, the economic … Read more