On September 1, the United States conducted aerial strikes in Somalia that killed the leader of terrorist group al-Shabaab, Ahmed Abdi Godane. Immediate responses from many observers have been quite optimistic. Abdi Aynte, director of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, claims that Godane’s death leaves “a serious possibility of [al-Shabaab’s] gradual disintegration.” Other experts … Read more
The question of Scotland’s independence has been dominating political discussions in the United Kingdom. Today, Scots officially voted to reject independence. In this video, Aliya Itzkowitz interviews members of Harvard’s British Club at the Referendum Watch Party held this week, asking students to weigh in on the controversial debate. You can access additional content … Read more
During the 1990s, Argentina was the darling of international investors, so much so that it accumulated a debt of more than $100 billion. In 2001, an economic crisis hit Argentina, and the country was forced to default on its external debt. Four years of negotiations passed until Argentina finally imposed a drastic restructuring, which was … Read more
For more than 75 years, Mexico has placed complete control of its oil industry under Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). With its name boldly branded on every gas station in the country, this state-run oil giant has served as a major source of revenue for the Mexican economy and is a symbol of Mexican national pride. Within … Read more
On the street, in restaurants, theaters, pubs and households, one subject dominates the conversation in Scotland: the upcoming independence referendum. It has sparked more political engagement among the Scottish people than has ever been seen before. It’s an issue that is dividing families and coming between friends. On September 18, people who live in Scotland … Read more
A week ago, I emerged from the woods with nails black from dirt, hair molded with grease, and heart warm and fuzzy. Throughout the six-day pre-orientation outdoor trip for incoming Harvard students, my co-leader and I watched with nervous excitement as our ten freshmen gradually opened up to the magic of the backcountry. Deep in … Read more
The United States is supporting, funding, and arming “terrorists.” Not through back channels, middlemen, Swiss bank accounts or CIA covert operations, but openly and publicly. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was designated as a foreign terrorist organization on October 8, 1997 by the U.S. Department of State after thirteen years of insurgency, including bombing attacks … Read more
A grinning Churchill and FDR sit together, cementing the cooperation necessary to save democracy and the Western world as we know it. The romance of these now fading photographs inspired a “special relationship”, as Churchill called it, between the United States and the United Kingdom. Because of the strong cultural, historical, and linguistic ties between … Read more
One hundred and fifty years ago, Britain laid the tracks of China’s first railroad. Last month, Britain agreed to allow Chinese firms both to build and operate rail lines and to design, own, andoperate a nuclear power station in Britain as part of a $23.8 billion set of trade deals betweenthe two countries. The deals … Read more
[BIL’IN, WEST BANK] Every Friday, locals of this run-down Palestinian village in the West Bank gather with international human rights activists and the rare Israeli to protest the wall built to separate Bil’in from the adjacent Jewish settlement of Modi’in Illit. A Swiss ambulance stands by to treat protesters hit with tear gas or rubber … Read more