Think of a country that maintains friendly relations with Israel, the United States, and Iran. No, this is not a reference to Switzerland. This nation is India. Ever since India’s independence in 1947, its foreign policy has been largely devoid of a grand strategy. This began with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s development of the Non-Aligned Movement, … Read more
Think of a country that maintains friendly relations with Israel, the United States, and Iran. No, this is not a reference to Switzerland. This nation is India. Ever since India’s independence in 1947, its foreign policy has been largely devoid of a grand strategy. This began with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s development of the Non-Aligned Movement, … Read more
An urgent call for international and intergenerational justice at the UN climate talks, while Arab Youth Climate Movement forges change “In the session for the Green Climate Fund a woman from South Africa stood up to ask a question. She said, “My ancestral lands are going to go through a 4-5 degree increase even if … Read more
The United Nations has just voted to elevate the status of Palestine from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” but will anything change in the murky Israeli- Palestinian relationship? After all, a few days ago Palestinian rockets were flying towards Israel as the Jewish state responded with air strikes. What significance does elevating Palestine … Read more
Right now, my inbox is full of many more emails than I would like about Israel and Palestine. As part of the Harvard College Progressive Jewish Alliance, I am part of a campaign to “Open Hillel” by convincing Hillel International to allow co-sponsorships with groups that advocate for boycotts of, divestment from, or sanctions on … Read more
Although President Obama’s description of his foreign policy as a “pivot” to Asia was intended to be neutral in tone, political discourse in the United States has largely focused on his vision’s military aspects. From the bolstering of U.S. positions in the South China Sea to the opening of new bases in Northern Australia, the … Read more
Last week, seven Tibetans set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule and political oppression. These self-immolations have increased in frequency immediately before and during the weeklong Communist Party’s 18th National Congress, during which party chairman and president Hu Jintao will cede his posts to his successor, Xi Jinping. A few statistics stand out when one … Read more
Thousands of rioters poured into the streets of the nation’s capital. They were tired of their government’s ineffectiveness in solving their country’s dire economic situation. They demanded political rights that had been stifled for decades. They were sick of the corruption that had seeped into the ruling party. They were ready for change. Their calls … Read more
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the culmination of a broader ‘pivot’ on trade policy that has at times brought President Obama into conflict with his supporters and key Democratic constituencies. Currently entering a delicate phase of negotiations, the TPP could usher in a new age of U.S. trade policy. Described by U.S. Trade Representative Ron … Read more
Of the favelas, by the favelas “A rua é nóiz”, meaning “the streets are ours!” is the persistent refrain of the catchy Triunfo, a musical creation of the artist Emicida, the figurehead for Brazil’s current rap scene. Born of the favelas, impoverished settlements on the fringes of Brazil’s cities, lyrics such as these are not … Read more