The stability of authoritarianism in China The recent U.S. presidential election demonstrated that the democratic process can be brutal and exhausting as candidates vie for positions of executive power. This scramble in times of succession does not exist in China, where election season is not about campaigning. China has, through its control of the election … Read more
So I have not yet gotten around to Obama’s alleged secret note to Russian President Medvedev. In it, he seems to propose a quid pro quo, wherein the United States would agree to roll back our plans for a missile defense shield in Poland. Of course, since our missile defense shield is targeted towards Iran, … Read more
The implications of a Czech European Union presidency This January, the Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the European Union, a political system it has consistently criticized, marking the first time a former Soviet state will chair the 27-member coalition. The six-month rotating presidency, currently chaired by France, has been a largely ceremonial post in … Read more
Creating precedent for the law The term “legislating from the bench” is frequently used but rarely explained. In the 2008 presidential debates Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) promised he would not appoint judges who legislate from the bench. But as Bruce Peabody, author of Legislating from the Bench, a Definition and a Defense, told the HPR, … Read more
Methods of appointing State Supreme Court judges That law be applied fairly and impartially is a defining ideal of the American legal system. Yet while impartiality lies at the foundation of our courts, it is surprisingly difficult to achieve. Charles Hall, director of communications for Justice at Stake, a nonpartisan campaign for “fair and impartial” … Read more
Obama and the conservative legal movement That a president would search for judges who are ideological allies is unsurprising, to say the least. Certainly we are used to the idea that this is how presidents behave when it comes toƒ their Supreme Court nominees. President Bush vetted his nominees to the federal courts of appeals … Read more
Reallocating resources in a new era of global health In recent decades, great strides have been made in global health, with 90 percent of tuberculosis cases in Africa being appropriately treated and HIV prevalence rates dropping in some of the hardest-hit areas. However, neglected diseases, once eradicated—trypanosomiasis, dengue, leishmaniasis—are reemerging. With a multiplicity of goals … Read more
A changing legal landscape In American history civil rights issues have often found their footing in the high courts. Decisions such as the recent Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts’ ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in Goodrige v. Department of Public Health exemplify the courts’ ability to swiftly expand civil rights. However Proposition 8 in California, which … Read more
What Obama’s election means for international relations America may have chosen Barack Obama as President this past autumn, but the rest of the world had anointed him long before. After eight years of President George W. Bush’s aggressive unilateralism, symbolized by the unpopular Iraq War, many world leaders were ecstatic at the election of the … Read more
Maritime piracy and the global economy On Nov. 17, 2008, Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi oil tanker 450 miles off the coast of Kenya. The tanker, loaded with U.S. $100 million in crude oil, is the largest ship ever pirated. Internationally, piracy has long been a problem off the coasts of unstable countries including Nigeria, … Read more