In the midst of the Cold War, Dwight D. Eisenhower argued that if the United States was invaded by a foreign entity, roads would be needed for survival. As a result, he signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956 which allotted substantial funds to municipal governments for the construction of highways, giving life to the […]
On January 3, 2026, I woke up to the news that Nicolas Maduro—the man who led the regime that had terrorized millions of Venezuelans, including my own family, for opposing its corruption—had been captured and was awaiting trial. I do not know a single Venezuelan who has not personally suffered under Maduro’s leadership. Those who […]
In early January, the Department of Justice issued the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) multiple grand jury subpoenas regarding planned renovations for two Fed buildings in Washington, D.C. The renovations themselves are outstandingly banal: in a July 17 letter to the Office of Management and Budget, Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell specified the renovations, […]
On January 3, 2026, I woke up to the news that Nicolas Maduro—the man who led the regime that had terrorized millions of Venezuelans, including my own family, for opposing its corruption—had been captured and was awaiting trial. I do not know a single Venezuelan who has not personally suffered under Maduro’s leadership. Those who […]
Seventeen years ago, the 2008 Debt Crisis brought Greece to its knees, pushing unemployment above 27 percent and shrinking the economy by a quarter. With three relief packages totaling 289 billion euros from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union (EU), the country faced a difficult road to recovery. Finally, Greece has begun to […]
Conflict is the world’s greatest threat to stability. As multilateral institutions atrophy and hegemonic powers embrace militarism, small and middle powers (SMPs) must navigate a precarious future. Yet, the dissolution of unipolarity also presents opportunities for SMPs to lead diplomatic innovation by leveraging strategic coalitions with civil society and with each other. Should these states […]
Kneecap has emerged as a pioneer in Irish-language rap, producing caustic political satire with playful, punchy bilingual lyricism. Their tracks inject new life into Gaelige, one of Europe’s oldest languages, challenging sanitized depictions of Irish culture with gritty lived realities of post-Troubles youth. Once marginalized through centuries of colonial suppression, the Irish language is often […]
In early January, the Department of Justice issued the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) multiple grand jury subpoenas regarding planned renovations for two Fed buildings in Washington, D.C. The renovations themselves are outstandingly banal: in a July 17 letter to the Office of Management and Budget, Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell specified the renovations, […]
On September 23, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security issued a boastful press release, claiming that they had removed or encouraged the self-deportation of over “two million illegal aliens” out of the United States in less than 250 days. This aggressive enforcement effort has been carried out by the Trump Administration’s deployment of Immigration and […]
Nature abhors a vacuum. So does geopolitics. Most Americans believe that foreign aid consumes nearly a quarter of the federal budget. In reality, it has historically accounted for less than 1 percent. This widespread misconception is precisely what made it politically possible for the United States to decimate its primary development agency overnight with little […]
Prior to the 1990s, defense contracting looked very different than it does today. During the Vietnam War, Korean War, and Cold War, the building of arms remained in the hands of multiple smaller defense contracting companies. By the end of the Cold War as U.S military spending reached over $325 billion annually, lawmakers began to […]
In his 2025 inaugural address, the commander-in-chief of the United States promised, among other things, that “the vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department (DOJ) and our government [would] end.” This bold statement identifies three flawed, un-democratic characteristics within our Justice Department, and promises to bring these flaws to an “end.” This is […]
With thirteen Academy Award nominations, twelve British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations, and ten Golden Globe nominations, Netflix’s Emilia Pérez defined the 2024 awards scene. Critics initially praised the movie-musical for its inclusivity, covering underserved topics such as Mexico’s cartel crisis and, within that, the struggles of the transgender community. Yet, with a […]
Pro-vegan documentaries are everywhere. Netflix alone features Seaspiracy, Cowspiracy, You Are What You Eat, the Gamechangers, and more. These documentaries offer a variety of perspectives on the benefits of veganism, emphasizing its health and sustainability benefits. Paired with an overwhelming number of studies, these documentaries might lead Americans to believe that veganism is the best […]
Candace Owens, an American political commentator, television personality, and New York Times bestselling author, has swiftly become a national star in conservative media. Boasting over four and a half million followers on Instagram, Owens has interviewed former president Donald Trump and entertained the idea of running for president herself. Owens argues against transgender rights, abortion […]
In his second inaugural address, president Donald Trump rattled off a list of legislative initiatives that he claimed would “completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal” that had been levied upon the American people. Among them were solutions to various hot-button issues which compelled voters to elect Trump to a second term, such as illegal […]
Although pre-election forecasts predicted the 2024 election would be mathematically closer than a coin flip, everything seemed to go perfectly for former President Donald Trump on Election Day. By receiving 2.5 million more votes than he did in the 2020 presidential election and flipping six of the seven swing states which voted for Biden in […]
The president’s power to pardon has been enshrined in the Constitution ever since it was first ratified at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Among the convention’s Framers, it was Alexander Hamilton who argued most fervently for the existence of pardon powers. Hamilton argued in Federalist 74 that the president’s ability to grant clemency and pardons […]
In the coming decades, there are a handful of states that could realistically align themselves with either the liberal-democratic international order—a system of international relations defined by adherence to international law, open and liberal free trade, and belief in the natural rights of human beings—or today’s autocracies. Such geopolitically fickle states hesitate to commit themselves […]
