Why Washington Won’t Pass a Policy to Prevent Genocide

The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (S.1158) not only condemns genocide and acknowledges its threat to national and international security, but also establishes the United States’ responsibility for intervention and strengthens the “government’s capacity to prevent, mitigate, and respond to such crises.” The original proposal established a response to genocide, but […]

4/20(20): Marijuana and Criminal Justice Reform’s Role in the 2020 Election

At first glance, marijuana legalization doesn’t seem like it should be a priority for voters in the upcoming election, especially when compared to issues such as the lack of accessible health care, the climate crisis, and rising gun violence. However, the legalization of marijuana directly relates to criminal justice reform.  The War on Drugs—an initiative […]

Brexit: Fissures within the Kingdom

On September 19, 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron and other world leaders expressed their relief and approval of Scotland’s decisive vote to remain in the United Kingdom (UK), but it would not take long for Scottish leaders and citizens to regret the results. In 2016, Cameron’s government asked the citizens of England, Wales, Scotland, and […]

Transnational Hip-hop: A Lens into Social Protest

From the heart It’s a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange People, people we are the same. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power,” Fear of a Black Planet (1990) When people first heard those lines from the unparalleled baritone of Chuck D., the frontman for the hip-hop group Public Enemy, […]

On Guns and Liberty

“And I cannot see, why arms should be denied to any man who is not a slave, since the are the only true badges of liberty.” –Andrew Fletcher In my previous piece, I denounced the idea that gun ownership should be a right. Here, I discuss why firearms are antithetical to freedom. On Tyranny of […]

From Extreme to Mainstream: Behind the Scenes of the Alt-Right

Thinkpieces on Donald Trump’s election and its underlying forces are like hard liquor. On November 8, 2016, as Trump’s victory shifted from implausible to unlikely to possible to probable to inevitable, Twitter responded in real time. It doesn’t take many words or much thought to tweet, so the takes were as close to instant as […]

The Kurdish Question: In Context

The recent withdrawal of United States military forces from Syria has thrust the Kurds—an ethnic group inhabiting the south of Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, and Iran—into the international spotlight. In recent years, Kurds predominantly located in Syria and southern Turkey have fought successfully with US forces against the regional strongholds of the Islamic State and […]

Moderate New Hampshire Voters Hope For Unity, Fear Extremism

New Hampshire, like Iowa, has always been a key state and area of hyper-focus for presidential contenders. It holds the first primary, resulting in a disproportionate influx of rallies and campaigns in the small state and, in-turn, a politically engaged electorate. At a town hall event in Concord on November 9, Joe Biden served chili […]

The Most British Man in the World

Beheadings are unpleasant. Not that a living person can confirm it, but it seems like an awful time. For most of us, beheadings are not a daily concern. We worry about disappointing our bosses because we don’t want to be shouted at, demoted, or fired. But even in the worst-case scenario, we don’t presume we’ll […]

A Lot on the Line: Students, Brexit, and the Upcoming General Election

Undergraduate students in the United Kingdom (UK) went to the polls in full force during the 2016 Brexit referendum. While there were initial concerns about youth turnout due to confusion over registering to vote by postal/proxy, 87 percent of eligible university students voted in the referendum, 15 percent higher than the general population’s turnout. Further, […]