SGA Senate Tramples Student Speech
On Monday, March 16, the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate voted “no” on a referendum proposed by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which advocated for divestment from 4 companies that support Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. The companies – Raytheon, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola – have sold products directly to the Israeli […]
Northeastern Administration and Its Investors
At the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict at Northeastern sits Northeastern University administration. Though “administration” is a vague term, I use it to define the upper-echelon of the people at this university: the president, the vice presidents, and the bureaucratic maze of departments and offices that set the standards of the university. President Joseph Aoun […]
Counterbalance: To War or Not To War
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State, the terrorist organization that has seized parts of both countries, has one overarching goal in mind- the creation of an Islamic caliphate. The breadth of this goal alludes to one of the largest dangers […]
The Future of Net Neutrality
“After more than a decade of debate and a record-setting proceeding that attracted nearly 4 million public comments, the time to settle the net neutrality question has arrived.” (1) Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, published an article on Wired.com announcing his proposed plans to settle the net neutrality debate. Net neutrality contends […]
Encryption is Not Terrorism
“Do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?” Prime Minister David Cameron asked the press, attempting to propose a ban on services which offer “end-to-end” encrypted messaging.[1] Simply put, encryption is the technology used to protect data. When users wish to protect their data— passwords, bank account […]
Counterbalance: the Beginnings of Legislative Tug-of-War
On January 20th 2015, when delivering his second to last State of the Union (SOTU) address, President Obama assertively used the podium to unveil his progressive agenda, and emphatically prove that he has indeed got his swagger back. The 2015 SOTU was particularly unique; Obama abandoned his fleeting hopes of constructively working with his opponents […]
Israel, Palestine, and Northeastern University: An Issue of Free Speech and Competing Interests
In March of 2014, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a student group at Northeastern University, placed dozens of mock eviction notices in dormitories as an act of protest against the forced evictions of Palestinians in Israel.[1] The act was one in a string of controversial SJP protests, which ultimately resulted in the group’s suspension […]
Colombia-FARC Peace Process
The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, better known as the FARC, began as a resistance movement among impoverished farmers in rural Colombia during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The movement started peacefully as a way to protest a lack of government intervention in peasant hardships, but when the government failed to intervene. The FARC became more […]