An Un-United Nations: How the International Body Is Failing the Syrian People
The deterioration of the human condition through violence mars history. Crimes such as slavery, forced deportation, and genocide have extinguished and defined populations. Unfortunately, crimes against humanity are not exclusive to ancestral pasts; humanity continuously faces grave challenges. During the first ten days of December 2011, one thousand Syrians lost their lives to political persecution. […]
Shining Light on Hypocrisy: The Dharun Ravi Case
When an individual In the United States faces criminal charges, the burden of proof falls upon the prosecution, not the defense. It seems odd then that former Rutgers student, Dharun Ravi, was accused and convicted of bias intimidation though the prosecution failed to produce one witness or one single shred of evidence. Ravi was brought […]
Symptoms of Cold Warfare Between Saudi Arabia and Iran: Part 3 of 3
This is the final installment in a three-part series that examines the historical foundations, current dynamics, and future prospects of the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Parts I and II provided historical and contemporary accounts of the two countries’ often turbulent relationship since 632 and 1979, respectively; part III is an analysis of the […]
Interview With Vali Nasr: Analyzing the Iranian Nuclear Threat
On March 6, 2012, the NUPR’s International Editor Dominic Contreras sat down with Tufts University Professor Vali Nasr, one of the world’s foremost experts on Iran and the Muslim world, to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and possible responses to it. Below is an excerpt of that interview. Q: Over the past year we’ve heard […]
An Incident NOT Blown Out of Proportion: A Response to Marines Urinating on Taliban
The media response to the Marines-peeing-on-dead-Afghans incident was, in my opinion, not harsh enough. In his “Incident Blown Out of Proportion,” piece, Michael Fox argues that Americans should not waste their time feeling moral outrage for dead terrorists. It is clear that the soldiers in question wanted to humiliate the deceased, even into death. The […]
Arbitration: How Corporations Get Around the Legal System
Have you ever waived your right to a trial before a judge and jury by signing a contract? Of course not, right? Wrong. In fact, if you have ever signed a cell phone agreement with AT&T, Verizon, or any other cell phone provider, you have done just that, and signed your way into something called […]
Romney vs. Obama: History Favors Romney
In my last article, I outlined the reasons why I believe Mitt Romney still has the best chance of the remaining GOP candidates to win his party’s nomination. While it may be far too early to predict the results of the election, the intrigue of this hypothetical matchup begs for more in-depth analysis. Assuming that […]
The Importance of Environmental Policy
There is an overwhelming amount of news coverage related to the state of the economy, international politics, and various domestic programs. The environment and environmental policy on the other hand, are being ignored. When environmental policy is discussed many citizens and representatives champion the need for substantial policy reform. However, when actual policies are introduced, […]
Powder Keg in the South China Sea
With the launch of China’s newest naval vessel, a 1000 foot – 67,500-ton ex-Soviet aircraft carrier, it becomes a member of an elite group of nations. Only nine other nations operate these capital ships, of which only 20 exist worldwide. All nations on the United Nations Security Council, including China’s rival, India, operate and maintain […]
What Super Tuesday Means to the GOP
On Tuesday, Republican voters from 10 states will take to the polling booths. They will decide whether to establish Mitt Romney as the nominee or drag out the nomination process for several more months. This comes at a time when President Obama has benefited from the bickering between Romney and Rick Santorum and has seen […]