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Radical Résistance in France: François Hollande’s German Crisis
Get PDFFriendship between France and Germany, which was one of the primary factors behind the European recovery after World War II, has begun, ever so slightly, to change in the face of a stagnant and far less impressive economic recovery from the most recent global financial crisis. The new strain on Franco- German relations, and the new threat to European economic stability, is becoming particularly apparent under the presidency of François Hollande, France’s current Socialist executive. As a result of German interests in implementing Europe-wide austerity policies, and the weak and seemingly ineffective centrist leadership under Hollande, significant changes seem almost inevitable.
Economic Déjà vu
Get PDFThe recent recession that swept through this and many countries worldwide had many causes, one of which was low interest rates in the United States. Loose monetary policy pursued by former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan was a major component of the housing crash and following recession. Furthermore, the Fed’s current monetary policy is extremely similar to policy pursued before the 2008 recession. The current system of monetary policy implemented in the U.S., necessitating that credit and debt expand forever, is a dangerous and potentially disastrous policy to be pursuing. Unless a change takes place, the American economy could experience another — and possibly worse — recession in the near future.
Reclaiming the Center: The Case for a Ceasefire in America\u27s Culture War
Get PDFPartisan news sources of all political stripes would have us believe that there’s a war raging on in American society. Increasingly prevalent is the notion that America is in the grips of what some despairing analysts (and gleeful news anchors) have labeled a “Culture War”- the ultimate expression of our increasingly polarized political life, in which the two competing viewpoints stay in their own yards, only seeking out media sources that validate their existing ideals, and lobbing attacks across the fence at the enemy camp
The Third World War: A Look at the Implications of Climate Change on Global, National Security
Get PDFPresident Donald Trump ran to be president of the United States on a platform rife with statements denouncing the credibility of anthropogenic — man-made — climate change. In a separate, but equally important, vein, President Trump also expressed a commitment to ensure the security of US citizens both domestically and abroad. Today, however, it’s difficult to address national security effectively without simultaneously addressing global climate change. The two issues are intimately interwoven, and ignoring one issue will compromise the success of solving the other
Unscientific Methods: Reinvigorating Objectivity in Politics
Get PDFFinding a place for objective science within the realm of American politics has become increasingly difficult because the effective use of rhetoric can often obscure facts. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of pushing scientific recommendations to the wayside when it suits their political needs. But, to fulfill their obligation to protect the American people and further American progress, politicians must stop interpreting hard scientific facts as it suits their political needs. They must begin to thoughtfully translate scientific data into legislation and policies so that pertinent topics can be addressed and the true needs of the American people can be met. The honest evaluation of this data is a formidable and seemingly unrealistic goal but, if nothing else, a moral standard must be enforced for publicly elected officials to serve in the best interest of the American people.
Defying Putin: Leaders of the Opposition Movement Against Russian Authoritarianism
Get PDFSince being named acting president of Russia in 1999, Vladimir Putin has gone from a little-known ex-KGB agent to one of the most powerful men in the world. Handpicked by his ailing predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, Putin came to power following a decade of economic turmoil and political instability. His decisiveness, especially in regard to civic uprisings in Chechnya, garnered early support among the Russian people. In fact, Putin’s approval ratings remained high even as his actions became increasingly authoritarian. Given Russia’s position of power and its recent invasion of Crimea, there is reasonable concern among the international community over Putin’s ongoing obstructions to democracy both within and outside the country’s borders. Over the past few years, however, opposition groups have emerged with hopes of limiting Putin’s power. While widespread reform has yet to occur, movements to mobilize the Russian public are beginning to take place.
Political Consumerism and Buycott’s War on Koch Industries: Activism or slacktivism?
Get PDFA white fist punches the air, grasping tightly to a fluorescent green dollar bill — the Buycott app’s icon pictorially represents the power of consumer decisions. Buycott was developed by freelance programmer Ivan Pardo and released in May 2013 in order to provide its users with, in the words of its creator, “a platform that empowers [them] to make well-informed purchasing decisions.” The app allows consumers to make politically informed purchases, using their money as their ideological voice. Theoretically, the app was created for both conservative and liberal users, plus all those users in between. However, the app boasts overwhelmingly liberal campaigns, perhaps because liberal political participants are generally younger and more likely to utilize such a technology.
Under the Skin: Russia’s Budding Healthcare Crisis
Get PDFBehind the ghost of the Iron Curtain lurks a public health crisis. Superseded in the media by East-West tension and military flare-ups, infectious disease has launched its own war on the Russian Federation. Besides the HIV epidemic, which has continued to escalate for decades, the Russian Federation has become a greenhouse for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). This problem is not just a problem of the Russian Federation, but has worldwide significance due to the spread of resistant TB. Furthermore, the issue has not received the attention it deserves from the international media or the Russian government. MDR-TB in Russia needs to be taken more seriously
Rethinking Economics
Get PDFOver the last five years, the field of economics has undergone a reconsideration of its role in society. With the exception of a select few (Rajan, 2005), most economists were blindsided by the housing crash in 2007 and subsequent financial meltdown. This has prompted both a rethinking of econoimc thought on the institutional and legislative curriculum, and the undergraduate economics curriculum, which has been led by Wendy Carlin at University College London and Diane Coyle of Enlightenment Economics. Additionally, students have begun to take important roles in the debate. In April, the student-run Post-Crash Economics Society (PCES) at the University of Manchester published a report titled Economics, Education and Unlearning, which provided a critique of economics education in the UK and at Manchester in particular. However, as the report points out, “the problems ... are certainly not limited to Manchester and are in fact international in scale”. While the report has its commendable strides, it falls short on two crucial aspects: the suggestion that economics cannot be a scientific discipline and the driving recommendation of the report for a move towards “pluralism” in the discipline. This essay will focus on these two issues and argue that they are fundamentally misguided.