Politics

E-International Relations •

Who Believes in Gulf Futurism?

When the American-Qatari artist Sophia Al-Maria and Kuwaiti composer Fatima Al Qadiri coined the term “Gulf Futurism” more than a decade ago, they employed it in two intertwined but dissonant senses. Gulf Futurism in the first sense is descriptive and historical. It names the unfathomably rapid, almost traumatic, oil-driven modernization of the Persian Gulf region, where in the span of a single generation a place like Dubai morphed from a humble fishing port into a high-rise megacity and global...
Wisconsin Politifact •

FACT-CHECK: Matt Flynn's claims that Foxconn is under investigation in China for fraud fall short

Ever since Gov. Scott Walker signed a $3 billion agreement with Taiwan-based Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, the deal has been an object of controversy in Wisconsin politics. The complaints from Democratic gubernatorial candidates have ranged from the size of the deal to the cost per new job to the environmental impact of the plant. Matt Flynn, one of the candidates, claimed that Foxconn "is under investigation in mainland China for securities fraud, environmental fraud and labor fraud."
The Politic •

Tyranny in Twenty Lessons: Timothy Snyder on the Rise of Trump

Eight days after Donald Trump was elected president, Yale history professor Timothy Snyder posted an ominous warning on Facebook. “Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism,” he began. “Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so. Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today.”
Yale Review of International Studies •

Shaping Saddam: How the Media Mythologized A Monster — Honorable Mention

This essay first appeared in the Acheson Prize 2018 Issue of the Yale Review of International Studies. "Hussein’s meteoric rise in the American consciousness from generic Middle-Eastern dictator to omnipotent threat was enabled and fueled by the intersection of three critical factors: the idiosyncratic biases (and failures) of the American press, government propaganda, and the intoxicating specter of war."
Wisconsin Politifact •

FACT-CHECK: Wisconsin GOP radio ad takes aim at Democrat Matt Flynn

In a radio ad attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn, the Wisconsin Republican Party claims that Flynn "told one child predator to ‘wait and see,’ when he should have turned him in to authorities." Flynn has taken heavy criticism from Gov. Scott Walker and others for his role representing the Milwaukee Archdiocese in priest sexual abuse cases from 1989 to 2004. Flynn is one of eight Democrats in the Aug. 14 primary who hope to face Walker in November. The former priest and Flynn have given differing accounts of what happened. But this much is clear: Describing the former priest in question as a "child predator" is one step (or several) too far.
Yale Daily News Magazine •

At the Intersection: The Ongoing Battle Over Water, Oil and Sovereignty

First came the battle cry: “We can’t drink oil!” Then the resounding response: “Keep it in the soil!” Drivers honked their horns. Rush-hour traffic screeched to a halt, as the stoplight went from red to green to yellow and back to red again without a single vehicle moving. At the center of the intersection of College and Chapel streets, in front of TD Bank, a line of defiant protesters stood
Yale Review of International Studies •

Should the United States Implement Democracy in the Muslim World?

In attempting to forcibly impose liberal democracy on Muslim-majority societies, the U.S. is doing more than simply instituting an alternate mode of governance; it is attempting the wholesale transformation of an entire culture’s social and political consciousness. Successfully implementing liberal democracy abroad would require the U.S. military to not merely topple rulers, but to also enforce a revolution in societal values—a process that could span decades, if not centuries. The unworkability and undesirability of such a scenario is evident in its potentially crippling financial costs and troubling imperialistic overtones.
The Yale Globalist •

Rift: The Uyghurs and the Hui

The differential treatment of the Uyghurs and the Hui is linked to this basic logic: the Uyghur have mostly failed to fully assimilate into Chinese culture and thereby represent a potential threat, while the Hui tend to be more politically unengaged and have assimilated into Han culture. As such, they have won unusual tolerance from the Chinese government, which has previously ignored isolated instances of religious fundamentalism amongst the Hui. The Chinese government has attempted to fashion the Hui into exemplars of legitimate Chinese Islamic expression as political counterpoints to the Uyghur separatists. ----------------------Note: This article was cited by University of Chicago professor Robert R. Bianchi in his 2019 book, China and the Islamic World: How the New Silk Road is Transforming Global Politics
Yale Daily News WEEKEND •

Dressed in Blue, in the Red

Grant often thinks of Amherst. Although he had also been admitted to Cornell and Brown, his college decision ultimately came down to a face-off between Amherst and Yale. He recalls Amherst offering him not only more generous financial aid than Yale, but also a higher credit conversion that would have allowed him to graduate far in advance of the 3.5 years he’s spending at Yale. Though the appeal of Yale’s name and its incredible resources eventually sealed his decision, he sometimes regrets not taking Amherst’s financial aid package, some of which he could have pocketed for graduate school. But ultimately, he doesn’t regret coming to Yale. “I’ve met too many good people,” he says with a smile.
Poughkeepsie Journal •

Milwaukee residents explore new streetcars at The Hop open house

Karen Gill, 40, has traveled to more than her share of big cities — Portland, Denver, London, Paris, Berlin. Everywhere she's gone, there seem to be streetcars. So she was excited to attend The Hop open house at the streetcar maintenance facility Friday evening, where she saw Milwaukee's new streetcars for the first time. Her assessment: "I want to be a driver for an hour." Then, more seriously: "I'm keeping an open mind."