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How SFFA Teaches Us to Achieve a Healthier Democracy

03.29.19

BY CIAN SAUNDERS In 2014, Congressman Ed Chau climbed onto a podium in front of hundreds of Chinese American protestors and democratic advocates. Facing signs that read “Ed Chau must represent his voters, not his party,” he declared he would not support SCA5, proposed legislation to overturn California’s race-blind admission policies at public universities. In […]

Armin Karami, Fars News

The politics of hope: a nation’s patience tested

03.27.19

Iran’s citizens, who have clung to hope and the possibility for change through decades of domestic repression and isolation from the global economy, struggle to remain hopeful. By further undermining Iran’s civil society through a damaging, sanctions-forward policy, the U.S. risks weakening the aspirations of Iranians for a peaceful future where equality and human rights are respected.

Human Rights

The Nicaraguan Crisis: An Unexpected Awakening Spoils Ortega’s Quest for Power, by Ricardo Sánchez

03.27.19

This article will appear in the forthcoming Spring 2019 edition of the Latin America Policy Journal to be released on April 2019. You can order the edition here.   In September 2008, I was a young man who had just finished a bachelor’s degree in economics and was hoping to serve my country as an official […]

Interview with Andrew Yang (Democratic Presidential Candidate)

03.26.19

This is the fourth episode of our audio interview series. In this episode, Kai speaks to Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur, and a U.S. 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.

Amtrak and the Ethics of Influence

03.26.19

Amtrak wants you to buy travel insurance, even if it’s not in your best interest. BY ELLIOTT JAMES You pick your fare, decline to bring your Scottish Terrier, fill in your credit card details and hit “continue,” with a breeziness that makes you feel like you’re already hurtling down the Northeast Corridor towards Manhattan. Only […]

Mending our Meritocracy: Socioeconomic Affirmative Action in School Admissions?

03.24.19

Singapore’s growing class divide presents challenges to its espoused meritocratic ideals. Samantha Wong, Toh Wei Lun and Amelia Woo consider proposals akin to “affirmative action” – namely the use of quotas and nominations in school admissions – to address educational and consequently socioeconomic disparities.

Barack Obama Made America Great Again

03.22.19

BY NICK BUFFIE During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump ran under the slogan “Make America Great Again”. Although the first three words of the slogan were uncontroversial, the last one – “Again” – led many observers to wonder what bygone era Trump was referencing. His harshest critics claimed that he was referring to a […]

Source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oblique_facade_1,_US_Supreme_Court.jpg

Constraining U.S. foreign policy by enforcing current law: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 3

03.21.19

To secure a court order, Congress must show that the executive’s refusal to follow the FAA and the Leahy laws uniquely injures the legislative branch in a way that only the courts can remedy.

Source: Wikimedia Commons, United States Air Force

Current law constraining the President: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 2

03.21.19

The White House’s Saudi policy implicates at least four pieces of existing legislation. If the President refuses to obey them or cuts corners, Congress can bring him to heel directly via impeachment, or indirectly through court orders that force executive branch agencies to halt the restricted activity.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142213585@N04/26034544653/in/photostream/

Facing a President’s veto: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 1

03.21.19

Even without a two-thirds majority, Congressional representatives determined to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its flagrant violations of international law could dodge the veto and limit the President’s actions by enforcing existing laws that nominally prevent the U.S. from supporting states that violate human rights.

Partisanship is Nothing New for Mayors: An Interview with former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

03.21.19

INTERVIEW BY KEVIN FRAZIER Former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu (2010-2018) knows what it means to govern amid scarce resources and divisive politics. So it comes as no surprise that many think he would make a competitive candidate for president in 2020. Whether or not he enters the race, what’s clear is that America […]

Letter: Subject-Based Banding is Not the Escalator We’re Looking For

03.20.19

On the topic of subject-based banding, Andrew Chia responds to Lionel Oh’s Op-Ed by laying out potential practical difficulties in overhauling the existing streaming system, showing how these obstacles could undermine the effectiveness of such a change.

Education, Training and Labor

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