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(04/27/16 5:44pm)
The relationship between the United States and China has always been tenuous at best. Like members of a class project group forced to interact with one another against their will, China and the United States find themselves forced to cooperate. Since his inauguration in 2009, President Obama has attempted to develop a new strategic outlook toward the emerging superpower—one that engages them and incorporates them into the international system through the US strategic lens. To date, his strategy has been marginally effective and offers his successor a solid foundation off of which they will (hopefully) build a new and effective strategic partnership.
(04/13/16 5:17am)
Spring is in the air! Clouds of pollen roll across campus, inchworms descend from oak trees and senior columnists publish their lofty epistles reflecting on their four years at the place they are about to leave. This week, I hope to do the same while adding a piece of advice I found missing in previous columns—that patience really is a virtue. At some point in their four years at college, everyone feels the stress and frustration of uncertainty and perhaps failure in their academic and/or personal lives. Maybe you still seek the right major or a solid friend group. If I could offer one piece of advice to someone in that position it is this: be patient.
(03/30/16 2:12pm)
Last week I watched a video of President Obama sitting behind home plate at the Estadio Latinoamerico (Havana’s baseball stadium). As he sat in an open collar shirt wearing sunglasses, ESPN reporters questioned him about the most recent terrorist attack in Brussels. That video perfectly encapsulates Obama’s entire foreign policy. Critics will decry his willingness to throw aside our allies and attend a baseball game as ISIS overthrows Western Europe, and supporters will claim another instance of the President’s lofty ambitions being derailed by our petty fascination with terrorism.
(03/02/16 6:27am)
Since the day I first stepped foot on this campus, it has been in vogue to criticize Duke Student Government. Whether on the campaign trail, in columns and op-eds or in proselytizing endorsements, everyone loves to tell us how to do our jobs better. While I will be the first to acknowledge that criticism of the government is a hallmark of a healthy republic, this election season has introduced a version of that rhetoric more insulting, more personal and more based on false statements than any in recent memory. So in defense of the organization I have served for four long years, I will address five of the most common criticisms levied against us and provide my recommendations for how best to remedy them.
(02/17/16 6:46am)
The political world found itself upside down this week with Saturday’s sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. Suddenly, the election has become a referendum on both the executive and judicial branches of government. President Obama wields more power than most lame-duck presidents, and the future of the Senate hangs in the balance as republicans play another round of brinkmanship with the government. Amidst all this turmoil, why should the average citizen care about the Supreme Court? Aside from simple civic engagement, the impact is greater than it might appear at first glance.
(02/03/16 5:15am)
Watching the Iowa caucus results Monday night, I found myself overcome with excitement when CNN made its first “CNN Projection.” Regardless of the result, or even which party they were referencing, the graphic and their little tune brought back countless memories of election nights past. It could mean only one thing: after years of speculation and polling, we finally have the makings of a cold, hard delegate count.
(01/20/16 6:15am)
In last week’s State of the Union Address, President Obama used his strongest rhetoric yet, describing ISIS as a “direct threat to our people,” a noted contrast from his muted tone in last month’s Oval Office speech. But the president qualified his point of view by noting that, “over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands.” He even went so far as to expressly articulate that ISIS, “does not threaten our national existence.” The president’s remarks hint at a changing attitude, one of resignation from the “stay the course” strategy he articulated last month. His words indicate a growing realization on his part that lofty theoretical policies do not address public concern. And while I applaud the small steps the president has taken to articulate his vision, he needs to do much more.
