In 2010, Herman von Rompuy, President of the European Council, sat on the floor of the European Parliament as Nigel Farage accused him of being “the assassin of European democracy, and of the European…
Sharing is Caring: The Politics and Consequences of Trump’s Trade War
Trump’s recent economic policies on levying tariffs against countries, primarily China, that have a trade deficit with the U.S. have consequences that go beyond just harming the other party. The effec…
You Will Not Benefit From Social Security (Unless Changes Are Made)
It is likely you have been paying social security taxes for a large portion of your life. It is also likely you haven’t received any benefits because, even though social security benefits cover about …
2018’s October Surprise?: Hurricanes and What they Mean for the Midterm Elections
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern portion of the United States. The disaster resulted in thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in damage, leaving many to argue that the response…
Stop and Frisk, or Protect and Serve? In Chicago, Trump Undermines Law Enforcement Reform Efforts
“It works, and it was meant for problems like Chicago: Stop and frisk,” Speaking to an audience of law enforcement leaders in Orlando in early October, President Trump stated that Chicago police offic…
The Perfect Storm: Politics of Disaster Management
Rich and poor nations across the globe are confronted with natural disasters every year that test their political leaders’ competence and acumen. During Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Manage…
D10, Democracy, and Donald
Since 2014, a group of high-ranking officials from leading democratic nations have held secret meetings each year to discuss protecting the liberal world order. Who’s this mysterious group? They call …
Icing Out ICE
As congressional candidates throughout the country campaign this fall, immigration will inevitably be one of the issues most debated and discussed. Over the past decade, immigration has ballooned from…
Will ICE Freeze the Blue Wave?
On March 1st, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that operations in their Northern-Central California jurisdiction have resulted in 232 arrests for violations of federal immi…
Breaking the ICE: The Hidden Illegal Immigrant
You Ruined my Dream Journal With the recent abolition of DACA, many undocumented students are struggling to renew their DACA before the deadline. The imminent doom of deportation already looms over th…
NATO: Losing Sight of the North Atlantic?
President Trump’s campaign trail rhetoric focused heavily on presenting a tough, assertive image of American power. Indeed, he broke new ground in toughness — not only did he take traditional US oppon…
A Debate On Open Borders
RESOLVED: The United States federal government should establish open borders. Affirmative Constructive Speech (Nathan Fillingim-Selk) The U.S. has a border problem. According to the American Immigrati…
The Political Side of Fútbol
The FIFA World Cup is the most watched event in the world, and this summer, it will be played in Russia. There are 32 teams competing for the title, with powerhouses such as Germany, France, Brazil, a…
Uncharted Waters
The last time you used Facebook, it is entirely possible that like any normal social media user, you saw a cute picture or an interesting post and reacted by clicking the like button or commented how …
Democrats, Negative Partisanship, the 2018 Midterm Elections, Oh My!
Shock, disbelief, grief. That was the response of Democrats to the 2016 presidential election results. For others like political scientists, however, the election was confounding for different reasons…
Wanted: Young, White, and Angry
My friend was killed by a neo-nazi. It’s a strange thing to type out, but it’s true. Even stranger, though, are the details: killed by a former classmate of ours. He picked my friend up in his car, dr…
Thinking in Color: Disputing Identity Politics
On the 9th of November, 2016, in the wee hours of the morning, the news networks proclaimed Donald J. Trump the president-elect of the United States. From my vantage point, I watched hundreds of Berke…
Trump’s Twitter Regime: Empowering the People, Killing the Press
The president and the press are entrenched in a strenuous game of cat and mouse. It’s a trial of wits in which each president seeks to promote their version of factual truths to the populace without i…