Categories
Global Policy Studies & International Security

Why You Should Care About Taiwan

By Nicholas Whelan An octopus almost prevented me from existing— at least indirectly. My grandmother, Kuei-Mei, frequently shares the story of her near-death encounter with the octopus, offering a glimpse into her childhood in Taiwan. My grandmother was scavenging for food along the shore outside her home, doing everything she could to feed a family […]

Categories
Politics and Governance

What Can Policy Actually Control?

By Connor McMann Before kickoff of every Michigan football game versus Ohio State, my father used to light a large wax candle, emblazoned with a blue Block M, and place it in the room for good luck. By the time Michigan lost to our bitter rivals for the eighth straight year, the middle of the […]

Categories
Global Policy Studies & International Security

Twitter Diplomacy: Ukraine and The End of Fancy Dinners

By Alejandro Hernandez In December 2021, when President Vladimir Putin was still threatening to invade Ukraine, the official Ukrainian Twitter account published a meme describing how being Russia’s neighbor can give you the worst type of headache. Two months later, when Putin invaded, the tweets and memes did not stop. The account continues to be […]

Categories
Immigration Policy

To Live and Die Along the Border

By Francisco Alvarado I. Preface This piece is an attempt to paint a panorama of the lives, deaths, and experiences I came across during a 5-day research trip to South Texas sponsored by the Robert Strauss Center’s Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative. The trip was ostensibly a simple exercise in data collection. In this […]

Categories
Career Support

Interview Prep Basics for Baddies

By Sarah Murphy During the pressure of the interview, you do not want to rely on winging your responses. You want to be perceived as prepared and cogent. Interview preparation also helps assure that you get across the message to a prospective employer: I’m a badass, you’d be remiss to not hire me.  Tell them […]

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ+

Don’t Tell Your Conservative Parents, But LGBTQIA+ People Can Get Pregnant Too

By Shelby Frye 2021 saw more attacks on reproductive health than any year since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, most notably in the restrictive abortion bills from Texas and Ohio. Protests are sweeping across the country, and activists are organizing to protect reproductive rights. However, in a world dominated by binaries, LGBTQIA+ people […]

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ+

My Blood is Worth Less Than Your Blood

By Noah Jones When I began to accept my sexuality, I reached a point where I was comfortable with myself but not with how the world would treat me. I come from a background in the Southern Baptist Church. As a child, I was taught that there were people who did things the “proper” way […]

Categories
Politics and Governance

Do Liberals Care Too Much?

By Connor McMann Congressional and gubernatorial races in 2022 represent the first big opportunity for American voters to pass judgment on the Biden administration and life under Democratic rule. With Democrats and Republicans preparing to do battle in an enormously consequential election cycle, undecided American voters in every constituency will be courted by a broad […]

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ+

Protecting Who? The Human Toll of Anti-Transgender Legislation

By Geoffrey Carlisle (he/him) In the first two weeks of this year, 26 states introduced 75 pieces of legislation targeting transgender individuals. This legislation ranges from bans on transgender students participating in sports, to prohibitions, and even criminalization of seeking gender-affirming healthcare. Such bills represent an all-out assault on the rights and dignity of an […]

Categories
Politics and Governance

The Shadow Docket: SCOTUS and the Court of Public Opinion

By Sabrina Page Abortion, guns, and religion. The U.S. Supreme Court has already heard cases on all three during its current argument session. With some of the country’s most controversial constitutional issues on the docket, it is paramount that the public trusts the Court to be independent in their decision-making. Without this trust, the Court […]