Politics & Current Affairs

Without dedicated devil’s advocates, groups are doomed to make poorly informed and sometimes dangerously bad decisions. 

Jeff Reeves over at MarketWatch says a stronger dollar will hurt investors in 2015.

The greatest difference in opinion over abortion rights exists between women at opposite ends of the political spectrum, not between men and women as is often supposed in popular culture. 

In late 2014, a court in Argentina took up the case of Sandra, a  29-year-old who has been held captive all her life. Born in Germany, taken from her parents […]

Vice Sports contributor Neil DeMause suggests that cities should exercise their eminent domain powers when local sports teams threaten to move after demanding expensive subsidies.

Investigative journalist Eric Schlosser shares the chilling history of myriad Americans who have at one time or another had the authority to launch nuclear weapons.

Whereas European countries were once able to tap into their history for subjects for opera, America’s never succeeded in doing the same. That problem comes in part from the decline in opera as a popular, public art form, but also perhaps from the lack of operatically epic subjects to be found in American history. Now, composer David T. Little hopes to create a modern American opera with JFK, a 2-act, 2-hour opera focusing on the life of President John F. Kennedy, whose life and death became defining moments not only for the Baby Boom generation, but also, many would suggest, the hinge upon which all American history turns for the last half century. Set to premier in 2016, JFK as a work-in-progress already raises important questions about how opera (and art in general) can approach history.

The former NATO Secretary General dishes on the ongoing fight against the so-called Islamic State, which Rasmussen calls “a terrorist organization that has carried out horrific acts.”

A civil debate about genetically modified food offers hope about our capacity to make judgments about risk based on facts, not just on our feelings.

Businessman Tony Elumelu, one of the major champions of Africapitalism, has committed $100 million to creating 10,000 new African entrepreneurs by 2025.

With the second non-indictment of a white police officer who killed an unarmed black man in two weeks, the chant “no justice, no peace” continues to ring out in protests around the country. What does that phrase really mean — and how has it been used historically, in protest movements both peaceful and otherwise?

Ridicule, says Frank, was one of his greatest weapons in Congress. The retired Massachusetts congressman shares how humor can help win friends and arguments.

Despite our ambient assumptions about “human nature,” the history of individualism shows how highly configurable our software is. And our current software needs a security upgrade.

Raising the minimum wage is presented as a solution to wealth inequality but in states that have raised the minimum wage, reality is complex. 

Facing several controversies involving scientific complexity, the European government created a Chief Science Adviser to provide independent objective expertise and input into policy making. when some groups didn’t like what the science said about genetically modified food, they objected to the whole idea of independent science advice to government. The EU government has caved to public pressure and abandoned the Chief Science Adviser function. We should ALL be scared by a move away from evidence-based policy making, toward a solely values-based approach.

How has President Obama agreed to cut carbon emissions with bitter opposition in the legislature cemented by last week’s midterm elections?

With so many major races still up in the air, the only thing you can be sure of ahead of tomorrow’s midterm elections is that cable news will find a way to mislead you in its coverage. While election coverage may be good entertainment, it’s worth switching off the tube if you’re looking to avoid sensationalism.

STEM careers and technology start-ups are all the rage, but national labor statistics present a different reality: most job growth will occur in fields that require far different skill sets.

The Week’s Ryan Cooper calls the 2014 midterms “perhaps the least consequential American election season in a generation,” but argues that’s not a reason to stay home.

Understanding the relationship that Abraham Lincoln had with the press, which was then limited entirely to newspapers, helps put our current obsession with the news media in historical context.

About 75% of Americans aged 18 to 30 disenfranchised themselves by not voting in the 2010 midterm elections. The Economist recently explored the political apprehensions of the country’s most fickle voter bloc.

Much is often said about America’s growing racial diversity and its effect on the future of politics. Perhaps not enough is being said about the country’s rapidly aging population.

An Army Captain advocates for a rethinking of the way the U.S. military trains and promotes its leaders. He vouches for flexible planning, adaptive learning, and a stronger meritocracy.

There are two reasons why President Grímsson considers the Arctic the next major environmental, political, and economic playing field: climate change and the region’s untapped natural resources.  

Two decades after Antioch College, a small liberal arts college in Ohio, was ridiculed on “Saturday Night Live” for its policy of requiring students to obtain verbal consent from potential […]

Oslo became the fourth city to drop its bid for the 2022 Olympic games after Norway’s government, echoing the voices of a majority of citizens, chose not to provide financial backing.

Kluger discusses why narcissists excel in politics and rates the narcissism of those who have called the White House home.

We know that the penny is more trouble than it’s worth. One professor at MIT believes the biggest thing keeping it alive is a reluctance to acknowledge inflation.

The Seoul capital area in South Korea is the third largest metropolitan area in the world and the second most dense after Paris. With a population of nearly 26 million […]

While the current push toward STEM is much needed, it’s important that students maintain the chance to expand their curiosity and wonder through the art.