By Christopher Tan (PZ ’21) Regardless of the results of November’s election, Donald Trump’s legacy will extend far beyond his first term. He has appointed hundreds of judges in America’s lower districts and circuit courts throughout his presidency. And most recently, for the third time in four years, he has nominated his pick to the…
By Christopher Tan (PZ ‘21) In Milan, hospitals have been overwhelmed by a deluge of patients. In Madrid, authorities turned a historic ice-rink into a morgue for the dead. In Paris, officials scramble to find more ventilators for rising numbers of critical cases. With lightning speed, the spread of COVID-19 has devastated European health services…
By Christopher Tan (PZ ‘21) Crippled by US sanctions, embroiled in political unrest and rattled by the death of its most important general; the last few months have tested Iran’s hardline leadership. Yet, through tight control of the media, vote-rigging and revolutionary zest; Tehran has quelled whatever threats these posed to its regime. As the…
Christopher Tan PZ (’21) On a frosty day on January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court made a landmark decision in Citizens United v. FEC that went onto radically reshape the business of American politics. In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the case ruled that the 1st Amendment protected the rights of corporate…
By Christopher Tan (PZ ’21) Xi Jinping could have not have imagined a worse start to the Lunar New Year. A sudden outbreak of viral pneumonia from Wuhan has sent the country into lockdown and has left world healthcare services scrambling to stem its spread. This latest crisis is a cruel ending to a year…
By Christopher Tan (PZ ‘21) Three years after it voted to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom continues to face more questions than answers over its uncertain future. Since 2016, Britain has dumped two prime ministers, limped through two bruising election campaigns (with a third on the horizon), and seen a rapid decline in…
By Christopher Tan (PZ ’21) Hong Kong summers are unforgiving. Crowds of people clog narrow streets alongside buses and trams. Dense heat, amplified by the region’s notorious humidity, is trapped between canyons of skyscrapers, leaving citizens to seek respite in tiny apartments. If the sun is not out, typhoons and heavy rain showers batter the territory,…