Tag / Trump
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The Reality of the Fake News Hysteria
Since the 2016 election, “fake news” has become a stunningly popular topic among politicians in America and around the world. As of November 2017, the term’s usage had increased by 365 percent since 2016. Donald Trump played a major role in its popularization, with his attacks on the media often laced with the term “fake…
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World Order and American Interest
International order, narrowly defined, means “the body of rules, norms, and institutions that govern relations among key players in the international environment.” Such rules, norms, and institutions include trade deals, security norms, networks, and alliances. The current international order arose after World War II and was shaped subsequently by the Cold War and the collapse…
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Next Year in Jerusalem
President Trump’s decision to move the United States embassy to Jerusalem from its former location in Tel Aviv resulted in an immediate outcry from the international community. While one would expect this move to at least enjoy the backing of the Jewish-American community, it overwhelmingly lacked such forthright support. Far from gaining traction in the…
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The Case For the Trustee Model of Representation
The Trump era has created a new dilemma for Republican congresspersons, now forced to reconcile the preferences of their base with their potentially contradictory personal beliefs. This highlights an under-examined question in political theory. Namely, what should democratically-elected representatives do when their own moral compass points North, while their constituents’ points South? Can representatives ever…
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Transcending WUSTL’s Ignorance
“Have you ever had a professor make a joke about your genitals?” Ricki asked, beginning our conversation about Wash U’s “staggering ignorance” concerning the transgender community. Ricki (who asked for her last name to not be published) has now graduated from Wash U. An advocate for transgender students who struggled every day on campus and…
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The Evangelical Right
The Evangelical Right has long been a staple coalition in the American political process, regularly injecting an uncompromising, quasi-Christian conservative ideology into the national discourse. It’s coordinated voting-block behavior has made the Evangelical Right a powerful force in our electoral system and consequently our legislative and executives bodies. Despite its long history and repeated appeals…
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Why Trump Can Never be an Autocrat
On October 30, 2017, conservative writer and intellectual Norman Ornstein spoke at Washington University in St. Louis to promote a book he co-wrote, One Nation After Trump. He argued that the Trump presidency is leading the way toward autocracy (government by one person), kleptocracy (government by thieves), and kakistocracy (government by the worst). In fact,…
