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Nadine Mansour 10/10/12 Nadine Mansour 10/10/12

Political Minutes: Gérard Araud

A real plan for Syria is to consider the following: What is the cost of the fall of regime? Who would be left in power? Will there be a Syrian state?

Tommaso Verderame 10/10/12 Tommaso Verderame 10/10/12

Bringing Everyone to the Table

Until the world accepts this – that separatist movements exist for a reason and solutions need to include them – peace in Mali is looking increasingly like a mirage.

Jamie Boothe 10/9/12 Jamie Boothe 10/9/12

How'd We Get to Sesame Street?

Since only a fraction of PBS’s funding comes from the federal government, eliminating the subsidy would not end PBS, but the network would almost certainly change as it would be forced to corporatize and long-standing classic programs might be thrown to the wayside in favor of new material.

David Silberthau 10/9/12 David Silberthau 10/9/12

The One Man Time Bomb

You may have heard Romney’s quips and the president’s meager defense that “things are getting better”. It turns out those numbers were wrong.

Narayan Subramanian 10/9/12 Narayan Subramanian 10/9/12

Political Minutes: Economic Advisers Forum

With the presidential election looming ahead and the economy considered unanimously to be the most defining issue, a debate between the senior economic advisers of the candidates could not have been more fitting for last night’s World Leaders Forum event.

Andrea S. Viejo 10/6/12 Andrea S. Viejo 10/6/12

“Socialismo, Patria, te moriste”

The youth of Venezuela and their hope of seeing change in power in their country adds value to Capriles’ struggle. Many of them, far away from the country and on the eve of midterms in some of the most prestigious universities, have flown back just to exert their voting right.

Elizabeth Strassner 10/5/12 Elizabeth Strassner 10/5/12

Highway 270: Colorado

Colorado makes for an interesting microcosm of the nation as a whole—its median voter rather than its extremist blocs—in that its voters tend to be amongst the most politically moderate in the United States.

Constance Boozer 10/4/12 Constance Boozer 10/4/12

Political Minutes: Former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair on Financial Reform

Amid the discussion of credit default swaps, capital requirements, and mortgage restructuring, Bair stressed the importance of trust – not only that financial institutions need to gain trust from the public, but also that the public needs to trust regulators.

Damien Coruzzi 10/3/12 Damien Coruzzi 10/3/12

This Sunday, Chavez vs. Opposition – Round Four

Can Mr. Capriles beat Hugo Chavez? And, if so, would Mr. Chavez even relinquish power?

Hannah Bisewski 10/2/12 Hannah Bisewski 10/2/12

Distilled Democracy

But when the voice of a popular majority is reported and heard only after it has been distilled through a partial and specific government structure, it’s no wonder that few American voters feel that voting is significant — or even that the political sphere is a forum in which their voices belong.

Michael Ard 10/2/12 Michael Ard 10/2/12

Same Old "New" CCP

This trial, however, has nothing to do with corruption, bribery, or murder committed by a party member. It has everything to do with a party searching for a scapegoat before a new generation of leaders takes center stage.

Michael Ouimette 10/2/12 Michael Ouimette 10/2/12

Cuomo in Control

To regain control of the state senate, the Democrats need a unified financial, media, and grassroots operation that can only be inspired by one leader. Governor Andrew Cuomo is the only person who has the popularity to deliver independent swing voters to candidates like Addabbo and O’Brien.

Cindy Zhang 10/2/12 Cindy Zhang 10/2/12

Michael Ard

Michael Ard, CC ‘13, is an EALAC major. He is CPR'S Asian affairs correspondent. Feel free to email him at mha2121@columbia.edu with suggestions, questions, and fan mail.

George Joseph 10/2/12 George Joseph 10/2/12

Political Minutes: Barnard Workers UAW 2110

On a dark, cold Monday evening nearly a hundred students, faculty member, and union organizers sat together at Barnard in the group’s first sign of solidarity. The struggle, pitting Barnard President Debora Spar against 130 of the lowest paid employees on campus, will determine whether these workers get to maintain basic labor rights ranging from serious cuts to healthcare and maternity leave to controversial proposals like the elimination of sexual harassment claims and child care leave.

David Silberthau 10/1/12 David Silberthau 10/1/12

The Super Bowl of Electoral Politics

9 p.m. EST Wednesday night. Grab your popcorn and plop down in front of the television, because I hear the networks are carrying it. The presidential debates. It’s the Super Bowl of electoral politics. And boy am I excited.

Jamie Boothe 10/1/12 Jamie Boothe 10/1/12

A Game of Groans

This week President Obama and Mitt Romney will come together, face-to-face, for the first time in front of the national audience. They will debate domestic policy at the University of Denver, moderated by PBS’ Jim Lehrer.

Jamie Boothe 10/1/12 Jamie Boothe 10/1/12

Is There a War on Coal?

In the American context, there is a War on Terror, a War in Afghanistan, and a War on Drugs…but that is it. There is no “war” being waged against women, religion, or coal.

Julie Zeilinger 10/1/12 Julie Zeilinger 10/1/12

Divas for DVA

Every 9 seconds, a woman in the United States is assaulted or beaten. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. The pervasiveness of this issue is astounding: Domestic violence is truly an issue that impacts us all – it transcends race, class, culture, and age, impacting women and men everywhere.

Elizabeth Strassner 9/30/12 Elizabeth Strassner 9/30/12

Highway 270: Virginia

The ideal Romney-Obama argument over Virginia must be rooted in promise, rather than retrospection—that is, Romney must convince Virginians that their economic stability is precarious and that four more years of the Obama administration will bring it to a halt.

Malini Nambiar 9/30/12 Malini Nambiar 9/30/12

Political Minutes: Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

This past Thursday, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke under Low Rotunda, in an event titled “Challenges of Transformation in a Fragile State; The Case of Liberia.”