This January, Polis welcomed Congressman David Price back to Duke’s campus as a Polis Distinguished Fellow. He had previously served as the representative for NC’s… Continue Reading Congressman David Price on His Life and Career as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, The Washington Post
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Sanford Professor Mac McCorkle was quoted in Carolina’s Own Queen City News on the North Carolina governor’s race and new faces representing at the federal… Continue Reading Professor Mac McCorkle on the Political Landscape in 2023, Carolina’s Own Queen City News
Comments closedPolis Distinguished Fellow Congressman David Price did an interview with Axios for their “Local Limelight” series. Price spoke about his 30 years as a democrat… Continue Reading Congressman David Price on the Triangle and His Tenure in Congress, AXIOS Raleigh
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Sanford Professor Kristin Goss was quoted in the Washington Post on gun reform and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization advocating for stricture gun laws founded by Shannon Watts. Approximately 140 volunteers of the organization were elected to office this past midterm election. Professor Goss, citing the work and successes of Watt’s organization, says “Nothing drives me crazier than when people say 20 [children] were killed and nothing changed. That is not true.” She argues that although Congress did not pass any sweeping gun legislation, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America have been a pivotal force in the movement. Still, Watt’s is hoping for more change. When Congress did little after Sandy Hook, she realized she needed gun-sense candidates to run for office. Goss states that the organization “knew a real key to success would not just be policy change, but a change in personnel; you needed to change who was making the decision about gun policy.”
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One study by two Louisiana State University professors titled “Emotional Judges and Unlucky Juveniles” exposes an almost laughable, yet dark reality of the American justice system. It looks at the correlation between the performance of judges’ favorite football teams and the harshness of their sentencing. Sure enough, they found that when a judges preferred football team lost, inmates were behind bars for longer. Oh and, surprise, they also handed harsher sentences to black defendants. My point, though, is to underline the variability of human decision regarding the death penalty. Proponents of capital punishment support taking murderers off the streets and handing just punishment to the most heinous criminals. I am not writing to oppose this. In a perfect world, this would be attainable. But this is not a perfect world, and humans are far from perfect. Instead, I believe the death penalty should be eliminated because of the inevitable fallibility of those who hand it down.
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December 23rd is the release date for Sanford Professor Nick Carnes and co-author Carrol University Professor Lilly J. Goren’s book, The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They argue that the MCU is “a deeply political universe,” touching on all realms of government, public policy, and society. 25 leading scholars help explore various modern day political issues including civil-military relations, racial injustice, environmental catastrophe, political misinformation, and themes of diversity and representation. This is the first book to take a deep dive into the political messages within the MCU and ask the question, “What lessons are this entertainment juggernaut teaching audiences about politics, society, power, gender, and inequality?”
Continue Reading Professor Nick Carnes, The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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The western world’s alienation of civilians of Russian origin will leave long-lasting effects that are incredibly harmful to individual well-being. Vladimir Putin’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine has unmistakably sparked worldwide fear of one of the most colossal humanitarian violations of our lifetime. Russia has acted barbarically and inflicted brutal force on Ukrainian civilians and cities. However, Russian-Americans that have established businesses in the U.S or athletes of Russian descent qualified to run in marathons now being stripped of their careers due to their background is far from justifiable.
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After months of rising tensions, Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The conflict has had a staggering humanitarian toll: 2,685 civilians have been killed and another 4.1 million refugees have fled their homes. The EU crisis commissioner warned Europe to prepare for over seven million internally displaced Ukrainians; this level of displacement would make Ukraine the largest refugee crisis in recent memory. Given Jake Sullivan’s prediction the war will continue for “months,” the crisis will only escalate further.
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Semiconductors chips are the linchpin of the global economy. These chips are not just in your iPhone and car but also operate the robotics machines and assembly lines that manufacture and distribute our everyday goods. What most Americans do not know though is how difficult and expensive they are to manufacture and how globalized the supply chain is. Most chips start their life in the lab of a U.S. tech company. The blueprints are then sent to foundries, specialized factories for semiconductor chips, before being integrated into the devices and systems that power our economy.
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Roughly every tenth Uyghur was forced into concentration camps by Chinese authorities without any trial or on baseless accusations. In camps, Uyghurs are beaten, raped, tortured, and punished for speaking their native language and exercising religion. Children of detainees are placed in state orphanages where, again, they are punished for speaking their language and are brainwashed with fear and aggression.
Continue Reading Aziz Abdullaev (PPS ’23): “The World is Accepting the Uyghur Genocide”
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