Northeastern University Political Review

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Northeastern University Political Review

Meetings will start up again during the fall semester—see you then! Not getting our emails? We hold meetings once a week while the University is in session.

Email [email protected] or sign up at https://nupoliticalreview.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=dee7734a69f411f00c16e731d&id=f3ed02f7be The print edition of the Political Review is published semesterly, while the web edition is updated on a rolling basis. All students are welcome to attend and become involved.

03/30/2023

Whether it is conscious or not, Americans expect VP Kamala Harris to adhere to her stereotypes, and are disappointed when she does not. Gya Gupta argues that Americans should not blame Harris for this invisible, unsuccessful balancing act.

National 6 hours ago The Racist and Sexist Media Coverage Behind Vice President Harris’s Unpopularity by Gya Gupta, Journalism and Media Screen Studies 2025 Kamala Harris broke countless boundaries as the first woman—and person of Black and Indian heritage—to become vice president of the Unite...

02/27/2023

"Do Revenge" is Netflix’s latest romantic comedy marketed towards teens across the country. Anjali Aggarwal argues that what seems like another painfully transparent remake of classics like "Clueless" and "Mean Girls" is actually a satirical commentary on the way we glamorize performative activism and artificial allyship.

Opinion January 30, 2023 Do Revenge and the Commodification of Wokeness by Anjali Aggarwal, Business Administration and Economics 2025 On September 16th, Netflix released Do Revenge, its latest romantic comedy marketed towards teens across the country. However, what seems like another painfully tran...

02/16/2023

Europeans and Americans time and again wield tokens of desi history, though colonization already erased much of their primary significance and cultural meaning. Anjali Aggarwal argues that we should hold individuals accountable for their actions, but blind criticism of their ignorance fails to address the flawed narrative of history that led them astray.

Perspectives January 27, 2023 Diamonds, Discourse, and the Indian Diaspora by Anjali Aggarwal, Business Administration and Economics 2025 Every spring, the Hollywood elite gets dressed for the Met Gala—an exclusive fundraising and fashion event dating back to the late 1940s. Their stylists careful...

01/30/2023

Northeastern’s demonstration policy dissuades and prevents students from engaging in constructive conversation on campus. Arien Wagen argues that to effectively pursue its goals, Northeastern should adopt one of two models—the public forum or the walled city—and act accordingly.

Campus January 25, 2023 Northeastern: Public Forum or Walled City? by Arien Wagen, Business Administration 2023 Private universities, not being bound by the First Amendment like public schools, can choose to regulate speech as they see fit on their campuses. Some campuses adopt free speech protectio...

01/26/2023

Residents will use the effectiveness of the Work and Family Mobility Act to evaluate their newly elected state leaders, argue Xinyi Looi, Claire Stipp, and Thomas Ryen. With time, we can analyze Q4’s long-term impact to continue to make informed voting decisions.

National January 18, 2023 Question 4: Results, Reactions, and the Future by Xinyi Looi, Mechanical Engineering 2026, Claire Stipp, Chemical Engineering 2026, & Thomas Ryen, Mechanical Engineering 2026 On June 9, 2022, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Work and Family Mobility Act, which provi...

11/19/2022

True crime like "Dahmer" may try to highlight the racism and homophobia that is historically rooted within United States law enforcement, but the narrative style of the reenactment creates an emphasis on the crime instead of the justice, Gya Gupta argues. Until true crime shows foreground justice over violence, and help viewers acknowledge the continuation of police violence within their own communities, these shows will not have an impact on a justice system that remains negligent towards vulnerable communities.

A growing number of American adults are watching true crime dramas, based on theft, kidnappings, or serial murders, on a regular basis. In recent years there has been a rapid increase in production and consumption of the true crime genre. Most recently, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a true crim...

11/17/2022

Republicans and Democrats are different from each other—different to their core in a way that many have always known, though never understood. Rowan Van Lare argues that the psychological workings of politics are more complicated than they seem.

Picture this: you are a young adult going to college in Boston. Maybe your parents are conservative and you have a Trump flag in your house. Maybe they aren’t, but you’ve always seen your parents as bleeding hearts. You love your country—this is the place where freedom is key. You can speak il...

11/08/2022

With Massachusetts’ November elections quickly approaching, tension surrounds the ballot questions. Thomas Ryen, Xinyi Looi, & Claire Stipp present the case for and against Question 4, which asks voters to approve the Work and Family Mobility Act in a referendum.

With Massachusetts’ November elections quickly approaching, tension surrounds the ballot questions. Question 4, in particular, asks voters to approve the Work and Family Mobility Act in a referendum. This act enables all qualified Massachusetts residents, regardless of citizenship status, to apply...

11/03/2022

The economic conditions observed in a country can deeply affect the outcome and overall support of a government, as seen in mid-2010s Brazil. Camila Blikstad argues that citizens' willingness to overlook corruption and scandal depends on their country's fiscal performance.

In 2011, Dilma Rousseff was elected the first female president of Brazil. During her tenure, Rousseff advocated many popular policies including economic stability, poverty reduction, a decrease in unemployment, and political and tax reform. She went on to enjoy an approval rating of over 70 percent....

10/24/2022

Pharmaceutical greed is a plague on our healthcare system and an unavoidable death sentence for many, Senam Apedo writes. To improve nationwide health, we must make prescription medication readily available to those who need it.

The United States health care system is a business. Providers and policymakers across the country attempt to improve the quality and accessibility of national health care, but the profitability of these services stands in the way. In 2016, the United States government spent more than $3.3 trillion.....

08/22/2022

This past March, Uber struck a deal to offer rides with yellow cabs in New York City. Anjali Aggarwal argues that Uber's deal preys on cab drivers who are willing to work for less and undermines existing labor movements to improve working standards for all drivers.

On March 24, Uber announced that it would add NYC taxicabs to its app this summer to increase user accessibility. This partnership, referred to as the “yellow cab deal,” kills two birds with one stone: it creates new customers for cab drivers while simultaneously tackling Uber’s driver shortag...

06/13/2022

Friendly reminder that the deadline for our fall 2022 applications are quickly approaching! If you are interested in a position, please submit your application by this Wednesday, June 15, at 11:59 pm.

NU Political Review Fall 2022 Application Due June 15th at 11:59 PM ET. Email to our Editor-in-Chief and President at [email protected] and [email protected], respectively. Open to all Northeastern undergraduate students. Select File → Make a Copy, then fill out the doc in your own Dr...

06/03/2022

While the United States prides itself on being a country that produces experts, states continually defer to politicians with ulterior motives instead of medical professionals. Rachel Feiner argues that limiting or prohibiting access to gender-affirming care has dire, directly life-threatening consequences for trans children across the US.

In recent months, multiple states, including Texas, Alabama, and Arizona, enacted legislation that seeks to significantly limit access to—and, in some cases, criminalize—the practice of gender-affirming healthcare, especially for trans youth. These developments raise questions as to how we addre...

05/31/2022

The pandemic gave prisons an opportunity to exploit inmate labor in the production of essential goods, increasing the role of the prison-industrial complex. Anjali Aggarwal argues that reform proposals must consider marginalized communities, unsafe conditions, and unintended economic consequences.

On January 26, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order declaring that the federal government will eliminate its reliance on private prisons in an attempt to reform our deeply broken incarceration system. With this order, the federal government would sever its ties with for-profit detention f...

05/26/2022

Much like conspiracy theorists inaccurately paint the Bermuda Triangle as a supernatural hotspot, politicians take the stage to create uneasiness and uncertainty around inflation. Anjali Aggarwal argues that consumers should focus less on the consequences of inflation, and more on supporting small businesses across Boston.

The Bermuda Triangle is one of our society’s most well-known ghost stories, home to mysteries, misunderstandings, and misinformation. Time and again, conspiracy theorists attempt to paint the disappearances surrounding the infamous site as a supernatural hotspot, but with little evidence to prove ...

05/20/2022

Social media companies are complicit in spreading dangerous disinformation in the US. Allegra D’Virgilio argues that comprehensive policy action, ranging from education initiatives to more stringent regulation, is past due.

This article was written prior to Elon Musk’s offer to purchase Twitter. In a 2020 report, the Department of Homeland Security named White supremacists as the single greatest domestic terror threat facing the US. In 2021, QAnon supporters, the Proud Boys, and other extremist groups carried out a d...

05/17/2022

Despite precedent and strong public distrust, Japan is pushing for nuclear energy to decarbonize. Andrew Small argues that Japan faces two complex choices for achieving carbon neutrality; either path will impact the country’s democracy and energy systems.

In October 2020, then-Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide declared that Japan would reach net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, an extremely high hurdle for the country to achieve in just thirty years. Japan is among the world’s largest carbon emitters, with forty percent of its emissions coming fro...

05/16/2022

In the centuries since the Enlightenment’s onset, the West has largely forgotten its purpose: to create a global civilization predicated on development and commerce. Kalon Boston argues that proprietary cities are one solution to the no-growth apocalypse.

“And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.” – Daniel 2:43 “For at that time the world was altogether home-bred, every nation looked little beyond their own confines or territories, and t...

05/13/2022

To counter declining enrollment, universities need to rework their offerings to provide their students with a valuable education. Arien Wagen argues that these institutions must be unwavering in their dedication to education’s goals, whether offering vocational or liberal educations.

Something is wrong with our university system. Many young Americans decide against enrolling in or even applying to universities and community colleges. College enrollment has declined every year for the past decade, and there are one million fewer students in college today than there were before th...

05/11/2022

We want you! Our Fall 2022 Application for editors, columnists, and staff writers is now live. Fill out this form by Tuesday, May 31, at 11:59pm EST to apply.

NU Political Review Fall 2022 Application Due May 31st at 11:59 PM ET. Email to our Editor-in-Chief and President at [email protected] and [email protected], respectively. Open to all Northeastern undergraduate students. Select File → Make a Copy, then fill out the doc in your own Dri...

05/04/2022

Tokyo’s top-down approach regarding the relocation of the US Marine Corps Air Station to Henoko illustrates the ruling party's willingness to ignore democracy. Andrew Small argues that the biggest threat to Japan does not come from foreign military aggression—they come from the National Diet in Tokyo.

This article discusses sexual assault. In January, Nago City re-elected Mayor Toguchi Taketoyo instead of his opponent Kishimoto Yohei by roughly 15 percent. The central issue of this race was the relocation of the US Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma from a crowded city center to the coastal....

05/02/2022

Japan’s immigration system favors restricted migration and jeopardizes the wellbeing and safety of the country’s most at-risk migrants, argues Andrew Small. The MOJ must administer justice.

This article discusses violence, su***de, and self-harm. On March 6, 2021, Wishma Sandamali, a Sri Lankan national who entered Japan on a student visa, died in custody at an Aichi Prefecture immigration detention facility. In August 2020, authorities arrested and detained her for overstaying her vis...

04/05/2022

Japan recently approved a plan to gradually release treated nuclear waste water into the Pacific Ocean. Andrew Small outlines the consequences of the decision and calls for increased transparency.

Since the 2011 triple disaster decimated Japan’s northeast Tohoku region, the area surrounding Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has seen the construction of hundreds of massive temporary water storage tanks. These vessels contain highly contaminated water used to cool melted uranium fuel rods...

04/04/2022

Journalistic objectiviity results in impersonal and inaccurate reporting, argues Delaney Murray. News outlets should abandon “objective” journalism and adopt social journalism so that reporters can tell stories representatively and accurately.

Journalists are hiding information from you, but not in the way you think. Many journalists—protected by the decades-old ethical standard of journalistic objectivity—fail to engage in anything more than surface-level interviews with their sources. “Objectivity” hinders reporters from buildin...

03/23/2022

The Texas Heartbeat Act bans almost all abortions in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy and bestow enforcement abilities on private citizens. Avinash Navani argues that the Act threatens abortion rights and ignores judicial precident.

The Texas Heartbeat Act, or Senate Bill 8 (SB8), came into effect on September 1, 2021. The bill—perhaps one of the most uncompromising legislative measures to regulate abortions since the Supreme Court’s ruling of Roe v. Wade—bans almost all abortions in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy, in...

03/23/2022

Rhea Tipnis and Abigail Sodergren outline why you should vote for them in the 2022 student body elections.

On a campus as dynamic as Northeastern’s, things can change in a heartbeat. The decisions of our Student Government Association (SGA) often go unnoticed, even though they impact everyone on campus. As a student, the greatest opportunity to learn about SGA and make your voice heard is to vote in ou...

03/10/2022

Tragedies, unfavorable media coverage, and misinformation give nuclear power an unfairly negative reputation. Linley Himes argues that embracing nuclear power is the only way to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Show almost anyone the yellow and black three-pronged nuclear emblem, and you will probably get a negative reaction. The symbol evokes feelings of impending doom, visions of mushroom clouds, and worries of radiation-borne maladies. But ironically, the energy behind it is the only thing that can aver...

02/24/2022

Q***rphobia in the Caribbean region has colonial roots, argues Jenia Browne. White, Western LGBTQ+ activism hurts Caribbean q***r communities and must shift to consider diversity of culture and experience.

Introduction As of 2020, nine Caribbean countries criminalize same-sex relations. Beyond legal discrimination, q***r Caribbean people face increased threats of violence, abuse, and oppression. In 2006, Time magazine went as far as insinuating that the Caribbean region is “the most homophobic place...

02/23/2022

No one should be imprisoned for poverty. Emma Plante argues that the cash bail system does just that, making due process a privilege rather than a right and undermining justice.

In 2010, police arrested sixteen-year-old Kalief Browder for a robbery there was no evidence he committed, set his bail at $3,000, and imprisoned him on Rikers Island—all without a trial. The Bronx’s lengthy case backlog and expensive bail kept Browder imprisoned for three years, often in solita...

01/29/2022

The law school admissions process makes it very difficult for low-income students to apply. Emma Plante argues that diversity in the profession is required to achieve social justice.

Upon fictional character Elle Woods’s acceptence to Harvard law, she asks “What, like it’s hard?” Although the girl-boss icon from the 2001 film Legally Blonde is an inspiration for many, the law school application process is far from easy and laden with financial barriers. The admissions pr...

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