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Posts published in “Politics”

Tear this up when you’re done reading it

Just kidding. You can’t go all Nancy Pelosi on this article without damaging your computer, and you probably don’t want to do that. Computers are expensive. Seriously, though. Do you need a drink?

You probably need a drink.

Anything to take the edge off is helpful after the week we’ve had. From democracy-spiking apps to geographically-curious tweets, the past seven days have been so full of gaffes that the joke in this article’s headline will probably be two news cycles old before you read it. There were about 90 minutes on Tuesday night when it would have been great, though.

If you somehow managed to maintain your sanity, it probably won’t do you any good to recount what happened, but we’re going to do it anyway. …

The greatest tragedy of impeachment: By the time it ended, none of us seemed to care

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate held just the third ever vote on whether to convict and remove a sitting president on articles of impeachment. Such a moment should carry with it a type of palpable gravitas. After all, in the wide scope of human history, the ability to select one’s leaders is a relatively new idea. The ability, one might even argue the responsibility, to remove one’s leaders through nonviolent procedure if they are injurious to the office is an even more novel concept.

And yet, on Wednesday afternoon, as the Senate twice went through its roll call to acquit Donald John Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors, I sat in the lobby of the Kaufman Management Center watching a potential inflection point in the American experiment on my iPad, and felt nothing.…

Kickoff of the Democratic Primary Season

February 3rd, 2020, the kickoff of the Democratic Primary season at the Iowa Caucuses, will go down as a dark day in American politics. 

After months of anticipation, the first event at which delegates would be awarded for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President, technical glitches and poor planning left candidates, caucus-goers, and voters across the country confused about who actually won, with results trickling in over days rather than hours. The mishandling of such a pivotal moment must not be played down. As soon as reports were delayed, the integrity of the caucuses was compromised. Outbursts from the left and right side of the aisle, and all over twitter, speculated on hacks, corruption, or foreign intervention.…

Recap on “Medicare for All Debate”

By Aditi Thakur

With the 2020 elections approaching quickly, Medicare for All is once again at the forefront of intense debate. Sharp divisions exist not only along party lines, but also within parties themselves, as the progressive and moderate wings find themselves debating the merits of a complete overhaul or a more gradual transition to single payer healthcare. As with most hot-button topics, the Medicare debate has, unfortunately, devolved into a partisan issue with a lack of substantive debate about its economic and policy nuances. 

The Adam Smith Society, or SmithSoc, is a national chapter-based network of MBA students that facilitates nonpartisan discussion and debate of pressing economic and public policy issues.…

Taiwan 2020 Election: Tsai Wins Re-Election in Resounding Fashion

On January 11, 2020, incumbent President Tsai Ing-Wen was reelected as president of Taiwan. In a landslide victory, Tsai secured over 57% of the ballot with 8.2 million votes, the largest vote total for a candidate since the island held its first direct presidential election in 1996. Tsai’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), also won a majority of seats (61) in the Legislative Yuan.

Few would have expected these results less than a year ago. In November 2018, Tsai and the DPP suffered massive defeats in the midterm elections as domestic issues like necessary, but ill-received pension reforms and wage stagnation led to a decline in her popularity.…

Europe’s Struggle with China on Trade

It’s no secret that China is upending today’s world order that took shape after the dust settled post-Cold War. Rivaling US hegemony, China poses risks as well as opportunities depending on who you talk to: an emerging markets investor, a US politician or an executive of a global company.

Broadly speaking, the US, embroiled in a drawn out trade war with China, looks at the second largest economy in the world with contention. It used to be the same in Europe. Increasingly, however, countries in Europe are starting to extend their hand to China’s tempting propositions. Unfortunately, the EU only recently started to really sweat about China.…

Ode to the Free Market, I Love Capitalism!

In a New York Times letter to the editor back in 1992, a gentleman in New Jersey who lived in Russia for 35 years of his life wrote that “the way socialism works is this: By distributing the wealth, it does not make all the people rich. It makes the people poor.” Brief, yet effective and authentic, the letter recounts the poverty and anguish he witnessed in the country following World War II.

In his recent autobiography “I Love Capitalism!”, Stern’s very own Ken Langone (MBA ’60) speaks of enthusiasm, perseverance, confidence and healthy competition, as related to business and investing.…

Years in the Making, U.S.-China Trade Conflict Takes Center Stage

In an interconnected world with faster, more efficient trade flows and supply chains, the perception is often that the protectionist countries stand alone, erecting economic barriers that isolate them from the global community. Global trade is a sign of prosperity and benefits to consumers who gain access to a diverse array of goods and services, often striking a more favorable balance between price and quality. Those who question such prosperity often garner admonishment from heads of government, economists, or the media, among others.

However, globalism, or any particular system for that matter, is imperfect. Some countries or individuals benefit at the expense of others, breaking rules or violating trade agreements as they gather wealth and influence.…

To Be Held to a Higher Standard in Business

According to the Global Ethics Network, moral leadership is when an individual puts the needs of the many above his/her own and leads through persuasion, motivation, self-awareness and, most importantly, their own actions. Similarly, the Centre for Ethical Leadership defines ethical leadership as converting the values of justice, integrity, and respect into effective actions during complex and dynamic situations. More often than not, businesses find themselves in the headlines due to their financial performance rather than their moral and ethical leadership. When they do appear in the news for the latter reasons, we often ignore the headlines or give businesses and their leaders the benefit of the doubt. Recently,…

Populism: Back from the Margins of Global Politics

The return of populism to the forefront of global politics isn’t a shift of world order but does mark a turn in modern history. The world has seen a surge of populist activity in recent years, threatening to undermine democracy and liberalism in its best philosophical sense. The world must be reminded, however, that populism sniffs the air for fear and rides the tide against the existing mandate. As Winston Churchill said: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Back from the margins of the political spectrum, populism relies on the same issues and same types of voters from history, and liberalism is tested once again.…

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