Nation & World

All Nation & World

  • Principled yet just, pragmatic yet idealistic — and nice

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, recipient of the 2020 Gleitsman International Activist Award from Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, talks about leadership challenges and how she’s dealt with crises from the outside, like the coronavirus pandemic, and from the inside, like self-doubt and sexism in politics.

    Sherman abd Ardern in Zoom talk.
  • Giving thanks for what, exactly?

    Natives at Harvard College held the Indigenous Inspirers Panel two days before Thanksgiving to discuss how Indigenous people celebrate Thanksgiving. Among the panelists were North Dakota State Rep. Ruth Buffalo, Sadada Jackson, Autumn Peltier, Chenae Bullock, Pua Case, and Tara Houska.

    Zoom panel.
  • What will the new post-pandemic normal look like?

    The coronavirus pandemic is forcing changes big and small to the economy, to society, even to the trajectory of young lives. Harvard experts weigh in on some key areas.

    Computer with a mask.
  • So how much change can Biden bring on climate change?

    Harvard environmental experts discuss what’s next in climate-change policy.

    Solar panels.
  • Upgrading the State Department

    Report by Belfer Center’s Future of Diplomacy Project says revamped U.S. diplomatic service should be less politicized, more professional, more diverse.

    Eagle seal.
  • Reining in growing powers of the presidency

    Bob Bauer ’73 and Jack Goldsmith propose what they say are long-overdue reforms to the Office of the President.

    Illustration of presidents tipping scales of justice.
  • Talking pandemic across borders

    Two Harvard alumni created the Bridging Borders Project to assemble the perspectives of world leaders and exchange health policy ideas about the pandemic.

    Prime minister Taur Matan Ruak on Zoom.
  • What the election may tell us about the future

    The five panelists on a Tuesday roundtable discussed “Implications of the 2020 Election.”

    Danielle Allen.
  • How politicians practice ‘racial distancing’ with communities of color

    LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, author of “Race to the Bottom: How Racial Appeals Work in American Politics,” offered a view that went beyond the Trump era.

    LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, Princeton University assistant professor of politics, and Davin L. Phoenix
  • What do Trump’s election denials and flurry of firings add up to?

    What is President Trump up to with his ongoing purge of top Pentagon and cybersecurity officials and his false assertions that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected as the 46th president? Experts say it’s not clear yet, but intelligence and national security risks abound.

    President Donald Trump.
  • Is science back? Harvard’s Holdren says ‘yes’

    The incoming Biden administration will hear science, Obama’s top science adviser said. It’s also important for scientists to engage in public debate about science.

    John Holdren.
  • Giving the Constitution a grade of C

    The Gazette interviewed husband-and-wife team Cynthia Levinson and Sandy Levinson, who wrote a graphic novel about the Constitution.

    Graphic Novel about Constitution.
  • Pressley says election success points the way for Democrats

    Ayanna Pressley spoke about her mandate as a newly re-elected representative of the commonwealth’s 7th Congressional District

    IOP Panel on Zoom.
  • Appeals court finds for Harvard in admissions case

    The First Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed Harvard’s use of race as one factor among many in its application process. The decision, issued by a two-judge panel in Boston, upheld a district court ruling last year that found Harvard’s admission practices do not discriminate against Asian American applicants and comply with prior Supreme Court rulings.

    Entrance to Annenberg Hall and Memorial Hall.
  • Harvard Republicans view election outcome as largely positive

    The Harvard Republican Club finds reasons to celebrate during the presidential election.

    Matthews Hall on Harvard's campus.
  • Looking at what the election will mean to education policy

    Hosted by the Graduate School of Education, Harvard experts look at the election’s impact on politics and policies that affect young people, families, schools, and communities.

    Education panel.
  • Dust is starting to settle after election, yet the way forward is unclear

    The Gazette turns once again to scholars and analysts across in the University to get their views of what happened and what comes next.

    People gather along 16th street in front of the White House.
  • After a hard election, the real work begins

    Harvard University scholars, analysts, and affiliates take a look at what the election tells us about the prospects for greater unity and progress, and offer suggestions and predictions about where the new administration will, and should, go.

    Kamala Harris, Harris, President-elect Joe Biden.
  • Could a divided government be what the voters want?

    Top political strategists spoke at two Harvard events, analyzing the results of the 2020 election.

    Group of speakers on Zoom.
  • The problems (and promise) of polling

    It seems political polls may have again missed the mark, but a range of Harvard experts warn the truth is much more complicated.

    Election Day results showing up on big screen.
  • Hard lessons from a tough election

    The Gazette asked scholars and analysts across the University to reflect on lessons learned in the 2020 election.

    Voting site.
  • Legal experts shake their heads at GOP election suits

    Legal experts say not to expect President Trump’s election suits to be successful, but they could prove useful to him in other ways.

    Election staff packing ballots.
  • An electorate that wanted to be heard

    Kennedy School panelists gathered online for a conversation on the issues and consequences of the presidential election, which they lauded as orderly and successful.

    Zoom shot of speakers.
  • Recalling another strange, historic election

    Harvard historians and scholars look at the 1872 presidential election that saw feminist Victoria Woodhull and abolitionist Frederick Douglass on the same ticket.

    Victoria Woodhull and Frederick Douglass.
  • Why isn’t the right more afraid of COVID-19?

    Don’t they know how contagious this virus is? Analysts discuss why some people ignore or reject the medical experts and science of COVID.

    A crowd at a Trump rally.
  • Thinking through unforeseeable election fallout

    An online gathering of university officials took place last week to exchange ideas on how to prepare for Election Day.

    Students voting.
  • How might the election change the nation’s place on world stage?

    Analysts assess how a Biden presidency could reshape U.S. relations, impact the nation’s intelligence community, and prompt a nuclear recalibration by North Korea, Iran, and Russia.

    Former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump.
  • Lessons for leadership in a riven nation

    Former governor Deval Patrick and scholars from various fields wrestle with ways to launch change.

    Deval Patrick.
  • A fraught season for health care

    With Election Day approaching and the coronavirus pandemic surging, Benjamin Sommers discusses how shifting political winds might affect health care.

    Medical reports and a computer.
  • What to keep

    Professors Ana Lucia Araujo of Howard University and Mame-Fatou Niang of Carnegie Mellon University discussed movements to remove or rebrand public memorials commemorating historical figures associated with slavery and colonialism during “Race and Remembrance in Contemporary Europe,” presented by the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.

    Robert Milligan Statue.