Sepp Blatter and the FIFA Globetrotters
On December 2nd, FIFA announced that Russia and Qatar would host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Their selections mark a desire for FIFA to expand the horizons of international football and increase its influence as a global force.
Read MoreFormer Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar talks at Penn
On Friday, December 3rd, as part of a broader visit to Philadelphia and Penn, Former Prime Minister of Spain Jose Maria Aznar spoke to students at Stiteler Hall. The event was organized by Sigma Iota Rho, the Honor Society for International Relations. An article in the Daily Pennsylvanian today talks about another talk of Aznar’s at Huntsman Hall, also on Friday. After Aznar was formally inducted into Sigma Iota Rho as a lifetime honorary member, he spoke briefly about the current global political climate, talking about shifting power dynamics and the economic situation. Following this, there was a Q&A session where students asked for insight into Aznar’s opinions on various issues ranging from separatist movements in Spain, the disintegration of the European Union and the growth of Latin America. Jose Maria Aznar served as Prime Minister of Spain from...
Read MoreThe Rambler: A Vindication of Liberalism, Part II
In last week’s column I briefly summarized the contents of Mr. Holmes’s Anatomy of Antiliberalism. I then gave several antiliberal arguments against the supposed sins of liberalism: relativism, secularism, individualism, and empiricism. When summed, they paint a dreary and disheartening vista. Mr. Holmes, however, intended his book as a defense of liberalism, and therefore it will not do to allow it to be pummeled without offering a hand in defense. Let us scan these accusations and see if we cannot find some slipshod reasoning therein. Most of the counterarguments that follow belong to Holmes, but I have interpolated my own reasoning as I see fit.[1] We will begin with the charge of relativism. Are the antiliberals right? Does living in a pluralist society really encourage moral apathy about “right” and “wrong”? Liberalism certainly allows for the paradoxical coexistence of...
Read MoreNow what’s a government to do about this WikiLeaks problem?
Both Michael and Sindhuri have brilliantly talked about the WikiLeaks situation. I completely agree that the website threatens global peace and security, and I condemn many of WikiLeaks publications. But I’d like to shed some light on my predictions for what’s going to happen in the near future. I’m sure that when a lot of people read about WikiLeaks they instantly remembered the “Pentagon Papers” from high school history. The Pentagon Paper’s case (New York Times v. United States) was a Supreme Court case about the New York Times publishing classified military documents. The case holds the same argument as what you think a WikiLeaks v. United States case will; the Espionage Act of 1917. You may remember the Supreme Court’s “clear and present danger” test for this act, which states that actions that provide a “clear and present...
Read MoreUAE’s estrangement with Iran another kick in the teeth for the Iranian Economy
Earlier sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against Iran have often been criticized for not being severe enough. However, the wave of sanctions passed by the UNSC in June seems to be having a noticeable impact on the Iranian economy and its trade relations. The UAE, a long time trade partner of Iran, has been mindful of the sanctions and has taken steps to reduce its dealings with Iran to escape the ire of the permanent members of the UNSC.
Read More
