Governance

Are Mexicans ready for a woman president? As two female candidates lead in Mexico’s presidential race, the question has appeared in polls, debates, media and conversations across Mexico. But it is also a sample of the sexism and “macho” culture that continues to permeate Mexico, according to political analysts. The question of whether Mexicans are ready...

Marijuana campaigners in Germany lit celebratory joints on Monday as the country liberalized rules on cannabis to allow possession of small amounts. The German Cannabis Association, which campaigned for the new law, staged a “smoke-in” at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate when the law took effect at midnight. Other public consumption events were scheduled throughout the...

The bill represents the culmination of a legislative trend on child safety that traces back to fall of 2021. Members of Congress love to complain about social media platforms. The spectacle of tech executives being berated in front of congressional committees has, over the past few years, become a semi-regular feature of American politics, and lawmakers have introduced piles of legislation aimed...

Due to gender-based discrimination, women politicians often lead as “iron ladies” rather than peacemakers—eschewing, not pursuing, peace with foreign adversaries. Editor’s Note: Are female leaders less likely to go to war? Joshua Schwartz of Carnegie Mellon and Princeton’s Christopher Blair argue that while, in general, women may have more pacifistic learnings than men, women leaders face...

Over half of the 60 countries holding national elections this year are experiencing a democratic decline, risking the integrity of the electoral process, as reported in the latest Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg. The worsening election quality is concerning, given the pivotal role elections play in either reinforcing or...

When the Supreme Court ruled on March 4, 2024, that former President Donald Trump could appear on state presidential ballots for the 2024 election, it did not address an idea that seemed simple and compelling when Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised it during the Feb. 8, 2024, oral arguments in the case: “What about the idea...

The evidence does not support disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis. But Nathan Wade needs to step aside. As television drama, it could not have been more riveting: one part Perry Mason, one part General Hospital, and one part House of Cards. It featured damaging testimony suggesting that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis might not...

A review of Lee McIntyre, “On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy” (MIT 2023) In his 1962 book, “The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America,” future Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin predicted a time in which our ability to technologically shape reality would become so sophisticated that our creations would...

New legal protections are needed to empower the media to play its vital role in informing citizens about their government.  The press and the executive branch routinely battle over access to government secrets. Frequently reporters seek to extract information the government would prefer to withhold and to withhold information the government would prefer to extract....