Opinion

“Again, politics is everywhere. It's reality. And if you can't talk about these things and give everyone a little space to do it, then we can't function as a democracy and as a pluralistic society.” Sabrina GuoAssistant Editor, The BeaconSome believe that avoiding the news or steering clear of careers in law or government will shield them from the influence of politics. Professor Jason Kaune, Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management, asserts that this is impossible, and those who believe this are in for a rude awakening.Kaune explains, “Politics, more broadly speaking, is pretty simple. It’s the way we interact with each other. You and I have a political interaction because it’s more than one of u...

A note from the author: As a student at Yale, I find it hard not to feel the tension caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many people have died on both sides, and there has been unrest throughout the duration of this conflict. This article is not meant to be a position piece on the conflict but rather a letter from a concerned Yale student to my fellow Yale students. Brody GilkisonContributor, The BeaconYale University, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, hosted its pre-frosh orientation last month, known as Bulldog Days. It's a tradition that often gives admitted applicants a taste of what it's like to be a student for a few days and one that, for many, is the first time they and their parents ...

From the Center’s political leanings and poor contactability, a question arises: can a university-funded group under the non-partisan moniker of “women’s center” politicize their aid and make themselves as highly unreachable as the Yale Women’s Center and still say they are living up to their mission? Tori CookEditor-in-Chief, The BeaconWith recent media outcries over their now canceled Spring conference “Pinkwashing and Feminism in Palestine,” the Yale Women’s Center is garnering concern from students and the Yale community who are expressing doubts about whether their mission as a self-proclaimed “women’s center” means anything to the Center at all.The Center, which is housed on Yale’s Old Campus and funded by Yale’s Office of Gen...

This is the lesson that Harvard has for Yale: invite the people who are the decision makers. This extends far beyond just the Russo-Ukrainian War. Professors, authors, and survivors share invaluable insights but do not substitute for those in power who are making on-the-ground decisions and wrestling with world issues in harsh real time. Mór SzepesiAssistant Editor, The BeaconOn Friday, February 9th, the Harvard Kennedy School invited the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó, to discuss controversial topics ranging from the Russo-Ukraine war all the way to Sweden’s NATO ambitions. While some event organizers and many in the 500+ strong crowd fundamentally disagreed with Minister Szijjartó–even giggling at some of...

Trevor MacKay reflects on the complexities of discussing the Israel-Palestine conflict on campus and recounts a successful event organized by the Buckley Institute that fostered respectful and meaningful debate on the subject. He emphasizes the significance of maintaining civil discourse and intellectual diversity, highlighting a constructive dialogue as a model for engaging in sensitive issues. Trevor MacKayPresident, William F. Buckley Jr. ProgramWell before the horrific terror attacks of Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, discussing Israel on campus was complicated. Protests and rallies from supporters of either Israel or Palestine in recent months make sincere discussion of the issue sometimes seem off the table an...

With the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, the necessity of NATO for the security of Europe is clear. However, the invasion of Ukraine has also proven (again) that Russia has little regard for geopolitical norms and that our liberal order of sovereign nations is not as secure as originally believed.  History has shown that authoritarian leaders with imperialist tendencies and delusions of lost national grandeur, such as Vladimir Putin, are unlikely to stop at one territory or country. Indeed, the Ukrainian people are not the first to be victims of Russian aggression, nor will they be the last. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania may follow soon.  As the United Kingdom and the United States affirmed in the Atlantic Charter, “Freedom and independence are today in jeopardy the wor...

一箭双雕：one arrow, two hawks. This idiom, analogous to the Western  “kill two birds with one stone,” appears frequently in Chinese politics, most recently in Xi Jinping’s recent financial sector purge: a move to simultaneously eliminate corruption while silencing political opposition. Xi’s China faces two massive targets gatekeeping its road to “great-power” status, which it has given itself until 2049 to attain: departure from an unsustainable zero COVID policy and reunification with Taiwan. If Xi Jinping really wants to earn the resurrected title of Party Chairman, he can prove it by felling both targets with one carefully aimed shot.  The first target has plagued the Communist Party since its inception in 1949: Mao gave his  new regime a century to retake Taiwan, and that...

The ongoing pandemic has exposed a variety of fault lines in our society. One such fault line lies within the bureaucratic state. This bureaucracy has always existed to a certain extent, but the existence of COVID-19 has accelerated its influence and reach. I do not mean to suggest that there exists a conspiratorial shadow government, but there is a very real pandemic of bureaucracy infecting all aspects and institutions of society.  At the beginning of the pandemic, I was happy to follow along with what I was told by “the experts,” the mostly unelected officials propped up on cable TV or quoted in articles. These individuals had a significant impact on the public policy response to the pandemic, and also on our individual feelings as COVID-19 unfolded around us. “Just two weeks to...

This piece was originally published in The Yale Daily News. After six months of harsh isolation in 2020, I came to Yale last summer with the hope that things would be better. Instead, my first year was marked by isolation and confusion as emails announcing new regulations arrived weekly in my inbox.  With permission to remain on campus last spring, I counted myself among the fortunate members of my class who did not have to spend an entire term attending virtual classes from home. Even so, that term was one of the loneliest, darkest and most emotionally taxing times I have ever experienced — and I say this as a military veteran. The suicide of a student not 30 feet away from me pushed me and many others nearly to a breaking point no amount of virtual social interaction could al...

New semesters bring new experiences. As my peers and I gear up for a Spring Term plagued with COVID-19 restrictions, I try to remain optimistic. But as I focus on the fantastic professors and interesting material Yale offers (even when online), I cannot help but dread the first days of discussion sections. Aside from the awkward introductions and fun facts that we immediately forget, the inevitable and ubiquitous requests for me to reveal my “preferred pronouns” are irksome, to say the least. Make no mistake, if someone wishes to provide their “preferred pronouns” or a name different from that on their birth certificate, all the more power to them. I’m perfectly content to abide by the preferences of my classmates out of respect. That said, I don’t believe a lick of contemporary gender ...