Op-Eds
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Democracy Survives…This Time
What did Donald Trump’s presidency illustrate about the strengths and weaknesses of the Presidency and other American institutions? What does this tell us about what reforms we must enact?
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The Benefits and Flaws of Radical Analyses
Radicals see the right problems but find the wrong solutions.
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Obama’s Renegades and the Content-Creating Politician
Obama and Springsteen’s “Renegades: Born in the USA” represents the further entangling of celebrity and political life. Yet, it might also suggest a hope for egalitarian storytelling taking arms against polarization.
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The Rise and Fall of The Lincoln Project
In 2020, the Lincoln Project exploded into a massive, uncontrollable powerhouse in American politics. In 2021, it fell apart. As its founders consider how to move forward, it has become clear that its best option is to shut down completely.
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Reasonable, Radical Worker-Ownership
From employee-owned mom-and-pops to large-scale enterprises, worker co-ops offer a compelling, sustainable, and democratic alternative to the traditional top-down business model.
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As Always, Silence Is Betrayal
The Virginia Review of Politics stands in solidarity with APIDA communities on Grounds, in Charlottesville, and throughout the country.
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Online Fanfiction and the Roots of Online Censorship
Fanfiction has helped shape the internet as we know it. Here's how it might help legislators shape the future of online censorship laws.
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Incarcerated People and Returning Citizens Belong in Democracy Too
Virginia’s felon disenfranchisement laws succeeded in their original purpose. It’s time for a change.
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How Technology Has Made Leaderless Protests More Viable
The mass adoption and innovation of technology has enabled leaderless movements to become more viable as we see happening around the globe.
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Marx’s First Science
Marx's thought has often been described as scientific. But Marx's science was quite different from our understanding of science.
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Food Insecurity in Washington, D.C.
Despite being projected to decrease in the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the food insecurity crisis numbers looming over our nation’s capital have become even more salient. The problem rests in the maldistribution of resources to historically underserved communities, especially Washington, D.C.’s Black population. In order to achieve a solution to the deeply rooted barriers to food justice, non-profit organizations have been at the forefront of addressing the gaps in the city’s policies through an intersectional lens.
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Covid’s Final Affliction: Education Inequality
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools across the United States to abruptly transition to virtual learning. This change has affected millions of students, but especially those who have unequal internet access, don’t have a safe space at home to do their work, etc. This will have long-term consequences for both students and the education system at large.
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I Think You Might Have Slutshamed Queen Esther
Recontextualizing the Biblical heroine means acknowledging the power of unlikely heroes in contemporary political discourse.
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On the Foundations of Hope: Is Running a Deracialized Presidency a Good Idea?
“We thought our dreams would be more visible under Obama. They’re not.” - Andrew Jackson II
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How the West Was Burnt
The United States in the West, from Manifest Destiny to Super-Fires
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Situating the GameStop Phenomenon in the Greater Context of Wealth Inequality
To end the disillusionment and financial insecurity that fueled the GameStop incident, we need Wall Street reform.
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Shifting Attitudes in Taiwan and Its Political Implications
As the Taiwanese adopt a stronger anti-China, pro-independence attitude, the Kuomintang will fall increasingly out of favor as the Democratic Progressive Party gains power and popularity.
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Breaking Down the 2000 Election
What happened and what can we learn from it?
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The Logical Fallacy of Trans-Exclusive Feminism
A pervasive fear in the eyes of many, the “bathroom predator” is based on the idea that men will pretend to be women in order to invade women’s restrooms and sexually assault or violate the women who use these gender separated spaces. It stems from a lack of understanding for trans people as well as dehumanizing rhetoric that surrounds the subject.
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The Progressive Wave
Progressive candidates experienced great success in state and Congressional Democratic primaries this year, giving supporters reasons to be hopeful for the future. Why are progressives gaining momentum, and where will it take the movement next?
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The Republican Party’s 2024 Soul Search
Even though the dust has not yet settled on the 2020 Presidential election, prospective Republican candidates have already begun jockeying for position in the 2024 primary. The party could head in any number of directions, but sticking with the politics of populism might be the most prudent decision for long-term success.
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The Tokyo Olympics and Abe's False Bravado
The 2020 Olympics scheduled to be held in Tokyo were touted as a “safe bet” compared to other recent Olympic Games given Japan’s status as an industry-leading advanced country. The city has prior experience hosting the games, and the spectacle would have been an incredible springboard to elevate Japan as a world leader in accordance with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s desire to increase Japan’s involvement in international affairs. In a career filled with large promises, here was a true chance to deliver on the world stage, a worthy keystone in the legacy of Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
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The Impossibility of a Three-Party System and the Future of the Two-Party System
Why a third party won’t fix America’s political system and what will
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The Greater Showman: Why the Presidential Debates Need to Change
As the partisan divide deepens with the country, the current format for the presidential debates has become increasingly obsolete. It’s time the format changed to benefit and engage with the voters.
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Political Influencers and the Alt-Right Pipeline
In the age of online influencers, online personalities are gaining more and more control over our political process. Extremists are taking advantage of a broken system to promote their dangerous ideas— and they’re using the search algorithm to do it.