2020 changed the way we live. The year will join a list of historic years that shaped entire generations and marked an unmistakable beginning of a new era. Through it all, the Boston Political Review has highlighted the key events and trends that defined the last twelve months. In this collection, we are proud to recap the hard work of our dedicated student writers who covered a period of our lives like no other.
January
1/21: The Political Strategies of Facebook and Twitter - Alexis Rindner
1/21: President Macron’s Veto for North Macedonian and Albanian European Union Accession - Jeyleani Sanchez
President Emmanuel Macron's veto of North Macedonia and Albania stops their ascension to the European Union as the organization grapples with intra-member disputes.
1/24: The Future of Iran after the U.S. Abandonment of the Nuclear Age - Eren Serbecti
February
The BPR took a break from publishing articles in February. That must’ve been nice.
March
3/1: What New Hampshire’s Primary Means for the Fate of Our Elections - Ela Pandellapalli
3/2: The Coronavirus and Its Effects on Boston - Sun Woong Choi
3/12: The 2020 State of the Union: A Breakdown - Nicole Soulas
3/18: Coronavirus as an Economic Virus - Nisha Rao
The United States and World Health Organization declare the COVID-19 crisis a public health emergency as the virus threatens lives and economic activity across the globe.
April
4/3: The Reality of Medicare for All - Brianna Cole
4/9: Brexit Day in London: A New Chapter for Britain and Europe - Frank Serpe
4/9: Amazon loses JEDI Contract as a Result of President Trump's Abhorrence for Jeff Bezos - Katherine Sabido
4/11: Rhode Island and New York Clash Over Governors’ Orders - Quinn Chappelle
4/13: Spring Update: COVID-19 and Boston - Quinn Chappelle
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker extends a stay-at-home order until May while schools and universities finish out the shortened semester with remote learning
4/16: 2017 NSA Wiki-Leaks Update: Schulte - Mary Thomas
4/18 What’s in the Stimulus Package? - Victoria Fernandez
4/24: The Argument for Statehood: Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia - Gabriel E. Aviles Rivera
4/30: COVID-19 Emergency Powers May Threaten Hungarian Democracy - Frank Serpe
May
5/1: The Never-Ending Rise: Boston University’s Increase in Housing Rates Disproportionately Affects Low-Income Students - Lea Kapur
June
6/5: Series (1/2): 1968 & the Electoral Implications of the George Floyd Movement - Justin Dynia
6/7: Law and Order in Lieu of Civil Liberties: China and the U.S. - Noah Fischer
6/24: Series (2/2): The Three R’s of Defunding the Police: Reallocate, Reduce, and Replace - Justin Dynia
The proponents of defunding the police are broken up into three camps and the political implications of the policy proposal are considered.
6/26: The European Union’s Debt Crisis - Grant Hillyer
July
7/6: The Political Charge of Face Masks in America - Sydney Pickering
7/14: Private Prison Education Programs in Massachusetts: Are They Actually Helping? - Quinn Chappelle
7/16: International Outcry and Accountability: From Apartheid to George Floyd - Sydney Pickering
The international community responds to the growing civil rights protests in the United States in tones reminiscent of the outcry to Apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s.
7/20: The Pandemic Pushes Businesses Online - Grant Hillyer
Business adapt to meet their labor needs remotely during the pandemic, benefitting larger corporations and changing the way consumers interact with companies.
7/27: Profit over Public Health: Universities Pressured to Reopen This Fall - Sydney Pickering
August:
8/3: Federalism in the Age of Coronavirus - Ryan Metz
8/13: BREAKING: Senator Kamala Harris Named as Biden’s Running Mate - Justin Dynia
Joe Biden nominates Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, making her the first Black and first South Asian American candidate to be nominated for vice president by a major political party.
8/16: Summer Update: COVID-19 and Boston - Quinn Chappelle
8/22: The Race to Vaccinate - Sydney Pickering
Efforts by the international community to the expedite the development of a vaccine to the coronavirus shift to overdrive.
8/25: The Election Stunt of Deploying Federal Forces in Portland - Lea Kapur
8/26: Policing of Social Media Conflict: Reformation of Section 230 - Grant Hillyer
September:
9/1: Environmental Justice is Racial Justice - Nyah Jordan
9/4: Series (1/2): Harry J. Anslinger and the Origins of the War on Drugs - Jackson Tarricone
9/8: The Race for a COVID Vaccine: Cambridge-based Moderna Seeks Victory - Logan Broedner
Moderna, an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, becomes the frontrunner to develop the first vaccine against the coronavirus.
9/10: Series (2/2): Richard Nixon and the Origin of the War on Drugs- Jackson Tarricone
9/17: UMASS Student-Organized Sabotage Amidst Massachusetts Primary - Grant Hillyer
9/18: BREAKING: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Passes Away at 87 - Quinn Chappelle
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away from complications related to pancreatic cancer, leaving an open spot on the bench of the nation's highest court.
9/20: Americans Are Out of Work. Or Are They? - Catherine Devlin
9/23: The Threat to Unseat Europe’s Last Dictator - Nisha Rao
President Lukashenko wins re-election amidst claims of corruption and mass protests that jeopardize the power of one of Europe's last authoritarian leaders.
9/24: Boston Residents Voice Concerns over BU’s Reopening and Its Threat to the Larger Community - Cameron Morsberger
9/27: Three Steps Universities Have Taken to Survive the Pandemic - Adam Shamsi
9/28: A Divided Ethiopia and the Questionable Leadership of Abiy Ahmed - Safiya Umrani
9/29: College in the Time of COVID: Boston Schools Use Strict Punishments to Deter Rule-Breakers - Emanne Khan
Northeastern suspends 11 freshmen for violating its university-wide coronavirus safety measures while schools across the country struggle to minimize caseloads among students and staff.
9/30: Candidates Spar at the First Debate on a Hotly Contested Night - Justin Dynia
9/30: An Everlasting War: the China-India Border Conflict - Jessica Adams
October:
10/1: A New Massachusetts Campaign Seeks to Fix COVID-19’s Disproportionate Effect on Minority Communities - Arlo Hatcher
10/2: BREAKING: Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19 - Justin Dynia
President Donald Trump announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19 in a late-night tweet, beginning a tense two weeks in which Americans closely followed developments on his health.
10/2: The Donkey and Elephant Take Center Stage: Let the Circus Begin - Lea Kapur
10/5: Conflict in the Caucus: Armenia and Azerbaijan Resume Decades-Long Hostilities - Frank Serpe
Armenia and Azerbaijan break a long standing ceasefire and mobilize their military which begins an alarming period of renewed conflict.
10/5: The Syrian Refugee Crisis… Still Relevant in 2020 - Austin Turner
10/6: Obstacles to China’s Hegemonic Rise - Caroline Floam
China's efforts to become a political and economic hegemon will face significant hurdles, including challenges stemming from its own massive growth.
10/7: When President Trump Dodged the Issue of Race - Cristina Sandeva, Roar News
10/8: Trump Pushes USA Vaccine Program into Warp Speed - Greg Gilman
10/8: The Turbulent Relationship between Trump and the Military - Nisha Kassam
10/9: LGBTQ+ Rights Are Rolling Back: It’s Time to Roll Forward - Seena Beed
10/10: Could Climate Change Lead to More Epidemics? - Nyah Jordan
10/10: Charlie Hebdo Trial Commences: Five Years After the Attacks that Shook Paris - Karis Clark
10/12: The Fight Over Drilling on the Arctic Wildlife Refuge - Jackson Tarricone
10/13: The US Vice Presidential Debate: A Diplomatic, Dichotomous Exchange -Laura Saracino & Justine Noble, Roar News
Vice Presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris exchange in a debate far tamer than the chaotic altercation between their superiors, as covered by Roar News.
10/13: An Uncertain Future for Liberal Democracy in Hong Kong - Guarav Bagur
10/14: Belarus: Putin’s Next Crimea? - Jonathan DaCosta
10/15: The Race for Control of the Senate - Justin Dynia
10/16: Poland Becomes the Latest to Affirm the Global Wave of Right Wing Populism - Nikolay Kolev
10/16: Cancel Culture: The Product or Root of Polarization in America? - Katherine Sabido
10/16: Trump and Biden Go Head to Head in Separate Town Halls - Emanne Khan & Nisha Rao
10/19: Historic Marijuana Legislation Condemned to Legislative Moratorium Yet Again - Jackson Tarricone
10/19: Former Boston Police Union President Charged with Child Sex Abuse - Deep Patel
10/20: The Chinese Question: Trump, Biden, the People’s Republic - Hannah Pham, Roar News
10/20: Reforming Regulations of Communications: How the Fairness Doctrine is Affected - Grant Hillyer
10/22: The BPR Joins the Society of Undergraduate Humanities Publications - Quinn Chappelle
The Boston Political Review becomes an official member of the Society of Undergraduate Humanities Publications, a consortium of over twenty elite undergraduate journals from across the country.
10/22: Japan’s Race for Prime Minister - Kamryn Wrench
10/23: Pre-Electoral Tensions in the US - Cristina Sandeva, Roar News
10/23: Conversation with BPR Founder Tyler Fields - Justin Dynia
10/25: Boston Enters Phase 3 - Brooke Iglar
10/25: Breakdown: The Trump Administration and the USPS - Roesli Arena
10/26: Crime in Boston: A Look at Trends Before and After Covid - Emanne Khan
10/26: BREAKING: Amy Coney Barret is Sworn in As Supreme Court Justice - Quinn Chappelle
10/26: The Final Presidential Debate: Improved Context, Iterated Contents - Cristina Sandeva & Ishaan Rahman, Roar News
10/27: The Impact of COVID-19 on the MBTA - Jessica Adams
10/27: Millions of College Students are Eligible to Vote, but Most of Them Won’t - Cameron Morsberger
With the election upcoming and the expansion of absentee ballot voting, eyes turn to the millions of college students who historically vote less than most other demographics.
10/28: “What has happened to our Party?”: The Republicans Supporting Joe Biden - Ishaan Rahman, Roar News
10/29: Biden Suggests Tax Increases for High-Income Earners and Corporations; Tax Cuts for Everyone Else - Maxwell James
10/30: Trump’s Tax Returns: What We Know So Far - Nisha Kassam
10/30: Markey Victory Shows Appetite for Progressivism, Decreasing Power of Kennedy's - Lincoln Son Currie
10/30: The Case for Trump - Justin Dynia & Frank Serpe
The Review outlines Donald Trumps's background, political experience, domestic policy platform and record, and foreign policy platform and record. The BPR did not endorse either candidate to uphold our nonpartisan standards.
10/30: The Case for Biden - Jackson Tarricone & Ryan Metz
The Review outlines Joe Biden's background, political experience, domestic policy platform and record, and foreign policy platform and record. The BPR did not endorse either candidate to uphold our nonpartisan standards.
November:
11/2: India Emerges as a New COVID-19 Epicenter - Nisha Rao
11/2: Trump’s Call for Poll Watchers Sparks Concerns Over Voter Intimidation - Jaliana Griesbach
11/4: Voter Suppression in the 2020 Election - Lea Kapur
11/5: Make Voting Cool Again - Justin Dynia
11/5: Don’t Stop Dancing Yet, TikTok Could Be Here to Stay - Catherine Devlin
11/5: Will Police Reform Task Force Recommendations Be Accepted By the Largest Boston Police Union? - Arlo Hatcher
11/7: BREAKING: Joe Biden Has Won the Presidency - Justin Dynia
Four days after the general election, Joe Biden secures enough votes in the Electoral College to declare victory, holding 306 votes to President Trump's 232 votes.
11/7: Biden’s Moderate Approach to Progressive Policies - Shiqi Duan
11/7: Should the US Regulate Big Businesses? - Grant Hillyer
11/8: The International Community Reacts to Biden’s Victory - Frank Serpe
11/9: Dorchester City Bay to Offer Low-Income Housing - Madeleine Pearce
11/9: BREAKING: Early Data Shows Pfizer's Vaccine to Be More Than 90% Effective - Quinn Chappelle
Pfizer announces that dat from its vaccine trials indicates its vaccine is more than 90% effective, hinting that an eventual end to the pandemic had come in sight for the first time in months.
11/10: Nuclear Weapons in a Non-Nuclear Conflict: Russia’s Basic Principles on Nuclear Deterrence - Elizabeth Czech
11/11: Young People in the United Kingdom Accused of Fueling the “Second-Wave” - Elizabeth Czech
11/12: Inmate Hand Crews Fight California’s Forest Fires - Andrew Logue
11/13: The Breonna Taylor Case: What We Know and What We Don't Know - Adam Shamsi
11/16: The Impending Housing Crisis of 2021 - Omer Erez
11/16: Drugs Win Big in Historic Oregon Legislation - Jackson Tarricone
11/16: America Under Joseph R. Biden: A World Restored? - Alin C. Luca, Roar News
11/17: HEROES Act Stalls in Senate - Omer Erez
11/17: The Abrahamic Accords and the Question of Arab-Israeli Peace by Jonathan DaCosta
Israeli, Emirati, and Bahraini delegates all gather at the White House to sign a treaty normalizing relations between their respective states, a historic agreement.
11/18: A New Regional Power Alliance: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Form Ties Amidst Regional Upheaval - Karis Clark
11/18: BU Provost Axes Spring Break 2021 - Greg Gilman
11/19: ‘Wise Leader’ Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait passes away at age 91 - Austin Turner
11/20: Boston Mayoral Election 2021 - Deep Patel
Attention shifts to the upcoming Boston Mayoral Election in 2021, which could see the first woman and person of color elected to head the city's government.
11/21: Moderna vs. Pfizer - Quinn Chappelle
11/23: BLM in Boston - Jennifer Ojilere
December:
12/1: Governor Baker’s New COVID-19 Restrictions - Jessica Adams
12/2: Love or Hate, It’s 538 - Moxie Thompson
12/3: 2020 MA Senate Race: Buoyed by Young Voters, Longtime Climate Defender Ed Markey Wins Another Term - Emanne Khan
12/3: Massachusetts State Elections: Democratic Gains, Progressive Losses - Arlo Hatcher
Democrats cement their foothold in Massachusetts state politics, but progressives fail to make an impact at the polls
12/4: Series (1/2): The Senate Comes Down To Georgia: David Perdue vs Jon Ossoff - Adam Shamsi
Analysis of the backgrounds, platforms, and criticisms of the candidates for the Georgia Senate runoff election that will take place on January 5.
12/7: The Fight to #EndSARS and Transform the Nigerian Political System - Julianna Hellerman
12/7: New Zealand’s Successful Pandemic Response Sees Ardern Re-elected - Gaurav Bagur
12/8: Series (2/2): The Senate Comes Down to Georgia: Raphael Warnock vs Kelly Loeffler - Adam Shamsi
Analysis of the backgrounds, platforms, and criticisms of the candidates for the Georgia Senate runoff election that will take place on January 5.
12/8: Stopping the Count Stops Democracy - Catherine Devlin
12/10: The Future of Education in America - Omer Erez
12/10: The Future of Healthcare in America - Nisha Kassam
12/11: Biden’s Victory: How Has America Responded? - Justine Noble, Roar News
12/14: Federal Authorities Probe Hunter Biden’s Business Dealings - Frank Serpe
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine and China.
12/14: Questrom Professor David Bedard Wants to Hear the Opposing View - Cameron Morsberger
12/15: Hong Kong: Chinese Oppression and the Death of Liberty - Chris Wong, Roar News
12/17: Series (1/2): Trump’s Conservative Justices and Legal Ideology - Sam Duan
12/18: COVID and the Rise of Instacart - Roesli Arena
12/18: The Effects of Cross-Border Telecommuting on Personal Income Tax During the Pandemic - Maxwell James
12/20: Series (1/2): The Arrival of Amy Coney Barrett - Sam Duan
The addition of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court changes balance of power of the court, but more nuance is needed to understand how the court may act in coming years.
12/22: What A Ban of Mass Means for the French Catholic Identity - Elizabeth Czech
12/22: Has Corruption Exposed Bulgarian Democracy’s Inability to Act in the Face of Authoritarianism? - Jonathan DaCosta
12/23: Gerrymandering: A Breakdown - Grant Hillyer
12/23: Is the European Union COVID-19’s Latest Casualty? - Nisha Rao
12/28: What the Catholic Church Can Learn from the McCarrick Report - Safiya Umrani
12/28: The Duality of Woman: Harris’ Prosecutorial History vs. Her Racial Makeup - Lea Kapur
12/28: Democrats Divided: Is Trump to Blame? - Jaliana Griesbach
12/28: Black Voters and Biden’s Victory: The Power of Grassroots Organizing - Nada Shalash
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