The Morningside Post

Identity matters in international affairs. How political, economic, or military power moves the affairs of state is easy to see. But it is what people believe and hold to be true -- their identities -- that underpins these power resources and define their use.

From transnational movements to nation brands...

By Rebecca Chao of The Morningside Post

As one of the few students among the bevy of diplomats and world leaders attending the United Nation's high-level meeting on wellness and happiness last Monday, I wasn't sure how I or my fellow peers fit into the discussion.

Hosted by...

By Zara Rapoport of The Morningside Post

My body is my ... temple? My church? My political/religious war-zone?

Is my body mine at all anymore? Has it ever been?

Recently, contraception has been placed back on the front page as policymakers squabble over whether it is...

By Michelle Chahine

"I don't think there's a quick solution ... So, at least international organizations should move more to get humanitarian aid to Syria." -- Haya Dweidary (MIA '12)

The Arab Student Association held a bake sale at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on Thursday,...

Twitter and Facebook may have more in common with Wall Street than the Occupiers

By Rebecca Chao of The Morningside Post

The media lambasted Twitter for its "new" censoring policy over the last few weeks. What's strange is how un-new it all is.

"There's been no change in...

By Matt Schiavenza.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has its base in Zuccotti Park, a small square dwarfed by the surrounding buildings of Lower Manhattan's financial district. I visited on Saturday evening, eager to see for myself what the New York Times has described as a "diffuse and...

By John Lyman of the Journal of Foreign Relations

Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP frontrunner, gave his first major foreign policy address at The Citadel military academy in South Carolina last Friday.

He mentioned President Ronald Reagan twice, and although his speech largely portrayed policies and...

By Ethan Wilkes

As young American Jews, we had come to Israel as ambassadors of the Birthright mission: "to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world." We had come in search of understanding, and an opportunity to view Israel in its entirety. They told us...

This post was written by Christopher Reeve

This post was written by Christian Kim

Henry Kissinger once wrote: "Frivolity is a costly indulgence for a statesman, and its price must eventually be paid. Actions geared to the mood of the moment and unrelated to any overall strategy cannot be sustained indefinitely".

The UN-backed no-fly zone over Libya,...

By Apryl Gibson

"Is it true they're going to kill you?"

Elizabeth was taken aback by her friend's question. At the time, Elizabeth, whose name has been changed due to the sensitivity of the situation, was a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador. She lived and worked in...

This post was written by Ethan S. Wilkes

We are Generation Wiki. We are interconnected collaborative creatures, and we like to share. We link and like, comment, post and poke. We Yelp when we're hungry, Skype when we're lonely and G-chat throughout the day. Our cell phone bills are light...

By Samantha Thompson

Rumor has it that Jon Stewart held a rally on Saturday.

Apparently, there were lots of speakers and musical artists. I heard that Steven Colbert induced fear, Stewart alleviated it, Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock sang about changing the world, and Ozzy Ozbourne, the former Cat Stevens,...

A Personal Reflection on Nationalism in China in the Wake of the South China Sea Incident

By Rebecca Chao

For me, nationalism is the Koran-burning, the Arizona immigration law, and the Iraq War. I belong to a generation of Americans that prides itself in critically looking at government policy and...

Nobody denies the fact that there has always been some level of tension between two ethnicities in the South. But would they naturally spill over to the ethnic-cleansing that is taking place now? Probably not, especially after the 1990 events that are still fresh in the minds of both ethnicities....

Calling what is happening in southern Kyrgyzstan "inter-ethnic clashes" means buying the idea that the organizers of the violence are trying to sell to the world. The events that resulted as of today in over 90 deaths and hundreds of injured are directly linked to the political developments in the...

By Stig Arild Pettersen

Dean John Coatsworth is not surprised that inviting a banking CEO to speak at this year's Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) commencement has led to negative reactions from some students. But he will not reconsider his choice, he says.

"Vikram...

By Stig Arild Pettersen

The choice of Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit as this year's graduation ceremony speaker has caused anger among some students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). As soon as the announcement was made on Friday at 5:20 p.m. through...

By Kristen Coco

Richard Boly is not what you'd expect from your typical State Department diplomat. Dressed in jeans, a printed t-shirt and electric blue blazer, and armed with a bio that includes running a shrimp hatchery in coastal Ecuador, you would never guess walking down the street...

By Stig Arild Pettersen/

I once read a book on Cuban politics and society called "This is Cuba, everything else is a lie." When researching the book, the authors noticed that everyone they talked to in Cuba gave them very different answers to the same questions about politics and society...