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Opinion | Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics
Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: The rich should want to save the legal system

By Linda Huang | April 16

One of the seven core principles of conservatism is the commitment to the rule of law. It’s a principle that ensures stability, predictability and fairness — the very conditions under which societies flourish and individuals thrive. Hand in hand with this is another value conservatives proudly uphold: the pursuit of economic growth and wealth accumulation through a free market economy. These principles intertwine because without a robust legal system that regulates the market, the ultimate goal of profit cannot be achieved.

Ukraine At War
Column

Ukraine at War: A reflection on the deadly attacks in Kryvyi Rih and Sumy

By Mariia Kudina | April 15

On April 4, I was co-moderating a discussion on risks and art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University for the event “Arts and Society: Dialogues.” I was looking at my phone and going over the sample questions to ask the participants when I received a text from my mom saying, “We were outside with your brother and our dog, the explosion felt far but the ground was shaking.” Momentarily, I tracked back my thoughts to before the event. Right before the discussion, I saw a notification that there was an air raid alert in Kryvyi Rih, possibly due to the missile carriers being launched in Russia. I had a feeling that this was not a precautionary alert, yet never in a million years would I assume that the attack would be that deadly.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Indigenous invisibility is once again the norm

By Sorsha Khitikian | April 3

President Donald Trump has been on a DEI purge since taking office — removing almost any content that remotely resembles support for diversity from government websites. Many aspects of life, from science to performing arts, have been affected. Now, to be sure, I expected a lot of vital data to disappear under the DEI banner. I did not expect the removal of data concerning murder and missing persons.

Coffee Table Socioeconomics
Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Workaholism

By Linda Huang | March 25

“A workaholic will die before an alcoholic,” said Christina Maslach, professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research laid the foundation for the World Health Organization to declare burnout as an occupational phenomenon in 2019. While alcoholics endure a gradual, long-term deterioration of the liver, workaholics face the immediate risk of stress-induced blood clots or heart attacks — potentially striking just when life seems to be going well.

Ukraine At War
Column

Ukraine at War: How private initiatives help Ukrainian universities adjust to the war

By Mariia Kudina | March 13

Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine despite the attempts of peace talks. Meanwhile, the rocky relationship between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin diverts the media’s and, consequently, the international public’s attention from the ongoing war. At the same time, Ukrainians continue to adjust to the dreary realities, finding ways to go on with a semi-normal life. In the realm of education, one example of such an adjustment is a charitable initiative by the venture builder CLUST, focused on creating smart shelters for students at Ukrainian universities.

Coffee Table Socioeconomics
Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Enhance our business education

By Linda Huang | March 11

With its highly educated workforce, business-friendly legal system, strong sense of interconnectedness between universities and government and businesses that drive continuous technological breakthroughs, the United States is arguably one of the best places for industries to succeed. However, none of this would be possible without a foundation of strong business education. Business literacy is essential in the private sector, where startups thrive and hands-on engagement with business ideas is key — it’s also an area where Tufts falls short.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: What’s in a name?

By Sorsha Khitikian | March 6

For weeks, a battle between the administration of President Donald Trump and The Associated Press has raged over Trump’s executive order that changed the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” The AP has stated that it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as such and has since been barred from White House press briefings. Now, the issue is being brought to court, with the AP suing Trump administration officials for violating the First and Fifth Amendments. But in that same executive order, another name was changed — one that the AP Stylebook has been updated to reflect.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: The colonial history of Greenland and why it matters

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 21

Greenland is a relatively new player on the global stage. Only gaining autonomy from Denmark in 1979, the region is known for fishing, ice and being the largest island that isn’t considered a continent. However, the history of colonialism and the Indigenous fight for sovereignty in Greenland is largely unknown outside of Greenland and Denmark. While this serves historically colonial powers, examining Greenland as a case study is vital to contextualizing Indigeneity within global politics. As U.S. President Donald Trump explores buying Greenland, it’s important to not only consider the opinion of European powers, but also the Indigenous people Trump’s proposal would immediately affect.

Ukraine At War
Column

Ukraine at War: Russia targets Chernobyl nuclear plant as potential peace talks approach

By Mariia Kudina | February 20

My dad turned 9 years old on the day of the Chernobyl disaster. Two years later, his father was sent to the city to clean up the contaminated area and manage the consequences of the catastrophe. He spent around five months maintaining the station, managing a team of people and ensuring that safety protocols were followed. Back then, everything was covered in radioactive dust, and even eating an apple from a tree or sitting on a park bench could be deadly. The radiation deteriorated not only the environment but also people’s physical and mental health. Some of his fellow liquidators lost their minds after getting lost in the Red Forest, a strip of greenery around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. My dad, a physician, explains that everyone reacted to the radiation differently.

The Conversation
Column

The Conversation: Musk, the apprentice

By Evan Wang and Sadie Roraback-Meagher | February 19

Sadie Roraback-Meagher: Heya there Evan! Evan Wang: Hey Sadie! Sadie: I hope your week has been good so far. I don’t know about you, but for me, looking at the news this past week has been … what’s the word? Panic inducing? Nauseating? Just flat-out horrifying? But hey, at least that ...

Coffee Table Socioeconomics
Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Invest more in our human capital

By Linda Huang | February 18

In the field of development economics, there is a prominent view that education and investment in human capital are key for improving social organization and economic mobility, bringing about effective economic development. For an already-developed country like the United States, this view on development may not always manifest in economic terms — it could also pertain to both social progress and innovation. Having been able to compare the relationship between education and development in a developing country like China and a developed country like the United States, I have seen firsthand how access to and quality of higher education play a crucial role in shaping a nation’s trajectory.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Trump, birthright citizenship and the Indigenous exception

By Sorsha Khitikian | February 6

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump announced an executive order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to formerly enslaved Black people after the Civil War. Almost immediately, the executive order was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Attorneys general from 22 states agreed that the order is unconstitutional and violates the 14th Amendment. Even so, Trump is arguing that the exceptions in the 14th Amendment, such as the Indigenous exception, don’t allow for birthright citizenship.

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Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Love your delivery person as yourself

By Linda Huang | January 28

Over winter break, I was back home in Beijing, China, where I was once again struck by the stark income inequality that defines so much of our society. This inequality does not hit me as hard when I’m in Medford, where the visual uniformity of the suburbs– where differences in wealth are more subdued – allows me to often overlook it. But in Beijing, the contrasts are impossible to ignore. The sight of Bentley cars just about everywhere I go, coupled with delivery workers who are sprinting tirelessly to their destinations just to make a living, leaves me grappling with difficult questions: how should I view income inequality, not just as an abstract economic concept, but as something more personal? What kind of lifestyle should I strive for in a world where privilege and deprivation coexist so seamlessly?

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Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: I hate American suburbia

By Linda Huang | December 10

This past Thanksgiving break, I stayed at my uncle’s suburban home just outside Nashville, Tenn., where I saw life in American suburbia firsthand. The whole time I felt like I was in an “American Beauty” fever dream. To put it simply, I absolutely hated it.

Ukraine At War
Column

Ukraine at War: Music as an act of resistance

By Mariia Kudina | December 10

This year, a famous Ukrainian rock band, Okean Elzy, celebrated its 30-year anniversary. The group has become a symbol of resistance for all generations of independent Ukraine. For my parents, Okean Elzy became an integral part of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and 2005, when Ukrainians protested against election fraud, and Euromaidan in 2013 and 2014, when the citizens objected to pro-Russian governmental policies. I strongly link the band’s music with those events as well, but mainly with Ukraine’s counteroffensive and defense during Russia’s full-scale invasion. This October, Okean Elzy performed in Boston as part of its global tour. The day after the concert, I had a chance to listen to a talk by the lead singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk at Harvard.

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Column

Forgotten Fronts: Why the Tatmadaw’s usage of anti-personnel mines is an egregious human rights violation

By Alexander Degterev | December 3

It was Sept. 29, 2022, and 57-year-old Daw Khin had just recently returned to her village in eastern Karenni State after being forced to flee due to attacks by Myanmar’s military junta, the Tatmadaw. Cleaning her now disheveled house, one of those still standing in her neighborhood, she stepped on a landmine which was placed right outside of her outdoor toilet.

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