Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Culture & Living > War / Terrorism >

American Politics

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

Showing American Politics Stories 1 through 10 of 16.  - Show Home Show page: 1 | 2 | next

China's rapidly aging population -- part of a worldwide trend The global demographic shift is a significant opportunity as long as it is in tandem with a policy and cultural shift, say productive aging experts Oct. 14, 2009 -- China's population of adults over 65 tops 100 million. This number is steadily growing, putting China at the forefront of a global demographic shift that includes the United States and other developed nations. "While a common tendency is to focus on the burdens an aging population will place on a country's economic and social welfare, an aging society represents an opportunity, not just a crisis," says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. "Expanding opportunities for productive engagement, including paid employment, formal volunteering, and mutual aid, may reduce social costs by reducing health care expenses and need for post-retirement income supports. (Video available)

Obama shaping a different world Historian finds 'profound' difference between President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and those awarded to Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt Oct. 9, 2009 -- Download An historian of politics and American institutions at Washington University in St. Louis says that there is a "profound" difference between the awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama and ones to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. And it has nothing to do with the fact that President Obama is only eight months into his first term as president and Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson were both near the end of their second terms when they received theirs, says Peter J. Kastor, Ph.D., an associate professor of history and of American culture studies in Arts & Sciences.

A tale of two artists A Challenge to Democracy explores legacy of Japanese internment camps Sept. 17, 2009 -- Ansel Adams, Smiling Girl (Oriental Type), 1943 In the 1930s, the photographer Ansel Adams struck up a friendship with California painter Chiura Obata. Yet the arrival of World War II would set these two celebrated artists on radically divergent paths — paths that would, in very different ways, lead both to the now-infamous "war relocation centers" at which the U.S. government forcibly interred approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans. Next month their sons, Michael Adams and Gyo Obata, will explore the impact of internment on their respective families in a public dialog at Washington University.

Assembly Series Fall 2009 lecture program begins with a comic touch by alum Ramis Sept. 1, 2009 -- The fall 2009 Assembly Series will start off on a light note with comedic filmmaker and Washington University alumnus Harold Ramis. The series continues through mid-November covering topics on entrepreneurship, equal rights, human rights, government and the environment.

After the hurricanes New Orleans still needs a water plan Aug. 31, 2009 -- Courtesy photo Derek Hoeferlin Download Four years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita led to devastating floods, the city of New Orleans still lacks a comprehensive plan for dealing with water, argues Derek Hoeferlin, a senior lecturer in the College and Graduate School of Architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Hoeferlin has led a series of Post-hurricane architecture and urban design studios, including most recently Gutter to Gulf, which explores spatial strategies for a potential water plan. He outlined his views in an Aug. 30 commentary for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and is available for further discussion of planning and recovery issues.

It's OK, Notre Dame Catholic leadership divided over Obama's Notre Dame speech, expert suggests May 16, 2009 -- Frank Flinn Notre Dame University's decision to invite President Obama to deliver the university's commencement address on Sunday has sparked strong protests from groups who disagree with Obama's stand on abortion and stem cell research. Despite condemnation of Obama's speech by a number of prominent American bishops, the Vatican may be more interested in moderation and conciliation in its dealings with Obama, suggests Frank K. Flinn, a close observer of religious politics and author of the Encyclopedia of Catholicism (2007).

Refining foreign policy Former ambassador for counternarcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan available to discuss foreign policy priorities for the new president Dec. 4, 2008 -- "Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan need to be top foreign policy priorities for President Barack Obama," says Thomas Schweich, former ambassador for counternarcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan and visiting professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Schweich, the Special Representative for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is available to discuss foreign policy issues facing the next president.

ACORN controversy Voter fraud allegations are pure bluster, says election law expert Oct. 24, 2008 -- Magarian "No evidence exists of any serious threat of voter fraud, at present or in any recent election cycle," says Greg Magarian, J.D., election law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. The current cries of 'fraud' focus on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a public interest organization that advocates for low- and moderate- income and minority citizens. "Filing false registration forms does not constitute voter fraud," he says. "Voter fraud requires voting by a person who is not legally entitled to vote. That is a difficult trick to pull off, and simply turning in a registration form for 'Captain Crunch' does almost nothing to enable it."

Flashback to 1952? For all the talk of change, the candidates and campaigns are similar to elections throughout the years, says history and culture expert Sept. 26, 2008 -- Kastor Download "These are unprecedented candidates in an unusual election year, but what's striking is how these candidates are positioning themselves and describing themselves in ways very similar to previous presidential candidates, and in ways that are very typical of their parties," says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Flashback to 1952? For all the talk of change, the candidates and campaigns are similar to elections throughout the years, says history and culture expert Sept. 26, 2008 -- Kastor Download "These are unprecedented candidates in an unusual election year, but what's striking is how these candidates are positioning themselves and describing themselves in ways very similar to previous presidential candidates, and in ways that are very typical of their parties," says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Showing American Politics Stories 1 through 10 of 16.  - Show Home Show page: 1 | 2 | next