Political science, not political science-fiction. A student-run magazine at Binghamton University.
The United States and China have one of the world’s most complex relationships. The two countries have experienced periods of tension and cooperation over a range of issues. Key areas of conflict between the two include trade and economic practices. While the US and China have a critical trade relationship, they are also major competitors.
Donald Trump promised supporters that the United States would make a show of strength by forcibly removing foreign nationals from the country by any means necessary and by putting an end to “unfair” trade deals that benefited foreign countries more than the US. Prior to entering office, experts anticipated that Trump’s foreign policy would be based on a reciprocal approach to diplomacy, viewing relationships as “transactional” (Cha 2024). Both policies, mass deportations and protectionist trade policies, have become intertwined tools in a larger strategy of coercive diplomacy.
Trump announced in October that he would open the entire 1.56 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing. These lands are sacred to the Gwich’in Nation, home to irreplaceable wildlife, wilderness, and cultural values, and have never seen industrialization.
“Eat the Rich.” “Power to the People.” “Make America Great Again.” These populist slogans pop up everywhere, from graffiti under an overpass to TikTok “For You” pages. The basic populist message—“the people” versus “the elites”—isn’t new. It was used by American revolutionaries in the 1700s, rebellious farmers in the late 19th century, and even anti-communist politicians in the 1950s (Gillon 2025). But over the past half-century, populist rhetoric has dramatically increased on both the right and left.
The United States prides itself on democratic and egalitarian values. Despite this, we choose to elect our executive by means of an Electoral College, which due to its nature, sometimes produces antimajoritarian election outcomes. These results go against the wishes of a majority of voters.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the United States’ largest program aimed at combating hunger. However, it is currently under attack by the Trump administration, and millions of Americans are at risk of their welfare benefits being cut.
In recent years, Türkiye’s political trajectory has become one of the most debated cases in comparative politics due to its rapid transformation from a democratically promising EU candidate to an increasingly authoritarian system. Academics, policymakers, and international observers have highlighted Türkiye as a critical example of how elected governments can gradually erode democratic institutions while maintaining formal electoral procedures.
When the 13 colonies were established throughout the 16th-18th centuries, the myriad Christian denominations that found themselves in the New World began integrating religious practices into the laws of their respective colonies.
Climate Change is an extremely complicated problem. The Earth is an extremely delicate system—it has many layers and each of them interact with the others in ways we are still not completely sure about. This means that, when there is an imbalance, even a small one, it creates a huge change in the planet’s weather, temperature, and biological systems.
In New York City, the mayoral race has taken a dramatic turn, with former governor Andrew Cuomo attempting to close the gap against Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani. Despite being a newcomer to politics, Mamdani’s sudden rise has rocked the New York City political landscape, as voters ponder the possibility of a Democratic Socialist for New York City Mayor.
The Trump administration has made it clear: it wants Gen Z to catch baby fever. At an anti-abortion rally in January, VP J.D. Vance said that he wanted “more babies” in America (The Columbus Dispatch 2025). In March, Trump dubbed himself the “fertilization president” and suggested a “national medal of motherhood” for women with six or more children (Stechyson 2025).
The United States’ current health policy has undergone significant changes since President Trump took office. The Trump administration’s approach to health policy is marked by a mix of ambitious reforms and internal contradictions. Central to this dynamic is the tense debate surrounding the administration’s approach to vaccinations, coupled with Trump’s seemingly contradictory mission to Make American Healthy Again (MAHA).
The numbers don’t lie: the U.S. labor market is languishing. Sifting through the revised, retracted, and re-revised labor statistics of the past few months, a dispiriting picture emerges. There was a net loss of jobs in June, for the first time since the winter of 2020.
Elections in the United States are dominated by a two-party system with Democrats on the centre-left and Republicans on the centre-right. Although there are other parties, they receive negligible amounts of support and often fail to win any significant elections. For voters who support third parties, elections can be frustrating, as it seems like there is no good outcome when casting a vote.
This year, America saw a great deal of new laws passed addressing issues such as AI, abortion, guns, tariffs, and more. 2025’s new policies and regulations display the ideological divide across the United States; while California and New York move to regulate AI and protect abortion access, states like Florida and Texas double down on restrictions.
Higher education is one of our proudest aspects of America, and has been a crucial part of our identity since the founding of our nation. These Universities are one of the largest and most important producers of scientific research in the United States. They receive almost $60 billion towards research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) alone, towards researching topics like cancer, neurological disorders, and diabetes.
In recent years, there has been increased buzz over the United States becoming the first UN member state to recognize the independence of the self-declared state of Somaliland. In March 2022, Somalilander leaders met with members of Congress and the Biden administration to lobby for American recognition of their aspirational state. Citing growing Chinese influence in the Horn of Africa and the success of Somaliland’s democracy as opposed to Somalia’s failed state, Somalilander has made the case for recognition on the grounds of guaranteeing stability and US influence in the region
The European Union (EU) is turning to new strategies to boost its global competitiveness, which has declined in recent years. The European economy has been hit hard by rising public debts following the pandemic and rising energy costs due to sanctions imposed on Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war. However, when you look at the big picture, the crisis Europe was experiencing was not due to these two events but rather to structural problems.
Bolsonaro’s attempted coup has striking parallels to the January 6th insurrection in the U.S. with the stark discrepancy being the fact that Bolsonaro faced criminal prosecution, and Trump’s case was dismissed. Within the last decade, several leaders worldwide have attempted to unlawfully seize power when losing their reelection bids or facing impeachment, but many of them faced judicial pressure and long sentences of imprisonment.
The 2025 Democratic mayoral primary stunned New York City when former Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded to Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo was a political veteran strongly favored by Democratic leaders, despite having a sexual harassment scandal in 2021. The odds had been stacked against the 33-year-old Assemblyman, a newcomer to citywide politics. Yet Mamdani made history.
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