Most people imagine hacking to be an exceedingly complex crime, requiring an understanding of computing systems that goes far beyond that of average, functionally literate PC users. While there are sophisticated hacking techniques which do fit this description, many forms of hacking require little more than the ability to install...
In February, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Britain would vote on the continuation of their membership within the EU. This has led to ministers quickly splitting into factions either in support or opposition to British exit from the EU, now often referred to as “Brexit”. Positions have been...
The recent military-style assault on the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo , followed by a separate hostage standoff at a Kosher supermarket traumatized Paris and sent shock waves across Europe. The three-day terror spree in Paris ended with the deaths of 17 victims and three gunmen. The...
On February 13th, US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away, radically altering the makeup of the America’s highest court and raising the stakes for the 2016 presidential election. Mr Scalia leaves behind a Court that would be almost unrecognizable as the one he joined when he was appointed by...
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a new international financial institution created by China, recently gained media attention following the induction of several new high-profile members. The bank was initially proposed by China and then launched last October with 20 other countries. Since then, many more nations – including some...
For the better part of 2014, anti-government protests have been raging in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. These protests received international attention when three people were killed on February 12th. Since then violence on the street has claimed 17 lives and injured hundreds of people. The protests, ostensibly anti-government in...
On December 17th, Turkish police detained around 50 individuals accused of corruption and bribery. The scandal , which implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was that the arrested ranged from sons of government ministers to political allies in Turkey's financial sector. Thus began a new chapter in Mr Erdoğan’s battle...
As the world continues to grapple with dramatically lower oil prices, economic and political implications for certain major oil producers are beginning to materialize. Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest petroleum exporter, were more prepared for the global downturn than others. Unlike many oil producers, the Saudis are...
Innovative companies such as Uber and Airbnb have pioneered a new mode of business: the sharing economy. Uber, a car-sharing service, allows individual car owners to act as taxi drivers, connecting individuals seeking rides with those with cars willing to drive them, through a mobile app. Airbnb is a similar...
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Politica Northwestern . Politica Northwestern is the academic journal of Politics & Policy ( P&P ), a student publication at Northwestern University. P&P looks at the world in terms of what impact events will have. Political events happen all the time, but their impacts...