The recent crises in Japan have captured global attention, prompting wide media coverage and international concern. The earthquake and tsunami have left thousands dead and even more missing, devastating the country and harmfully impacting the families, businesses, and communities within it. Japan is currently struggling with a grave nuclear disaster, endangering even more lives and national security, a matter that national leaders are assessing with the utmost caution and urgency. After severe loss of life and internal disruption, Japan now [...]

President Barack Obama announced his own budget proposal on April 13th as a counterpoint to Representative Paul Ryan’s April 5th proposal. Obama’s plan would cut the deficit by 400 billion dollars less than Ryan’s, and outlines spending for the next twelve years as opposed to the next ten. Ryan recommends almost two trillion dollars more in spending cuts than Obama. Although the plans have some similarities, Ryan’s plan more aggressively targets entitlement programs like Medicare and and Medicaid, while Obama’s [...]

On March 16, 2011, Professor Scott Sagan of Stanford University, a leading expert on nuclear weapons issues, visited the Mortara Center, where he gave a presentation on expanding nuclear energy without nuclear proliferation. Sagan noted that the number of countries pursuing nuclear energy has been increasing steadily, especially in the developing world. The problem is distinguishing between the countries harnessing nuclear technology for non-military purposes, versus nuclear armament. According to Sagan, compared to countries already using nuclear technology, countries pursuing [...]

Every so often, when the planets align and equinox is upon us, and it just so happens that one party controls the House and the other the Senate (or one party controls Congress and another the Presidency), the inability of political leaders to come to an agreement on the federal budget for the fiscal year will trigger the infamous government shutdown. This entire issue centers on the question of who stands to gain and lose from a government shutdown, and [...]