Category Special Content

Evaluating the Nature of the Putin Regime: A Book Review of Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West

In her book, Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West, former British investigative journalist Catherine Belton argues that the former KGB officer is determined to continue the Cold War in order to crush the West. The article evaluates Belton’s claims and logic on the nature of Putin’s regime.

On The Taming of Free Speech

In the 1920s, the ACLU brought civil liberties to the forefront of political discussion. Despite the Bill of Rights being in place, the inability of the judiciary to act on civil liberties caused constraints on the relationship between the state and its citizens. As a result, civil liberties had limited effects on society. As an example of the shifts in civil liberties, Weinrib focuses on the creation of the ACLU as an offshoot of the American Union Against Militarism (AUAM) with an agenda to press the U.S. government for the expansion of civil liberties during WWI. In doing so, the author illustrates the conflict between citizens and the state over civil liberties and the aim of the AUAM to create a balance between social interests and to promote civil liberties.

Book Launch: “Social Finance: Shadow Banking During the Global Financial Crisis” by Neil Shenai

Shenai presented his conventions-based theory of financial crises, and numerous current and former students participated in a wide-ranging discussion on the advantages of Shenai's model, the overall state of academic research on financial markets, and policy implications of Shenai's theory on financial regulation and managing risks in the global economy.