Letters: Jan. 29

Dirks responds to Columbia faculty criticism On Jan. 22, The Daily Californian published a letter from some of my Columbia colleagues that contains serious misrepresentations of what I actually said during the course of an introductory online video interview (still available through the UC Berkeley NewsCenter) that was released after Read More…

Letter: Week of Jan. 21

Outrage at Dirks’ divestment remark Editor’s Note: A version of this letter was previously published in the Columbia Daily Spectator.  The undersigned faculty members of the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies at Columbia University feel outraged after reading the assertions made by Nicholas Dirks, our former colleague and Read More…

dronecropped

We are not satisfied with neutrality

I can see why people still believe that Israel wants peace. Recent news coverage concerning the attacks on Gaza frequently echoes Israel’s right to self-defense and emphasizes the state of Israel’s humanity in warning Palestinian civilians of imminent assault. I can see why, depending on what news you hear, you Read More…

Letters to the editor: Nov. 30

Ranked voting elections will solve problems abroad Your Nov. 27 editorial dovetails perfectly with Baruch Nutovic’s op-ed, “The hope for a lasting peace.” A decade ago this fall, a group of now-graduated students who met in a political science class were outraged by U.S. election failures and organized for Berkeley Read More…

smogsmog

A guide to fossil fuel divestment

Grass Roots

I’m not pro-ASUC. Whenever I hear the latest drama from the ASUC Senate, I sigh and wonder if any of the bills they pass will actually change the way our university functions. I recognize this is unfair for those students involved in the student government, who I know work very Read More…

BDS

Two bad resolutions

This morning, a reader emailed me regarding the UC Student Association’s vote repudiating HR 35, a California Assembly resolution aimed at addressing anti-Semitism on state public university campuses. Referring to recent Daily Cal op-eds on the issue, the reader asked for my opinion, “in particular on the attempt by some Read More…