FALL 2013
Vanderbilt
The
Political Review
Staff
Letter from the Editor
PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sid Sapru
In many ways, this issue is being published in an era of crisis. Just
days before our publication went to print, the U.S. government narrowly avoided defaulting on its debt obligations for the first time in its
history and ended its first partial shutdown in seventeen years. Many
remain convinced that continued use of the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip represents a dangerous path forward; Cade Baxter ’16 explores these concerns – and offers some potential solutions – in “Full
Faith and Credit” (21). With intense partisan politics to blame for
much of October’s political gridlock, Kevin Schoelzel ’14 takes a look
at differential manifestations of partisanship in “Eroding at the Center,” (17) and provides some insight into what to expect going forward.
Yet the rest of the world seems to be struggling with crises of its own. As
Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics,
it grapples with remarkable levels of income inequality that threaten to
embarrass it on the world stage. Wade Boich ’15 examines this inequality and its implications for the emerging economic power in “Divisions
Exposed” (4). In “Neglected Tropical Diseases,” (9) Michael Zoorob
’16 addresses the tremendous suffering caused by a collection of thirty diseases affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Our cover story, “The 3 A.M. Phone Call,” (14) by Christian Talley ’16,
discusses a recent crisis that already seems to have faded from the public’s memory: the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Drawing parallels between the attack and the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, Talley offers a
controversial and thought-provoking critique of President Obama’s and
President Carter’s foreign policy decisions, and questions why President
Obama seems to have emerged from the Benghazi attack nearly unscathed.
Finally, as the Vanderbilt Political Review enters its sixth year, I am
excited to unveil a complete redesign of our print publication’s layout.
With an emphasis on simplicity, elegance, and professionalism, VPR’s
new look should allow for more consistency across issues and easier-to-read essays. I hope you enjoy our first issue of the 2013-2014 academic year, and encourage you to engage our authors directly through
our website: www.vanderbiltpoliticalreview.com. On behalf of the entire
Vanderbilt Political Review, we look forward to hearing your thoughts!
PRINT DIRECTOR
Sufei Wu
ONLINE DIRECTOR
Michael Zoorob
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Austin Brown
LAYOUT DIRECTOR
Allia Calkins
LAYOUT TEAM
Brooks Cain ? Caylyn Perry ? Christopher Jerrolds
Kate Harsh ? Katie Fuselier ? Poulumi Banerjee
SENIOR EDITORS
Alison Shanahan ? Christopher Jerrolds
Katie Miller ? Natalie Pate
EDITORIAL BOARD
Alak Mehta ? Alexander Smalanskas-Torres
Alexander Paci ? Brooks Cain
Cade Baxter ? Caylyn Perry ? Christian Talley
Emily Stewart ? Emmett McKinney
Gregory Bernstein ? Harrison Ebeling
Harry Garrett ? Julie Babbage ? Kate Harsh
Kathleen Schaaf ? Katie Fuselier
Kevin Schoelzel ? Kristin Vargas ? Lauren Pak
Leia Andrew ? Max Staloff ? Nathan Chan
Peter Liu ? Poulumi Banerjee
Sameer Fraser ? Vivek Shah ? Wade Boich
Will Stewart ? Zachary Greene
FACULTY ADVISOR
Dr. Joshua Clinton
Front cover image credit: Another Believer
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Sid Sapru
President & Editor-in-Chief