Berkeley Political Review

UC Berkeley's Only Non-Partisan Political Magazine

Inside San Quentin: The Transformative Power of Education and Rehabilitation

Sydney Grundland Lanuza | California | October 4, 2025

Inside San Quentin and other California prisons, education and rehabilitation are transforming lives and challenging stigmas. Michael, an inmate in San Quentin, shares his story about how rehabilitation is benefiting people inside and outside the system.

San Francisco’s Fleet Week Should Have Been Cancelled

San Francisco’s Fleet Week Should Have Been Cancelled

The ongoing federal government shutdown threatened to cancel San Francisco’s annual celebration of the United States military. But with the

November 7, 2025
Diplomacy as Performance in Trump’s Saudi Strategy

Diplomacy as Performance in Trump’s Saudi Strategy

Unlike most U.S. presidents who traditionally make their first foreign trip to Canada or Mexico, Donald Trump broke precedent in

November 6, 2025
Carceral Muscle Memory: How LA Has Failed Its Pursuits of Criminal Justice

Carceral Muscle Memory: How LA Has Failed Its Pursuits of Criminal Justice

The LA County Sheriff’s Department has over a decade of reported “gangs” that physically abuse inmates. In 2011, ACLU Southern

November 6, 2025
Caught in the Crossfire: UC Berkeley and the Federal War on Higher Education

Caught in the Crossfire: UC Berkeley and the Federal War on Higher Education

At the crossroads of politics and pedagogy, the Department of Education has become a focal point of national controversy under

November 6, 2025
Zen Buddhism In The Name Of Corporate America

Zen Buddhism In The Name Of Corporate America

The road on Tiananmen Square is gray, but every once in a while, it will turn green. And if you

November 5, 2025
The Geopolitical Strategies Behind the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

The Geopolitical Strategies Behind the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

After a nine-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Miami en route to Washington, a delegation of Argentine officials planned to

November 5, 2025
Newsom’s AI Scheme

Newsom’s AI Scheme

Artificial intelligence has quickly become one of the most-watched fields in the world over the past few years. Many hail

November 4, 2025
On Happyend, Duty, and Justice

On Happyend, Duty, and Justice

Neo Sora’s 2024 film, Happyend, brings to life a verisimilar portrayal of a country in decline: a right-wing, authoritarian, surveillance

November 3, 2025
How Opposition to Affordable Housing Shapes San Francisco’s Wealth Divide

How Opposition to Affordable Housing Shapes San Francisco’s Wealth Divide

Pacific Heights and the Tenderloin are two neighborhoods in San Francisco that practically touch, separated by mere blocks. Yet, Pacific

October 30, 2025
“Beauty Will Save the World”

“Beauty Will Save the World”

What did Fyodor Dostoyevsky intend by his best-known words? What is beauty, what will it save us from, and how?

October 29, 2025
The Lockean protests of D.C. juries

The Lockean protests of D.C. juries

Despite what national authorities may tell you, Washington, D.C. is not a dangerous city. On August 22nd, this fact was

October 29, 2025
Social Media and the Over-Democratization of Debate

Social Media and the Over-Democratization of Debate

We all engage in casual forms of debate almost constantly, and free argumentation is so integral to our daily decision-making

October 29, 2025