Berkeley Political Review

UC Berkeley's Only Non-Partisan Political Magazine

“Fiat Lux” Darkens With Peyrin Kao’s Firing

On Thursday last week, campus leadership dismissed UC Berkeley lecturer Peyrin Kao — the latest casualty in the administration’s war on Berkeley’s free speech foundations. Kao’s censuring proves yet again that free speech at UC Berkeley is no more than administrative marketing. It’s a principle invoked when convenient and easily discarded when costly.

The Blade, 304’s, and LA’s Social Media Sex Trafficking Crisis 

The Blade, 304’s, and LA’s Social Media Sex Trafficking Crisis 

@jungletographytv, a social media page that focuses its content on Los Angeles, posted an Instagram reel of a driver filming

December 8, 2025
“Fiat Lux” Darkens With Peyrin Kao’s Firing

“Fiat Lux” Darkens With Peyrin Kao’s Firing

On Thursday last week, campus leadership dismissed UC Berkeley lecturer Peyrin Kao — the latest casualty in the administration’s war

December 8, 2025
Bob Dylan’s Model Political Art

Bob Dylan’s Model Political Art

“I have never written a political song. Songs can't save the world.” - Bob Dylan In 1961, Bob Dylan arrived

December 7, 2025
The Future is for Sale on Polymarket

The Future is for Sale on Polymarket

The 2024 U.S. presidential election was one of the most disheartening nights of the last year. It was also the

December 6, 2025
How Judicial Philosophy Is Reshaping America

How Judicial Philosophy Is Reshaping America

The Supreme Court’s recent decisions in favor of Trump’s policies have set off a wave of public anger and frustration.

December 4, 2025
When They go Low, We Go… Also Low

When They go Low, We Go… Also Low

When the majority of Californians get together to attack democratic safeguards in the name of preserving a balance, we aren’t

December 4, 2025
Solar and Storage, The Answer to California’s Climate Goals

Solar and Storage, The Answer to California’s Climate Goals

California’s Energy History For decades, California has faced a series of existential challenges related to energy. From rolling blackouts and

December 4, 2025
Russia’s Human Assembly Line

Russia’s Human Assembly Line

Russia has never been busier — or more exhausted. After three years of war, the Kremlin boasts record-low unemployment and

December 3, 2025
How the Ellison Empire is Killing America’s Democratic Media

How the Ellison Empire is Killing America’s Democratic Media

Rockefeller, Carnegie, Vanderbilt: the names of American billionaires who became famous in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.

December 3, 2025
The Path Forward Through Affirmative Action’s Shortcomings

The Path Forward Through Affirmative Action’s Shortcomings

In September of 2024, the California legislature officially passed Assembly Bill 1780, which prohibited private universities in the state from

November 27, 2025
Soft Secession: California’s Antidote to Trump

Soft Secession: California’s Antidote to Trump

Sending ICE to raid workplaces and schools, separating families, and deporting both undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens. Federalizing the National

November 27, 2025
Ethiopia’s “Renewal Through Planting” and the Politics of Green Authoritarianism

Ethiopia’s “Renewal Through Planting” and the Politics of Green Authoritarianism

The intense Ethiopian sun burns down as thousands of volunteers in green shirts, school children alongside politicians, take up shovels

November 26, 2025
The Euro Problem: Is Further Integration the Solution?

The Euro Problem: Is Further Integration the Solution?

Twenty-five years after its launch, the eurozone is failing its citizens. In Spain, the unemployment rate sits at 10.29 percent.

November 25, 2025
To Water the Seed, to Heal Our Children

To Water the Seed, to Heal Our Children

School is meant to be a safe space for students to build social and intellectual skills. At the same time,

November 25, 2025
No Kings Day Demonstrates that the Modern Era of Protest Culture Needs to be Revamped

No Kings Day Demonstrates that the Modern Era of Protest Culture Needs to be Revamped

On October 18, 2025, cheers and shouts echoed across the United States as a collective movement ensued among Americans nationwide.

November 24, 2025
Decolonizing the Climate Crisis

Decolonizing the Climate Crisis

In the Atacama Desert of Chile, the promise of clean energy for the world comes at a steep cost. Beneath

November 24, 2025
Living in Fear: The Human Cost of Trump’s Deportation Agenda

Living in Fear: The Human Cost of Trump’s Deportation Agenda

“My biggest fear is seeing her one morning and not knowing if she’ll come back.”  This fear and daily uncertainty

November 21, 2025
Supreme Court Rulings Favoring Trump Provide Little Explanation

Supreme Court Rulings Favoring Trump Provide Little Explanation

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has taken on a more influential and significant role in legislation and

November 21, 2025
The American Dream is Our Mirage

The American Dream is Our Mirage

The American Dream: the ideal that the United States is, without fault, the land of opportunity. This doctrine promotes the

November 21, 2025
Meet the Man Doing America’s Diplomacy in the Shadows

Meet the Man Doing America’s Diplomacy in the Shadows

On October 13, President Donald Trump stood in front of the Knesset to give a speech following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire

November 21, 2025
California’s Unlearned Lesson From Germany

California’s Unlearned Lesson From Germany

In the post-World War II era, German bureaucrats tallied billions in reparations owed to Holocaust survivors. Every Deutsche Mark and

November 21, 2025