Berkeley Political Review

Berkeley Political Review

UC Berkeley’s Only Non-Partisan Political Magazine

The Sublime Resistance of Southern California’s Latino Goth Necropolis

My exposure to goth music began in 2025 when I attended a Twin Tribes concert in Anaheim, California. The venue was dimly lit, but piercing strobe lights illuminated concertgoers’ dramatic goth makeup looks. With a twinkling guitar and a flitting dark-electronic tune in the background, the singer of the opening band condemned violent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across America, garnering strong cheers from the audience. 

Read More

Dark MAGA: An Ominous Signal for a Troubling Future

Dark MAGA: An Ominous Signal for a Troubling Future

January 20, 2025. The start of a “new Golden Age of America,”  attended by billionaires with a collective net worth

April 16, 2025
Only Smokey the Bear Can Save National Parks–Except He’s Been Fired

Only Smokey the Bear Can Save National Parks–Except He’s Been Fired

It began with an email–or rather, a lack of one. Brian Gibbs was one of nearly a thousand workers whose

April 14, 2025
CA’s High-Speed Rail Project and Its Future

CA’s High-Speed Rail Project and Its Future

California's High-Speed Rail project seems to be in a state of perpetual limbo. Historically, progress on this project has been

April 14, 2025
The Rhetoric of Too Much Testosterone—Transgender Youth in CA Politics

The Rhetoric of Too Much Testosterone—Transgender Youth in CA Politics

California has long been a leader in the United States when it comes to transgender legislation. Since 2004, the California

April 14, 2025
Democracy Deferred: The Missing Democratic Primary

Democracy Deferred: The Missing Democratic Primary

At the heart of the American experiment is the principle that our government’s authority and legitimacy are derived from the

April 13, 2025
Undermining Stability: How U.S. Policy Shifts Impact South Africa’s Fragile Democracy

Undermining Stability: How U.S. Policy Shifts Impact South Africa’s Fragile Democracy

Amidst the changing political tides in South Africa, shifting U.S. policy under the Trump administration exacerbates longstanding tensions. The withdrawal

April 13, 2025
Crime and No Punishment: The Death of the Political Scandal

Crime and No Punishment: The Death of the Political Scandal

The day after Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges, his campaign raked in a staggering $52.8 million in

April 12, 2025
The End is Nigh (Again): How Media Alarmism Numbs Voters

The End is Nigh (Again): How Media Alarmism Numbs Voters

On January 28, 2025, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock forward one second toward midnight, bringing the

April 9, 2025
Dismantling DEI: Trump’s New Constructed Crisis

Dismantling DEI: Trump’s New Constructed Crisis

A mid-air collision over the Potomac. Raging wildfires in Los Angeles. The catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

April 9, 2025
Washington Exits: WHO Cares?

Washington Exits: WHO Cares?

In recent years, the U.S. and the World Health Organization (WHO) have had a relationship that makes Hollywood breakups look

April 3, 2025
The Middle East’s New Great Game—and America’s Moment To Lead

The Middle East’s New Great Game—and America’s Moment To Lead

History is a story of great power rivalries. In our time, the competitors are the United States, Russia, and China.

March 23, 2025
Playing Defense: Why Transgender Athletes Have a Place in Women’s Sports

Playing Defense: Why Transgender Athletes Have a Place in Women’s Sports

For once, Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump agree on something: transgender athletes. In the inaugural episode of his podcast, “This

March 23, 2025
Overcoming Public Transit’s Fiscal Cliff

Overcoming Public Transit’s Fiscal Cliff

Public transit agencies have been facing a “fiscal cliff,” a looming budget shortfall as federal COVID-19 relief expires but transit

March 22, 2025
Might Makes Right: the DRC, Rwanda, and a Shifting World Order

Might Makes Right: the DRC, Rwanda, and a Shifting World Order

The winding path of international politics has reached a fork of values: enduring liberalism versus an emergent imperialism. Our new

March 22, 2025
Social Media’s Most Wanted: The New Age of Digital Villain Worship

Social Media’s Most Wanted: The New Age of Digital Villain Worship

“Double, double toil and trouble”—the cauldron of public opinion is once again brewing, this time casting criminals as misunderstood cultural

March 20, 2025
Medals and Meddling: Unraveling the Olympic Paradox

Medals and Meddling: Unraveling the Olympic Paradox

This year’s Olympic games were one for the books. The world watched, enamored, as Simone Biles won gold after gold,

February 18, 2025
Africa 2.0: The Rise of African Agency in International Politics

Africa 2.0: The Rise of African Agency in International Politics

The extensive literature on post-independence African development highlights the challenges and opportunities for African agency in international politics. In essence,

February 4, 2025
From Flags to Protests: How Kenya’s Unity Challenges Governance

From Flags to Protests: How Kenya’s Unity Challenges Governance

Tear gas fills the air, crowds chant beneath a sea of fluttering flags, and Nairobi’s streets transform into battlegrounds of

December 24, 2024
A Tale of Two Slogans: Brexit Britain After Trump

A Tale of Two Slogans: Brexit Britain After Trump

During the 2017 United Kingdom general election, Prime Minister Theresa May ran on the slogan that she would provide ‘strong

December 23, 2024
Silencing the Messenger: The War on Truth and Free Press

Silencing the Messenger: The War on Truth and Free Press

Between 2006 and 2024, over 1,200 journalists were killed, with UNESCO reporting that 85% of these cases remain unresolved. Journalism,

December 21, 2024
Controlling Control: Addressing Husbands’ Tactics of Controlling Their Wives’ Vote

Controlling Control: Addressing Husbands’ Tactics of Controlling Their Wives’ Vote

Just over a hundred years ago, women finally secured the right to vote–extending political autonomy not just to men, but

December 21, 2024