Berkeley Political Review

UC Berkeley's Only Non-Partisan Political Magazine

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 first time I heard about Polymarket. This was not a coincidence, of course. As a group of friends and I were crammed in a claustrophobic dorm room watching a map of states flipping

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
Policy Over People

Policy Over People

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): the three terms that have become trigger words within an escalating culture war. Across decades,

October 28, 2025
Bolivia’s Plurinational Promise in Ruins?

Bolivia’s Plurinational Promise in Ruins?

A political era has ended in Bolivia. The ruling party, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), is projected to fall from its

October 28, 2025
Women Be Wary, the Next Attack on Choice Is Coming From Your Screen

Women Be Wary, the Next Attack on Choice Is Coming From Your Screen

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, women’s reproductive rights in America have faced an unrelenting assault

October 28, 2025
The Realities of a Government Shutdown

The Realities of a Government Shutdown

On October 1 at 12:01 p.m., the U.S. federal government shut down, hours after the Senate failed to reach an

October 27, 2025
Marching on a “Sacred Trust”

Marching on a “Sacred Trust”

In 1770, eight British soldiers pointed their muskets at unarmed civilians, and six years later, America was born out of

October 27, 2025
Your Party, Their Problems

Your Party, Their Problems

Only two months after its founding, MP Zarah Sultana was already calling the UK’s newest political party a “sexist boys’

October 27, 2025
Pentagon Restricts Journalist Access to Unclassified Information 

Pentagon Restricts Journalist Access to Unclassified Information 

Freedom of the press is enshrined in the very first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Not the second, not the

October 27, 2025
The Beast The Right Built

The Beast The Right Built

At long last, MrBeast may have gone too far. His Sept. 27 video “Would You Risk Dying For $500,000?” poses

October 26, 2025
The Geopolitical Power of Hallyu

The Geopolitical Power of Hallyu

Does the name “J. Y. Park” ring a bell? If so, chances are that you have brushed shoulders with the

October 26, 2025
The Skew of Global Climate Finance

The Skew of Global Climate Finance

As a mother of eight, Ebada Yusuf had now lost her third child. Sitting next to the body of her

October 26, 2025
The New White Flight

The New White Flight

The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka prohibited racial segregation in public education, driving

October 25, 2025
The Disfigured and Misunderstood SoCal Asian American Identity

The Disfigured and Misunderstood SoCal Asian American Identity

"Where the ABGs at?!" yells an Asian American male in his early 20s at a crowded bakery that sits right

October 24, 2025
As Syria Emerges From Civil War, What Are the Consequences of its Cultural Destruction?

As Syria Emerges From Civil War, What Are the Consequences of its Cultural Destruction?

Broken pottery vessels in ransacked museums. Blown-up ruins in sandy villages. The crumbling dome of a mosque, open to the

October 24, 2025
There’s No Room for Business in Love

There’s No Room for Business in Love

In the early 2000s, a new word started popping up to describe the ever-changing dating scene — situationship.  Officially added

October 24, 2025