Presented by SAIS MENA and SAIS GSCM Clubs An Event Synopsis for the SAIS Observer 5 November 2021 On March 15, 2011, news outlets reported the first signs of widespread unrest in the Syrian Arab Republic. What started as simply another corner of the regional upheaval characteristic of the Arab Spring, however, quickly escalated into... Continue Reading →
Mason Library and non-classroom facilities to remain closed indefinitely
By Zachary Wheeler According to the latest comments from university leadership, SAIS’ Mason library and other non-classroom auxiliary facilities will remain closed indefinitely pending improvements in the local public health environment. SAIS’ decision to keep the library closed contrasts with the decisions of peer DC institutions and the Homewood campus. On January 8, 2021, Dean... Continue Reading →
Student Perspectives on SAIS Diversity and the Crowell Committee
By Adam DuBard The members of the SAIS Crowell Committee. Photo credit: Dawalola Shonibare As protests against police brutality and racial inequality took place in every state across the nation in the summer of 2020, organizations of all kinds reacted to address diversity, or the lack thereof, in their ranks. The killings of George Floyd,... Continue Reading →
A Complicated Past: Universities & The Legacy of Slavery
By Richard Pedersen On December 9th, 2020, President Daniels shared an email with the Johns Hopkins community that shattered previously-held notions regarding our institution’s founder and namesake. For decades, the Hopkins community believed its founder had been an ardent abolitionist dedicated to human freedom and equality. However, the reality is more complicated. Research on Johns... Continue Reading →
Vice Dean Campante Confirms New Tech and Culture Focus Area
By Zachary Wheeler In an interview with The SAIS Observer, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs Filipe Campante discussed the formation of the new Technology and Culture concentration arriving with SAIS’s academic overhaul next fall. By building on the initiatives of current SAIS faculty, this new program aims to prepare future SAIS students for... Continue Reading →
SAIS Virtually Hosts First Muslim-American Ambassador M. Osman Siddique
By Adam DuBard On October 20th, the SAIS Global Security and Conflict Management and the South Asia club co-hosted M. Osman Siddique, a Bangladeshi immigrant who rose to become the first Muslim-American ambassador when President Bill Clinton appointed him to serve as the United States Ambassador to Fiji. Ambassador Siddique joined SAIS over Zoom and... Continue Reading →
Court of Repeal: How the Supreme Court Might Impact Hopkins Healthcare
By Richard Pedersen The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare. Their ruling could have a significant impact on the health coverage of SAIS students, as well as much of the broader American public. State attorneys general, led by Texas Attorney General... Continue Reading →
Foreign Policy and Voting: Do Presidential Candidates Waltz Before Blind SAISers?
By Zach Wheeler In 1989, John H. Aldrich of Duke University outlined three conditions which must be present to enable an American to weigh considerations of foreign policy while voting: voters must possess a fundamental attitude toward foreign affairs, voters must have an ability to analyze issues in foreign affairs, and candidates must present voters... Continue Reading →
Outbidding the competition – Getting into classes is getting harder at SAIS DC
by Yilin Wang February 1, 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Twice a year, SAISers put their economics curriculum to the test; seeking to optimize a bidding strategy with minimized cost. However, it seems that composing such a strategy is proving increasingly difficult. The price inflation on classes have run students dry of opportunity and more classes... Continue Reading →
Fall Staff Ride: A SAIS Observer perspective
By Dennis Murphy, Hannah Dennis, Alexander Kessler, Nikole Ottolia The Fall Staff Ride (FSR) was held over the last weekend of October. Each year, the Strategic Studies department organizes fall, spring, and international staff rides. This is a practice rooted in the military orientation of the Strategic Studies department – which means it can likely... Continue Reading →