The acquittal of George Zimmerman, accused of the murder of black teenager Trayvon Martin, suggests there still exists deep-seated racial injustices in the US.
EPA/Joe Burbank
The criminal justice system has always been at the sharp end of race relations in the United States. Not only have African Americans been treated more harshly than whites as suspects and offenders, they…
Let them come to Berlin: the crowds from 2009 stayed away in 2013.
Wikimedia Commons
An illustrious predecessor of Barack Obama once wrote: “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” But Thomas Jefferson didn’t have to live with today’s 24-hour…
Marriage equality is one step closer in the US.
vpickering
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. The ruling allows the federal government to recognise same-sex marriage, granting gay couples…
Rapper Kanye West’s new album Yeezus reflects on race and discrimination in present day America.
EPA/Ferdy Damman
This month, rapper Kanye West’s highly anticipated new album Yeezus was released at perhaps one of the coolest launch events ever. His latest single New Slaves was simultaneously featured on 66 screens…
The trial of US Army private Bradley Manning - alleged to have leaked classified information to whistleblower website WikiLeaks - is underway.
EPA/Michael Reynolds
Even before his trial commenced, United States Army private Bradley Manning must have known that he would be spending a significant time in prison. Think decades rather than years. Manning pleaded guilty…
A US flag lies in the wreckage of the Benghazi consulate, stormed on September 11 2012 in an attack that saw the US ambassador and three others killed.
EPA/Stringer
Are US Republicans set to attempt to impeach another Democratic president? Utah representative Jason Chaffetz suggested US president Barack Obama could face impeachment over his administration’s response…
Partisan gridlock in US politics has led to the recent failure of Barack Obama’s gun reform agenda, which did not get through Congress last week despite public support.
EPA/Spencer Platt
For all its international power, the United States government seems increasingly powerless to make laws for the benefit of its own people. The recent failure to implement popular gun control measures in…
The US remains the most militarily powerful nation on Earth - but will budget cuts bring it back to the fold?
EPA/Zurab Kurtsikidze
The maelstrom surrounding budget cuts that has engulfed the United States over the last twelve months seems no nearer to reaching a satisfactory conclusion. The U.S. Congressional House and Senate currently…
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The Founding Fathers of the American Constitution might…
The Myanmar government hailed Barack Obama’s recent trip to Burma, the first US president to visit the former military regime, by pardoning 56 prisoners. On his return to the US, President Obama will pardon…
Barack Obama’s re-election won’t generate the same exuberance as 2008. The lofty rhetoric of “Hope” and “Change” has been replaced by the much more sombre message of “Forward”. And while four years ago…
Politicians of all persuasions often claim they need little sleep to lead their nations. Thatcher, Hawke, Abbott, Rudd, Berlusconi and Clinton are all examples of this “on the job 24 hours per day” club…
President Obama’s sporting prowess has helped his popularity among the wider American electorate.
EPA/Kevin Dietsch
For many Americans, it seems, politics is the ultimate sport, the true national pastime. Like athletes, political candidates are written about and widely seen as heated rivals – for popularity, power…
Huawei board member John Brumby at Australia-China Business Week in August.
Huawei
The decision by the Australian government to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from participating in tenders for the national broadband network has been somewhat vindicated, say experts, after a US congressional…
Professor of Economics and Finance. Director of the Betting Research Unit and the Political Forecasting Unit at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University