Luke Lanciano

Syracuse University

If something happens in politics and is reported on, I probably have an opinion on it. The perfect day for me includes a brand new issue of The Economist, coffee (preferably fair trade and unpolluted by milk or sugar), and a casual discussion of the world with an interesting person. At Syracuse, I write an environmental column, run an anti-genocide group and have a passion for gay rights and women's rights that sometimes draws odd looks; I hope in a good way. I'm looking to join the Peace Corps, and would gladly die happy and poor just knowing that I made a positive difference in the world.

Articles by Luke Lanciano

KONY 2012, Part II: Beyond Expectations April 5, 2012 Invisible Children needed a powerful sequel to their 'Kony 2012' video to address mounting criticism, and I have to say they pulled it off. The new video adds quite a bit more nuance, prominently features African activists, and explicitly lays out the transition from online to real-world work.

The Best of Advocacy is the Bane of Scholarship: Kony 2012 March 8, 2012 Take it from someone that did it for a chunk of his college career: advocacy work is extremely difficult and often discouraging. Maybe someday advocacy campaigns can be wonky and nuanced. For now, it’s time for all us human rights activists to support Kony 2012.

Global Citizen’s Guide to 2012 December 30, 2011 As the year 2011 winds to a close, NGJ's Luke Lanciano offers his predictions and insights into the stories that he thinks will make the headlines in 2012.

How the Supercommittee May Have (Sort Of) Succeeded December 1, 2011 It seems that intransigence and grandstanding have succeeded once again on Capitol Hill, but at least this time there is something somewhat encouraging—both of the sacred cows of our political parties have been put on the chopping block.

The Political Illusion of 2012 November 2, 2011 As a senior about to graduate, I find myself looking at increasingly bleak prospects. We need systemic change, but so far our political leaders only seem capable of superficial touch-ups—the proverbial seat arrangement on the Titanic

The Election Issue Nobody Wants to Discuss September 13, 2011 More than we need debt-reduction, Medicare reform, tax reform or even attempts at job stimulation, America needs political reform so we have control of the electoral process, not the PAC’s and not the Party’s.

The (Potential) Lessons of Libya August 23, 2011 In the end, our intervention in Libya helped at a crucial moment to turn the tide against a vicious and erratic dictator. We should be proud, but most importantly, we should learn from the experience and reassess our military’s out-sized position in the world

Voices of our Generation: We’re NOT a Talking Point July 27, 2011 Our generation has been thrown under the bus by both sides. What about the job market? Energy investment? Maintaining student loans? If politicians really cared about the well-being of our generation, there are concrete ways to help us out. But I fear even the best-case political scenario will still result in a sluggish economy.