The recent inflating of U.S.-China tensions has popped the illusion that Washington and Beijing might be able to limit their antagonism to economic competition, as the scuttling of a high-level diplomatic summit in Beijing over the shooting of a Chinese spy balloon recalls the postponement of an Eisenhower-Khrushchev meeting in 1960 following the downing of [...]
For scholars, constitutional (or unconstitutional) revolution is an opportunity to test theories about legal and political changes, democratic legitimacy, identifying what the rule of recognition is, and more. But on the ground, a process of democratic backslide is mostly a matter of grave concern, fear, stress, and sometimes even anger. It requires determination, dedication, and [...]
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule to ban non-compete clauses for workers. The proposed rule is great news for low wage workers because it would allow them to explore new job opportunities and give them leverage to bargain for better wages. One in five low wage workers are subject to [...]
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9) South Sudan, Africa’s youngest nation, has been struggling with civil strife, armed conflict and a deplorable state of human rights and the rule of law before and after its independence in 2011. South Sudan came to international attention in the early [...]
In the last few months of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s second term as president of Türkiye, he has faced multiple challenges, including the most severe earthquake in Türkiye in the last 80 years and an inflation rate of 85.51 percent (the highest in the last 25 years). Despite being in the highest executive position in [...]
Russia appears to be accelerating efforts to replenish its battlefield strength through passportization and conscription of Ukrainian nationals in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. Such efforts suggest a certain degree of desperation on Russia’s part in the face of battlefield setbacks during its illegal and ill-conceived war against Ukraine. They shine a light on the plight [...]
A critical attribute of tyranny is its multi-faced character. We are familiar with tyranny with its domestic face, and it is largely understood that this domestic face often turns outward through war and imperialism. That tyranny turns about-face back to the domestic sphere as the laws, policies and practices of external tyranny return to roost [...]
Toxic polarization is paralyzing democracy. The “war” declared by far-right aligned politicians on their political enemies is fueling hatred and violence and diminishing dialogue in democratic systems. These politicians, interested in destroying the adversary, have become “human bot machines” by immeasurably spreading fake news and misinformation, which ends up making their political practices obscure, denialist [...]
As my various teams and I work at building a case against Vladimir Putin and his political and military leadership for international crimes, in conjunction with various governments and organizations worldwide, one of the questions that keeps coming up for me is: why did Putin invade Ukraine? We all have our learned and considered theories [...]
Hamline University in Minnesota has fired adjunct art professor Erika Lopez Prater for showing 14th-century paintings of the Prophet Muhammad in class. The University asserts that the professor’s act is Islamophobic and that bringing the artwork to the classroom with Muslim students breached the limits of academic freedom. The facts do not suggest that Professor [...]
