|
Dear friends of VTIPG and CCC,
We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address significant concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate a wide array of dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing them successfully. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG or Virginia Tech. We also upload these essays and stories to our website. You may find the archive at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu.
If you would like to suggest an article for consideration for this series, and I encourage you to do so, please contact me, Billy Parvatam, at pbilly97@vt.edu.
-
First up is a Guardian article that features Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson’s reflections on the state of American democracy.
-
Our second story, from NBC News, argues that an extended Republican extended fight to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives could significantly delay aid to Israel to assist it in its conflict with Hamas.
-
A third piece, from Vox, contends that an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza could make the Israel-Hamas war even more devastating for affecting civilians.
-
Our fourth offering, from NPR, reports on the better-than-expected jobs report for the U.S economy in September.
-
Last, we share an article from PBS detailing how the drought in the Brazilian Amazon is affecting the communities located there. The piece concludes by arguing that increased governmental coordination will be essential if efforts to mitigate the terrible effects of long-term drought are to succeed.
Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives offered in these pieces encourage reflection and conversation!
Best wishes,
Billy Parvatam
VTIPG Communications Coordinator
pbilly97@vt.edu.
| | |
Five Pieces Worth Reading | |
Photo: Heather Cox Richardson. Credit to The Guardian. |
An end of American democracy: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump’s historic threat
This article from the Guardian, an interview with historian Heather Cox Richardson, finds that scholar assessing the crisis currently facing American democracy and arguing that its characteristics are similar in significant ways to the conditions that accompanied Hitler’s rise to power in Germany in the 1930s. Richardson contends that former President Trump has been successful in tapping into a strand of popular anger that has been critical in his effort to forge an authoritarian movement. She asserts that a Trump victory in 2024 would signal an end to democracy in the United States, as he has argued, among other things, that he would dismantle the federal government that has protected civil rights, provided social security, regulated businesses, and promoted infrastructure.
Smith, D. (2023, October 7). “An end of American democracy”: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump’s historic threat." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/07/american-democracy-heather-cox-richardson-trump-biden
| |
Photo: Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Sept. 14. Credit to NBC News. | |
Israel-Hamas war adds new urgency to House speaker fight
This NBC News article suggests that the Israel-Hamas war has brought fresh urgency to Republican House of Representatives member efforts to select a new Speaker. Until the House selects a leader, it cannot pass emergency military aid for Israel or Ukraine or address a potential government shutdown by mid-November.
Wong, S., Kapur, S., and Tsirkin, J. (2023, October 10). “Israel-Hamas war adds new urgency to House speaker fight.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-house-israel-hamas-rcna119450
| |
Photo: Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 8, 2023. Credit to Vox. | |
Things are about to get much worse in the war between Israel and Hamas
Ellen Ioanes analyzes the Hamas attack on Israel in this Vox piece and describes the potential tragic consequences of a protracted conflict for the population of the Gaza strip. Israeli ground invasions, and one is now believed likely for Gaza, in previous wars in the region have been devastating, with heavy civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. Ioanes argues that although Israel has the military capability to wipe out Hamas, that nation has been reluctant to do so out of fear that such action might enable a still more extremist militant group to gain power.
Ioanes, E. (2023, October 8). “Things are about to get much worse in the war between Israel and Hamas.” Vox. https://www.vox.com/2023/10/8/23908839/israel-ground-invasion-gaza-hamas-war-2023-idf
| |
Photo: People walk past a restaurant displaying a hiring sign in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2023. Credit to NPR. | |
How to make sense of the country’s stunningly strong job market
In this NPR story Scott Horsley reports that the U.S. job market is continuing to defy some economists' predictions of a recession. Instead, the economy added 336,000 jobs in September, about twice as many as what forecasters initially expected. Horsley highlighted job gains in health care and education, restaurants and bars, and factories and construction despite rising interest rates.
Horsley, S. (2023, October 6). “How to make sense of the country’s stunningly strong job market.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/10/06/1204179771/jobs-labor-market-employers-economy-inflation-interest-rates
| |
Photo: An aerial view shows Roberto Brito, a leader in the Tumbira community where he owns a guesthouse, which has been affected by the drought of the Negro River, at a Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve, in Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil, Oct. 7, 2023. Credit to PBS. | |
|
Extreme drought across Brazil’s Amazon worsens local fears for the future
This PBS piece describes the current drought in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, which has left many communities traditionally dependent on its waterways stranded without adequate fuel, food, or filtered water. These shortages will likely intensify if the drought lasts until early 2024, as many experts now predict. Indeed, eight Brazilian states have recently recorded their lowest annual July to September rainfall levels in more than 40-years. This extreme weather will require increased coordination among all levels of government in Brazil to address, and when possible, to mitigate, its impacts.
Barros, E. (2023, October 8). “Extreme drought across Brazil’s Amazon worsens local fears for the future.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/extreme-drought-across-brazils-amazon-worsens-local-fears-for-the-future
| |
Institute for Policy and Governance
201 W. Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | | | |
