|
Dear friends of VTIPG and the Community Change Collaborative,
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 faculty or staff or of Virginia Tech. We also upload these articles and stories to our website. You may find the archive for this series at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu.
If you would like to suggest an article for consideration, please contact the editor at the address below.
-
Our first piece this week, from Cardinal News, laments the decision of the presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and Donald Trump to pull out of the Commission on Presidential Debate proposed debates and venues, which would have seen Virginia State University become the first historically black college and university to host such an event.
-
A second selection, from Vox, contends that the guardrails of democracy that prevented former President Donald Trump from becoming more authoritarian in his first term would be significantly weaker in a potential second term.
-
Our third story, from the Associated Press, describes what is next for the Iranian government following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahlan and two others in a helicopter crash in a far eastern province of that country on May 19, 2024.
-
A fourth article, from Reuters, highlights the fact that Indian citizens are voting in their country's national election despite the travail imposed by a remarkable heat wave.
-
Last, we feature a story from NPR that profiled Rwanda's growth in the 30 years since its infamous genocide. On the one hand, these strides, especially economic gains, have been remarkable. On the other hand, they have been accompanied by the price, many contend, of one-party rule under President Paul Kagame.
Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives they offer encourage reflection and conversation!
Best wishes,
Billy Parvatam
VTIPG Communications Coordinator
pbilly97@vt.edu.
| | |
Photo: Virginia State University's library. Credit to Wikipedia. |
In agreeing to debate, Biden and Trump cast aside a Virginia school
This article by Dwayne Yancey of Cardinal News discussed the Biden and Trump campaigns' decisions to bypass the proposed slate of debates sanctioned by the Commission on Presidential Debates and to instead schedule their own events. Their decision means Virginia State University (VSU) will not serve as a venue. Had matters gone as expected, VSU would have become the first historically Black college or university to host a presidential debate. Yancey also noted that the decision of the two campaigns to schedule a debate prior to their respective party conventions reflects the new found significance of early voting in presidential contests.
Yancey, D. (2024, May 16). "In agreeing to debate, Biden and Trump cast aside a Virginia school." Cardinal News. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/05/16/in-agreeing-to-debate-biden-and-trump-cast-aside-a-virginia-school/
| |
Photo: Former President Donald Trump. Credit to Wikipedia. | |
If Trump wins, what would hold him back?
Andrew Prokop contends in this opinion piece in Vox that should former President Donald Trump win reelection this fall, he will find that the guardrails of democracy that prevented him from becoming an authoritarian leader during his first term will be significantly weaker than they were during his original tenure. To start, Trump may appoint radical political appointees to positions that were occupied during his first term by individuals who found ways to stymie, or in some cases, to refuse to implement, his most extreme orders. Additionally, the Republican Party has become more Trump-like since he left office, and centrist politicians willing to stand-up to him are leaving Congress, thus making both the GOP legislative caucus and the party more broadly more beholden to him. In Prokop's view, and should he prevail, whether Trump himself elects to abandon self-restraint will ultimately determine the fate of American democracy.
Prokop, A. (2024, May 20). "If Trump wins, what would hold him back?" Vox. https://www.vox.com/politics/24159069/trump-guardrails-authoritarian-democracy-second-term
| |
Photo: The late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Credit to Reuters. | |
What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash?
This article, by Associated Press reporter Joseph Krauss, addressed the death of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and other key Iranian leaders in a helicopter crash and what comes next in a potential crisis of legitimacy for that nation’s government. In accordance with Iran’s constitution, Vice President Mohammed Mokhber will become president, followed by a national election in 50 days. Krauss contends that that vote will be carefully overseen by regime officials to ensure that its result maintains the status quo. Additionally, the government could face an additional crisis if the country’s 85 year-old Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, should die and be succeeded by his son, as many Iranians are weary of Khamenei’s iron-fisted reign in the name of a “revolution” nominally driven originally by a protest against hereditary rule.
Krauss, J. (2024, May 21). "What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash?" Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/iran-government-future-raisi-khamenei-succession-mojtaba-6d3b970bce0c6d436b25b550d887ceaf
| |
Photo: A man uses a newspaper as others use umbrellas to protect themselves from the heat as they wait to vote outside a polling station during the fifth phase of India's general election in the Howrah district of the eastern state of West Bengal, India, May 20, 2024. Credit to Yahoo. | |
|
Indians vote early in fifth phase of polls to avoid blistering heat
This Reuters article described the ongoing Indian national elections, and the millions of citizens who are choosing to vote early in that polling in an effort to avoid a massive heatwave in that country. Earlier this week, for example, voters waited in line for hours to vote in intense heat in Mumbai, one of India's most populous cities. Weather officials have warned of the likelihood of additional extreme temperatures in the days remaining before voting concludes on June 4th.
Ganguly, S., Jamkhandikar, S., & Dash, J. (2024, May 20). Indians vote early in fifth phase of polls to avoid blistering heat." Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-begins-voting-fifth-phase-mumbai-gandhi-family-boroughs-head-polls-2024-05-20/
| |
Photo: Kigali, Rwanda's capital. Credit to Wikipedia. | |
Rwanda is transforming and growing - but at what cost?
This article published by NPR highlights the economic transformation of Rwanda during the 30 years since a genocide in that nation killed nearly one million people. It also argues that those changes have occurred under the tight rule of President Paul Kagame, who faces little opposition. Although the country has achieved measurable gains in life expectancy and tourism, its citizens have not been assured basic rights, including freedom of the press and of the vote. Rwanda, for example, will hold a national election in July and Kagame and his party are all but certain to win that contest, extending his tenure as president to more than 25 years.
Ozug, M., Summers, J., & Ermyas, T. (2024, May 20). "Rwanda is transforming and growing - but at what cost?" NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/20/1248540834/rwanda-genocide-africa-politics-economy
| |
Institute for Policy and Governance
201 W. Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | | | |
