Shared European security: Why it is not wise to be alone in a region with an authoritarian neighbor
By Steven Lamy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations and Spatial Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences No one should be surprised by the decision made by the governments of Sweden and Finland to apply for full...
Ukraine’s Foreign Legion: Russia further ignores international law by denying prisoner-of-war status
By Joshua Holzer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College After Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many countries quickly responded by imposing sanctions on Russia and by sending weapons to help Ukraine defend...
A rebuke to EPA: Decision by SCOTUS to limit regulatory oversight puts other enforcement agencies on notice
By Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School In a highly anticipated but not unexpected 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2022, that the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority...
An Armed Revolution: Congressional testimony highlights Trump’s effort to spark a Civil War
By Sara Kamali, Author & Research Scholar, Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara During his testimony before congressional investigators, former Oath Keepers spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove left little doubt...
Degradation of Democracy: New analysis details how the Supreme Court’s record has hit rock bottom
A new analysis released on July 13 argue that the right-wing majority now controlling the U.S. Supreme Court has dragged the institution to its lowest point in history by overtly, and repeatedly attacking the bedrock foundation upon which the nation was built:...
Richard Nixon’s Heir: Trump was also intent on using presidential powers to subvert the Constitution
This is what Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chair of the January 6 Congressional committee, said happened that day: As his shock troops stormed the U.S. Capitol chanting “hang Mike Pence,” Donald Trump told advisers that the man next in line for the presidency...
An American Delusion: When wishing upon a star finds the reality of dreams limited by race and gender
By Karen A. Cerulo, Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University; and Janet Ruane, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Montclair State University In Disney’s “Pinocchio,” Jiminy Cricket famously sings, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything...
Audit finds Black applicants to be half as likely to receive Federal pandemic aid in Wisconsin as Whites
A federal audit has uncovered what researchers into Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance system have long suspected: People of color are less likely to receive jobless compensation than their White counterparts. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development...
A COVID-19 Stalemate: As federal cash for vaccines dries up each state will need to fund its own pandemic care
State and local health departments remain in limbo over whether they will need to single-handedly fund their own COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as a stalemate in Congress drags into its fourth month. The Biden administration has raised alarm bells about the risk of...
Of coups and cover-ups: Public petition amplifies calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached
A petition calling on the Democratic-controlled House to launch impeachment proceedings against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas surpassed one million signatures, an indication of growing public outrage over the right-wing judge’s proximity to efforts to...
Cherry-picking history: When the foundering fathers supported women’s autonomy over abortion decisions
By Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino Justice Samuel Alito appears to be spellbound by the 19th century. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision Alito wrote overruling 50 years of constitutional protection for...
Post-Roe inequities: Access to reproductive health care has always been harder for women of color
By Kimala Price, Professor of Women’s Studies, San Diego State University In a mere few days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, at least seven states banned abortion. And even though judges...
