John Adams famously wrote that the infant United States, as a new republic, was a nation of laws and not of men—by which he presumably meant no single personality, no matter how large or formidable, …
One Providence? Using an Interfaith Forum to Confront Polarization by Isabela Karibjanian @ Brown University
At just after 6 pm on Wednesday, November 1, Providence Mayor Jorge D. Elorza’s first Interfaith Forum began. Thirty to forty community members from a wide range of ages and faith groups packed into a …
An Interfaith Forum with Mayor Elorza: Engaging Faith and ‘Uncooperative Localism’ in Providence by Zach Witkin @ Brown University
The Interfaith Forum, organized by Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s One Providence Initiative, united around two different ideas of “faith.” For organizers and attendees, there was not much faith in …
A State of Chaos: Maine Fights for Democracy by Matthew Jarrell @ Brown University
Federalism is a powerful weapon for state and local governments against an anti-democratic agenda in Washington. Creeping authoritarianism within State Houses, however, is an entirely different matter …
“Alternative” Fact is Not a Problem for Democracy by Will Conard @ Brown University
The rise of populist candidates in global politics has been accompanied by a resurgence of mistrust toward news media from both liberal and conservative parties. Arguments on the necessity of accurate …
Student Activism Today Is Aimed More at Policy Than Democracy. By Aidan Calvelli @ Brown University
From the Vietnam War protests on campuses to the Sudanese divestment campaign (that Brown students like Scott Warren helped lead), students have long spoke out on political issues. Just last year, …
Senegal’s Democratic Façade: How Senegal is not the Example by Zach Witkin @ Brown University
Senegal has been widely regarded in the international community has having one of the most stable democracies in Africa. The 2012 election in which President Macky Sall defeated longtime incumbent …
How the Russian State Makes for a Deft Opposition by Artur Avkhadiev @ Brown University
Since Vladimir Putin’s reelection in 2012, the Russian state has undergone a transformation. Adapted under the pressure of the Post-Cold War era, Russia now has a full laundry list of democratic …