Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away last week aged 87. A long time liberal voice on the US Supreme Court, her death has opened the likelihood of the court shifting to the right, perhaps quite dramatically. This is because President Donald Trump has nominated the conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ginsburg. It has also opened up an already bitter partisan divide in the midst of an already emotional election year. Doug Becker explores the role of the Supreme Court in American politics and the likely legal outcomes of this current situation with Sandy Levinson and Erwin Chemerinsky.
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In the last few weeks, the western part of the United States has experienced one of the worst wildfire seasons in history. Not coincidently, some areas have also recorded the highest temperatures since records began. What is the relationship between climate change and the frequency, intensity, and destruction of wildfires? What role does forestry management play in these wildfires? Doug Becker speaks with George Perry, Peter Ward, Beverly Law, and William Moomaw.
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In the Eastern Mediterranean, recent confrontations over the rights to drill natural gas have threatened to reignite conflict between Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. This conflict emerged after Cyprus’s independence in 1960 and was complicated by international interventions by Greece and Turkey on behalf of their ethnic populations on the island. Renewed Turkish interest in the access and exploitation of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves around the island have bought the conflict into a new focus with the potential of further conflict occurring. Doug Becker spoke with Aristotle Tziampiris and Nukhet Sandal about the latest standoff.
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Unprecedented storms and fires are ravaging communities and destroying lives, all the while revealing power dynamics in society, politics and economics. What are these risks and revelations? What needs to be done? Steve Matthewman and Naomi Zack discuss with Maria Armoudian how disasters reveal hidden social arrangements and power dynamics in society.
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Misinformation is rampant about COVID-19 and in some cases, it has caused death, blindness, emergency health issues, and widespread stigma, and social ostracization. Holly Seale and Md. Saiful Islam were part of a team that studied the rumors, conspiracies, and falsehoods spreading through social media. What are the costs of these mistruths? Maria Armoudian spoke to Seale and Islam about their research.
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On August 9, 2020, Belarussian voters went to the polls in a presidential election. Long-time president Alexander Lukashenko who has governed the nation since 1994 and who is often called Europe’s last dictator claimed victory. Lukashenko announced he had won the election with a reported eighty-plus percent of the votes. This has been contested by both the Belarussian opposition and by most election observers. Since the election, the nation has been rocked by protests, while the government has violently cracked down on any unrest. What does this all mean for the future of the Lukashenko presidency? Doug Becker examines the history of Belarus and the fallout from the 2020 election with Margarita Balmaceda and Tatsiana Kulakevich.
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Social media has become a key feature in politics and communication and will likely play a significant role in the 2020 US election. The Trump administration has threatened sanctions against social media sites TikTok and WeChat, a move which may have an important effect on the 2020 campaign. Doug Becker speaks to Glenn W. Richardson Jr. and Jennifer Petersen about the role of social media in politics.
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The Democrat nominee for US President Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris to run with him on the national ticket as vice president. Harris is the first woman of colour to run on a major national party ticket in the United States. What is the impact of a vice-presidential candidate on the success of the national ticket? What is the role of the vice president electorally and within the governance of the presidency? Doug Becker speaks with Jeremi Suri and Arthur Auerbach.
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Lebanon has experienced warfare, economic hardship, and terrorism throughout its recent history. From the war that raged in the country from 1975 to 1990, when an estimated 120,000 people were killed, to foreign occupation, to instability, Lebanon has had a difficult history. Last week, on August 4th, an explosion devastated Beirut killing over one hundred people and injuring thousands. This incident shocked the nation amidst a horrible economic crisis and a tremendous lack of faith in the competence of the government. Doug Becker speaks with Bassel F. Salloukh and Hannes Baumann about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of people all over the world. The sense of powerlessness and the fear of infection has alienated people regardless of political situations. But in areas of conflict or military and political occupation, populations are even more at risk. One of these areas is the contested provinces of Kashmir and Jammu. Doug Becker speaks to Mona Bhan about what life is like here during a global pandemic.
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