Category Archives: Political Theory

Defending Research and Higher Education in the U.S.

Posted on February 21, 2025 by briansandberg

Professors, researchers, and educators across the nation are taking actions to defend research and higher education in the United States. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) states: “The Trump administration and many state governments are accelerating attacks on academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Democracy, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Legal history, Political History of the United States, Public History, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Governor Pritzker on Defending the Constitution

Posted on February 21, 2025 by briansandberg

Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered a powerful Illinois State of the State Speech this week, arguing that Illinois representatives and citizens must act to defend the U.S. Constitution and oppose tyranny in the United States. After discussing Illinois policy issues and … Continue reading →

Posted in Authoritarianism, Democracy, European History, Genocides, Globalization, History in the Media, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Legal history, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Trump Administration’s Assault on Research

Posted on February 19, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration has launched a direct assault on medical research, by drastically slashing the research funds for academic research across all disciplines. The massive cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been the focal point of reporting … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Current Research, Democracy, Humanities Education, Information Management, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Public History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Resisting the Renaming of the Gulf of Mexico

Posted on February 16, 2025 by briansandberg

Apple Maps and Google Maps have renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” following President Trump desire to rename it. These applications and their companies are increasingly complicit in the Trump administration’s war on reality and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Cartographic History, Education Policy, Empires and Imperialism, History in the Media, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Legal history, Maritime History, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Theory, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On Kleptocracy and Imperialism

Posted on February 16, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is now promoting a foreign policy based on kleptocracy and imperialism. The Washington Post reports that “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a Trump administration request this week that Kyiv hand over 50 percent of its rare-earth mineral … Continue reading →

Posted in Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, History of Violence, Political Culture, Political Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Leave a comment

National Security Scholars Defend USAID

Posted on February 15, 2025 by briansandberg

Professors of National Security and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin have published a letter defending USAID and warning that dismantling the agency would damage U.S. national security. The following letter was sent to the Texas Congressional … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, History in the Media, Political Theory, Public History, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Challenging Institutional Neutrality

Posted on February 12, 2025 by briansandberg

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is challenging the concept of “institutional neutrality” in higher education institutions. The AAUP makes a forceful argument against so-called “institutional neutrality” on its website: “The AAUP urges universities not to hide behind the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Authoritarianism, Democracy, Higher Education, Humanities Education, Political Culture, Political Theory, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Hitler’s Dismantling of Democracy in 53 Days

Posted on February 12, 2025 by briansandberg

Ninety years ago a democratically elected leader dismantled a constitutional republic in record time. This is a good reminder of how constitutional mechanisms can be used to undermine constitutional systems. On 30 January 1933, “Adolf Hitler was appointed the 15th … Continue reading →

Posted in Authoritarianism, Democracy, History in the Media, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Political Culture, Political Theory, Republicanism, State Development Theory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Developing Constitutional Crisis

Posted on February 11, 2025 by briansandberg

The United States has entered into the maelstrom of a constitutional crisis. Constitutional lawyers and legal historians seem to agree that Elon Musk’s actions and the Trump administration’s broader attempts to disrupt federal agencies have created an unprecedented constitutional crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in Information Management, Political Culture, Political Theory, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Rule of Law and Government Spending

Posted on February 10, 2025 by briansandberg

Five former U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury are raising alarm about the unprecedented and unlawful changes made by the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the system of payments for the entire federal government of … Continue reading →

Posted in History in the Media, Information Management, Legal history, Political Theory, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment