David J Rovinsky
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky
@davidrovinsky.bsky.social
190 followers 610 following 73 posts
Former diplomat, current political scientist, born in Pennsylvania, adopted Vermonter. Secretary of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States. https://southof45.substack.com/
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · 4d
A new papacy arrives just as American Christianity drifts deepest into politics. The election of Leo XIV signals a Church reclaiming its universality against the gospel of nationhood, reminding the faithful that borders are human inventions not divine design.

southof45.substack.com/p/theology-a...
Theology as Subtweet: Leo XIV and Christian Nationalism
Where Christian nationalism craves divine endorsement for a single people, Catholic doctrine extends it outward, indiscriminately, to all.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · 11d
François Legault voulait faire l’histoire. Il l’a improvisée.

La nouvelle « constitution » du Québec ne couronne pas quarante ans de réflexion : elle les banalise.

southof45.substack.com/p/la-constit...
La « Constitution » improvisée de Legault trivialise l'exil intérieur du Québec
Legault et Jolin-Barrette confondent le symbolisme et la souveraineté
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · 11d
François Legault wanted to make history. Instead, he improvised it.

Quebec’s new “constitution” isn’t the culmination of forty years of reflection — it trivializes them.

#Canada #Quebec #canpol #qcpol #Constitution

southof45.substack.com/p/legaults-i...
Legault’s Improvised “Constitution” Trivializes Quebec’s Internal Exile
Legault and Jolin-Barette mistake symbolism for sovereignty
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · 16d
Mark Carney’s minority government faces the impossible task of governing a country caught between austerity, populism, and a protectionist White House. How Canada tries to hold its balance while Trump burns North America down.

southof45.substack.com/p/governing-...
Governing in the Maelstrom
Canada’s relative calm masks three deeper tremors: the deficit, federalism, and the United States.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · 24d
Are we entering a new Dark Age? Not ignorance, but squander: a world where knowledge survives, yet universality dies. Tech oligarchs as Medicis, universities in decline, and a society where brilliance is wasted.

#history #politics #universities #DarkAges

southof45.substack.com/p/will-the-d...
Will the Dark Ages Repeat?
The cycle in the West that began with the Renaissance is ending.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 25
Populists offer candy. Liberals offer spinach. Guess which one the id craves? #FreudAndPolitics #DemocracyInDanger #Authoritarianism

southof45.substack.com/p/my-id-beat...
My Id Beats Your Enlightenment
Biden’s age offends more voters than Trump’s authoritarianism. Why? Because politics today is id vs. intellect, and the id is winning.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 23
#CFL
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 23
They reek of desperation, not confidence. Fix the level of play.

southof45.substack.com/p/cfl-rule-c...
CFL Rule Changes Miss the Real Problem
They reek of desperation, not confidence. Fix the level of play.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 16
If I had my way, we would pay to use social media.

southof45.substack.com/p/this-essay...
This Essay Is (Part of) The Problem
If I had my way, we would pay to use social media.
southof45.substack.com
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 12
Pandemics never end when the sickness subsides. Democracies remain captive to the unfinished business of COVID-19.

southof45.substack.com/p/the-pandem...
The Pandemic’s Long Tail: Why the Politics of the 2020s Cannot Escape COVID-19
Pandemics never end when the sickness subsides. Democracies remain captive to the unfinished business of COVID-19
southof45.substack.com
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 12
John Schneider knew about Occam's Razor today.
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 11
Square root of the third derivative of n raised to the power of b says bring in the reliever who will walk eight straight batters.
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 8
Economics furnishes the substance, culture supplies the heat.

southof45.substack.com/p/is-western...
Is Western Alienation About Oil or Identity?
Economics furnishes the substance, culture supplies the heat.
southof45.substack.com
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Sep 2
Trump agitates against Brazil not because it threatens American interests, but because its voters elect the “wrong” leaders.

southof45.substack.com/p/brazilian-...
Brazilian Democracy and Trumpist Grievance
Trump agitates against Brazil not because it threatens American interests, but because its voters elect the “wrong” leaders.
southof45.substack.com
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 22
Exactly when CFL teams kneel to concede a safety...
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 18
For over two centuries, Americans have dreamed of annexing Canada. What’s changed is that today’s annexationism isn’t about borders or strategy, but about erasing Canada’s democracy.

southof45.substack.com/p/the-changi...
The Changing Logic of Annexing Canada: From Manifest Destiny to Culture War
For over two centuries, Americans have dreamed of annexing Canada. What’s changed is that today’s annexationism isn’t about borders or strategy, but about erasing Canada’s democracy.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 16
It is not about territory. It is about legitimacy. In MAGA’s America, Canada’s democratic political choices are so repugnant that the answer is absorption.

southof45.substack.com/p/culture-wa...
Culture-War Annexationism: Why Joe Martin Sees Canada as the Battleground
It is not about territory. It is about legitimacy. In MAGA’s America, Canada’s democratic political choices are so repugnant that the answer is absorption.
southof45.substack.com
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 13
For François Legault and the CAQ, the lights are fading.

southof45.substack.com/p/la-fin-du-...
davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 11
Mark Carney’s approach does not resurrect the Third Option branding, but in substance it is unmistakably a descendant of Mitchell Sharp’s strategy.

southof45.substack.com/p/did-trump-...
Did Trump Vindicate the Third Option?
Mark Carney’s approach does not resurrect the Third Option branding, but in substance it is unmistakably a descendant of Sharp’s strategy.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Aug 5
The most important question in Canadian domestic politics today is whether the United States will recover from Trump. Nothing fundamental can change until the volcano next door stops erupting.

southof45.substack.com/p/waiting-fo...
Waiting for America: Canada in the Age of MAGA
The most important question in Canadian domestic politics today is whether the United States will recover from Trump. Nothing fundamental can change until the volcano next door stops erupting.
southof45.substack.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Jul 25
And www.wcax.com/2025/07/24/q...
Quebec man claims he was detained, falsely accused of fishing in US waters
A Quebec man is outraged after he says U.S. authorities falsely accused him of fishing in American waters in Lake Champlain and jailed him for hours.
www.wcax.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Jul 25
This is all I could find. www.newsweek.com/canadian-man...
Canadian man furious after U.S. Coast Guard cross 'border' to arrest him
The detention of 60-year-old Edouard Lallemand has prompted outrage from him and his wife and raised questions about enforcement on shared waterways.
www.newsweek.com
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Jul 25
Very disturbing. They possible entered Canadian waters, grabbed a Canadian citizen, and took him to the US and imprisoned him. They warned us as diplomats that constitutes an act of war.
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davidrovinsky.bsky.social
David J Rovinsky @davidrovinsky.bsky.social · Jul 16
I did not mean to sub-post @johnibbitson.bsky.social. I've just realized he's on BlueSky.
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Reposted by David J Rovinsky
johnibbitson.bsky.social
John Ibbitson @johnibbitson.bsky.social · Jun 26
@darrellbricker and I wrote Breaking Point over six frantic months, through Freeland & Trudeau & Trump and Carney & the election. It's all in the book, but the forces threatening Canada stretch much farther back. Pub date is Oct. 28. You can pre-order now.
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/801993...
Breaking Point by Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson | Penguin Random House Canada
From the authors of The Big Shift and Empty Planet, a timely and provocative exploration of the seismic forces reshaping Canada’s political, cultural, and economic landscape.
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
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