Prof. Carl LeVan
@democracyprofdc.bsky.social
220 followers 120 following 400 posts
Professor at American University. Defender of democracy. Lover of decency. Seeker of truth. Author/co-editor of books on Nigeria, constitution-making, and the American national security state. Editorial boards: Governance, Journal of Modern African Studies
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
We are going to see more regional "pacts" and editor @foreignpolicy.com sees increased risk of #nuclear confrontations in more areas of the world. Akbar Ahmed added: biggest risk in south Asia
Reposted by Prof. Carl LeVan
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Democracy #HumanRights & Labor at State Dept lost 80% of staff. Our role was to advocate for human rights as American values. Those voices for indigenous rights, disabled rights, protecting religious groups, now do not exist in USG. Expertise on corruption, elections, are gone. Not about efficiency.
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Adela Levis - all US govt efforts to counter #misinformation and malign influence are gone. Not just GEC at State, also DNI, FBI etc. No one in USG is pushing back against authoritarian propaganda anymore. Counter-terror programs studying violent extremism, or domestic white supremacy, gone.
Reposted by Prof. Carl LeVan
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
State Dept no longer comments on quality of elections. @freedomhouse.bsky.social is worried because this is a top 5 indicator of #democratic #erosion. Also gone from annual #humanrights reports: prison conditions, right to fair trial. Congressionally mandated sections being neglected
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Congratulations to my friend and colleague Amitav Acharya on his new book "Once and Future World Order" - decline of western hegemony does not necessarily mean increased global instability. He argues that peaceful multipolarity has emerged many times in world history.
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Their presence in DC last month with #FreeDC was impressive. Great to see young people mobilizing to defend democracy
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Global liberal order was created by people who lived through horrors of WW2. As that memory has faded, the appreciation for the rationale for the creation of that order, the consensus around it, has fractured, if not dissolved. Country reports had strong brand and researchers took risks to get facts
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
State Dept no longer comments on quality of elections. @freedomhouse.bsky.social is worried because this is a top 5 indicator of #democratic #erosion. Also gone from annual #humanrights reports: prison conditions, right to fair trial. Congressionally mandated sections being neglected
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
State Dept no longer comments on quality of elections. @freedomhouse.bsky.social is worried because this is a top 5 indicator of #democratic #erosion. Also gone from annual #humanrights reports: prison conditions, right to fair trial. Congressionally mandated sections being neglected
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
State Dept embracing a philosophy of natural rights which implies that human rights comes from western, Christian civilization -- deliberately excluding others. Foreign govts that Global Engagement Center used to cooperate with now see the US as a major propagator of misinformation.
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Adela Levis - all US govt efforts to counter #misinformation and malign influence are gone. Not just GEC at State, also DNI, FBI etc. No one in USG is pushing back against authoritarian propaganda anymore. Counter-terror programs studying violent extremism, or domestic white supremacy, gone.
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Democracy #HumanRights & Labor at State Dept lost 80% of staff. Our role was to advocate for human rights as American values. Those voices for indigenous rights, disabled rights, protecting religious groups, now do not exist in USG. Expertise on corruption, elections, are gone. Not about efficiency.
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Nicole Widdersheim - we have to hold civic space in US. We still have freedom of speech, but we can't let National Guard on streets become normalized. Support global #humanrights: share digital security w/ NGOs, etc. And with State Dept abandoning human rights reporting, maybe EU or others can do it
Reposted by Prof. Carl LeVan
protectdemocracy.org
BREAKING: Today, over 1,000 former DOJ officials who served in both Republican & Democratic administrations—have released a letter condemning the unprecedented, politically motivated indictment of fmr. FBI Director James Comey. Read their letter: protdem.org/3ITOo0Y
BREAKING DOJ Alumni Condemn Comey Indictment
A bipartisan group of over 1,000 former DOJ officials decry unprecedented abuse of power "The indictment represents an unprecedented assault on the rule of law directed by President Donald Trump..."
Reposted by Prof. Carl LeVan
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
The State Dept no longer collects data on freedom of association, and abolished GEC, office charged w/defending America against foreign malign influence. Join us on Friday at @americanuniversity.bsky.social at noon to discuss impact on global democracy. We moved to a bigger room due to high demand!
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Do you remember when Hatch Act violations were subtle and something that politicians actually tried to hide?
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
The State Dept no longer collects data on freedom of association, and abolished GEC, office charged w/defending America against foreign malign influence. Join us on Friday at @americanuniversity.bsky.social at noon to discuss impact on global democracy. We moved to a bigger room due to high demand!
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
I think Sen. Tammy Duckworth may have the best comment on Hegseth's speech: “He also claimed that weakening rules of engagement strengthens our warfighters, when in reality it will simply create more enemies of America and make it more likely those enemies would torture captured American troops”
thehill.com
Pete Hegseth’s military meeting triggers fears, head scratching and praise
thehill.com
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
Great fun to catch up with Kingsley Moghalu, one of Africa's great economists, yesterday in my department. We revisited his contribution to my Oxford Handbook of #Nigeria Politics, and discussed the state of liberalism, causes of inequality, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Reposted by Prof. Carl LeVan
democracyprofdc.bsky.social
This should help Americans understand why Trump fired so many data scientists, from the NOAA and the CDC to the BLS: the data needs to "fit" the desired narrative. "Overstatement of GDP growth in autocracies and the recent decline in global inequality" url: academic.oup.com/sf/article/1...
Overstatement of GDP growth in autocracies and the recent decline in global inequality
Abstract. After rising for almost two centuries, global income inequality declined substantially after 2000. While past scholarship on global inequality ha
academic.oup.com