Narratives of Illegitimacy
American politics are awash with narratives of illegitimacy. We’re not just questioning the judgment of our rivals, we’re questioning their loyalty, their commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution, as well as their patriotism. In other words, we’re questioning whether our political opposites are, truly, American. It’s difficult to imagine a more serious threat to the American experiment. The playbook is familiar at this point. Republicans—including then-citizen Donald … Read More
Pell Center Study Warns Russia Threat is Bigger than the 2016 Election
Newport, RI – Vladimir Putin’s Russia is engaged in a well-financed and determined campaign to undermine democratic political and social institutions as well as international alliances, and to remove resistance to Russia’s foreign policy objectives. Russia has the motive and the means to do so, according to a new report from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University. “Shatter the House of Mirrors” is based on the proceedings of a closed … Read More
Trump, de Tocqueville, and Loyalty: Picks of the Week
The Emails of Donald Trump, Jr. | New York Times Conspiracy or Coincidence: A Timeline Open to Interpretation | The New York Times Trump Revives his Playbook for Fighting Government Probes | Politico In late January of 2017, just a week after being sworn into office, President Donald Trump invited then-FBI Director James Comey to dinner at the White House. In private accounts and in public testimony, Comey described his … Read More
Donald Trump: Strategic Communicator
The first four months of the Trump presidency have been characterized by fast-moving news that often feels chaotic. This week alone, the former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified to Congress that she had warned the White House that Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s first National Security Advisory, was potentially compromised by Russia. That same morning, the country learned that former-President Barack Obama warned President-elect Trump about hiring Flynn. Then, … Read More
Now What? A Discussion of the Election Results
The election of 2016 will be one for the ages. Pitting a billionaire businessman against the first female candidate nominated for president by a major political party, the campaign has been a wild ride. As the dust settles, join a distinguished panel of scholars and journalists as we try to make sense of the campaign, understand the fissures it revealed in the American body-politic, and look-ahead to the policy and … Read More
Can the Vote Really Be Hacked? Picks of the Week
No, the presidential election can’t be hacked | CNN US election machine technology is out of date, expert say | CNBC How Clinton, Trump Could Champion Cybersecurity | Dark Reading Although we are aware of the efforts by the Russian government to discredit American democracy and interfere with the election, the chance that a malicious actor can carry out a hack that would change the outcome of the presidential election … Read More
We Know What a Fair Election Looks Like
In a remarkable election season, with one candidate speaking frequently about voter fraud and “rigged” elections, we asked an experienced international election observer how we would know if the election was fair. Here is his response. Standing amidst the rubble of war, a woman stood against a cold and bitter wind. I asked the woman why she stood patiently waiting in a line with hundreds of her neighbors. “I have … Read More
A Republic, If You’ll Keep It: Picks of the Week
How Russia Pulled Off the Biggest Election Hack in U.S. History | Esquire Steve Bannon’s Vision for the Trump Coalition After Election Day | The New Yorker Donald Trump’s Contempt for Democracy | The New York Times Hackers Used New Weapons to Disrupt Major Websites Across U.S. | The New York Times The United States is currently the target of a Russian information operation—of this there is no doubt. From … Read More
Hacking the Election
“Four decades ago, breaking into the files of the Democratic National Committee meant burglarizing the headquarters at the Watergate hotel. Today’s spies and saboteurs can breach the DNC’s computer network far more quietly … [and] the DNC breach may not be the last hack of the 2016 election season.” – WIRED In recent years, state-sponsored hackers and proxies have breached targets from the White House to the State Department to … Read More
Debate Watch: Clinton vs. Trump
Join the Pell Center staff and friends for a spirited discussion and to watch the final debate. We will survey the audience before and after the debate to see how opinions have changed.