DOCSLIB.ORG

WEEKLY WRAP up ** [ February 24 - March 2, 2018 ]

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WEEKLY WRAP up ** [ February 24 - March 2, 2018 ] PROTECT OUR CARE ** WEEKLY WRAP UP ** [ February 24 - March 2, 2018 ] [Share Tweet from Protect Our Care] Republican Sabotage Set To Spike Next Year’s Premiums Nationwide On Monday, the Urban Institute released a bombshell study which pulled the alarm on dramatic double- digit rate hikes set to hit states next year because of President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ sabotage: an average premium increase of 18% in 43 states. The report quantifies the high price Americans will pay for Republican health care sabotage, which is set to artificially inflate premiums by double digits for millions of families this fall. Health care advocates warned President Trump over and over about the devastating economic toll his sabotage would take on American families, and now have the numbers to prove it. The findings show that Republican sabotage is set not only to spike premiums, but also to drive millions of Americans off real coverage, leaving them underinsured or uninsured, while also increasing federal spending by billions. Even though much of the damage is done, Trump and his Republican allies in Congress still have time to work with Democrats on a bipartisan stabilization bill to moderate these premium spikes, but that window of time is closing quickly as insurance companies start to lock in premiums for the fall. It’s past time for Republicans in Congress to stand up to Trump’s partisan war on health care and start cooperating with Democrats to protect our care. Four Studies, Three Polls, One Conclusion: Americans Support the ACA, Are Fed Up With Trump’s Sabotage It’s been a busy week for health care. Three polls - from CNN, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and then President Trump’s very own America First Policies - came out, all of which had similar and striking conclusions. Four studies - from the Urban Institute, Avalere, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Commonwealth Fund - also came out, and too came to a similar conclusion. What did the analyses of the week show? WHAT THE POLLS FOUND: ACA MORE POPULAR THAN EVER, VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY OPPOSE ADMINISTRATION POLICIES Last night, a new poll from President Trump’s own organization, America First Policies, confirmed that health care is the top issue to voters - and they don’t support the Trump Administration’s repeal and sabotage agenda. Trump’s polling found: ● By 17 points, voters DISAPPROVE of Trump’s “handling of health care” with only 38% approving (16% strongly) and 55% disapproving (44% strongly). ● A plurality of voters (41%) said the top priority for the President and Congress should be lowering health care costs. ● Among those 41% who name lowering health care costs a the top priority, 68% want Congress to leave the ACA as is or work to fix it. Only 31% support the GOP repeal agenda. The America First poll followed the earlier release of the Kaiser February tracking poll, which found 54% of those surveyed holding a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act, the highest proportion supporting the ACA in the nine years the poll has been conducted. The poll also found: ● The ACA favorable view rose from 50 percent in January 2018 to 54 percent this month, a change “largely driven by independents.” ● More than twice as many voters mention health care costs (22 percent) as mention repealing/opposing the ACA (7 percent) as the top health care issue. ● 74% of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Medicaid, while 52% believed the Medicaid program is working well for most low-income people covered by the program. ● 64% of independents oppose lifetime limits for Medicaid benefits. ● A larger share of the public believes the proposed Medicaid changes are to reduce government spending (41 percent) than to help lift people out of poverty (33 percent). And both of these followed a Tuesday CNN poll which found health care remains voters’ top priority, with 83% of those surveyed listing it as either extremely or very important. Other findings included: ● 53% of voters said health care was extremely important, the highest among all issues - a 20% increase from the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted in August of 2010, when health care supposedly dominated the midterm elections. ● 78% of independent voters said health care was important, which tied with the economy as their top issue. ● At least 70% of voters in every demographic category said health care was important - a trend that stretches across gender, age, income level, education level, ideology, and party affiliation. Americans support the Affordable Care Act because it works to bring down costs, expand coverage, and protect the most vulnerable among us. They oppose the GOP’s repeal and sabotage plan because it does the opposite. Four studies this week confirmed this. WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW: COSTS UP, COVERAGE DOWN Last week, the Trump Administration announced a proposal to move forward with short-term, junk insurance plans - the Administration’s latest form of sabotage. ● On Monday, a bombshell Urban Institute study found that these short-term junk plans will cause an average premium increase of 18% in 43 states, making clear just how high the cost of the GOP’s sabotage efforts will be for Americans. Last month, the Department of Labor proposed a rule promoting association health plans (AHPs). ● On Wednesday, Avalere released a new study which found that this proposed rule would cause premiums for individual and small-group plans to rise 4% and reduce Affordable Care Act plans enrollment by as many as 4.3 million, further destabilizing the marketplace. On Wednesday, President Trump hosted a White House summit to address the opioid crisis, just weeks after releasing a budget which called for vast cuts to Medicaid. ● That day, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released an analysis showing that states which expanded Medicaid saw higher rates of insurance coverage for people with opioid-use disorders. And throughout his time in office, President Trump and his GOP allies in Congress have been carrying out an extensive sabotage campaign designed to harm the ACA. ● A new report from the Commonwealth Fund analyzed the effects on consumer confidence, finding that among those worried about maintaining their coverage in the future, “nearly half pointed to actions by the Trump administration and Congress as the main source of their unease.” Moreover, the report found that of the individuals who did not purchase insurance last year, 26 percent of those said they did not because they thought the law was going to be repealed, underscoring the effects this sabotage campaign has had. ● The report did offer some steps to move forward: “As our findings suggest, policy changes could increase coverage, including greater outreach and advertising in all states and reforms to improve plan affordability.” The most specific suggestion: Medicaid expansion “remains the most obvious means for expanding coverage nationwide.” All in all, Americans continued to make their voices heard loud and clear: they support the Affordable Care Act and want it to be improved and expanded, not undercut by a GOP sabotage effort from President Trump and Republicans in Congress. As for that sabotage effort? Study after study has found that its effects have been nothing short of disastrous for the American health care system. Will President Trump and Congressional Republicans ever get their act together on health care and finally embrace what the vast majority of Americans say they want? Well, there are a few polls they can read… “Trump Will Drive Up Obamacare Premiums Nearly 20%”: The Week’s Health Care Sabotage Headlines The release of the Urban Institute’s bombshell study, which outlined the the high price Americans will pay for Republican health care sabotage - an 18.2% increase in 2019 premiums for Affordable Care Act plans and millions of Americans losing their coverage - brought about a wealth of headlines making clear the results of the Trump Administration’s sabotage. Here’s a roundup of this week’s headlines: Vox: Trump will drive up Obamacare premiums nearly 20% Bloomberg: Trump’s Obamacare Changes to Push Up Premiums, Report Projects Mic: Obamacare premiums could see double-digit increases thanks to Trump’s changes CNN: 9 million fewer Americans expected to have health insurance in 2019 Axios: Millions of Americans won't have health insurance next year Huffington Post: These Are The Real-Life Effects Of Trump’s Obamacare Sabotage The Hill: ObamaCare premiums to rise 18 percent from GOP-backed changes “The Cost for their Rage Will be the Health of Millions”: Editorial Boards Respond to Trump’s Latest Sabotage The Trump Administration’s latest move to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, short-term, junk health plans, would allow insurers to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and eliminate guarantees that essential services like maternity and cancer care be covered. The new junk plans would leave people who get sick on the hook for substantial medical bills and destabilize the individual insurance marketplaces by encouraging insurers to cherry-pick who gets covered. But don’t just take our word for it - here’s what the country’s leading editorial boards are saying: Washington Post: This Trump Administration Health-Care Rule Would Return Us to the Bad Old Days. “The department’s plan would allow insurance companies to sell virtually unregulated health policies. This would signal a return to the bad old days when insurers could sharply limit benefits, impose caps on coverage and discriminate against people with preexisting conditions… Allowing healthy people to buy junk insurance plans is not worth risking sick and vulnerable people’s access to real coverage.” [2/26/18] New York Times: Trump Tries to Kill Obamacare By a Thousand Cuts. “Not mentioned in the department’s talking points is the fact that these policies do not cover things like mental health services, substance abuse treatment, cancer drugs and maternity care.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Civil War in the American Ruling Class
    tripleC 16(2): 857-881, 2018 http://www.triple-c.at The Civil War in the American Ruling Class Scott Timcke Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, [email protected] Abstract: American politics is at a decisive historical conjuncture, one that resembles Gramsci’s description of a Caesarian response to an organic crisis. The courts, as a lagging indicator, reveal this longstanding catastrophic equilibrium. Following an examination of class struggle ‘from above’, in this paper I trace how digital media instruments are used by different factions within the capitalist ruling class to capture and maintain the commanding heights of the American social structure. Using this hegemony, I argue that one can see the prospect of American Caesarism being institutionally entrenched via judicial appointments at the Supreme Court of the United States and other circuit courts. Keywords: Gramsci, Caesarism, ruling class, United States, hegemony Acknowledgement: Thanks are due to Rick Gruneau, Mariana Jarkova, Dylan Kerrigan, and Mark Smith for comments on an earlier draft. Thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers – the work has greatly improved because of their contributions. A version of this article was presented at the Local Entanglements of Global Inequalities conference, held at The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine in April 2018. 1. Introduction American politics is at a decisive historical juncture. Stalwarts in both the Democratic and the Republican Parties foresee the end of both parties. “I’m worried that I will be the last Republican president”, George W. Bush said as he recoiled at the actions of the Trump Administration (quoted in Baker 2017).
    [Show full text]
  • ATINER's Conference Paper Series SOC2017-2441
    ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: LNG2014-1176 Athens Institute for Education and Research ATINER ATINER's Conference Paper Series SOC2017-2441 “It’s too soon to tell”: Understanding the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race and its Consequences Trevor Harrison Professor University of Lethbridge Canada 1 ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: SOC2017-2441 An Introduction to ATINER's Conference Paper Series Conference papers are research/policy papers written and presented by academics at one of ATINER‟s academic events. ATINER‟s association started to publish this conference paper series in 2012. All published conference papers go through an initial peer review aiming at disseminating and improving the ideas expressed in each work. Authors welcome comments Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos President Athens Institute for Education and Research This paper should be cited as follows: Harrison, T.W. (2018). ““It’s too soon to tell”: Understanding the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race and its Consequences”, Athens: ATINER'S Conference Paper Series, No: SOC2017-2441. Athens Institute for Education and Research 8 Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki, 10671 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 3634210 Fax: + 30 210 3634209 Email: [email protected] URL: www.atiner.gr URL Conference Papers Series: www.atiner.gr/papers.htm Printed in Athens, Greece by the Athens Institute for Education and Research. All rights reserved. Reproduction is allowed for non-commercial purposes if the source is fully acknowledged. ISSN: 2241-2891 03/05/2018 2 ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: SOC2017-2441 “It’s too soon to tell”: Understanding the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race and its Consequences Trevor Harrison Professor University of Lethbridge Canada Abstract This paper examines some of the factors contributing to Donald Trump‟s extraordinary victory in the 2016 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • August 30, 2019 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL U.S. Department of Labor 200
    August 30, 2019 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue NW Room N-2420 Washington, DC 20210 [email protected] Re: Freedom of Information Act Request Dear Freedom of Information Officers: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, and your agency’s implementing regulations, American Oversight makes the following request for records. The records requested herein may reside in multiple components or offices within your agency. We ask that you coordinate this request across your agency in your role as the agency’s FOIA contact. The Hatch Act is intended to ensure that the federal government operates in a nonpartisan, apolitical way, with an unwavering focus on serving the public. It is important that federal employees keep all political activity—no matter the party involved—out of government buildings and off of government time. American Oversight seeks records to identify if there have been any communications between the federal government and President Trump’s reelection campaign or certain organizations—including PACs—that are supporting the president’s reelection. Requested Records American Oversight requests that your agency produce the following within twenty business days: All email communications (including emails, email attachments, and calendar invitations) regardless of subject matter sent by (a) any of the employees listed in Column A below to (b) any of the individuals or entities listed in Column B below, including but not limited to at the email addresses and domains specified: 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005 | AmericanOversight.org Column A: Federal Employees Column B: Campaign Committees, Political Action Committees, Consultants, and Other Outside Organizations • Acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella • Donald J.
    [Show full text]
  • Participatory Propaganda Model 1
    A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 1 Participatory Propaganda: The Engagement of Audiences in the Spread of Persuasive Communications Alicia Wanless Michael Berk Director of Strategic Communications, Visiting Research Fellow, SecDev Foundation Centre for Cyber Security and International [email protected] Relations Studies, University of Florence [email protected] Paper presented at the "Social Media & Social Order, Culture Conflict 2.0" conference organized by Cultural Conflict 2.0 and sponsored by the Research Council of Norway on 1 December 2017, Oslo. To be published as part of the conference proceedings in 2018. A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 2 Abstract Existing research on aspects of propaganda in a digital age tend to focus on isolated techniques or phenomena, such as fake news, trolls, memes, or botnets. Providing invaluable insight on the evolving human-technology interaction in creating new formats of persuasive messaging, these studies lend to an enriched understanding of modern propaganda methods. At the same time, the true effects and magnitude of successful influencing of large audiences in the digital age can only be understood if target audiences are perceived not only as ‘objects’ of influence, but as ‘subjects’ of persuasive communications as well. Drawing from vast available research, as well as original social network and content analyses conducted during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, this paper presents a new, qualitatively enhanced, model of modern propaganda – “participatory propaganda” - and discusses its effects on modern democratic societies. Keywords: propaganda, Facebook, social network analysis, content analysis, politics A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 3 Participatory Propaganda: The Engagement of Audiences in the Spread of Persuasive Communications Rapidly evolving information communications technologies (ICTs) have drastically altered the ways individuals engage in the public information domain, including news ways of becoming subjected to external influencing.
    [Show full text]
  • Trump Now Propped up by Super PAC Megadonors Megadonors Fuel $54 Million to Support Trump Agenda, Reelection, GOP Candidates
    ‘Self-Funded’ Trump Now Propped Up by Super PAC Megadonors Megadonors Fuel $54 Million to Support Trump Agenda, Reelection, GOP Candidates By Alan Zibel, Research Director, Public Citizen’s Corporate Presidency Project December 20, 2018 – Dozens of megadonors have contributed $54.4 million to six groups backing President Donald Trump’s agenda, his reelection and Republican candidates for office, an analysis by Public Citizen has found. Public Citizen analyzed contributions by large donors to six groups supporting Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The analysis reveals a large political operation backing Trump as well as Republican candidates. These six groups are fueled with contributions from corporate CEOs and other large donors as well as from dark money groups that do not disclose their donors. The gusher of contributions to pro-Trump groups is a sharp contrast with the early days of Trump’s political career three years ago. Trump, who famously ran his primary campaign with a tiny staff, initially claimed to be self-funding his candidacy and avoiding big-money donors. This assertion, while not entirely accurate, was part of his appeal to voters. Public Citizen’s analysis of Federal Election Commission data found that since the start of 2017 through mid- October 2018, the six pro-Trump groups have: Raised $54.4 million from contributors who donated at least $100,000, with an average contribution of nearly $400,000; Received contributions of at least $100,000 from 136 people and organizations; and Relied upon donations from the gambling, finance, real estate and energy sectors, largely from CEOs, senior executives, retired CEOs and spouses of CEOs.
    [Show full text]
  • A Semiotic Analysis of the Rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump
    University of Tennessee at Chattanooga UTC Scholar Student Research, Creative Works, and Honors Theses Publications 5-2021 Building a (great) wall: a semiotic analysis of the rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump Lauren Gilmore University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.utc.edu/honors-theses Part of the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Gilmore, Lauren, "Building a (great) wall: a semiotic analysis of the rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump" (2021). Honors Theses. This Theses is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research, Creative Works, and Publications at UTC Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UTC Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Building a (Great) Wall: A Semiotic Analysis of the Rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump Lauren Gilmore Departmental Honors Thesis The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga English: Rhetoric and Professional Writing Examination Date: April 9, 2021 Dr. Lauren Ingraham Dr. Rik Hunter Professor of English Associate Professor of English Thesis Director Department Examiner Dr. Jeremy Strickler Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Service Department Examiner Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................1 LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • September 18, 2018 Democracy Reform Task Force Rep
    � -.· ,.. ..7 1, . � � SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 DEMOCRACY REFORM TASK FORCE REP. JOHN SARBANES, CHAIR President Donald J. Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington. He vowed that as President he would take steps to break the “cycle of corruption” and end “decades of special interest dealing,” 1 and he pledged to aggressively pursue meaningful reforms to improve transparency and accountability in government. 2 But President Trump has broken this promise to the American people. Specifically, the Trump Administration has: • Made a Mockery of Ethics Law and Regulation • Promoted a Culture of Secrecy in the Executive Branch • Stacked His Cabinet with Big Money Campaign Donors • Installed a Special-Interest Revolving Door into the Trump White House • Put Big Money Ahead of the Public Interest • Turned the Presidency into a Profit-Making Enterprise • Pursued Public Policy for Trump’s Personal Benefit • Raided the Treasury to Pay for Vacation & Private Business Promotion As President Trump marks his 600th day in office, this report – the sixth edition in the Democracy Reform Task Force’s series of “100 Ways” oversight reports – lists 600 ways that the Trump Administration has broken its campaign promises. Here are all of the examples. 1 Donald J. Trump Campaign. “Trump Pledged to Drain the Swamp and Impose Congressional Term Limits.” October 18, 2016. 2 Ibid President Trump’s “Ethics” Executive Order was supposed to “drain the swamp.” As this exhaustive list shows, the Executive Order was just another example of President Trump’s tendency to overpromise and underdeliver. We have continued to witness the Administration openly flouting ethics regulations and conflict-of-interest law to an unprecedented degree.
    [Show full text]
  • Fire​ ​And​ ​Fury​​ ​Controversy
    FIRE AND FURY CONTROVERSY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ TOPIC: FIRE AND FURY CONTROVERSY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ DATE: January 4, 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS ​ ​ ● Although there was no White House social contribution, the President's statement was widely referenced by media outlets and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ consumers. In particular, the phrases "lost his mind" and "nothing to do with me" saw the strongest pulled through. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ "Lost his mind" generated 13% of the total tracked conversation volume, and was used in 25% of the media article ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ headlines. However, the phrase was hijacked by left-leaning individuals to criticize the President. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ "Nothing to do with me" was used in 3% of the total tracked conversation volume – 90% of those mentions saw the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ phrase used beside "lost his mind." ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Comments made by Steve Bannon, both in the context of the book and after those comments went public, comprised nearly ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 31% of the overall mention volume. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ His most critical thoughts highlighted in the book – calling the Trump Tower meeting and Donald Trump Jr. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ "unpatriotic" and "treasonous,"
    [Show full text]
  • America First
    940*9307 C68 53-48071 940*930? 068 53-480?! Cole America First.. $3*50 Keep Your Card in This Pocket Books will be issued only on presentation of proper library cards. Unless labeled otherwise, books may be retained for two weeks. Borrowers finding books marked, de faced or mutilated are expected to report same at library desk; otherwise the last borrower will be held responsible for all imperfections discovered. The card holder is responsible for all books drawn on this card. Penalty for over-due books 2c a day plus cost of notices. Lost cards and change of residence must be re ported promptly. Public Library Kansas City, Mo. TtNSION ENVELOPE CORP. PUBLIC LIBRARY 1 2 19JS _t< y AMERICA FIRST WIDE WORLD PHOTO A general view of the America First rally held in Madison Square Garden on May 23, 1941, at which Charles A. Lind bergh and Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana were speakers. PHOTO WIDE WORLD PHOTO WIDE WORLD Robert E. Wood. Charles A. Lind Top left: General Right: R. Stuart, Senator bergh. Bottom left: Douglas Jr. Right: Burton K. Wheeler. WIDE WORLD PHOTO AMERICA FIRST The Battle Against Intervention 1940-1941 by Wayne S. Cole MADISON THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS 1953 COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. COPYRIGHT, CAN ADA, 1953. DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY BURNS & MAcEACHERN, TORONTO Printed in the United States of America by the Vail-Ballou Press, Incorporated, Binghamton, New York To ^Virginia Preface "OUR PRINCIPLES were right. Had they been followed war could have been avoided/' So ran the final statement of the America First Committee issued in December, 1941, after the official entry of the United States into World War II.
    [Show full text]
  • Europe and Technology by Caroline Atkinson
    GOVERNANCE IN AN EMERGING NEW WORLD Convened by George P. Shultz with James Cunningham, David Fedor, and James Timbie Table of Contents WINTER SERIES, ISSUE 219 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................................5 Europe and Technology Caroline Atkinson ..........................................................................................................................................................................................8 European Demographics and Migration Christopher Caldwell ................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Europe’s Challenges in an Age of Social Media, Advanced Technologies, and Artifi cial Intelligence William Drozdiak .........................................................................................................................................................................................27 Europe in the Global Race for Technological Leadership Jens Suedekum ..........................................................................................................................................................................................37 Observations from the Roundtable Jim Hoagland ............................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • ARTICLE Trump's Wisdom for the International Political Economy: a Way to Collective Carnage?
    ARTICLE Trump’s Wisdom for the International Political Economy: A Way to Collective Carnage? Fatma Nil DÖNER * Abstract This study intends to analyse the rise of Donald Trump to the presidency of the U.S. as a symptom of the economic aftershocks to the 2008 financial crisis at the global and domestic levels. In response to the financial crisis and structural shifts in the global economy, Trump is pursuing protectionist measures which are being legitimized domestically by applying exclusionary policies based on a logic of “us vs. them.” By focusing on Trump’s public speeches, U.S. National Security Strategy and budgetary documents, this study will explore how Trump’s intention of “America First” resonates in the political economy and foreign policy plans of the U.S. It claims that the Trump administration, which faces a legitimacy crisis at home and abroad, will continue to be deeply affected by its policy decisions considering, first, protectionism versus openness in foreign affairs and second, equality versus efficiency in domestic politics. The Trump administration may also hasten the demise of the global system by its isolationist policies which encourage polarization. Keywords Trump, political economy, America First, international institutions, populism, legitimacy crisis. Introduction The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the “global financial crisis,” is the most serious economic slowdown since the Great Depression of the 1930s. * Assist. Prof., İstanbul Medeniyet University, Department of International Relations, Istan- bul, Turkey. E-mail: [email protected] PERCEPTIONS, Spring-Summer 2019, XXIV, Number 1, pp. 105-132. 105 Fatma Nil DÖNER The contagion effect of the crisis started in the U.S., as the mortgage crisis spread quickly to the entire U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey's New Presidential System and a Changing
    THE NEW GEOPOLITICS JANUARY 2019 EUROPE TURKEY’S NEW PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM AND A CHANGING WEST: IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY AND TURKEY- WEST RELATIONS KEMAL KIRIŞCI İLKE TOYGÜR TURKEY PROJECT POLICY PAPER | NO. 15 TURKEY’S NEW PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM AND A CHANGING WEST: IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY AND TURKEY-WEST RELATIONS KEMAL KIRIŞCI İLKE TOYGÜR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In July 2018, having triumphed in the presidential elections the previous month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began to formally transform Turkey’s long-standing parliamentary system into a heavily centralized presidential one. The new system entrenched his one-man authoritarian rule at home and is having profound implications for the making and substance of Turkish foreign policy as well as Turkey’s relations with the West. This transition has taken place amid an international environment that is undergoing a significant transformation. Today, the West is far from a shining “city on the hill,” attracting Turkey and other countries toward the liberal values it is meant to represent. Populism and nationalism are on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies are eroding the world order characterized by multilateralism, free trade, and advocacy of liberal values. The European Union is weakened internally by the challenge of Brexit and by diminishing public support for a liberal Europe comfortable with diversity. Complicating this picture are emerging powers such as China, Iran, and Russia that are playing a much more assertive role on the global stage. This paper argues that the confluence of a “new” Turkey and an evolving international order is likely to continue to strain Turkey’s relations with its Western allies.
    [Show full text]