Category Archives: Academic Articles

Academic Articles, Authors A-H

Interfaith Bridgebuilding Across the Digital Divide – by Geneva Blackmer

2 Comments

What is the Digital Divide?

It is difficult to explain the realities of the digital divide to those who live comfortably on either side of the partition. Contemporary definitions include not only having access to technology, but also the right to digital literacy, digital participation, and social inclusion. While I was aware of the rapid and pervasive advancement of the digital world, correlating gaps in access did not fully become apparent until I began working within various public library systems. Over the years, I have assisted library patrons with everything from job applications to filing for social security, disability, and other medical benefits, to submitting college essays. The common denominator in all scenarios is that no option remained available for them to perform these tasks without technology, which was made accessible almost exclusively through public library services.

Continue reading Interfaith Bridgebuilding Across the Digital Divide – by Geneva Blackmer →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Authors A-H

Freedom Essay – by Marc Brenman

2 Comments

Do we really need another essay on freedom? When’s the last time you read one? It’s good to be reminded occasionally of meaningful basics. We get accustomed to being unfree, so it’s a good idea to be reminded of what freedom is. It’s also useful to be reminded that freedom, in the form of unfree people, is at the root of the American birth defect. We fought a Civil War over that idea. It’s also useful to note that there are fake or faux freedoms, like the desire, effort, and ability to overthrow free and democratic elections, as Trump supporters and many Republicans attempted after the November 2020 elections. Jefferson Cowie in his book Freedom’s Dominion: A Sage of White Resistance to Federal Power, noted that the Right has turned “freedom” into a dog whistle. 

Continue reading Freedom Essay – by Marc Brenman →

Academic Articles, Authors A-H, Politics

Campus Jews on Trial – by R. A. Crevoshay

1 Comment

Opinion: American Jewish Education
Fails Israel

What I offer is an unapologetic defense of the Jewish People. Oh yes, we are indeed a People. Not an ethnicity, though we have many ethnicities within our general culture. Not a religion, though we do have numerous and competing variations of theology among our ranks. It ain’t about religion.

Jews are the indigenous nation of the Land of Israel.

We’ve been separated from our land for a couple thousand years.

Jews are indigenous under the definition provided by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Where we differ from virtually every other dispossessed indigenous culture is that we have honored the memory of our roots. Through a couple of millennia of suffering the brutality visited upon us by most of our foreign hosts, we not only remembered our homeland, but we’ve had the unwelcome chutzpah to recover and resettle it. 

Continue reading Campus Jews on Trial – by R. A. Crevoshay →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Authors A-H, War

Comparisons of Anti-Vietnam War Protests and Pro-Palestinian Protests – by Marc Brenman

3 Comments

Recently I was asked to compare and contrast the Anti-Vietnam War Protests of the mid to late 1960’s and early 1970’s with the current Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Gaza, and Anti-Israel protests, largely on college campuses. I was very active in activities against the War in Vietnam while in college and graduate school. I have some regrets at some of the stupid things I said and did. Therefore I try to understand the current demonstrators. I had a ox being gored—fear of being drafted. Thus, I had a personal stake in the actions. Today’s students have no such stake. It is especially notable that most of the groups opposing Israel’s stance in the Gaza War have no stake whatsoever in that part of the world. 

Continue reading Comparisons of Anti-Vietnam War Protests and Pro-Palestinian Protests – by Marc Brenman →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Around the world, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Catalyzing Inclusive Urban Economies- by Ainesh Dey

The Dynamics of Urban Economies in India 

 In the rapidly changing landscape of urban economies in India, nuanced civic engagement, enhanced transparency, accountability, and representation have come to the forefront as significant issues. This piece seeks to investigate the shift in the public administration’s discourse from a traditional solution to a more collaborative one  with the aim of creating  inclusive and sustainable policy frameworks.

The prospect of nuanced civic engagement in democratic processes plays an important role in spearheading transparency, accountability and representation. It also strengthens  the overall socio-political and economic character of contemporary administrative discourse. At a time when we are experiencing a paradigm shift from traditional redressal of grievances to instances of collaborative solution building, considerable emphasis has been laid on the effective streamlining of policy frameworks, thereby making them more inclusive and sustainable.

Continue reading Catalyzing Inclusive Urban Economies- by Ainesh Dey →

Academic Articles, Authors A-H

 DIPLOMACY IN THE INDO PACIFIC – by Ainesh Dey

 THE RISE OF MINILATERALISM    


INTRODUCTION

 The present geopolitical landscape has witnessed a seemingly drastic transition, with the widespread emergence of multifarious groupings, popularly referred to as “Minilaterals”, premised upon the imperative understanding of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and shared threat perceptions, with regards to numerous strategically viable areas. The growing realization of the virtual deficiencies of singular organizations in combating regional challenges through calibrated options and the pronounced infringements of broader strategic interests, have accentuated the need for the constitution of such multilateral organizations.    

 The Indo Pacific replete with a wider array of opportunities to broaden international partnerships, has emerged as the bastion of profound diplomatic engagements thereby taking shape as one of the most coveted realms of contemporary international relations . Kicking off proceedings with the actively revamped  Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a brainchild of the United States, integrating presently developing  proponents of India, Japan and Australia into the fold of strengthened commitment against Chinese belligerence, this rapidly evolving phenomenon of “Minilateralism”, has remained manifest in the recently constituted AUKUS (Australia, UK and the US ) and the renewed fervour of the  Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), skewed towards pursuing narrow and monolithic interests of international consolidation.     Continue reading  DIPLOMACY IN THE INDO PACIFIC – by Ainesh Dey →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Authors A-H, Religious Diversity

DEI, Religion, and Hate Crimes – by Deborah Ashton, Ph.D.

Introduction

Deborah Levine requested that I join her group on Black and Jewish Dialogue in 2021. Given today’s atmosphere, dialogue is crucial. Levine is the editor-in-chief of the American Diversity Report (ADR). She is a Holocaust documentarian (Courter, 2023; Levine, Untold Stories of a World War II Liberator, 2023), whom I am sure when she launched ADR never anticipated that diversity and DEI would be equated with anti-Semitism. Yet the cry has been aimed at academia and business (Cohen, 2023; Notheis, 2024) I am baffled by the cry to silence and dismantle DEI. 

Through my DEI journey and practice since 1991 in corporate America, DEI has been inclusive and provides respect and dignity to all across religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, physical and mental ability, and other demographics. I will provide some examples later in the article.

Continue reading DEI, Religion, and Hate Crimes – by Deborah Ashton, Ph.D. →

Academic Articles, Authors I-Q, Trends 2024: Divisive World, War

Peacebuilding: Growing Strawberries on Coconut Trees – by Ashok Panikkar  

2 Comments

The Nature of Peace and Peacebuilding in a Collectivist and Illiberal World

This article was originally published in Beyond Intractability 

The only reasonable prediction we can make about the 21st century is that we don’t know what’s coming our way — except that it will be bad.

While triggered by the Israel/Palestine situation, this article is a critical reflection on the role of ‘peacebuilding’ (my umbrella term for all non-adversarial dispute resolution processes) in the 21st century.

To understand why the peacebuilding field has failed to live up to its lofty ambitions, we have to unpack the world we inhabit today. After the heady optimism at the end of the Cold War, the conflicts of the new century have forced Westerners to rethink their short-lived assumptions about abolishing war, making the world safe for democracy and capitalism, and world peace. Hence, I won’t give you a two-point off-ramp for Russia, a five-point plan for the Syrian embroglio, or a seven-point approach for the Israel-Palestine mess. Of course, we should try to make the world safer. However, our attempts should be rooted in hard-nosed realities, not skewered by wishful thinking.

Continue reading Peacebuilding: Growing Strawberries on Coconut Trees – by Ashok Panikkar   →

Academic Articles, Authors A-H, Trends 2024: Divisive World, War

Reimagining Indian Intervention in the Israel-Hamas Conflict – by Ainesh Dey and Diksha Gupta

1 Comment

India’s Non-Linear Engagement in the Region: 
Abstract

This article delves into the broader geo-strategic positioning of India against the backdrop of the brewing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on, India’s dehyphenation policy calls for valuing independent relationships with Israelis and Palestinians on their merit.

 As reflected in her latest statements in the UN Security Council, India unequivocally hit upon the need for the resumption of direct dialogue and the overall de-escalation of tensions.

Continue reading Reimagining Indian Intervention in the Israel-Hamas Conflict – by Ainesh Dey and Diksha Gupta →

Academic Articles, Advisors, Authors R-Z

The Effects of SCOTUS Decision on One University – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

The Supreme Court’s decision on the two college admission cases in June 2023 has left the 3,400+ colleges and universities in the country (both private and public institutions of higher education) rushing to review and revise their admission practices. By declaring the admission policies of Harvard University and the University of South Carolina had violated the Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment, the ruling essentially ended decades of race-conscious admission practice (which was permissible under Affirmative Action policy) in colleges and universities across the country. 

Continue reading The Effects of SCOTUS Decision on One University – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So →