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In the marathon that is the U.S. presidential election, we are, if not exactly on the home straight, at least into the back half of the race; the finish line approaching, albeit slowly. But what happens after? A smooth democratic handover isn’t certain. As the introductory sentence of today’s story by political scientist Alexander Cohen asks: “Should Americans be bracing for bloodshed if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election?”
The answer, worryingly enough, is “potentially.” Polls show that around a quarter of all Americans and 33% of Republicans agree that “patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” Meanwhile a third of Americans believe the last election was “stolen” from Trump. With those statistics in mind, Cohen suggests that “given the perceived stakes of the election for most Americans, along with Trump’s ever-sharpening incendiary rhetoric,” the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol may not be an isolated outburst of political violence. “Indeed, it may have been just a prelude,” he adds.
And that is no laughing matter. Neither is the repeated attack by Trump and fellow MAGA Republicans on Kamala Harris’ chortle. Rather, it taps into a deep racist past of suppressing Black laughter, including through the use of “laughing barrels” into which Black Americans were expected to duck their heads to conceal mirth deemed subversive or offensive by white Southerners.
Elsewhere this week, we continue to watch the escalating violence on the Lebanese-Israeli border and offer a warning from history over the dangers of a ground invasion. We also highlight a new approach to alleviating Africa’s debt burdens.
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Matt Williams
Senior International Editor, New York
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Armed Trump supporters breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the worst attack on Washington, D.C., since the War of 1812.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Alexander Cohen, Clarkson University
Trump’s incendiary election denial is ramping up as the 2024 election nears, and more Americans than ever believe that ‘patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.’
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Israeli soldiers in armored vehicles drive through a Lebanese village in 1982.
Bryn Colton/Getty Images
Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College
Israel’s attempt to eliminate militant Palestinians in Lebanon led to slaughter of civilians, economic and political chaos and the creation of Hezbollah.
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Many African countries are spending too much money on repaying debt at the expense of health and education. Children in southern Kenya attend classes under an acacia tree.
Getty Images
Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria; Kevin P. Gallagher, Boston University; Marina Zucker-Marques, Boston University
A two-part new approach to helping countries manage their debt would improve the situation for governments as well as their creditors.
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Paul Mescal as Lucius in Gladiator II.
BFA/Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures
Wray Vamplew, University of Stirling
One thing that certainly did not happen was a warrior mounted on a rhinoceros (even a non-computer-generated one) charging at a group of gladiators.
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation
Samantha Dodson talks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about her research into why some people feel sympathy for men accused of sexual harrassment.
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Roos van der Haer, Leiden University; Kathleen J. Brown, Leiden University
Girls generally have a better relationship with their families and teachers, while boys are more invested in friendship networks.
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Mark Woolhouse, University of Edinburgh
A new study of genetic testing of samples collected from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan does not provide definitive clues about COVID origins.
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Betsy Huang, Clark University
American writer Ralph Ellison provided a sharp analysis of the subversive power of Black laughter in 1930s America.
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Iain Farquharson, Brunel University London
Buffer zones are supposed to be mutual agreements, not imposed by one side of a conflict on its rival.
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Jordanna Matlon, American University
Guinness adverts show how African men’s search for validation can enrich western corporations.
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