US derives its legitimacy from deciding whether legislative enactments comport with the Constitution

US derives its legitimacy from deciding whether legislative enactments comport with the Constitution

In the eyes of many institutionalists, the Supreme Court of the United States  – or any court, for that matter – would be less legitimate if it factored public opinion into its decision-making. As former Chief Justice William Rehnquist argued in 1992, “The judicial branch derives its legitimacy, not from...

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US abortion rights nullification kicked up a storm over civil liberties and legitimacy of the Supreme Court itself

US abortion rights nullification kicked up a storm over civil liberties and legitimacy of the Supreme Court itself

In a scathing joint dissent, Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer declared that the nullification of the constitutional right to abortion last week was a catastrophic decision not just for American civil liberties, but also for the legitimacy of the court itself. “In overruling Roe and...

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Mutual respect and conversation, not name-calling and conflict, are key to America’s gun violence prevention

Mutual respect and conversation, not name-calling and conflict, are key to America’s gun violence prevention

When an 18-year-old took a semiautomatic rifle to an elementary school in Texas last month and killed 19 students and two teachers, I was looking after my 10-year-old grandson. He knows I have spent most of my life trying to prevent gun violence. I had to tell him we had...

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‘Weed’ is currently subject of political storm in Kenya, but is the interest in its hyped medicinal efficacy genuine?

‘Weed’ is currently subject of political storm in Kenya, but is the interest in its hyped medicinal efficacy genuine?

Three weeks ago, I wrote about the various medical approaches to treating pain, and one reader emailed to ask why I hadn’t mentioned cannabis. I had been thinking about more mainstream options, but I was wrong to ignore cannabis because, in several parts of the world, this drug has now...

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Kenya elections: Azimio manifesto is rich on rhetoric, bereft of substance and is a continuation of failed presidency  

Kenya elections: Azimio manifesto is rich on rhetoric, bereft of substance and is a continuation of failed presidency  

Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga – a leading candidate in the 2022 presidential election – unveiled his manifesto he says has the ingredients to revamp an economy battered by a decade of brazen theft by members of the outgoing government. Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government is synonymous with public...

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How collaboration, clarity of scope and flexibility helps find to find balance between quality research and participant welfare

How collaboration, clarity of scope and flexibility helps find to find balance between quality research and participant welfare

I started my PhD in February 2020, two weeks after the first case of Covid-19 was diagnosed in Australia. One month later, Queensland, where I am based, was in lockdown, and we spent much of the next two years under pandemic restrictions. These were scheduled to lift in December 2021,...

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Peace and security: AU should expedite African Standby Force, else it’ll remain subsidiary to regional blocs

Peace and security: AU should expedite African Standby Force, else it’ll remain subsidiary to regional blocs

The decision by seven East African Community (EAC) countries to agree in April to establish a regional military force to restore stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence by militia groups is ongoing, has once again raised questions about the capacity of the force to...

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How Russian-shaped international order in Africa is likely to have destabilising impact on the continent

How Russian-shaped international order in Africa is likely to have destabilising impact on the continent

In April, Cameroon renewed a military cooperation agreement with Russia as Moscow intensified its offensive in Ukraine. The timing certainly supports Russia’s claim that its international isolation is relative. It also raises questions about Cameroon’s foreign policy at a time when African countries’ votes in the United Nations (UN) General...

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Ukraine war: Tale of two atrocities – international relations and barbarity of racism aimed at Africans

Ukraine war: Tale of two atrocities – international relations and barbarity of racism aimed at Africans

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a tale of two atrocities: One engages the attention of the world as an international relations priority, the other, the barbarity of racism, receives little official acknowledgement. This unaddressed crime involves African students in Ukraine, and the anti-Black hate they have faced trying to flee...

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Letter from Zimbabwe: Political change in a country where the military is so embedded in the state is no easy matter

Letter from Zimbabwe: Political change in a country where the military is so embedded in the state is no easy matter

I went home to Zimbabwe in December 2021 after over a year as a senior aid worker in Afghanistan, a period of intense turmoil and uncertainty, probably one of the most challenging assignments of my career. Yet Zimbabwe, my country, is also stuck in a political and economic crisis, and...

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