Authoritarian Governance Actions Identified by Harvard's Steven Levitsky
A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration's actions to revoke Harvard University's authority to enroll international students, yet the future remains uncertain. In recent days, we've been hearing from students and faculty at the respected institution. Today, we talk to Steven Levitsky, a researcher on authoritarian governments and director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard.
Levitsky, author of "How Democracies Die," believes the Trump administration's recent actions are significantly more authoritarian than their previous moves. According to Levitsky, the current situation is marked by a government filled with loyalists who have a clear authoritarian agenda, unlike the partially constrained administration that initially took office.
Moving on, Levitsky highlights that this kind of assault on universities is common among authoritarian regimes, whether left-wing, centrist, or right-wing. Autocrats often view universities as centres of cultural influence and dissent, which makes them vulnerable to such attacks. This push against universities aligns with the authoritarian playbook, Levitsky claims.
In light of the Trump administration's actions, it is worth noting that the United States has historically attracted the brightest immigrants, who have collectively won 40% of Nobel Prizes awarded to Americans between 2000 and 2023, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy.
Despite the financial implications, Steve Levitsky stresses that the impact of a ban on international students goes beyond finances. Harvard, a global university, thrives on international exchange, as it allows the institution to attract top scholars and students from around the world. In the absence of international exchange, Harvard might cease to be the renowned institution it is today, drastically altering the trajectory of higher education in the United States.
When asked about the sentiments of international students at Harvard, Levitsky reported that they are petrified. The majority of his graduate students come from Latin America and face uncertainty about their future in the United States. Given their significant financial burdens and lifelong investments in their educations, these students never imagined facing such challenges.
In conclusion, while the Trump administration's actions towards universities may not compare to the direct, forceful actions of authoritarian regimes in the past, there remain concerns about the impact on academic freedom and the future of higher education in the United States.
- Steven Levitsky, an expert on authoritarian governments, suggests that the Trump administration's recent actions against universities align with the authoritarian playbook.
- Although the Trump administration's actions towards universities may not mirror the direct, forceful actions of authoritarian regimes, concerns remain about their potential impact on academic freedom and the future of higher education in the United States.
- In Steve Levitsky's view, the current situation, marked by a government filled with loyalists with an authoritarian agenda, is significantly more authoritarian than the partially constrained administration that initially took office.
- The shutdown of online education platforms could have a detrimental effect on education-and-self-development, as many General News outlets report on the growing importance of online learning in the modern world.
