Tipene Pickett is an Alcohol and Drug counselor from Auckland, New Zealand, contracted by both governmental and non-governmental organizations to provide training and healing for Maori and other Pacific Islander peoples through the practice of Motivational Interviewing (MI). He has a passion for MI's spirit and influence within the context of being Maori, and the practice's relationship to Tikanga -the protocols, worldviews and practices of Maori ancestry. It is a tool he has explored and developed over decades to influence the healing journey of Maori reclaiming their Mana ('inherent influenc ..read more

Panelists: Dr. Ayça Alemdaroğlu Dr. Tyler Kirk María Fernanda Bozmoski Dr. Mark R. Silk Dr. Peter Knutson Moderated bye: Keira Alkema Our speakers will explore what free societies can do to strengthen democracy and forestall authoritarian movements. Among the questions they will address are: 1) How, in a highly diverse and polarized society such as the United States, do we build a governing consensus? 2) How should a free society respond to political violence? 3) How does a free society, in the age of the Internet and social media, regulate propaganda that incites violence and spreads falsehoo ..read more

Panelists: Dr. Ayça Alemdaroğlu Dr. Tyler Kirk María Fernanda Bozmoski Dr. Mark R. Silk Dr. Peter Knutson Moderated bye: Geron Bruce Our speakers will explore: 1) Why are some citizens in free, democratic societies attracted to authoritarian movements? 2) What are the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions conducive to authoritarian movements? 3) Are there elements that all authoritarian movements share? 4) Is an origin myth important in authoritarian movements? 5) How do authoritarian movements shape events? 5) How are authoritarian movements shaped by events? 6) Other questions ..read more

- With Dr. Peter Knutson Proceeding from my life as a community college teacher of anthropology and as a commercial fisherman, this talk will pose questions about the increasingly authoritarian character of institutions and attitudes in 21st Century United States. Are the guardrails against social disintegration and anomie being removed? Is fascism a useful term to describe the cultural and political trajectory of the present moment? What are the sources of popular anxiety which lead to the desire for submission to a strong leader? How do we engage in practices which maintain an open society ..read more

- With Dr. Mark R. Silk Religion plays a wide variety of roles in the ideology of authoritarian movements before the movements come to power. In power, the movements coopt and adapt religious ideas, values and practices in order to sacralize their regimes. Recorded October 18, 2024 as part of the Juneau World Affairs Forum at KTOO, presented by the Juneau World Affairs Council ..read more

- With María Fernanda Bozmoski As Mexico welcomes its first female president, the country is at a critical juncture. With concerns over democratic backsliding and increasing authoritarian tendencies in recent years, many are wondering if Sheinbaum’s new administration will mark a significant shift or follow the patterns of her predecessor. This talk will explore the key challenges facing Mexico’s democracy, including security, recently passed judicial reforms, and increased militarization while also considering whether this new leadership can bring about meaningful change for the country and i ..read more

-With Dr. Tyler Kirk Two months before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Russian Supreme Court banned the country's oldest civic organization responsible for the commemoration of the victims of Soviet repressions -- the International Memorial Society. This talk examines the politics of memory in the Soviet Union from the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 to the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022. It explores how the state and society have struggled to come to terms with the legacies of Stalinist repression and highlights the links between memory politics and democracy. Recorded October 18, 202 ..read more

The ongoing Israel-Gaza war has spilled over into escalating violence on multiple fronts across the Middle East, including such hotspots as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. The U.S. military has been actively engaged in most of these areas. There is growing fear of a wider war across the Middle East, but the truth is that a low-level war is already here. Evergreen State College professor Steve Niva will go over each of these flashpoints across the region and assess the prospects for a major escalation into regional war, paying particular attention to U.S. military deployments and policy ..read more

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