The American Facade: Analyzing Legitimacy Issues in Donald Trump’s Clash with Venezuela

On Friday, October 24, the Pentagon announced the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the United States’ premier aircraft carriers, to the Caribbean Sea. This decision followed a recent uptick in Donald Trump’s battle against drug traffickers and cartels, with the U.S. conducting a series of airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean and pledging to expand operations onto Latin American soil.

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Erasing the Citizen: Civil Death and the Erosion of Human Rights in Nicaragua

Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime has weaponized Civil Death–the erasure of citizenship and legal identity–to silence dissent and consolidate power. By revoking nationality, deleting records, and seizure of property, the Nicaraguan regime’s repression has extended beyond its borders. Through Risse and Ropp’s “Spiral Model” of human rights norms, this paper argues that Nicaragua’s shirking of international accountability demonstrates a broader regression in norm internalization. Thus, Civil Death in Nicaragua serves as an instrument of both human rights and authoritarian control.

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Budget 2025: Presenting a Fiscal Plan in a Minority Parliament

As Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne (Saint-Maurice–Champlain, QC) is set to present Budget 2025 on November 4, this article will discuss its priorities within the broader socio-economic context and draw a historical parallel with Jean Chrétien’s Program Review. As budgets are a confidence matter, finding support among opposition parties is imperative for the governing Liberals, especially in the context of a minority parliament. Mark Carney’s (Nepean, ON) government will need to convince potential partners that it can be fiscally responsible, while also preserving government services. However, since no opposition party has committed to su

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Trudeau Out: The Saga

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to resign as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister and announced that he would not be seeking re-election for his riding in Montreal “none of this is particularly surprising in light of Trudeau’s recent unpopularity.”

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In Defense of the Anti-Utopian Perspective: The Hopefulness of Tragedy

Utopia is dead. Instead of striving for the unattainable ideal of perfection, we should continually improve our society through democratic conflict and pluralism. Drawing from anti-utopian thinkers like Claude Lefort, Chantal Mouffe, and Ernesto Laclau, this article highlights the importance of perpetuating transgressive, adaptive politics rather than rigid, totalizing idealist visions. Contrary to one’s first instinct, anti-utopian thought offers a more optimistic and practical path forward to change—one that embraces human imperfection and fosters meaningful societal progress.

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