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Jeff Miller is the author of Democracy in Crisis which applies ancient democratic methods to the US. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

If Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos were alive in fifth century Athens, Greece, its possible theyd be subject to exile per ostracism, one of the many ancient Greek processes New Paltz professor of political science Jeff Miller discusses in his new book. Titled Democracy in Crisis: Lessons from Ancient Athens, Miller examines various methods from the worlds first democratic government and considers whether versions of them should be applied in the United States.

The book, which began as a COVID-19 project for Miller, examines core conflicts liberal democracies around the world face right now, including the rising threat of alt-right fascism and new dictatorships that seek to destroy democratic norms and increasing isolation and polarization amongst people. Miller, an ancient Greek political theorist, was interested by the vibrant and durable Athenian democracy that was resistant to internal and external challenges about 2,500 years ago. While he understands that were not anything like ancient Athens, he believes that we can look at those institutions and think around the boundaries of the way that we consider politics to work today.

Its sort of a book of political imagination, he explained. Theres not just one way to do democracy. Theres lots of ways to do democracy. Lets look at some of the things the ancient Greeks did.

One example Miller discussed is elections.

If Socrates or Plato or Aristotle were in here, and you asked them what a democracy was, one of the really important things that we think is inherent to democracy would not be on their list, and thats elections, he said. Theyd say elections are oligarchic. Why, who wins elections? Well, the powerful, the people that already have substantial power in the society.

Miller paralleled this with the fact that in the United States, wealthy white men have historically won elections, then he tied it back to Athens.

Elections, theyd say, are oligarchic institutions, he explained. If you do things on the basis of elections, then youre probably on the oligarchic side, not the democracy side.

The basis of the book is looking at some of the processes that the Athenians used instead.

Some of them we can think about adopting, or adapting in some sort of way. Some we have to reimagine completely in a contemporary context, he said.

The book does not aim to offer concrete policy proposals, but rather suggestions on how to reform democracy in the U.S. He hopes that readers of the book, particularly New Paltz students, start to look at what they can do to reform our democracy in the long term. Lets experiment a little bit at the state level and gain some acceptance for some of these ideas, he said.

He emphasized resetting the balance between freedom and equality, Wed like to think that freedom and equality fit together really well but they dont The United States tends to favor heavily the freedom aspect of things, not the equality aspect. Not that we want to eliminate freedom, but we want to reprioritize economic equality, social equality, gender equality.

Dont despair, Miller said. But do think outside of the box, right?

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Professor's New Book Takes Classic Perspective on Modern Democracy - SUNY The New Paltz Oracle

Lynn Walker Gendusa| Guest Columnist

Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Lynn Walker Gendusa

Columnist and author Lynn Walker Gendusa spoke with The Tennessean opinion and engagement director David Plazas.

Nashville Tennessean

"I never thought I would view such horror in the year 2022!" How often have you heard those words since the Russian invasion began in Ukraine?

Indeed, we assumed that we had evolved above tyranny, evil and barbaric dictators as a society. We thought there could never be another Adolph Hitler or Stalin.

Leaders of nations today would undoubtedly fear repeating the destruction of World War II and any threat of nuclear warfare. Certainly, humankind has learned its lessons from history.

Yet, one lone man rose from the bowels of immoralityunchecked and unleashedto render havoc and instill terror into the world.How did that happen?

Is it, in part, due to us wearing blinders? Usually, when we become comfortable and complacent, something will come shake us up. We are reminded that we might not be as safe andas invincible as we thought. We now see that our corner of the world is not all that matters.

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We watch the atrocity of babies dying and parents fleeing their bomb-torn Ukrainian villages.Thus, we realize the comfort of life can disappear within days due to the actions of one lone man.

A man who has lost all compassion, love andhumility. A man who has sold his soul for power. He shows no remorse for forcing his citizens into isolation and uncertainty.He is the revival of the tyrant, and he is Vladimir Putin.

I am bothered by those Americans and others who hail his name and extol his authority.I pray they are a minuscule percentage of folks, because praising a dictator slaps freedom in the face.

These individuals kick the graves of all the fallen soldiers who died on battlefields to keep us from falling prey to monsters.There is no excuse for favoring someone who is so blatantly heinous.

Party politics should never be played in this game.It's the one issue we should all agree upon.

If we cherish American democracy, we must be on the side of liberty for all people and a renewed determination to keep it that way.We cannot sit in our lounge chairs, kick back, put on our blindersand act like we'renot affected by what goes on elsewhere.

Who knows when a despot might arrive on our shore and attempt to sabotage our corner of the world. Turning blind eyes to evil and those who perpetrate it fuels the tyrant.

Sometimes our bravery is absolutely required. The courage to speak up, denounce those who spew hatredand stop the madness of dissent is absolutely required.

Extremism is increasing, and a threat will rise from these extremes.I believe folks drawn to hostility are those who have been hurt and harmed at some point in their life, and they search for a place that accepts their ire.

Common sense and truth is lost on them, and there are no words to change their minds.Anger rules, animosity reignsand wickedness will continue togrow.

They twist facts into lies, turn God's words to ashes and swear they do so to save us all.We must open our eyes to their malevolence.

As proven by history, democracy can fall to dictatorship.There are many reasons, including a new crisis or economic failure, but three stand out as warning signs.

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Political polarization is one of the main contributors. When competing political sides no longer want to cooperate with one another, they open the doors to allow violentor extremist groups to take over politics instead.

Democracy fails when a nations elitesdecide democracy no longer works for them. When these elites feel that losing an election may mean forfeiting their power and influence over a country, they may seek to take over the nation by force.

Apathetic citizens are another reason we mightlose our freedom.When we believe that our vote no longer counts, our words do not matterand we are not brave enough to stand firm, we invite tyranny in.

Hitler was one lone man who manipulated many including educated intellectualinto submission and cowardliness. Such monstrosities should never be repeated.

If the American majority believes in love, compassionand hope, then we must be bold enough to open our eyes and close our doors to those who have no concept of freedom, faithand fairness.

Christ was one lone man whose gentle words influenced our world, changed our heartsand was brave enough to die for us.He condemned hatred, detested bigotry, despised hypocrisyand preached kindness.

One lone person can create a hell on earth or bring heaven to our world.

Lynn Walker Gendusa is a writer in Georgia and the author of the new book "Southern Comfort." She is originally from Monterey, Tennessee.

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We must be willing to fight for the liberty and justice for everyone| Opinion - Tennessean

If the 20th century is remembered as the century of civil struggles for the making of democracy, the 21st century will be recorded as the century of civil resistance for the preservation of democracy. Most totalitarian regimes, either fascist or communist, have been defeated in the past 80 years, either by military action or by nonviolent revolution of citizens. It goes without saying that the modern human condition has been inextricably bound up with the ability of individuals or groups to make a difference to their destinies by fighting for freedom and home rule. Undoubtedly, these could be considered as exemplary men and women who struggled to keep democracy safe while undergoing terrible personal sufferings.

In a world like ours where most democracies are endangered by the lack of passion and the conformist attitude of the citizens, to see the young students of Hong Kong and the Ukrainians fighting for their freedom and democracy is very promising. That being so, one can say that the democratic contract, as much as the process of democratisation of dictatorships, are both in need of heroes. As such, if Pericles was the democratic hero of the Athenians in 5th century BC and Nelson Mandela that of South Africa and its democratic dream, today Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the hero of the Ukrainian democracy and its uncertain future. A former comedian, Zelenskyys journey in politics has been that of a courageous soul facing his destiny and reminding us of sacrifice for human dignity and democracy.

In his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell defines a hero as one who battles either personal or historical limitations and who becomes a source through which his society is reborn. Campbell describes a hero as a powerful human being who embarks on a quest to win a war, gain a mystical object. That is why the hero should undergo a series of tests or trials. For Zelenskyy, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a great test of courage and a learning process of democratic heroism. Even if Ukraine loses the war of democracy against Russian authoritarianism, Zelenskyy will always be remembered as a democratic hero who achieved a moral victory against Vladimir Putin.

The irony of history is that Zelenskyy never had the intention of becoming a leader, in the sense of someone who goes about the practical business of the masses. And yet, in his confrontation with the Russian Leviathan, democracy, for him, has become a matter of conviction. His pursuit of the democratic ideal has been very much like that of a Homeric hero who has no limits in achieving his goals. This moral and political effort makes him even a more inspiring leader for a democratic world that is desperately looking for democratic heroes. The truth is that without a democratic leadership, la Mandela, democratic passion cannot be maintained for long. People often talk about strong and specific democratic leadership. What is forgotten, however, is that there are many leaders around the world who are democratically elected, yet who have neither political courage nor the moral integrity to fight the rise of authoritarianism.

The war in Ukraine is unbelievable and tragic and all the more gripping and inspiring for having at its centre a former comedian with a great humanistic appeal. Let us not forget what Shakespeare said, Be not afraid of greatness: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Today, Zelenskyys greatness is in defending democracy, its values, and its future.

The tragedy of Ukraine is an important page of our political history, raising urgent questions about the fragility of our democracies, resistance to an abuse of power that carries itself as far as it will go (as Baron de Montesquieu used to say), and the moral power of the powerless Ukrainians. As history shows us, chaotic circumstances have always demanded heroes to challenge the evil forces at work. But there is another related matter that concerns the future of Ukraine and the democratic fate of a politician like Zelenskyy.

When Vaclav Havel and his fellow Czech intellectuals and artists signed the Charter 77 against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, they dared to confront an ideological power with the only thing at their disposal their search for truth and an idea of democracy as a form of associated living where political actors can recognise themselves in the challenges. Tragedies of democracy demonstrate that great human suffering can encourage individual claims to dignity and freedom. Today, more than ever, the spirit of democracy in Ukraine is confronted with a political tragedy in which the feelings of horror and sorrow are accompanied with heroic moments of civil resistance and democratic heroism. After all, the salvation of democracy lies nowhere else than in the human love for democracy.

This column first appeared in the print edition on April 2, 2022 under the title A leader for the time. The writer is Noor-York Chair in Islamic Studies, York University, Toronto

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy will always be remembered as a democratic hero - The Indian Express

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reflected this week on the importance of the 2022 midterm elections. It is absolutely essential for our democracy that we win, she said, referring to Democratic officials and candidates. I fear for our democracy if the Republicans were ever to get the gavel.

For Sen. Ted Cruz, the comments were emblematic of a larger problem. Heres what the Texas Republican said on Fox News last night:

They know theyre gonna lose and Nancy Pelosis not gonna go quietly. Shes gonna scream, shes already preparing to scream the election was stolen. And by the way, what she means by stolen is people showed up to vote against Democrats. Thats what stealing the election is. And remember, Democrats dont believe in democracy.

So, a couple of things.

First, Pelosi never said anything about the 2022 elections being stolen.

Second, Cruzs timing couldve been better.

Literally the day before the Republican senator claimed that Democrats dont believe in democracy, The Washington Post published a thorough and well researched report on Cruzs efforts to keep Donald Trump in power after the then-president lost in 2020.

An examination by The Washington Post of Cruzs actions between Election Day and Jan. 6, 2021, shows just how deeply he was involved, working directly with Trump to concoct a plan that came closer than widely realized to keeping him in power. As Cruz went to extraordinary lengths to court Trumps base and lay the groundwork for his own potential 2024 presidential bid, he also alienated close allies and longtime friends who accused him of abandoning his principles.

The article quoted Republican Rep. Liz Cheney explaining, I think that Senator Cruz knew exactly what he was doing. I think that Senator Cruz is somebody who knows what the Constitution calls for, knows what his duties and obligations are, and was willing, frankly, to set that aside.

By his own admission, Cruz led the charge to stand in the way of certifying the rightful winners election. Its what led the editorial board of The Houston Chronicle last year to call for the Texas Republican to resign. The editorial board of The San Antonio Express News even called for Cruzs expulsion from Congress.

Around the same time, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey appeared on NBC News Meet the Press and said, in reference to Cruz and Josh Hawley, Theyre going to have a lot of soul searching to do. And the problem is they were complicit in the Big Lie.

Longtime Cruz friend Chad Sweet, a former CIA operative who chaired the senators 2016 presidential campaign, also denounced Cruz for abetting an assault on our democracy.

Cruz now wants people to believe Democrats are the ones who dont believe in democracy? After his own well documented efforts to attack democracy as recently as last year?

Related:

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Ted Cruz picks the wrong time to tout the virtues of democracy - MSNBC

Correction: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect spelling for COVID-19.

While attention is properly focused on Putins Russia and Ukraine, there is another battle for democratic values that has been flying under the radar. Political developments in Serbia may seem far away, but Americans ignore developments in the Balkans at their peril. Battles between autocrats andthose in favor of democracy, plus intercommunal strife, have had seismic impacts on the rest of the world from World War I to the horrific Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Under autocratic PresidentAleksandar Vucic, Serbia is the only country in Eastern Europe outside of Russian ally Belarus, not to impose economic sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

This should come as no surprise to those who follow developments in the Balkans. Putin has been arming Vucic with tanks, fighter jets and air defense systems. With all Western eyes on Ukraine, Vucic could initiate yet another deadly Balkan conflict by supporting Bosnian Serbs long-standing desire to secede and join Serbia.

In 2020, theWorld Press Freedom Index rankedVucics Serbia 93rd.According toFreedom House, At some media outlets, journalists are implicitly aware of which topics they can and cannot discuss freely.A media watchdog calculated thatbetweenDecember 2020 and April 2021, Vucic racked up 50 hours of on-screen time 85 percent positive.In April of 2020,journalistAna Lali was arrestedafter reporting negatively on the countrys response to COVID-19.

When I was in Belgrade, in conversation with the manager at a German-owned newspaper, she confided to me that if they wrote critically about Vucic, they would instantly lose all of their advertising income. They choose not to do it.

Vucics slick pro-Western demeanor abroad has too often allowed his anti-democratic actions at home to escape notice. But the United States government has begun to take notice. In August of last year,aletter signed by six members of Congresscalled on President Biden toconsider imposing sanctions on those destabilizing the Western Balkans in Serbia and to continue to engage the Serbian government about rooting out corruption and ending repression of the press.

It went on to say that freedom of the press has reached a new low point in Serbia Serbia is a country where journalists are subjected toalmost daily attacks that increasingly come from the ruling elite and pro-government media.

In the run-up to the Serbian elections next month, theNew York TimesandMSNBChave reported that Vucics government and ruling party are using funds from publicly owned companies, mainly Serbian Telecom, to pressure the few remaining independent media companies and shut them down.

In early December, the Biden administration took action, ordering tough sanctions on a close Vucic ally Zvonko Veselinovic and his organized crime group (OCG). The U.S Treasury Department imposed sanctions and issuedits statement sending shock waves through Serbia.

Vucic has an impeccably authoritarian pedigree. As minister of information for Serbias former authoritarian leader and war criminal Slobodan Milosevic, he pushed through massive press censorship decrees in the 1990s.

Earlier in the 1990s, Vucic served as second-in-command of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party where he helped organize paramilitary volunteer units to fight in Croatia and Bosnia, where they had a reputation for plunder and killing.

After Milosevic and Serbian Radical Party leader, Vojislav Seselj, were indicted for war crimes, Vucic launched the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Like Putin, Vucic sought to empower a cadre of oligarchs who helped fuel his rise. As deputy prime minister, and then as president, he built an SNS patronage army, and, like former President Donald Trump, used grievance to mobilize public support.

Vucics cadre of oligarchs have benefited by protection, privatization and state contracts. They now control the energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and media. Vucics brother Andrej Vucic, his closest confidant, has reputed ties to powerful criminal syndicates. In August, FrancesLeMonde, published a long investigative report alleging that another Vucic ally, Veljko Breviuk, had been involved in a brutal series of murders.

The United States should continue to sanction the Serbian government to end corruption, ensure a free press and fair elections.And it should help mobilize American allies to do the same.Americans cannot afford to ignore the battle for democratic values in Serbia.

RobertCreameris a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win. He is a partner in Democracy Partners.

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Second European country refusing to sanction Russia a challenge to democracy - The Hill