https://www.juancole.com/2026/02/published-chandler-activism.html
The collection of essays by a few leading US scholars, published in a new book, In the Spirit of H. Chandler Davis: Activism and the Struggle for Academic Freedom, provides a timely reminder that freedom and democracy need constant vigilance and protection. They don’t come about by themselves; they must be nurtured and protected against the authoritarian desires of those who wish to subvert them and rule with as few restraints as possible.
Even some countries which enjoyed great academic, intellectual, scientific, literary and artistic progress were not immune to subversion by autocrats. Germany before the rise of Hitler represented many of those achievements. For many decades and in some cases centuries before the rise of Nazism, Germany was a leader in the arts and sciences. It had produced some of the greatest scientists, musicians, poets, philosophers and thinkers in Europe.
Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of Stalin was also a great centre of cultural and artistic developments. It had produced some of the greatest literary figures and musicians in its long history. Yet, both societies easily gave in to promises of greatness and established self-destructive totalitarian states.
The subversion of freedom and democracy does not occur immediately, but is often gradual and based on attractive-sounding promises. Both the communists in Russia and the Nazis in Germany made great promises of ushering in a new era and making those countries great again. They exaggerated the severity of the problems that those countries faced and promised progress and development instead of carnage and foreign encroachment. This is why initially both movements were popular and enjoyed the support of many idealistic people. However, deep inside the facade of the promises of progress and greatness, they contained the seeds of corruption, totalitarianism, and despotism, which eventually destroyed them and their countries.
The United States has had a long and proud history of championing freedom and democracy. Indeed, it sees itself and was seen by many as the leader of the free world. American ideals, although often unfulfilled, nevertheless held a beacon of hope for many countries and millions of people who emigrated to the United States to enjoy the benefits of the American Dream.
America prided itself on being the land of democracy, freedom and free speech, and it was believed that there were enough checks and balances in the US Constitution to prevent the return of authoritarian governments. However, I have been amazed over the past few years, especially in the past year, at how quickly large parts of American society, including universities, Congress, media and judicial authorities, have given in so easily to the autocratic and imperial demands of the current administration.
Both in its first term and especially in the second term, with its overt violations of the Constitution, domestic and international law and limiting the freedoms of law-abiding Americans, supporting a terrible genocide in Gaza, starting economic war with most of the world, and especially waging two unprovoked wars of aggression in support of Israel on Iran, the Trump regime has managed to silence and dominate the opposition and to install an authoritarian, one-man rule, and subverting many sublime Amereican principles. In his interview with reporters from the New York Times, Trump openly said that he did not believe in international law, but in his own morality (immorality?).
He has undermined the UN at every turn and has withdrawn the United States from 66 international organisations. With his misnamed Board of Peace, he is trying to further undermine the UN and substitute it with a board chaired by him, with $1 billion contributions by those who wish to join the board. Due to his intense loyalty and even subservience to an extreme form of Zionism and even genocide practised by Netanyahu and his gang, Trump has shut down freedom of expression on US campuses.
On the excuse that a Chinese Company owned TikTok and could spy on Americans, he forced the owners to sell it to one of his extreme Zionist friends. The new owner of the platform openly announced that any use of the term Zionist with a negative or critical connotation will be banned on TikTok. He also said that more than two dozen Jewish organisations will closely check the content on TikTok and will notify them of any critical views of Zionism. It is hard to imagine that even under the Soviet Union and maybe even under the Nazis, there was such an overt display of censorship and clampdown on free speech.
However, leading American academics have started to push back against those policies. In a new book, some leading academics are calling for activism and academic freedom. It’s time more Americans joined them and rescued a free and peace-loving America from the clutches of autocrats and warmongers. Democracy and freedom do not come freely and must be nourished and protected.
“The arch of the moral university does not bend towards justice of its own accord. It does so because of those who stand and fight the authoritarians and the fascists. Today, when so many are cowering, or worse, capitulating, it becomes important to reflect on those like H. Chandler Davis who continued to demand justice even during the darkest of times.”
https://lnkd.in/eG3xiVEb
F Jahanpour 