Category: op-ed

A new EU law will influence U.S. free speech more than Elon Musk

Posted on

April 29, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in Frist Amendment issues, for a commentary explaining how social media regulations passed in Europe often are adopted world-wide — including in the U.S. where crafting internet law has been difficult in the partisan atmosphere. Published in The Hill under the heading A new EU law will influence US free speech more than Elon Musk : https://bit.ly/3knjqys 

Elon Musk reached an agreement on Monday to purchase Twitter after criticizing the platform for failing to reach its free speech potential. If the deal holds, he has promised to take the company private, which means he and those he hires will control what free speech looks like on the site. But Musk’s $44 billion purchase ultimately might not be the biggest news when it comes to free speech on the internet.

On April 23, European lawmakers passed the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Union’s most recent attempt to rein in big tech firms such as Apple, Google and Meta. The law, which is expected to take effect in 2024, essentially enforces European values regarding free expression, corporate responsibility and fostering a pluralistic society.

Continue reading “A new EU law will influence U.S. free speech more than Elon Musk”

Loophole Allows Safe Haven for War Crimes Violators on U.S. Soil

Posted on

April 28, Chris Jenks, SMU Dallas Dedman Law School professor and expert on military justice, for a commentary about a loophole in the U.S. War Crimes Act that would allow war criminals safe haven on American soil. Published in Inside Sources under the heading Loophole Allows Safe Haven for War Crimes Violators on U.S. Soil:  https://bit.ly/3F3i5q3 

Earlier this month President Biden ratcheted up the rhetoric and called for a “wartime trial” of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The president’s comments followed Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemning “atrocities by Kremlin forces in Bucha and across Ukraine” and stressing that the United States was “pursuing accountability using every tool available.”

All this tough talk is a façade — a superficial exterior masking the hollowness within. In terms of Blinken’s analogy, the U.S. war crimes tool box is empty, and willfully so. That’s because for more than 70 years, the United States has doggedly refused to meet its obligation under the 1949 Geneva Conventions to enact legislation to hold accountable those who commit serious law of war violations.

Continue reading “Loophole Allows Safe Haven for War Crimes Violators on U.S. Soil”

Is the economy making the Fed an offer it can’t refuse?

Posted on

April 20, Michael Davis, economics professor at the Cox School of Business, SMU Dallas, for a commentary that points out the perilous path of attempting to reduce inflation without bringing on a recession. Published in the Austin American-Statesman under the heading: Is the economy making the Fed an offer it can’t refuse?: https://bit.ly/3EtLjOE 

Since this is the 50th anniversary of the movie The Godfather, it’s worth remembering that great scene where a gang war is about to break out and the Don’s trusted capo, Clemenza, explains to the young Michael Corleone, “These things gotta happen every five years or so…It helps get rid of the bad blood.”

Any similarities between Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Michael Corleone are purely coincidental. Still, I wish Powell had Clemenza whispering in his ear.

The Federal Reserve has two problems. First, it has to figure out how to reduce the highest inflation rates we’ve seen since the early 1980’s. Anyone who buys gas or groceries understands that problem. And anyone who knows much of anything about economics and finance understands that the Fed has to raise interest rates and tighten monetary policy in order to deal with that problem.  It’s already started. After the last meeting the Fed raised their target interest rate by ¼ percent and promised more increases to come.

Continue reading “Is the economy making the Fed an offer it can’t refuse?”

As social media turns 25, we’re still perplexed about regulating bad actors

Posted on

April 9, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in Frist Amendment issues, for a commentary acknowledging the 25thAnniversary of social media and U.S. lawmakers’ inept attempts to regulate the platforms. Published in The Hill under the heading: As social media turns 25, we’re still perplexed about regulating bad actors: https://bit.ly/37Crloh 

You’ve probably never heard of Six Degrees. The name sounds a bit like a forgettable boy band from the late-1990s. That isn’t far from the truth. In 1997, before platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat dominated the information universe, Six Degrees became the first social media site. Its anniversary was in January. We forgot it.

While Six Degrees persists, like the Backstreet Boys, off our radars but still online, we can’t forget the massive impact the service heralded as social media grew to consume our lives and our very realities.

Along with cat videos, social media ushered in an era of falsity, extremism and othering that, at times, has come to threaten democracies around the world. The Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, for example, likely was planned and performed for social-media audiences. It was done in real life, but documented for virtual audiences. We’re a long way from Six Degrees — maybe 180, at this point, from where we should be.

Continue reading “As social media turns 25, we’re still perplexed about regulating bad actors”

Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe is a loss of hope for human rights

Posted on

March 23, Jeffrey Kahn, law professor at SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law, for a commentary explaining why Russia exiting the Council of Europe is a blow to human rights initiatives in the region. Published in the Dallas Morning News with the heading: Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe is a loss of hope for human rights: https://bit.ly/3L5rMGn or https://perma.cc/T4S3-LEV2 

The last light that kindled hope for Russia to be included within Europe burned out last week. Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe. This decision, coinciding with the council’s decision to terminate Russian membership with an eye toward expulsion, is much graver than widely understood.

This is no mere diplomatic rift. It is the snuffing out of hope not only for millions of Russians, but for hundreds of millions of Europeans whose countries remain members of an organization that emerged from the embers of Europe’s last horrible conflagration.

Continue reading “Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe is a loss of hope for human rights”

This March 17, Remember the 80th Anniversary of the Escalation of the Slaughter of Jews at Belzec

Posted on

March 17, Rick Halperin, director of the SMD Dallas Human Rights Program, for a commentary noting the escalation of World War II slaughters of Jews after the establishment of the Belzec concentration camp in 1942. Published in History News Network under the heading This March 17, Remember the 80th Anniversary of the Escalation of the Slaughter of Jews at Belzec: https://bit.ly/36oljHp 

Thursday, March 17 will be the annual remembrance of St. Patrick’s Day, the Feast of St. Patrick, an observance widely commemorated both in the US and around the globe. The day will be marked with parades, festivals, people wearing green, the display of shamrocks, and, of course, the drinking of much beer and Irish whiskey. A good time will be had by many.

But March 17 is also the remembrance of a tragic anniversary that most people do not know, will not want to remember, and will quickly want to forget upon learning.

On this date in 1942, during WWII and exactly eight weeks after 15 Nazi leaders had met in Wannsee, a suburb of Berlin, and agreed upon the Final Solution (in which all the Jews of Europe were to be murdered), the first permanent death camp at Belzec, in southeast Poland, began operation.

Continue reading “This March 17, Remember the 80th Anniversary of the Escalation of the Slaughter of Jews at Belzec”

What we keep getting wrong in conversations about banned books

Posted on

March 17, Jill DeTemple, professor of religious studies at SMU Dallas, for a piece advocating that community members gather and discuss shared values in a civil setting rather than create book banning lists. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading: What we keep getting wrong in conversations about banned books:  Bit.ly/3CRTRxK 

Judging by the headlines, it might be easy to believe that every school board in the United States is getting ready to purge their libraries of materials that some find offensive.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has directed schools to remove all books with “pornographic content.” Texas House Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, has demanded school libraries account for their holdings related to race, gender and sexuality, prompting some teachers to remove titles from classroom shelves. In Tennessee, Maus was eliminated from a junior high school reading list, resulting in the book moving to a top seller position on Amazon, and in Washington State, the Mukilteo School Board found itself defending a decision to make To Kill a Mockingbird optional due to the complexities it presents around racist language and a white hero saving a black protagonist.

Continue reading “What we keep getting wrong in conversations about banned books”

Let’s Build Trust Instead of Banning Books

Posted on

March 10, Jill DeTemple, professor of religious studies at SMU Dallas, for a piece advocating that community members gather and discuss shared values in a civil setting rather than create book banning lists. Published in Education Week under the heading Let’s Build Trust Instead of Banning Books: https://bit.ly/3tXIC2P 

It is a difficult time to be an educator. Aside from the massive disruptions and stress of a pandemic lasting more than two years, even as it appears to be winding down, teachers, school boards, and librarians are at the dead center of divisive conflicts over how—and if—students should encounter issues of racism, sexuality, and the dark side of American history in their schools. As has happened in the past, efforts to ban or remove books from school are a manifestation of this conflict.

In recent weeks, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed schools to remove all books with “pornography or obscene content.” Texas state Rep. Matt Krause has demanded school libraries account for their holdings related to race, gender, and sexuality—prompting some teachers to take titles from classroom shelves out of fear of reprisal. Last month, in one Tennessee district, Maus was eliminated from a junior high school reading list, driving the book to a top-seller position on Amazon. In a Washington state district, the school board is having to defend making To Kill a Mockingbird optionalrather than required reading because of concerns over racist language and the book’s portrayal of a “white savior complex.”

Continue reading “Let’s Build Trust Instead of Banning Books”

Putin’s vile bid to erase the Jewish sacrifice in Ukraine

Posted on

March 6, Rick Halperin, director of the SMD Dallas Human Rights Program, for a piece criticizing Russia for attempts to erase The Ukriane’s Jewish heritage and sacrifice during war. Published in the Austin American-Statesman under the heading Putin’s vile bid to erase the Jewish sacrifice in Ukraine: https://bit.ly/370FY4x 

Much of the world remains captivated and appalled at the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the unprovoked attack promises to bring much more suffering, tragedy and death to its people, and possibly its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he wants to “de-Nazify” Ukraine, a vile and outrageous statement especially given that President Zelensky is Jewish. During World War II, Ukraine was a major area of fighting, death and genocide. Two-and-a-half million soldiers were killed in Ukraine between 1941-1944, and 4.5 million civilians were killed there in the same timeframe. The 7 million deaths constituted almost 11 % of the country’s pre-war population, a figure exceeded only by Poland’s loss of 19.6 % of its population during WWII.

Continue reading “Putin’s vile bid to erase the Jewish sacrifice in Ukraine”

Putin can be prosecuted for crimes of aggression — but likely not any time soon

Posted on

March 4, Anthony Colangelo, Professor of Law at the SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law, for a commentary outlining the international laws that make it possible to prosecute Vladimir Putin for various war crimes.  Published in The Hill under the heading Putin can be prosecuted for crimes of aggression — but likely not any time soon: https://bit.ly/3KccW0a 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of international law that opens the door to prosecuting Russian President Vladimir Putin down the road. The United Nations Charter prohibits aggressive use of force, and Russia has no valid claim that it is using force in self-defense. To assert self-defense, a state must be the victim of an actual or imminent armed attack. No facts support a claim that Russia is the victim of such an attack.

The ban on aggressive use of force is such a fundamental element of international law that when a state breaches it, its leaders can be held criminally responsible. After World War II, dozens of political and military leaders of Germany and Japan were convicted of the crime of aggression by international tribunals set up in Nuremberg and Tokyo.

Continue reading “Putin can be prosecuted for crimes of aggression — but likely not any time soon”