Donald Trump’s foreign policy is built upon toxic pillars of greed, coercion, nativism, and incompetence. In Brief: The Four Pillars of the Donroe Doctrine Introduction Global headlines on January 3, 2026, reported the unprecedented: a U.S. Delta Force raid captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, delivering them to New York to face narco-terrorism charges. Ordered by President Donald Trump, the assault on a sovereign state effectively codified the “Donroe Doctrine.” The…
Autocratic populism results in democratic backsliding. Populists leaders pose as public champions to win elections and attack democracy.
Peace planning for Ukraine is a contest between Trump’s imperial capitalism and Putin’s imperial geopolitics. Who wins? Not Ukraine. by Wayne Stelk, PhD December 2025 In Brief: A Note About The Global War on Democracy Series This post is part of my Global War on Democracy series. All posts in this series are available for free. Trump’s Promises, Promises During his 2024 campaign for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump claimed at least 53 times that…
Across the globe, autocrats are waging a war on democracies. The autocrats are winning. Why? How? by Wayne Stelk, PhD November 2025 In Brief Introducing a New Essay Series: The Global War on Democracy There is an old joke that goes like this: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they are not out to get you.” Liberal leaders of representative democracies are right to feel paranoid because they are a targeted breed. Data from the…
An introduction to models of the human mind by Wayne Stelk, PhD June 2025 In Brief Life’s Path on a Fitness Landscape Picture your life as an uphill journey on a mountain trail. Sometimes the slope is gentle, revealing calm meadows nearby. At other times, the hill becomes steep and treacherous. Adding to the challenge, your path often makes sharp turns, preventing you from seeing what’s ahead. Depending on your taste for risk, you are…
On March 25, 1775, at a church in Richmond, Virginia, an American patriot gave an impassioned speech to his fellow townsmen, urging them to approve of a resolution for Virginian troops to join in the Revolutionary War against British colonialism. Toward the end of his brief speech, Patrick Henry implored the delegates: Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know…
The history of human civilization is the story of increasing exposure to information. Access has multiplied through evolving technologies: stone tablets, Gutenberg printing press, telegraph, radio/TV, internet, and, today, social media apps. Given the exponential increase in information available to everyone, you might think that electing representatives in modern democracies has become a rational process of gathering facts about candidates’ priorites and then matching these facts to voter’s policy preferences. If you think the politics…
A friend of mine is obsessed with physical health and personal growth. He works out daily in a gym, reads the latest self-help books, takes multiple nutritional supplements, and engages in exotic treatments. While visiting his home recently, I noticed on his desk a self-help book by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, titled Whole Brain Living (2021). I was surprised I didn’t know this author, so my friend enthusiastically briefed me. Dr. Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-educated neurologist…
Who doesn’t have a bucket list of nagging problems in their life that they wish they could change? These problems can be small and annoying — or large and debilitating. Small problems might be wishes to improve the quality of your life with minor adjustments here or there. You exercise, but not enough. Maybe you’ve been told to cut back on your sugary desserts, but you love your after-dinner carbo-rush. Or maybe, like me, you’ve spent the…