What We’re Watching: U.S. election uncertainty, opposition-driven debates

Let’s face it: Like virtually everyone else on the planet (and, for all we know, on other planets with heretofore undiscovered sentient populations as well), Official Ottawa is set to spend the next few days obsessively monitoring the breaking news from south of the border, from the final day of cross-country electioneering to the street-by-street reporting on the state of the voting system itself.

That includes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his inner circle as well, of course, although don’t expect any reaction to the results until the final numbers are in.

David Frum Fights the Right

On the evening of November 2, 2018, a Munk Debate took place at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall arguing the proposition that the future of Western politics is populist, not liberal. As the beginning drew near, protests erupted in front of the venue because the organizers had chosen Steve Bannon—architect of the Trump campaign, former leader of the alt-right Breitbart empire, Svengali to apprenticing authoritarians, and the world’s foremost proponent of the slept-in blazer—to argue on behalf of populism. But commentators were also aghast at the person tasked with defending the values of classical liberalism: David Frum. Yes, that David Frum: the Axis of Evil neocon who served in the George W. Bush White House, boisterously supported the Iraq War, and authored a handful of books advocating hardline conservative policies.

Why we need to resurrect the ‘syndicalism’ of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike

Due to the numerous commemorative events surrounding its centenary, many are now familiar with the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, the longest and most complete general strike in the history of the continent.

At commemorative events held in 2019, the predominant narrative of the strike was that its importance lies in the success that labour-affiliated political parties enjoyed in the decades following the strike. Workers in 1919 may have bristled at this interpretation.

Whether it’s for Trump or Biden, Americans who trust others are more likely to vote

Forecasting election results is hard. Predicting who will turn out to vote next week in the United States is not.

The rich are more likely to vote than the poor. The better educated are more likely to vote than the less educated. White people are more likely to vote than racialized Americans.

As a scholar who has studied trust and how it matters for years, I can say that generalized trust — an expectation of good will and benign intent of others — is also a powerful predictor of voter turnout.

Thousands continue protests against Indonesia's new jobs law

Thousands of workers in Indonesia on Monday continued their protests against the country's new jobs law that critics say will erode labour rights and weaken environmental protections.

Three-year-old rescued from rubble, Turkey quake death toll hits 81

A three-year-old girl was rescued from a collapsed building in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Monday, officials said, nearly three days after a powerful earthquake in the Aegean Sea region which has killed 81 people.

Economy faces big strains just as Washington could be paralyzed after election

America’s economy faces severe new strains in the two months between Tuesday’s election and January, a period when Washington could be consumed by political paralysis and gridlock.

Ivory Coast elections: Vote counting follows unrest at polls

Vote counting is under way in Ivory Coast, following a presidential poll that was boycotted by the opposition.

At least 16 people have been killed since riots broke out in August after President Alassane Ouattara said he would run again following the sudden death of his preferred successor.

Indian troops kill top Kashmiri militant commander

Indian security forces killed the chief of the largest militant group in Kashmir in a gun battle on Sunday, as the disputed region is riven by violence more than a year after New Delhi withdrew its semi-autonomy.

Rhode Island is voting on removing 'Plantations' from the state's official name

The smallest state in the U.S. bears the longest name: "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Rhode Island voters this Election Day have the chance to strike the last part -- "and Providence Plantations" -- from the state's full name.