Are parties the greatest political evil?

+ Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy; first ladies' fashion US Edition - Today's top story: Do we need political parties? In theory, they're the sort of organization that could bring Americans together in larger purpose [View in browser]( US Edition | 20 February 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( America’s first president, George Washington, warned the country in his 1796 Farewell Address against the “the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.” For Washington, writes historian Maurizio Valsania, “finding ways to moderate ‘the fury of party spirit’ was [pivotal to the survival of the entire nation](.” Valsania, a professor at the University of Turin who works in the U.S., was reminded of the founders’ antipathy toward political parties – which they saw as factions – as he watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Lawmakers from one party applauded while lawmakers from the other party booed or sat on their hands. Valsania wondered: Did early America’s leaders predict today’s politics, where political parties seem to be vehicles of tribalism and obstruction rather than vehicles to achieve the public good? Like a modern-day Alexis de Tocqueville, Valsania, a European, brings the fresh perspective of a foreigner to the many stories he has written for The Conversation about the early American republic and the men who shaped it. This Presidents Day, we bring you his account of what those early Americans thought about political parties, with the implied question in all of Valsania’s stories: What does this mean for Americans today? On Saturday, the Carter Center announced former President Jimmy Carter, aged 98, had entered hospice care. Historian Robert C. Donnelly provides a fresh analysis of the 39th president’s Cold War strategy [to weaken the former Soviet Union through his focus on human rights](. Also today: - [Earthquake destabilizes Turkey’s political situation]( - [Research on social media and teens biased toward white youth]( - [Were viruses on Earth before living cells?]( Naomi Schalit Democracy Editor During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, many Congressional Democrats stood and clapped, but the GOP did not. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky [Do we need political parties? In theory, they’re the sort of organization that could bring Americans together in larger purpose]( Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino Americans are not the first to fret over the potential harm that parties can inflict. But parties can also promote the common interest. Education - [3 things the pandemic taught us about inequality in college — and why they matter today]( Elena G. van Stee, University of Pennsylvania The pandemic put a spotlight on inequalities among college students. But students’ resources were unequal all along. Politics + Society - [Jimmy Carter’s lasting Cold War legacy: Human rights focus helped dismantle the Soviet Union]( Robert C. Donnelly, Gonzaga University President Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy efforts may have been far more effective than critics have claimed. - [Presidential greatness is rarely fixed in stone – changing attitudes on racial injustice and leadership qualities lead to dramatic shifts]( George R. Goethals, University of Richmond Historians change their views of presidents over time, often because of the country’s changing views on race and moral leadership. - [First ladies from Martha Washington to Jill Biden have gotten outsized attention for their clothing instead of their views]( Nichola D. Gutgold, Penn State On Presidents Day, a women in politics scholar examines the meaning, and sometimes outsized focus, on first ladies’ fashion choices. - [Turkish President Erdoğan’s grip on power threatened by devastating earthquake]( Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University Disaster-hit Turkey is due to stage a presidential vote in June. Erdoğan’s handling of the earthquake response – and his role in the country’s perceived lack of preparedness – may be his undoing. - [John Brown was a violent crusader, but he blazed a moral path that the cautious Lincoln followed to end slavery]( Adam Seagrave, Arizona State University President Lincoln was a statesman. John Brown was a radical. That’s the traditional view of how each one fought slavery, but it fails to capture the full measure of their devotion. Science + Technology - [Research on teen social media use has a racial bias – studies of white kids are widely taken to be universal]( Linda Charmaraman, Wellesley College; J. Maya Hernandez, University of California, Irvine Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous teens have different online experiences – both positive and negative – than their white peers. These differences are overlooked when research focuses on white kids. - [Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged? A microbiologist explains]( Kenneth Noll, University of Connecticut Fossil evidence of how the earliest life on Earth came to be is hard to come by. But scientists have come up with a few theories based on the microbes, viruses and prions existing today. Ethics + Religion - [All American presidents have lied – the question is why and when]( Michael Blake, University of Washington A political philosopher argues that while all American presidents may lie, those who appear to lie for the public good are often celebrated. Trending on site - [How dangerous was the Ohio chemical train derailment? An environmental engineer assesses the long-term risks]( - [Turkey’s historic city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been flattened by powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself]( - [What is a UFO? The US shot down three mysterious objects as interest and concern increase over unidentified craft]( Today's graphic [A chart comparing the ERCOT load with 2002-2006 temperature sensitivity and the ERCOT forecast load from February 14, 2021 to February 20, 2021.]( From the story, [Two years after its historic deep freeze, Texas is increasingly vulnerable to cold snaps – and there are more solutions than just building power plants]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? Follow us: • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [Instagram]( • [LinkedIn]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. 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