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Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy

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A signature interdisciplinary institute on history & politics @mizzou. Offering a BA, MA, minor, & certificate + public events & more!

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🌎 WHAT’S REALLY WRONG WITH THE OLD AMERICAN EMPIRE?

“We’re not going to turn that tanker around until we resolve some of the democratic legitimacy problems at home.” — Professor Jay Sexton

In this highlight from our virtual salon series, Professor Jay Sexton, Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy (@mudemocracy) at @Mizzou, examines how declining public trust in the established order has weakened the foundations of America’s global role.

Taking the long view, Sexton connects public trust at home with the country’s ability to sustain alliances and pursue shared interests abroad. He argues that rebuilding that foundation begins with addressing democratic legitimacy at home.

📺 Watch the full discussion and explore Network 20/20 membership through the link in our bio.

#Network2020 #America250 #Democracy #PopularLegitimacy #Geopolitics

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🏛️ HAS CONGRESS SURRENDERED ITS CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO THE PRESIDENT?

“The exercise of executive authority is like the big flashing light here that makes this look different.” — Professor Jay Sexton

In this highlight, Professor Jay Sexton, Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy (@mudemocracy ) at the University of Missouri (@mizzou ), traces a fundamental shift in how U.S. tariff policy takes shape.

In the 19th century, tariff debates unfolded in Congress, with representatives advocating for local industries and economic interests. Sexton contrasts that system with today’s executive-driven tariff policy and congressional acquiescence, identifying the exercise of executive authority as the central warning sign.

📺 Watch the full discussion and learn more about Network 20/20 membership at the link in our bio.

#Network2020 #America250 #Tariffs #ExecutivePower #TradePolicy

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🇺🇸 WHAT CAN AMERICA’S FIRST DIPLOMATS TEACH US TODAY?

As the United States marks 250 years as a nation, Network 20/20 looks back to Benjamin Franklin’s mission to France and asks what that history can tell us about American diplomacy today. What happens when alliance-building and career diplomatic expertise are sidelined as foreign policy becomes more concentrated in the White House and carried out through special envoys?

In Network 20/20’s Virtual Briefing, The State of Diplomacy at America 250, president Courtney Doggart speaks with John Dinkelman of the American Foreign Service Association (@afsagram), Jessica Tuchman Mathews of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (@carnegieendow), and Professor Jay Sexton of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy (@mudemocracy) about the consequences for relations with allies and adversaries—and what it may take to rebuild diplomatic capacity.

Watch the full conversation through the link in our bio.

#Network2020 #America250 #Diplomacy #ForeignService #VirtualBriefing

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“I always tell students they’re like a tin of Pringles. When you reach in, you have that first tariff, you’re not gonna stop.” — Professor Jay Sexton

In this highlight from our Virtual Salon Series, Jay Sexton, Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy (@mudemocracy ), explains how tariffs have historically fueled instability—creating and exacerbating the very disorder they claimed to manage.

He traces tariffs to programs of imperial expansion and closed trading systems, links them to domestic corruption through the picking of economic favorites, and warns that they can become self-perpetuating. Once you start, like a tin of Pringles, you’re not going to stop.

🎧 Full discussion coming soon to Network 20/20’s YouTube channel. Explore more conversations on global affairs at the link in bio.

🔗 Learn more about Network 20/20 membership at the link in bio.

#Network2020 #Tariffs #Trade #Geopolitics #EconomicPolicy

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@civildialogues is headed west! Join us next Monday evening in San Francisco to talk AI, Climate & Democracy. #ai #democracy #climate #sfevent

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How is U.S. diplomacy being used today—and where is it headed? 🇺🇸🌎

Thank you to John Dinkelman, President of @afsagram ; Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Distinguished Fellow and former President of @carnegieendow ; and Professor Jay Sexton, Director of @mudemocracy, for joining us for The State of Diplomacy at America 250.

Below are some key takeaways from the discussion:

🌎 Career diplomats are being sidelined from key negotiations. Special envoys are operating without the regional expertise, cultural context, or even American translators that the Foreign Service provides—over 1,300 diplomatic professionals were dismissed last year alone, gutting the institutional knowledge the U.S. relies on.

🤝 The current approach to diplomacy lacks a discernible strategy. Dr. Mathews warned that the administration has “torched” long-standing bipartisan fundamentals—from alliances as a source of strength to the rule of law—replacing them with day-to-day chaos rather than a coherent alternative.

💡 Today’s diplomatic landscape echoes the 19th century more than the mid-20th-century norm. Professor Sexton drew parallels between current tariff policies, hemispheric expansion, and bare-knuckle politics—cautioning that the last era of spheres of influence ultimately led to the World Wars.

🇺🇸 The popular legitimacy that once sustained American internationalism has eroded. Rebuilding public support for U.S. engagement abroad requires addressing democratic legitimacy problems at home—from the concentration of political and economic power among the ultra-rich to the disconnect between voters and foreign policy.

➡️ Click the link in our bio to subscribe to our YouTube channel and be notified when the full recording is available!

#America250 #AmericanDiplomacy #ForeignPolicy #GlobalAffairs #Network2020

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This Thursday is Constitution Day! Excited to see you at the Student Center from 11-2!

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Dr. Rachel A. Shelden, Associate Professor of History and Director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center, is presenting the James E. Fleming & Linda C. McClain Constitution Day Lecture hosted by the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri on September 17th. Please join us for her talk, "The Political Supreme Court: A Forgotten History" as Dr. Shelden examines the political role of the Supreme Court justices in shaping the U.S. Constitution's meanings in the first one hundred years of U.S. history.

This lecture will be available to watch on YouTube at 6 pm EST at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRt5TfcUbfw.

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As America marks 250 years, what lessons from its earliest diplomats still apply—and what new thinking is needed for the future? 🇺🇸🌎

The world has changed dramatically since Benjamin Franklin’s diplomatic mission to France in 1776. Today, rising powers, emerging technologies, economic statecraft, and new forms of global competition are changing how Washington uses diplomacy.

Join us on Thursday, September 17, from 3:30–4:30 PM ET for a timely conversation with:

🎙 John Dinkelman, President of the American Foreign Service Association @afsagram

🎙 Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Distinguished Fellow and former President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace @CarnegieEndow

🎙 Professor Jay Sexton, Rich and Nancy Kinder Chair of Constitutional Democracy, Professor of History, and Director of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy @mudemocracy

Click the link in our bio to RSVP and learn more!

#America250 #AmericanDiplomacy #ForeignPolicy #GlobalAffairs #Network2020

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The Kinder Institute's "Stars, Stripes, and Celebrations" exhibit sponsored by Missouri Humanities and hosted by the Missouri State Capitol Museum officially opened yesterday afternoon. Lily's students did an amazing job researching, designing, and constructing the displays.

It was a great ceremony, and I remain utterly impressed by the work Lily has coordinated over the past year. Thanks to everyone who came out to help her celebrate.

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so much love for this day that i had to make two posts! happy graduation!

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