I grew up in a period of conservative resurgence in the US. I lived in Massachusetts, known nationally as the People's Republic of Taxachusetts. Even the liberal state of Massachusetts went for Ronald Reagan and the neoliberal agenda that set off this conservative wave in 1980. The "Christian Right" driven by Jerry Falwell and the "Moral Majority" put the... Read this >>
Profile: Robert Ostergard - Associate Professor
Dr. Robert L. Ostergard, Jr. received his B.A. in Political Science and Economics in 1992 from the University of Massachusetts and his M.A. (1996) and PhD (1999) in Political Science from Binghamton University. He served as the Associate Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University from 2000-2006. He is currently Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada. His general areas of research are in national and international security issues, with a specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa. His current research projects include projects on the security implications of the HIV/AIDS and Ebola epidemics, human rights and health, and state security responses to global health crises. He has previously served as a consultant for the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Canadian Ministry of Defense, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA), the Council on Foreign Relations, UNAIDS, as well as various academic institutions.
Robert Ostergard's COVID-19 Diary
13 Aug 2020 : Who Decided that Kids Were Expendable and Disposable?
Robert Ostergard, Associate Professor
18 Jul 2020 : The Exhaustion of Covid-19: The Fireside Chat v. The Dumpster Fire
Crises are trying on everyone. Mentally stressful, physically exhausting, long-term crises wear you down and keep battering you like an ocean storm. Usually during a crises, people can take comfort in the fact that government tries to do the best it can; governmnet is straight forward and represents the best interest of its people. Think about Roos... Read this >>
Robert Ostergard, Associate Professor
11 May 2020 : What We Know About Political Leadership, Pandemics, and Fragmented Responses
This first appeared on the Duck of Minerva website History sometimes has a way of rearing its ugly head repeatedly. The COVID-19 pandemic is something few people have ever seen, but it is not new in history. Neither is the fragmented nor uneven and missing policy responses to it. How political leaders respond during the initial stages of pandemic... Read this >>
Robert Ostergard, Associate Professor
03 May 2020 : The Rise of Pandemic Social Authoritarianism
These are some quick thoughts I’ve had as the protests against the quarantine pick up. During this pandemic, we have watched carefully as dictators and pseudo-democrats have sought to use the pandemic as a way to tighten their grips over power in their countries. These are not unexpected as leaders throughout history have used crises as a way to jus... Read this >>
Robert Ostergard, Associate Professor
24 Apr 2020 : The Dictators' Cures
Yesterday's pronouncement by Donald Trump that people should contemplate using disinfectant and sun to cure themsleves of a COVID-19 viral infection has marked another low point in the credibility of the administration. It was hard to believe the credibility could get lower, but, alas, he found a way to do it. To be fair, he backtracked on that claim toda... Read this >>
Robert Ostergard, Associate Professor
20 Apr 2020 : Immigration Ban is not a response to Pandemic Conditions
Just about five years ago, Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower and proceeded to put the US electorate on edge with a nationalistic, racist tirade that kicked off his presidential campaign. The racial characteristics of the speech were not subtle; they were indeed overt and shocking. Few thought he had a spot in the presidential race, let a... Read this >>