Political Science

During the first Republican presidential candidate debate Governor Ron DeSantis said he would use U.S. military special forces inside of Mexico to help stem the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl into the United States. While this kind of rhetoric — the idea of using the U.S. military in a sovereign foreign nation to combat illicit drug production and distribution — might seem shocking, it’s not entirely new for a political candidate or even a sitting president to say something along these lines, but rather goes back decades. To get some context we sit down with Dr. Rick Coughlin, he’s an Associate Professor of Political Science at Florida Gulf Coast University who focuses on Mexican politics and culture.

Ahead of the 2023 regular session of the Florida legislature kicks off March 7, we get a preview of top legislative proposals, and what they could mean for Florida residents in a conversation with FGCU Political Science professors Roger Green, Ph.D., and Peter Bergerson, Ph.D.

The idea that Ukraine is an independent nation with its own national identity is one that Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly disputed since long before the invasion, and he’s not alone and this is not a modern idea but one that dates far back into history. Our guest today strongly disputes this claim, and his recent books offer direct evidence of a decades-long effort by the Soviet Union and then Russian to stoke divisions among the Ukrainian diaspora and people around the world, and cast doubt on the very idea of an independent Ukraine.

Despite new restrictions on voting adopted by the state legislature in 2021, more than 2.23 million Floridians took advantage of voting by mail or early voting in Tuesday’s primary election.In the most closely watched race of the Aug. 23 primary, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist defeated Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the general election. We’ll get analysis of results and what they set up for the general election and beyond with FGCU political scientist Dr. Peter Bergerson.

Florida lawmakers officially kick off the 2020 state legislative session today. Over the course of the 60-day regular session, legislators will be…