Civics and civility: A darn on threadbare fabric or the fabric itself?

Confronting Uncertainty and Change: Challengers or Champions?

“…To wit, we are seeing considerable social conflict (Hall 2022b), and it has risen to a level that gives pause to many sensible folks, including a few academics that I have been privileged to work with (Van Wart, McIntyre and Hall 2023). However close to the precipice of civil war—or global war—we may find ourselves, protest and violence abounds.…”

“…This issue presents two Viewpoint Articles. Van Wart, McIntyre and Hall (2023) provide recommendations for combating extremism and radicalization to highlight key strategies for restoring social capital and stability. To do this, they review the interlocking concepts of social inclusion, social exclusion, radicalization, and societal collapse and draw from those concepts to elucidate the antecedents to major political crises, focusing on the central role of political and administrative leadership in a democratic society in challenging times.…”

“…I have written about this particular challenge on multiple occasions (Hall, 2022;Pandey, Bearfield & Hall 2022;Stivers, et Al 2023). I have lamented the strain placed on society by vitriol and the rhetoric of clashing political parties and their ideals, and the broader implications this has for social capital, civic virtue, and stability (Hall 2022b;Hall 2023;Van Wart, McIntyre & Hall 2023). Conflict within does not go unnoticed by those without, and we have watched as other nations step in to take advantage of such internal domestic distractions by pursuing their own national interests, resulting in incremental global destabilization.…”