A Wild Ride

According to Sandra Knispel, Putin has made historically doubtful claims about the unity of Russia and Ukraine, most notably his assertion in his defense of invading Ukraine as being due to their history of being "one people," which he asserted in his July 2021 essay on Russians and Ukrainians alleged historical unity (Knispel 1). Putin argues that Ukraine is an integral part of Russia as it has never been a nation or a state (Knispel 1). He further argues that both countries share a common history and heritage, that of Kievan Rus (862-1242), which combined parts of modern-day Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine into a loose medieval political federation (Knispel 1). However, as argued by Prof. Matthew Lenoe, Putin's claims may only be convincing in that the Slavic people shared a common heritage, and that is where the claim ends (Knispel 1). Prof. Lenoe notes the inability to trace a continuous line from this loose federation to the Russian or Ukrainian states (Knispel 1). He a...

  The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1973. ALEC's mission is to promote free-market, limited-government policies at the state level by bringing together state legislators and corporate representatives to draft model legislation. The idea for ALEC was developed by a group of conservative activists who were concerned about the increasing influence of the federal government on state and local affairs. They believed that by developing model legislation at the state level, they could promote conservative policies and counteract what they saw as the liberal agenda of the federal government. In its early years, ALEC focused primarily on economic and fiscal issues, promoting policies such as tax cuts, deregulation, and privatization. However, in the 1990s, the organization began to expand its focus to include social issues such as criminal justice, education, and healthcare. ALEC's model legislation has had a significant imp...