Human rights scholar & activist. Physician-Economist (MD/PhD). Fogarty Fellow. CEO @proghealth. @FulbrightPrgrm Awardee. Governance, social development, health.
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Mar 5, 2022 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
I do not support violence and militarism as solutions to social problems. But, from a strictly pragmatic view, here is the reality I see on #Ukraine.
Any ability that the world currently has to deter Russia — if it is even possible to do so — may prove short-lived.
Why?
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Because the U.S. is staring down its own fascist cataclysm in 2024, when the country itself may be overtaken by an autocratic, anti-NATO executive.
Inconceivable though it may seem, what may then unfold would be a plot twist where the U.S. switches sides in the #Ukraine war.
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Feb 12, 2022 • 30 tweets • 5 min read
THREAD
U.S. COLLAPSE: KEY THEMES
U.S. society is collapsing. The social fabric is being torn apart. The political system is fracturing. The country is headed toward civil conflict.
Now, more than ever, we must come to terms with the multiple factors driving this implosion.
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The choice for our society is stark: a collective future, or a collective death.
Thus far, our failure to address the complex dynamics underpinning the country's collapse has amounted to choosing societal suicide.
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Dec 21, 2021 • 26 tweets • 5 min read
THREAD
COVID VACCINATION AND VILIFICATION
In public health, nothing is more sacrosanct to us than the trust of the populations we serve. That trust — so hard to gain, so easy to squander — underpins all of our efforts to eradicate disease.
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It makes the difference between well-being and illness, between life and death.
Our work is scientific. It is not political. It is not judgmental. Our only task is to stamp out disease wherever it may be.
We meet the people we serve where they are, however they come to us.
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Dec 9, 2021 • 34 tweets • 6 min read
THREAD
OUR POLITICAL SECTARIANISM
Over the past fifteen years plus, nuance and depth have vanished from our social discourse, and scientific evidence and rational thought have been displaced by video clips, soundbites, and one-line blips.
This trend has proven perilous.
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With each day that passes, the decay of our social and political conversation — the replacement of thoughtfulness with reactivity, of civility with disrespect — poses a greater threat to the continued existence of our society.
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Apr 7, 2021 • 17 tweets • 5 min read
THREAD
REMEMBERING MBAYE DIAGNE
Today, as we commemorate twenty-seven years since the horrifying acts of the Rwandan genocide, and as we continue the fight to both prevent and stop atrocity around the world, I would like to recount the heroism of Mbaye Diagne.
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A soldier in the Senegalese Army, Diagne served as an unarmed military observer in Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, first working under the Organization for African Unity and then under the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda.
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Mar 27, 2021 • 27 tweets • 6 min read
THREAD
A STORY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS
As I wrap up my PhD dissertation—which centers on matters of governance, accountability, and health—I would like to share one woman’s story that has inspired much of my work.
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For some of my followers, the story might stretch the boundaries of the imagination.
But the common threads of humanity transcend all boundaries—and stories like this one have informed my work on everything from African healthcare systems to U.S. democratic restoration.
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Feb 27, 2021 • 34 tweets • 6 min read
THREAD
PREVENTING U.S. CIVIL CONFLICT
Nothing is normal right now in America. As much as people may wish to believe all is well, our country remains on a collision course, staring down the specter of civil conflict sometime in the next several years.
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But violence and social collapse need not be our fate. We have the power to create a better future—if we use the present window of opportunity to correct course.
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Jan 7, 2021 • 18 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD
THE ROLE OF THE PEOPLE IN RESISTING TYRANNY
In government, the people are the ultimate institution where power lies, serving as the backstop against tyranny when all other systems fail.
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When those in office refuse a peaceful transition of power, it is the duty of the people to ensure a proper transition.
When the checks and balances in the system of government fail to function properly, it is the duty of the people to restore the social order.
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Dec 27, 2020 • 43 tweets • 10 min read
THREAD
TRUMP: A REINCARNATION OF IDI AMIN
Let me tell you the story—the nightmare—of Idi Amin in Uganda. Because it is about time that Americans start learning a few things from Africans.
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In 1971, Amin, as the head of the Ugandan military, was facing likely prosecution for the misappropriation of army funds.
So he decided to launch a military coup to seize power. The coup was hardly the first time that Amin’s elite status enabled him to escape justice.
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Dec 13, 2020 • 33 tweets • 8 min read
THREAD
THE NEXT PHASE OF TRUMP’S COUP
Round 1 of Trump’s coup was the election, while Round 2 has been his efforts to discredit the election’s outcome and contest it in court.
Now, we are entering Round 3—the much darker and far more dangerous phase of the coup.
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Trump’s attack on America is hardly over. But ever since the General Services Administration authorized the release of transition funds—which was probably only a strategic concession by the Trump administration—many Americans have checked out.
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Nov 25, 2020 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
THREAD
INTERPRETING TRUMP'S COUP CORRECTLY
If Trump's coup fails, many people will erroneously conclude that "the system worked," rather than that "the system is on the verge of collapse."
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This flawed reasoning will have the troubling effect of reinforcing beliefs in American exceptionalism, setting us up for potentially greater danger in 2024.
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Nov 25, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
THREAD
JUSTICE FOR TRUMP-RELATED CRIMES
For the sake of both principle and precedent, and for the long-term preservation of our society, our country must bring the perpetrators of Trump administration crimes to justice.
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But the difficult reality is that justice will be damaging if we do not first establish truth. In a society with two different conceptions of reality, efforts toward justice, no matter how legitimate, will only be interpreted as vengeance by the opposing side.
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Nov 10, 2020 • 47 tweets • 12 min read
THREAD
UNDERSTANDING TRUMP’S COUP STRATEGY
Although everything currently unfolding has been predicted far in advance, denialism continues to flourish. Many people are drawing incorrect conclusions with regard to Trump’s strategies and discounting the crisis before us.
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But now, more than ever, we need a clearsighted approach to defeat Trump.
This thread is meant to clear up key questions and to highlight crucial strategic considerations at play.
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Nov 9, 2020 • 20 tweets • 4 min read
THREAD
POLARIZATION AS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT
While Biden’s victory is thrilling, the difficult truth is that our country remains as polarized as ever. Take a moment to review the rhetoric emanating from the opposing side, and this fact will be obvious.
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Moreover, while we keep hearing that “the people have spoken,” Biden won with just 51 percent of the popular vote. Many citizens who did not vote for Biden remain adamantly opposed to him.
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Oct 27, 2020 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD: MASS PEACEFUL PROTEST
For convenient reference, this thread compiles both my writing and videos on the importance of mass peaceful protest, based on perspectives ranging from political science to moral duty
HOW WE GOT HERE: PART XI—CONCLUSION: FINDING RECONCILIATION AND TOGETHERNESS
This thread contains excerpts from Part XI of “How We Got Here.” This part concludes the treatise, distilling key points and painting a moral vision for the future.
1/22 1joshgreenberg.medium.com/how-we-got-her…
“One day, when this nightmare is over, we will need a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission. In the Commission, among other things, we will have to ask ourselves hard questions about the conditions that have allowed extremism to take hold.”
HOW WE GOT HERE: PART X—THE CURRENT STAGE OF CRISIS
This thread contains excerpts from Part X of “How We Got Here.” This part reflects on the current state of our nation’s crisis, in the context of the treatise’s preceding exposition.
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1joshgreenberg.medium.com/how-we-got-her…
“At present, we have already progressed to a late stage of the crisis that our country faces. Our nation is essentially in a state of tribal warfare, with two competing camps that have entirely different conceptions of reality.”
HOW WE GOT HERE: PART IX—CHARLOTTESVILLE AS A CASE STUDY
This thread contains excerpts from Part IX of “How We Got Here.” This part uses the 2017 events in Charlottesville to illustrate many of the arguments from the treatise.
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medium.com/@1JoshGreenber…
“I do not wish to re-open old wounds, but I would like to revisit the 2017 events in Charlottesville—because they are illustrative of many of this treatise's observations. It is my hope that readers will consider this case study with an open mind.”
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