Welcome

Dear friends of VTIPG and the Community Change Collaborative,

We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate significant dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing those concerns. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG faculty or staff or of Virginia Tech. We upload these articles and stories to our website. You may find that archive at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu.

If you would like to suggest an article for consideration, please contact us below.

Our first piece this week, from Cardinal News, described the Virginia Supreme Court's decision to allow an April 21 statewide referendum to consider a proposal to realign Virginia's congressional district. This vote could result in a more favorable electoral map for Democrats vying for the Commonwealth's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
A second selection published by National Public Radio reported on growing concern among the nation's political scientists that the U.S. is becoming an autocracy.
Our third story, from the Associated Press, analyzed the implications of the ongoing partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Our fourth selection, from Reuters, examined Europe's decision to work to bolster its defense systems alone due to ongoing tense relations with the Trump administration.
Last, we feature a piece from The New York Times that profiled current sentiment among Iranian citizens following that government's continuing crackdown on "dissidents" that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.

Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives they offer encourage reflection and conversation!

Best wishes,

Billy Parvatam

VTIPG Communications Coordinator

pbilly97@vt.edu.

Photo: The Virginia Supreme Court in Richmond, Virginia. Source: Virginia Mercury.

Virginia Supreme Court: April 21 redistricting referendum can move forward

This Cardinal News piece by Elizabeth Beyer described the Supreme Court of Virginia's decision to allow a proposed statewide referendum concerning congressional districting scheduled for April 21 to move forward. After President Trump called on GOP controlled states to redraw their congressional maps to favor Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and several responded, Virginia Democrats countered with a proposed redistricting of Virginia that could create an electoral map of 10-1 seats in their party’s favor in the U.S. House of Representatives. If voters approve the referendum, the new map would become effective with the November 2026 election.

Beyer, E. (2026, February 14). "Virginia Supreme Court: April 21 redistricting referendum can move forward." Cardinal News. https://cardinalnews.org/2026/02/13/virginia-supreme-court-april-21-redistricting-referendum-can-move-forward/

Photo: Protestors demonstrate against federal immigration actions at an "Ice Out of Everywhere" rally in front of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 31. Source: NPR.

Concerns over autocracy in the U.S. continue to grow

This National Public Radio article profiled concerns among political scientists that the United States is moving toward autocracy as the 2026 Midterm elections approach. Under "competitive authoritarianism", countries may formally conduct elections, but the majority party utilizes multiple tactics, such as attacking the press, disenfranchising voters, weaponizing the justice system, and threatening critics, to tip the electoral field in its favor. President Trump has already employed each of these strategies. As such, the Fall 2026 Midterms could serve as a major test for American democracy. Meanwhile, the administration is currently suing states to take control of their voter data, and allies close to the president have also publicly proposed that he deploy Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to selected polling places.

Langfitt, F. (2026, February 16). "Concerns over autocracy in the U.S. continue to grow." NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/02/16/nx-s1-5705955/us-autocracy-concerns-grow

Photo: Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C. Source: Wikipedia.

No clear path to ending the partial government shutdown as lawmakers dig in over DHS oversight

This Associated Press article analyzed the ongoing partial government shutdown due to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats want changes in how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting its operations following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by officers in Minneapolis last month. Those changes include a requirement that agents remove their masks to allow their ready identification. Republicans have opposed this proposal and contended that such actions could open officers to threats and harassment. This shutdown will adversely affect the operations of several important agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and Customs and Border Protection. Congress is in recess until February 23, and no immediate end to the impasse appears to be in sight.

Madhani, A. (2026, February 15). "No clear path to ending the partial government shutdown as lawmakers dig in over DHS oversight." Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-homeland-security-democrats-ice-bd2b84b6f38f1c916637b205854a3c83

Photo: Aerial view of Pituffik Space Base in Greeland. Source: Wikipedia.

Europe aims to rely less on US defence after Trump's Greeland push

This piece in Reuters examined a significant potential change in transatlantic ties between Europe and the United States. President Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland have significantly increased European concerns that the U.S. will not remain committed to the NATO alliance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did little to reassure allies in his speech at the Munich Security Conference recently, as he did not mention NATO or the Russia-Ukraine war, key issues of concern to other members of that alliance. In response, European nations have formed a consortium to build their own complex weapons systems, although several proposed projects have so far been slow to move successfully to production.

Gray, A., Irish, J., & Siebold, S. (2026, February 16). "Europe aims to rely less on us defence after Trump’s Greenland push." Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/europe-aims-rely-less-us-defence-after-trumps-greenland-push-2026-02-15/

Photo: A billboard showing the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside the Islamic Republic's founding leader, in Tehran, Iran, last month. Source: The New York Times.

Rage. Grief. Anxiety. The new mood in Iran

This New York Times article analyzed sentiment among Iranian citizens following their government's continuing crackdown and arrest of dissidents. Although mass protests in support of the ouster of Iran's authoritarian regime have temporarily halted, many Iranians are angry and anxious about the future. Iran's leaders are also facing pressure from the United States, as President Trump has threatened to conduct military strikes if ongoing negotiations do not very soon lead to an agreement to limit the nation’s nuclear and military capabilities. The country's economy is already in difficult straits due to international sanctions, corruption, and intermittent government shutdowns of the internet, aimed at stifling dissent, that have also adversely affected commerce.

Fassihi, F., & Nikounazar, L. (2026, February 16). "Rage. grief. anxiety. The new mood in Iran." The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/world/middleeast/iran-protests-crackdown-mood.html

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