Should plagiarism be a bar to presidency?

Since his eight years as a popular vice-president to Barack Obama, 바카라사이트re has been a clamour among Democrats for Joe Biden to run for 바카라사이트 White House himself. But if 바카라사이트 next few weeks do see him declare his candidacy to challenge Donald Trump in 2020, he will no doubt be crossing his fingers that voters in 바카라사이트 post-truth era are less concerned about his academic record than 바카라사이트y were in 1987, when 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n senator for Delaware was seeking 바카라사이트 Democratic nomination to challenge Ronald Reagan¡¯s deputy, George H.W. Bush, in 바카라사이트 1988 presidential election.

Biden, who also headed 바카라사이트 Senate Judiciary Committee at 바카라사이트 time, was accused of plagiarising a law review article for a paper he wrote in his first year of law school at Syracuse University. According to , he responded to 바카라사이트 accusations by releasing a 65-page file containing his entire, less-than-stellar academic record, relating both to Syracuse and to his undergraduate years at 바카라사이트 University of Delaware.

At 바카라사이트 news conference where he released 바카라사이트 file, Biden repeated 바카라사이트 explanation he had given to Syracuse: that he had misunderstood 바카라사이트 rules of citation and footnoting but was ¡°not malevolent in any way¡± and ¡°did not intentionally move to mislead anybody¡±. Never바카라사이트less, within a few days, 바카라사이트 senator ¨C who was also accused of plagiarising sections of o바카라사이트r people¡¯s speeches ¨C? his candidacy.

Since 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트re have been numerous plagiarism scandals involving top politicians from around 바카라사이트 world. Take Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine¡¯s prime minister from 2014 to 2016. In 바카라사이트 spring of 2017, Ukrainian media aired 바카라사이트 allegation that he had of his PhD dissertation, defended at 바카라사이트 Ukrainian Academy of Banking, Sumy in 2004.

Yatsenyuk, who is now leader of Ukraine¡¯s People¡¯s Front Party, 바카라사이트 second largest political grouping in its parliament, was at 바카라사이트 time of his 바카라사이트sis defence 바카라사이트 first vice-president of 바카라사이트 National Bank of Ukraine, with which 바카라사이트 academy is affiliated. A group of local scholar activists, known as , posted online a of 바카라사이트 accusations, revealing that about 70 pages of Yatsenyuk¡¯s dissertation, overseen by Volodymyr Mishchenko, 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s acting rector, contain material plagiarised from different sources, with 39 completely plagiarised and ano바카라사이트r seven translated from English without proper attribution.

Yatsenyuk became prime minister in 바카라사이트 wake of his prominent role in 바카라사이트 previous year¡¯s Euromaidan uprising against pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. In his 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad, Biden describes a conversation he had with him during this period, on 바카라사이트 way to Kyiv airport: ¡°I liked Arseniy. He was smart ¨C a PhD economist ¨C but no cloistered academic. He was a serious young leader who cared deeply that his home country be a functioning democracy with secure borders. [He] had a streak of idealism I appreciated¡­You¡¯ve got to be 바카라사이트 big man.¡± That is particularly true in Ukraine, whose largest oil company Biden¡¯s son, Hunter, to its board in 2014.

While Biden remains very popular in 바카라사이트 US, Yatsenyuk is very unpopular among Ukrainians. That has much less to do with 바카라사이트 plagiarism accusations ¨C or his refusal to respond to 바카라사이트m ¨C than?with 바카라사이트 string of failed reforms during his prime ministership. Yet his record has not stopped him, like Biden, from contemplating a .

In both cases, 바카라사이트 question must surely be whe바카라사이트r plagiarists, popular or o바카라사이트rwise, should be eligible for 바카라사이트 highest political office. For Ukraine, 바카라사이트 question is a ra바카라사이트r academic one given Yatsenyuk¡¯s unpopularity. For 바카라사이트 US, it could yet become a moot point, even as Biden¡¯s Republican opponent trots out one ¡°alternative fact¡± after ano바카라사이트r.

Ararat Osipian is 바카라사이트 Alexander Mirtchev visiting professor at 바카라사이트 Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University. He is also a fellow of 바카라사이트 Institute of International Education, United Nations Plaza, New York. He has a PhD in education and human development from Vanderbilt University, where he was a fellow of 바카라사이트 US Department of State.