Politics
Marx’s New Deal
On Marx’s two-hundredth birthday, capitalism’s ideology looks shakier than it has in a while.
What Did Trump’s Strike Against Syria Actually Accomplish?
To understand Russian and U.S. strategies, you have to read between the lines.
Testing the Waters in Texas
Whoever figures out how to save Texas might just save the rest of us in the process
Democracy vs. the Algorithm
As it turns out, self-government and social connection are not the same thing.
The Border Is Not a Wall
It is an ever-widening surveillance zone that turns borderland citizens into guardians of the state.
Baldwin’s Lonely Country
When Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, James Baldwin made a final attempt to reconcile the generational divide between the civil rights movement and Black Power.
The Fragile Legacy of Barack Obama
Obama refused to fight the political battles necessary to forge sustainable policies and a presidential legacy.
Brazilian Democracy in Peril
Brazil has been in disarray since 2016’s presidential impeachment, but after the murder of the country’s most exciting progressive politician, Brazilians must decide whether to be outraged or resigned.
Fatalism, Freedom, and the Fight for America’s Future
Tocqueville warned us about democratic fatalism. But as Steven Pinker shows, fatalism is a permanent feature of modern politics.
Brother Martin Was a Blues Man
Cornel West on Martin Luther King, Jr., hope, and the future of activism, in conversation with Brandon M. Terry, Elizabeth Hinton, and Tommie Shelby.
On the Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons
What differentiates the crimes of a terrorist, hacker, or non-state actor from those of a president who launches a nuclear weapon?
The Disillusionment of Post-Soviet Europe
To understand why Europe seems more balkanized now than ever, we must look to Eastern Europe’s failed reconstruction.
Mark Lilla and the Crisis of Liberalism
The critique of identity politics ignores the role that neoliberalism and neoconservatism have played in creating our present situation.
Cities on a Hill?
Cities are increasingly being viewed as bastions of progressivism. But can they live up to the promise?
Will Robots Set Us Free?
The philosopher Herbert Marcuse saw machines as our greatest hope for real liberty. But in Trump’s America, automation feels more totalitarian than ever.
The Cost of Canonizing MLK
In these video interviews, Brandon M. Terry explains how MLK’s canonization has come at the expense of taking him seriously as a political thinker.
Globalization Survived Populism Once Before—and It Can Again
Forget retraining and compensation programs. History offers a better way forward.
Philip K. Dick and the Fake Humans
We live in Philip K. Dick’s future, not George Orwell’s or Aldous Huxley’s.
The Man from Kasimpasa
Erdogan is all too easily labelled a populist. But the reasons for his popularity are more complicated.
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