Politics
Can More Political Parties Fix American Democracy?
Some think it would cure two-party gridlock. But what works in parliamentary governments might not help in our presidential system.
No, Autocracies Aren’t Better for Public Health
Some have praised China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its suppression of information helped cause the problem in the first place.
Meet the Bailout’s New Slush Fund
The battle over the bailout—set to be delivered through a once-obscure Treasury Department mechanism called the Exchange Stabilization Fund—has only just begun.
With a Uniquely Fragile Economy, Stimulus Is Not Enough
Our long-term goal must go well beyond the Senate bill to build a more resilient economy.
How to Mend Our Broken Electoral Process
We must institute a method of electing a president that is sensitive to the votes of Americans everywhere.
Impeaching for Imperialism
Beneath Trump’s impeachment lurks a troubling complacency—among Democrats and Republicans alike—with the nature of U.S. imperial power.
Designing Better Impeachments
How other countries’ constitutions protect against political free-for-alls.
Missing Zinn
Cornel West opens up about his friendship with Howard Zinn and what he would have made of the last decade.
The Hidden Stakes of the 1619 Controversy
Critics obscure a longstanding debate within the field of U.S. history over the implications of the American Revolution.
Technology Can’t Fix Algorithmic Injustice
We need greater democratic oversight of AI not just from developers and designers, but from all members of society.
Rambo Politics from Reagan to Trump
Trump invokes a fantasy of poetic justice—positioning himself as Rambo, the avenger of American humiliation abroad.
The Radical Equality of Lives
Judith Butler talks with Brandon M. Terry about MLK, the grievability of black lives, and how to defend nonviolence today.
Whose Liberalism?
With its elite decision-makers and opinion-formers, the Economist has exerted tremendous influence on popular liberal discourse for more than a century.
Atone—But Not Because It Will Save Democracy
Germany’s official policy of shame about its past is a model the United States should adopt. But it won’t protect either country from far-right extremism.
How Not to Do Activism
The calculus of power isn’t defined by hits or clicks or tweets. It is measured in relationships and meaningful reactions over time.
Loving Latin at the End of the World
The beauty of the language should not keep us from reckoning with its history.
It’s No Secret Why Republicans Win
The right’s success is not a shadowy conspiracy; it has been achieved out in the open, largely through ordinary politics. Much of it can be countered the same way.
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