The Anthropocene Is a Joke
A questioning of the theory of the anthropocene, a newly minted geological age based on the level of human intervention in the planet’s geology.
What Happened to Aung San Suu Kyi?
Ben Rhodes, a former advisor to Barack Obama, writes about Aung San Suu Kyi’s journey from icon of democratic protest, to working as part of a regime committing ethnic cleansing. Some readers are suggesting that her former position only ever amounted to Western democracies projecting what they wanted to see.
The Economist Who Would Fix the American Dream
A profile of the celebrated economist Raj Chetty, and his studies of economic (im)mobility at scale.
The Hero Who Betrayed His Country
The story of an Estonian soldier who fell victim to a sting operation on a trip to Russia, and turned spy.
What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane
While the full story of what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight 370 may never be known, this “exemplary act of explanatory journalism” (as an NYU journalism professor put it) does a great job of assessing the information available, and puts forward a plausible and chilling narrative.
Doublethink Is Stronger Than Orwell Imagined
A reflection on 1984 in the context of our political moment.
Viktor Orbán’s War on Intellect
This story posits the theory that Viktor Orbán’s assault on Central European University is part of a wider strategy of “liquidating the intelligentsia, draining the public of education, and molding a more pliant nation.”
Inside Ivanka’s Dreamworld
A profile of Ivanka Trump examines the tightrope she must walk to manage her public image whilst working in her father’s administration.
White Nationalism’s Deep American Roots
A look at the story, and writing, behind historic white nationalist movements in the USA. The piece concludes with the following reflection – “When Americans abandon their commitment to pluralism, the world notices, and catastrophe follows.”
Will John Bolton Bring on Armageddon—Or Stave It Off?
Another look at Donald Trump’s bellicose National Security Advisor. The author proposes that John Bolton’s obsessive focus on the USA’s national interest to the exclusion of everything else has the potential to make him a tempering influence on the President.