The Curious Case of Hungary
Hungary rarely commands global attention. This time, however, will be different.
Joseph Paul Forgas
· 8 min read
Politics
A collection of 743 posts
Privilege-Checking in a World on Fire
Privilege is a sham mark of opprobrium—those who decry the privilege of others tend to want more of it for themselves. The dissemblance is all the more distasteful given that the detractors of privilege typically possess, comparatively speaking, an abundance of it. One need not be conversant in history
David A. Eisenberg
· 5 min read
Ukraine: On the Fault Line Between East and West
Ukrainian nationalism and its clear expression as part of a larger European identity has burst into the open with the power of a hydrogen bomb.
Michael J. Totten
· 11 min read
Ukraine and the Pro-Putin Right
Reactions to Russia’s war in Ukraine have become a perfect demonstration of the “horseshoe theory,” according to which the extremes of Left and Right must converge. Amid overwhelming international condemnation of Russia and sympathy for the Ukrainians’ courageous resistance, Putin-friendly voices blaming the West, NATO, and particularly the
Cathy Young
· 12 min read
Remind the Kremlin of Its Weakness
From the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, discussions about the war in the West have been permeated by a dangerous tone of complacency and self-congratulation. The Russian military has indeed been exposed as less than effective, and Ukrainian bravery has resonated among the public
Dalibor Roháč
· 7 min read
The New Great Game
Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine will be remembered as one of the great crimes of the 21st century. The ensuing humanitarian crisis has already caused more than two million refugees to flee their homeland. With the imposition of sanctions, policymakers will have to weigh their political options as a
Joel Kotkin and Hügo Krüger
· 10 min read
Washington Post and NPR Ignore the Rural Backlash Against Renewables
During my three decades as a reporter, I’ve seen plenty of hype and poor news coverage about renewable energy. But two recent pieces—in the Washington Post and National Public Radio, respectively—are particularly egregious. These reports demonstrate, yet again, that some of the biggest media entities in the
Robert Bryce
· 12 min read
Tocqueville and Ukraine: European Union, Freedom, and Responsibility
As Russia pushed into Ukraine, we learned that Germany was still preparing to ship 5,000 helmets to the besieged European country. The US, meanwhile, had already sent $2.5 billion in military aid there since 2014. The contrast between the wills and capabilities of the US and Europe appeared
Eric Clifford Graf
· 9 min read
The Problem with the Diversity Dividend
The last decade has seen Corporate Social Responsibility metastasize into what has become known, derisively, as “woke capitalism”—a new vision of companies as agents of radical social change. The outward face of this shift has been a torrent of adverts and products laced with political messages. Ben and Jerry’
William Malcolmson
· 8 min read
An Englishman in Russia Bids His Daughter Farewell
I am an Englishman in Southern Russia. For nearly four years I’ve lived here, helping my Russian ex-partner bring up our (now) eight-year-old daughter. At 9 o’clock last night I saw both of them onto a sleeper-train to Moscow. From there they will fly
Robert Ginzburg
· 6 min read
Why Ukraine Matters
If Putin succeeds in his aggression in Ukraine and the Republican Party follows Trump in his admiration for what he has done, then it will be making a decisive break with fundamental American democratic values.
Francis Fukuyama
· 5 min read
The Olympics Debacle and the Illusions of Nationalism
Putin’s Neo-Soviet Russia reverted to form with its systematic doping regime at the 2014 Sochi games.
Robert Tracinski
· 6 min read
PJ O’Rourke—A Tribute
The thing about PJ O’Rourke, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 74, was that everyone wanted to be around him. By “everyone,” I don’t just mean the right-wingers I hang out with, most of whom share PJ’s classical-liberal politics, but also neoconservatives
Charles Murray
· 2 min read
The New Eurasian Century
The current crises in eastern Europe reflect more than just Kremlin mischief-making—they reflect the first fruits of an emerging world order that spans the vastness from Beijing to Berlin. Unlike the longstanding liberal status quo, with its roots in classical civilization and the Enlightenment, this emerging alternative draws
Joel Kotkin
· 9 min read
Ukraine in the Balance
As I write this, Vladimir Putin has moved more than 100,000 troops to Russia’s Ukrainian border, and has strongly implied that he will invade absent an ironclad guarantee that Ukraine will never be permitted to join NATO. Although the Biden administration has rejected that demand, a chorus of
Brian Stewart
· 10 min read