ፍትህ ለሁሉም / Justice for All
When Eugene Burnett saw the neat tract houses of Levittown, New York, he knew he wanted to buy one. It was 1949, and he was ready to settle down in a larger home with his family. The newly established Long Island suburb seemed like the perfect place to begin their postwar life—one that, he hoped, …
Encourage Defections Among Soldiers and Diplomats (Stephen E. Biegun and David J. Kramer) In the month since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, policymakers and analysts have stressed the lengths to which Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone to concentrate power in his own hands. But no matter how tight his control over Russia has become, …
The Underappreciated Resilience of Today’s Autocracies (Lucan Ahmad Way) Two thousand twenty-two was not a good year for the world’s leading autocracies. In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping confronted the largest antigovernment demonstrations since the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. Provoked by Beijing’s stringent “zero COVID” policies, protesters across the country made overtly political demands, …
In its recent decision in Allen v. Milligan, the Supreme Court, to the evident surprise and pleasure of progressive commentators, handed down a five-to-four provision that sustained a racial-discrimination challenge brought by black voters in Alabama to a district map prepared by Alabama’s Republican Party. That map gave black voters, who compose about 27 percent of Alabama’s population, …
The fight between Jews and Arabs over Israel and Palestine goes back to 1922. The Romans had given Palestine its name when they conquered it from the Jews nearly 2,000 years earlier. After the Romans were thrown out Palestine was part of one Arab or other Moslem empire after another since the 7th century. Finally, …
Earlier this month, South Carolina teacher Mary Wood was ordered by school administrators to “cease” teaching about the history of racism after two students complained that the topic offended them. “Students in an advanced placement language arts class at Chapin High School last spring were scheduled to read Between the World and Me, a 2015 memoir by …
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill this week that keeps automakers using dealerships — with one notable exception for Elon Musk’s Tesla. The measure bans car manufacturers from selling directly to consumers in the state and instead requires them to rely on franchised dealerships. Read more
Long a matter of philosophical speculation, the idea of multiple realities has been given new artistic licence by physics (Timothy Andersen) When I was in my mid-30s, I was faced with a difficult decision. It had repercussions for years, and at times the choice I made filled me with regret. I had two job offers. …
A New European Recovery Program (Lawrence H. Summers, Philip Zelikow, and Robert B. Zoellick) As Ukrainians risk their lives battling for national survival, the United States, European countries, and their allies should prepare a counteroffensive of their own against Russian aggression: a massive new European recovery program to begin operation by next year. This counteroffensive …
Global Equality and Its Discontents (Branko Milanovic) We live in an age of inequality—or so we’re frequently told. Across the globe, but especially in the wealthy economies of the West, the gap between the rich and the rest has widened year after year and become a chasm, spreading anxiety, stoking resentment, and roiling politics. It …