Comeback story (Jim Tankersley, New York Times)

America’s so-called “left behind” counties — the once-great manufacturing centers and other distressed places that struggled mightily at the start of this century — have staged a remarkable comeback. In the last three years, they added jobs and new businesses at their fastest pace since Bill Clinton was president. The turnaround has shocked experts. “This …

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The Difference Between Post- and Meta-modernism (Hanzi Frienacht)

Lately I have written a great deal about metamodernism which is the overall philosophical school of thought this blog and my books are devoted to. I have introduced the notion of the metamodern aristocracy, proposed what’s going to be the meta-ideology of metamodern society, showed how we have progressed from pre-modern to metamodern thinking throughout history, and in …

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Book Review: The Metamodernist Movement (Aurora Quinn-Elmore)

The Listening Society (2017) and Nordic Ideology (2019) by “Hanzi Freinacht” The argument underpinning The Listening Society is that many of us are “living in our ancestors’ utopia.” We have abundant food, comfortable homes, modern healthcare, voting rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. The (fictitious) author, “Hanzi Freinacht,”  invites us to appreciate our “relative utopia;” learn from how …

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“If the Soldier Dies, It’s on You”: Attacks on Medical Care in Ethiopia’s Amhara Conflict(Human Rights Watch)

Solomon was a medical doctor in a town in West Gojjam Zone in Ethiopia’s northwesternAmhara region when armed conflict broke out in August 2023 between the Ethiopianfederal government and an Amhara militia known as Fano.Like many other medical professionals working in towns experiencing heavy fighting, hefocused on treating all categories of patients, including those wounded …

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Ethiopia: Events of 2023 (Human Rights)

The human rights situation in Ethiopia remained precarious, with government security forces, militias, and non-state armed groups responsible for systematic abuses, with impunity remaining the norm. In August, clashes between the Ethiopian military and militias in the Amhara region escalated, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and displacement. In …

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A Summary of What States Do on the Most Contentious Election Rules (Michael J. Boskin and Garrett Te Kolste)

This paper presents the most recent analysis of how different states conduct their elections, with an emphasis on the most contentious issues: whether and under what conditions people can vote early by mail; whether voter identification is required; and whether and by whom ballot harvesting is allowed. The US Constitution requires that “the Times, Places …

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Global dissatisfaction with democracy at a record high (Center for the Future of Democracy, University of Cambridge)

A new report covering 154 countries over several decades finds that last year had the “highest level of democratic discontent” since 1995.·      The report marks the launch of Cambridge’s new Centre for the Future of Democracy, which will look at the “bigger picture to see how democracy could evolve”.  Dissatisfaction with democratic politics among citizens of developed* countries has …

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Global Satisfaction with Democracy2020 (Center for the Future of Democracy, Bennet Institue for Public Policy)

Key FindingsAcross the globe, democracy is in a state of malaise. In the mid-1990s, a majority ofcitizens in countries for which we have time-series data – in North America, Latin America,Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia – were satisfied with the performance oftheir democracies. Since then, the share of individuals who are “dissatisfied” …

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The Return of Peace Through Strength

Making the Case for Trump’s Foreign Policy (Robert C. O’Brien) Si vis pacem, para bellum is a Latin phrase that emerged in the fourth century that means “If you want peace, prepare for war.” The concept’s origin dates back even further, to the second-century Roman emperor Hadrian, to whom is attributed the axiom, “Peace through strength—or, …

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