The Quiet War on the American West
Public lands are again under siege by the Trump administration
The Good Society
How politics can fuel or fail democracy, development, and equality
Live Last read · last published · next check
Latest posts
How China's Land-Backed Growth Model Fueled an Economic Miracle – and Could Now Bring a Crash
A conversation with China scholar Susan Whiting on how China has reshuffled land to stoke its development, and what its current economic crisis means for the future
The Land War at the Heart of the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle
A conversation with anthropologist Paul Kohlbry on how Palestinians in the West Bank navigate occupation, property markets, and the struggle to stay on the land
Colombia at a Crossroads
A conversation with political scientist Oliver Kaplan on the country's pivotal election and the hard lessons of over half a century of conflict
When Democracy Hollows Out
A conversation with Peruvian political scientist Alberto Vergara on the country's endless crisis and the dangers of powerless democracy
The Pact of Free Cities
Ten American cities just joined a global coalition of mayors dedicated to protecting democracy and sustainability even if their national governments don’t
The Supreme Court's Decision to Gut the Voting Rights Act is a Crisis Moment for American Democracy
My interview with Harvard Law Professor and election law expert Nick Stephanopoulos on what the Callais decision means and how it will unleash a new wave of racial and partisan gerrymandering
Peru’s Democracy is in a Checkmate
Its recent election debacle sets the stage for a vote with few good outcomes
Why JD Vance is in Hungary as Iran Burns
This Sunday's election in Hungary could bring down its strongman and signal headwinds for right-wing populists around the globe
Democracy is Declining Globally and in the US, and the Year Ahead Could Prove Decisive
New reports show that the vaunted "Third Wave" of democracy has now been mostly erased and American democracy is on the rocks. 2026 could determine whether there is a turnaround.
A Far Weaker Iran Still Won't Bring Stability to the Middle East
My interview with Stanford University scholar and Associate Director of the Program on Arab Reform and Development Hesham Sallam on what the war in Iran will – and won't – change in the Middle East