Argument
Germany’s Rightward Drift
Germany’s recent federal election showed a sharp rise in support for the far-right AfD party, which media and political analysts have blamed on voters in the former East Germany. But the data shows a picture that is far more nuanced.
Economic Exiles
Without cause or recourse, banks in the U.S. and abroad abruptly close individual, business and nonprofit accounts. To hear conservatives tell it, de-banking is part of a culture war against the right. But the truth is that it threatens Americans across the political spectrum.
Can Europe Back Ukraine’s Fight Alone?
For Europeans watching, one thing is clear: Washington now regards Kyiv as an adversary from which concessions must be wrung and terms of conditional surrender imposed, while it sees Moscow as an ally-in-the-making and the more justifiably aggrieved party in the war of conquest Moscow started three years ago.
Batman vs. the British Empire (or, The Alfred Mystique)
From Batman’s reliance on his English butler Alfred to Gotham City’s origin in a legend from medieval Nottinghamshire, the Batman mythos offers a window into the bloody, gothic substrate of the Anglo-American relationship and the American appetite for British advice and encouragement.
Israeli Politicians Normalize Population Transfer
At a Feb. 4 White House press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump proposed the relocation of Gaza’s Palestinian population. He thus transformed population transfer from a near-taboo subject in Israel to a viable policy option, with dangerous implications for Palestinians, Israel and regional stability.
The Worldview of the Afrikaner Diaspora Now Haunts the US
Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward South Africa over its alleged oppression of its white Afrikaner minority, despite a lack of facts backing up his claims. The personnel guiding the new administration, including Elon Musk, may offer a hint at what is driving this new policy.
The Day After the War in Gaza
The Middle East faces a future of long-term political instability that will be grinding for everyone, particularly for Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians. Israelis, despite their triumphalism, face a future of constant military conflict and international opprobrium. But certain trends speak to a reimagined, functioning future.