United States
The Decline of the American Empire — with Robert Kaplan and Faisal Al Yafai
Journalist and author Robert Kaplan joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede for a discussion on realism, the Iraq War and the causes behind the decline of the American empire.
Orbanization, American Style
A “Stop Terror-Financing” bill that has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives has raised red flags for its similarity to “foreign agent” laws — a cornerstone of repression in Putin’s Russia and Orban’s Hungary. But with the incoming Trump administration, the bill has a good chance of becoming law.
Musk and MAGA Fight Over Visas
Tensions within Trump’s 2024 coalition regarding the H-1B visa program — which recently led to a full-blown online war between Trump’s advisers, like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, and his more hard-line supporters — reveal anxieties about the rise of Indians and skills-based immigration in the United States.
Syria’s New Era and Its Opportunities for the US
The U.S. is right to be engaging in dialogue with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group currently dominant in Syria. Engagement, not isolation, is the way to ensure that a new Syrian government is inclusive for all Syrians and provides the country with services and security.
Lost in the Luigi Mangione Fun House
The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione has revealed a willingness to excuse violence directed at the powerful on the part of certain sections of the public and the press. This situation is not new, and its historical precursors help to demonstrate its danger.
Taylor Swift and the History of the Celebrity Endorsement
Taylor Swift’s endorsement is among the most controversial in modern American history. Her position at the helm of Democratic endorsements brings her glitter-infused brand of white feminism to the fore, not so much raising the question of how it will impact this race but rather what it says about white women’s politics.
Why Americans Are Buying Underground Bunkers
As a growing number of people say they’re afraid of civil war and government collapse, business seems to be booming for companies that build underground bunkers, with buyers ranging from Silicon Valley billionaires to middle-class families. And some Americans are already living below the soil today.