United States
America First?
The Trump administration and its supporters present their America First nationalism as a form of foreign policy realism, but then smuggle in a darker agenda.
Hacking the Hackers
Cybercrime has long been a useful foreign policy tool for the Russian state. But observers now wonder if shifting geopolitics, including Donald Trump’s rapprochement with the Kremlin, will impact such activities, for better or worse.
Why Is Dr. Phil Embedded With Federal Agents During Immigration Raids?
Dr. Phil’s recent ride-along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on a raid serves as an extension of the Trump administration’s messaging about its immigration agenda while taking a form reminiscent of law enforcement reality television shows like “Cops.”
The Reality Behind the Trump Show
Joining Faisal Al Yafai on this episode of The Lede to explore the optics and ideas behind Donald Trump’s presidency are the Financial Times’ Berlin correspondent Laura Pitel, historian Alex Hobson and New Lines’ Politics Editor Danny Postel.
How De-Banking Became a Conservative Rallying Cry
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.
The Humiliation Is the Point
Humiliation has become inextricable from the exercise of U.S. power. It is tempting to attribute this development to Trump alone, but his role as humiliator-in-chief should be understood as part of a dynamic of humiliation and counter-humiliation going back to 9/11 and America’s response to it.
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.