If the Horseshoe Fits: Illiberalism Across the Political Spectrum![]()
The Center - “While far-right ideologues make no secret of their illiberalism, their counterparts on the Left tend to cloak theirs in the language of equality.” 7/10/2022
The Center - “While far-right ideologues make no secret of their illiberalism, their counterparts on the Left tend to cloak theirs in the language of equality.” 7/10/2022On Finland’s Memorandum with Turkey![]()
The Left - “Finns should decide their own fate. Their pact with Turkey signals the opposite.” 6/30/2022
The Left - “Finns should decide their own fate. Their pact with Turkey signals the opposite.” 6/30/2022Like in Ukraine, We Must Recognize Iranians’ Right to Resistance![]()
The Center - “Political leaders in the United States are increasingly recognizing the vitality and capabilities of the Iranian resistance movement and are looking for ways to empower it.” 6/7/2022
The Center - “Political leaders in the United States are increasingly recognizing the vitality and capabilities of the Iranian resistance movement and are looking for ways to empower it.” 6/7/2022The Great American School Tragedy: The Coronavirus and Students![]()
The Center - “So while parents are generally satisfied with what schools did under trying and unprecedented circumstances, they have good reason to be worried about the pandemic’s effects on their children’s academic and emotional well-being.” 5/31/2022
The Center - “So while parents are generally satisfied with what schools did under trying and unprecedented circumstances, they have good reason to be worried about the pandemic’s effects on their children’s academic and emotional well-being.” 5/31/2022Narrative Ethics: A Modest Proposal![]()
The Center - “I wryly refer to the universal adoption of narrative ethics as a ‘modest proposal’ because while telling stories is a fundamental part of human nature, telling stories in perfectly ethical ways is, unfortunately, too often alien to our nature.” 5/25/2022
The Center - “I wryly refer to the universal adoption of narrative ethics as a ‘modest proposal’ because while telling stories is a fundamental part of human nature, telling stories in perfectly ethical ways is, unfortunately, too often alien to our nature.” 5/25/2022On “The Diversity Paradox”![]()
The Center - “Similarly, while professional hockey is considered to have an under-representation problem, the same is not considered true for the National Football League or National Basketball Association, in which African Americans are very over-represented.” 5/19/2022
The Center - “Similarly, while professional hockey is considered to have an under-representation problem, the same is not considered true for the National Football League or National Basketball Association, in which African Americans are very over-represented.” 5/19/2022Why the Left Is Accepting Finnish NATO Membership![]()
The Left - “With that said, however, as a country with a 70-year commitment to welfarism, it would not be desirable to substitute this for Russia’s brand of plutocratic capitalism.” 5/18/2022
The Left - “With that said, however, as a country with a 70-year commitment to welfarism, it would not be desirable to substitute this for Russia’s brand of plutocratic capitalism.” 5/18/2022When Anti-Israel Bias Finds Its Way into Coverage Choices![]()
The Center - “Our media’s acceptance of anti-Semitic narratives is eroding Israel’s standing in the world and, in turn, the nation’s ability to defend itself against an enemy that has long ago broken its borders and used its very liberalism against it.” 5/11/2022
The Center - “Our media’s acceptance of anti-Semitic narratives is eroding Israel’s standing in the world and, in turn, the nation’s ability to defend itself against an enemy that has long ago broken its borders and used its very liberalism against it.” 5/11/2022The Term Woke Is Losing Its Punch![]()
The Right - “It was a linguistic indication that revolutionary consciousness had made ‘the long march through the institutions.'” 4/30/2022
The Right - “It was a linguistic indication that revolutionary consciousness had made ‘the long march through the institutions.'” 4/30/2022The Pandemic Is a Chaos Narrative ![]()
The Center - “Chaos narratives, however, defy our narrative expectations. There is no order, sense, or logical chronology but, instead, suffering without an apparent purpose or meaning.” 4/29/2022
The Center - “Chaos narratives, however, defy our narrative expectations. There is no order, sense, or logical chronology but, instead, suffering without an apparent purpose or meaning.” 4/29/2022Do David Brooks and the New Right Share Common Threads?![]()
The Left - “The general public—and not the elite—is, in fact, the primary obstacle to the New Right’s political project.” 4/19/2022
The Left - “The general public—and not the elite—is, in fact, the primary obstacle to the New Right’s political project.” 4/19/2022Why Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China Are Cozy Bedfellows![]()
The Center - “Why is there this close bond? Why does China do nothing in response to President Putin’s bloodlust?” 4/18/2022
The Center - “Why is there this close bond? Why does China do nothing in response to President Putin’s bloodlust?” 4/18/2022Nuclear Iran—Why the Islamic Republic Is Not the Actor We Think It Is![]()
The Center - “As the only Western journalist allowed to enter Iran prior to its presidential elections back in 2017, I followed then-candidate Ebrahim Raisi on the campaign trail. Whatever illusions I had about Iran and its ambitions melted under the sheer brutality of his war rhetoric.” 3/30/2022
The Center - “As the only Western journalist allowed to enter Iran prior to its presidential elections back in 2017, I followed then-candidate Ebrahim Raisi on the campaign trail. Whatever illusions I had about Iran and its ambitions melted under the sheer brutality of his war rhetoric.” 3/30/2022Kids and the Coronavirus: Unintended Consequences Two Years Later![]()
The Center - “So, we have been living in two pandemics, but only one has dominated our public health discussions.” 3/12/2022
The Center - “So, we have been living in two pandemics, but only one has dominated our public health discussions.” 3/12/2022Ukraine and “The Fog of War”![]()
The Center - “Amid the memes and rhetoric, there has been much in the way of propaganda, unverifiable information, and outright lies that seem, at times, not to be appreciated for what they are.” 3/7/2022
The Center - “Amid the memes and rhetoric, there has been much in the way of propaganda, unverifiable information, and outright lies that seem, at times, not to be appreciated for what they are.” 3/7/2022What Whoopi Goldberg Got Wrong about the Holocaust—and Why It Matters![]()
The Center - “Only days before Goldberg made her ill-informed comments, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) changed its definition of racism to ‘The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.'” 2/5/2022
The Center - “Only days before Goldberg made her ill-informed comments, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) changed its definition of racism to ‘The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.'” 2/5/2022No to Money for Hostages![]()
The Center - “When I was imprisoned in Iran, I made it clear to the Swiss ambassador to let the Trump administration know not to offer any money in exchange for my release.” 2/4/2022
The Center - “When I was imprisoned in Iran, I made it clear to the Swiss ambassador to let the Trump administration know not to offer any money in exchange for my release.” 2/4/2022If the Pendulum Doesn’t Swing Back![]()
The Center - “The implication is that culture and politics can be thought of as the bob of a pendulum swinging back and forth mechanically between the political left and the right, and that, at the moment, we are simply at the leftward amplitude of such a process.” 2/3/2022
The Center - “The implication is that culture and politics can be thought of as the bob of a pendulum swinging back and forth mechanically between the political left and the right, and that, at the moment, we are simply at the leftward amplitude of such a process.” 2/3/2022When It Comes to Medical Aid-in-Dying, We Must Protect the Vulnerable![]()
The Center - “Many such persons will have internalized the idea that they constitute an inconvenient and expensive burden on loved ones, as well as the healthcare system. Legalizing MAID risks reinforcing that message.” 1/10/2022
The Center - “Many such persons will have internalized the idea that they constitute an inconvenient and expensive burden on loved ones, as well as the healthcare system. Legalizing MAID risks reinforcing that message.” 1/10/2022Why I Oppose the JCPOA![]()
The Center - “As a former political hostage in Iran, I oppose the efforts to revive the current agreement as it stands. I will explain my reasoning and what I believe is the best path forward.” 12/16/2021
The Center - “As a former political hostage in Iran, I oppose the efforts to revive the current agreement as it stands. I will explain my reasoning and what I believe is the best path forward.” 12/16/2021How the National Popular Vote Protects the Electoral College![]()
The Right - “Importantly, this state-based reform preserves and protects the Electoral College by having state legislatures determine the manner and method by which presidential elections are run and administered.” 10/29/2021
The Right - “Importantly, this state-based reform preserves and protects the Electoral College by having state legislatures determine the manner and method by which presidential elections are run and administered.” 10/29/2021A Question for Frances Haugen: Who Decides?![]()
The Center - “The question, however, remains: Would politically motivated government officials make better decisions than executives at these companies, and would these decisions be fairly applied to all users?” 10/18/2021
The Center - “The question, however, remains: Would politically motivated government officials make better decisions than executives at these companies, and would these decisions be fairly applied to all users?” 10/18/2021It’s Time to Move Away from Outward Markers of Jewish Belonging ![]()
The Center - “One thing I chose not to do was circumcise my child. While many of my secular compatriots still feel an affinity for this practice as a ‘tribal marking,’ I find it intellectually and ethically difficult to defend.” 10/8/2021
The Center - “One thing I chose not to do was circumcise my child. While many of my secular compatriots still feel an affinity for this practice as a ‘tribal marking,’ I find it intellectually and ethically difficult to defend.” 10/8/2021What Motivates Retail Cryptocurrency Investors?![]()
The Right - “Contrary to the Bitcoin apostles I met at the conference all those years ago, contemporary owners of cryptocurrency seem to be more interested in its speculative properties than its potential as an alternate currency or stable store of value.” 9/3/2021
The Right - “Contrary to the Bitcoin apostles I met at the conference all those years ago, contemporary owners of cryptocurrency seem to be more interested in its speculative properties than its potential as an alternate currency or stable store of value.” 9/3/2021Can Australians Trust the Americans after Kabul?![]()
The Center - “As a result of this debacle, it now seems reasonable to question whether Washington is competent enough to assure Australia’s security.” 8/31/2021
The Center - “As a result of this debacle, it now seems reasonable to question whether Washington is competent enough to assure Australia’s security.” 8/31/2021Letter to the Editor: In Reply to “Buy Out the Settlers”![]()
The Center - “Therefore, what possible reason is there to believe that simply bribing a few Jews out of a few homes in the West Bank will result in Hamas and Fatah making peace with Israel?” 8/4/2021
The Center - “Therefore, what possible reason is there to believe that simply bribing a few Jews out of a few homes in the West Bank will result in Hamas and Fatah making peace with Israel?” 8/4/2021Liberal Democracy Lives on the Page, Not the Screen![]()
The Center - “Here, I would like to reflect on the optimal mechanisms for sustaining the rational mindset that undergirds liberal democracy.” 7/8/2021
The Center - “Here, I would like to reflect on the optimal mechanisms for sustaining the rational mindset that undergirds liberal democracy.” 7/8/2021Are Cities Heading for a Fiscal Crunch?![]()
The Right - “Although they are run down, many still boast high local taxes. Sadly, this forms a vicious cycle of adverse selection, spiraling tax rates, and underfunding. “ 7/1/2021
The Right - “Although they are run down, many still boast high local taxes. Sadly, this forms a vicious cycle of adverse selection, spiraling tax rates, and underfunding. “ 7/1/2021Biden’s Tax Policies Would Hamstring Economic Recovery and Social Mobility![]()
The Right - “The recovery itself is likely to be the largest job creator this decade.” 5/25/2021
The Right - “The recovery itself is likely to be the largest job creator this decade.” 5/25/2021In a Future Driven by Artificial Intelligence, “Career Adjacency” Offers Humans Agency ![]()
The Center - “However trendy this new semantic shift, the word is more relevant than ever: “Career adjacency” is now the future of human work.” 5/24/2021
The Center - “However trendy this new semantic shift, the word is more relevant than ever: “Career adjacency” is now the future of human work.” 5/24/2021How the “New Atheists” Deradicalized Me![]()
The Center - “New Atheism had taught me always to demand evidence; and the evidence revealed that, historically, political radicalism had been a major source of violence and inhumanity…” 5/15/2021
The Center - “New Atheism had taught me always to demand evidence; and the evidence revealed that, historically, political radicalism had been a major source of violence and inhumanity…” 5/15/2021To Prevent Politics and Reality from Breaking Up, Keep It Local![]()
The Center - “Therefore, if we want to ward off a divorce between our political narratives and reality, perhaps the best thing we can do is bring political affairs as close as possible to our lived, everyday realities.” 5/13/2021
The Center - “Therefore, if we want to ward off a divorce between our political narratives and reality, perhaps the best thing we can do is bring political affairs as close as possible to our lived, everyday realities.” 5/13/2021Is Inflation Finally Going to Be a Problem?![]()
The Right - “Finally, the mere expectation of inflation can actually bring it to pass.” 5/2/2021
The Right - “Finally, the mere expectation of inflation can actually bring it to pass.” 5/2/2021The Facebook Oversight Board: How to Make It Actually Work![]()
The Center - “Accordingly, we believe that Facebook could streamline its appeals process by following the guidelines suggested above.” 4/23/2021
The Center - “Accordingly, we believe that Facebook could streamline its appeals process by following the guidelines suggested above.” 4/23/2021Why We’ve Committed Ourselves to Fighting Online Censorship![]()
The Center - “We believe this question of censorship is a non-partisan concern that will deeply affect the ability of our country to achieve fairness and progress going forward.” 4/9/2021
The Center - “We believe this question of censorship is a non-partisan concern that will deeply affect the ability of our country to achieve fairness and progress going forward.” 4/9/2021
