Current Affairs | Culture & Politics (39)

The Hypocritical, Phony Outrage About Chinese Spying

September 29, 2023

If we are outraged by China’s spying against the U.S., then is it legitimate for the U.S. to spy on China? Or is espionage only objectionable when other countries do the same things we do already?

by Nathan J. Robinson

The History of Arab-Jews Can Change Our Understanding of The World

September 28, 2023

Historian Avi Shlaim describes the devastating effects that rigid nationalism has on hybrid cultures, such as the Jewish Baghdad of his early childhood.

by Current Affairs

Why Are People Frightened That Kids Will Learn About Sex?

September 27, 2023

Is it reasonable for parents to panic at cartoon nudity in school textbooks? Only if we embrace irrational taboos about bodies.

by Nathan J. Robinson

Why Medical Debt Forgiveness Drives Are Not Enough

September 26, 2023

On the politics of ransom, and why there is no substitute for free universal healthcare.

by Luke Messac

Why The Problem Isn’t Single-Parent Families

September 25, 2023

The problem is that we don’t take seriously the obligation to give people good lives.

by Nathan J. Robinson

Exposing the Dark Side of the Fashion Industry

September 22, 2023

Journalist Alyssa Hardy on how we can appreciate and enjoy clothes while still being determined to change the ways they are made and marketed.

by Current Affairs

Biden Couldn’t Care Less About Human Rights

September 21, 2023

The Biden administration embraces dictators and barely pretends to care whether US-allied regimes respect basic freedoms.

by Nathan J. Robinson

The Political Uses of Prison Writing

September 20, 2023

The New Yorker and the New York Times present “beautiful” stories of the human spirit in prisons. But why don’t we come away committed to ending the caging of human beings?

by Lily Sánchez

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