Pankaj Mishra The Cult of Personality The politics of narcissistic identification, of fanciful private bonding with the famous, set us up for, first, the disappointment with Obama, and then, the appalling shock of Trump. December 1, 2017
Nik Steinberg Trump and Havana’s Hard-liners US disengagement and a return to a status quo mean that the ones who stand to lose the most are those whose interests both sides claim to represent, the Cuban people. November 22, 2017
Elizabeth Drew How Obamacare Survived Republicans have been implacable in their determination to put an end to Obama’s proudest legislative achievement. But they didn’t reckon on two things. July 28, 2017
David Cole The Drone Dilemma When is it justified to kill without hearing or trial? How are the lives of the innocent to be weighed in the balance? To its credit, the new film Eye in the Sky refuses to offer any easy answers. March 10, 2016
Laurence H. Tribe The Scalia Myth The selection of a justice to serve for life on the nation’s highest court is far too consequential to be treated either as an abstract referendum on legal methodology or as a game to be played for partisan advantage. February 27, 2016
David Bromwich Don’t Look At Me The Republicans of 2010 are a party led by a movement. From early 2009, the movement declared that its strategy would be to denounce the growth of the national debt, oppose the bank bailouts, attack health care reform, and undermine the legitimacy of President Obama. November 5, 2010
Martin Filler Mr. Smith Goes to Washington The latest refurbishment of the White House Oval Office would be just another before-and-after decorating story were it not for the fact that stylistic aspects of the chief executive’s workplace are closely watched for possible insights into the personality of the occupant. September 7, 2010
Jeff Madrick Obama’s Risky Business The financial reregulation package just passed by Congress is far from a comprehensive reform of American finance. Despite the enormous threat to the world’s financial markets created by the failure of Lehman Brothers and the stunning excesses of insurance giant AIG and banking conglomerate Citigroup, the reforms are in truth modest. Neither the Obama administration nor Congress opted to cut banks down to size, and the bill is only placing mild limits on risky banking activities. The giant financial institutions, meanwhile, are as big—even bigger—than ever and bankers’ compensation is once again at stunning levels. July 15, 2010