The Catastrophe of Democratic Foreign Policy The Catastrophe of Democratic Foreign Policy
A new book on the Biden’s wars serves as a stark reminder that the Democrats need to formulate a new foreign policy—as well as reckon with the one they had.
Sep 9, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Matthew Duss
James Baldwin’s Radical Politics of Love James Baldwin’s Radical Politics of Love
While Baldwin was persecuted in part because of whom he loved, it was love that impelled him to bring about a more utopian future in which such persecution was not possible.
Sep 9, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
The Ghosts of Ingeborg Bachmann The Ghosts of Ingeborg Bachmann
Haunted by a dark past, the poet and novelist tried to explore the limits of language itself.
Sep 9, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Becca Rothfeld
William F. Buckley Jr.’s Friends and Enemies William F. Buckley Jr.’s Friends and Enemies
What was it about Buckley that made him so attractive to liberals—and what was it about liberals that caused them to be attracted to conservative figures like Buckley in the first...
Sep 8, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jeet Heer
The Enigma of Clint Eastwood The Enigma of Clint Eastwood
Is he merely a reactionary, or do his films paint a more complicated picture?
Sep 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Adam Nayman
Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero? Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero?
After a strange, controversial career, he has become one of the few figures who upholds the old rules of Hollywood—where the human body is the greatest special effect.
Sep 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama
His latest work, Purpose, evokes Chekov in its exploration of faith, parents, and politics.
Aug 27, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alisa Solomon
How China Engineered the Next Century How China Engineered the Next Century
Dan Wang argues that the battle between China and the United States is simply a conflict between engineers and lawyers. The situation is much more complicated than that.
Aug 26, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rollin Hu
The Myth of Clean Energy The Myth of Clean Energy
Is all the hope placed in renewables an illusion?
Aug 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Trevor Jackson
The Empty Provocations of “Eddington” The Empty Provocations of “Eddington”
Ari Aster’s farcical western is billed as a send-up of the puerile politics of the Covid years. In reality, it’s a film that seems to have no politics at all.
Aug 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston