Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Note On Exceptionalism

Whatever you want to call the doctrine that America must continue indefinitely to use its ideology as a tool in proactively working to shape world order, the key point is that such an effort may today be desirable and essential on the one hand and self-destructive and unsustainable on the other. . . . . Continue Reading »

Only word on Tom Friedman

So it appears that the Mustache of Understanding has gotten in a bit of hot water over his latest op-ed . Having grown up in Hong Kong (pre and post-handover) and knowing plenty of people who fled Friedman’s “reasonably enlightened group of people” quite recently, I’m not . . . . Continue Reading »

Whither the Atlantic Alliance?

DC-area reader? Care about foreign policy? See me and several actual foreign-policy professionals discuss the fate of NATO and the future of the West , tomorrow in town. Wink from the audience and I’ll reference space wars, though probably not Star Wars. UPDATE: hear the whole thing. . . . . Continue Reading »

Russia: Our Worst Enemy?

Over at The Atlantic , I explain why Russia isn’t — but would be if we made them. I then explain why we shouldn’t do that, engage in a rare bit of critical race theory, and make another plug for French leadership in Europe. . . . . Continue Reading »

Lookin’ Up to Big Brother

Over at The Atlantic, I give a synopsis of what I’m on about when talking of the ‘pink police state’ — Orwell’s ‘Big Brother’ meets the big brother who drives a Camaro, goes to community college, and bounces at the local strip club. . . . . Continue Reading »

A Note on Tone; or, the Perils of Aphorism

Freddie responds to my tweet on Iran, solidarity, and fashion: I could imagine that James’s refusal to show solidarity with the protesters (or at least his discomfort in the same) is the product of apathy or fear of the other. I think, applied generally and not specifically, that’s a . . . . Continue Reading »

Uncanny Tweets

If Andrew can do it, so can I. Except these are all my tweets — Test of new era: clustered riot police having rendered physically mass politics impossible, ‘cloud’ politics succeeds Thought: above all, solidarity with the Iranian opposition has been *inspired* (not justified) by . . . . Continue Reading »

Filter Tag Articles