American democracy promotion didn’t spark the Arab uprisings, but a shared hatred of our Middle East policies sure helped them spread.
May/June 2011
Remembering Jonathan Rowe
On Sunday, March 20th, my friend and mentor Jonathan Rowe, a contributing editor of the Washington Monthly, died, swiftly and unexpectedly, of a sudden infection. The shock of this news has not worn off. The tragedy of it is still sinking in. Jon was sixty-five, by all accounts healthy and supremely happy, living the good… Read more »
Tiller’s Killer
What the murder of a late-term abortion doctor does and does not say about the anti-choice movement.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
A mountain of studies now shows that AmeriCorps, the nation’s biggest community service program, works. House Republicans want to zero out its budget.
Misreading the New York Times
There’s plenty to criticize about America’s newspaper of record. So why do conservatives make up reasons that don’t exist?
Bangkok on the Nile
Middle East reformers would do well to study Thailand for lessons in how not to build a democracy.
Clean, Cheap, and Out of Control
Why natural gas could be the fuel of the future, and how the industry could blow it all up.
The Fallacy of Union Busting
Taking power away from labor won’t rescue states from their fiscal woes–but giving power to voters might.
The Real Enemy of Unions
Why organized labor should join with entrepreneurs to bust the corporate monopolies threatening them both.
The Information Sage
Meet Edward Tufte, the graphics guru to the power elite who is revolutionizing how we see data.
Bring Back the Lash
Why flogging is more humane than prison.
NCIS: Bureaucrats with Guns
If Americans really hate government, why do they love watching TV shows about it?
Supreme Amnesia A slam Dunc Your thoughts, please
Take a load off, Army One of the problems with our educated elite’s failure to serve in the military is their ignorance of the problems of the average soldier, and their resulting inability to pressure the Pentagon to take remedial action. A study by a Navy research committee in 2007 found that Marines carried loads… Read more »
Americans Love Unions. Who Knew?
I must admit, I had a sick feeling in my stomach when the Republican governors of Wisconsin and Ohio first began pushing this winter to gut collective bargaining rights for government employees. It was clearly an effort to bust public employee unions, a pillar of Democratic electoral strength. One doesn’t have to be a political… Read more »