There is a charming scene in the film Clerks (1994) in which the sidekick character Randall discusses his misgivings about the film Return of the Jedi (1983) with the protagonist Dante. Randall is upset that the Rebel Alliance destroyed the Empire’s new military space...
Featured Articles
Iran Nuclear Negotiations Bring New, Surprising Developments
by Ted Snider | May 20, 2025 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
In the past several days, there have been surprising developments in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s civilian nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently, but not always, defined the goal of the negotiations as being limited...
Opposition to Israel Does Not Need to be ‘Intersectional’
by James Rushmore | May 19, 2025 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
Variety recently reported on an open letter signed by nearly four-hundred members of the film industry in response to the Israeli Defense Forces’ killing of Palestinian photojournalist and war documentarian Fatima Hassouna. Hassouna, her pregnant sister, and nine...
Ye and Punk Protest
by Kym Robinson | May 19, 2025 | Featured Articles
When I was a kid, I was confused by the punks' strange use of the swastika. It was in their graffiti, on their clothing, or tattooed on their bodies or faces along with spiked hair or shaved heads. The media loved the imagery of punks; disaffected youth, outcasts, and...
TGIF: Individuals, Not America, First
by Sheldon Richman | May 16, 2025 | Economics, Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
Let's hear no more about America First! It's a fraud, a cover for collectivist nationalism, and a distraction from what matters. (It also looks like camouflage for Trump Family First, but let's take it at face value for now.) On foreign policy, America First does not...
Manufacturing a Menace
by Joseph Solis-Mullen | May 15, 2025 | Featured Articles
In their latest Foreign Affairs essay, National Security Council official Kurt Campbell and State Department China policy director Rush Doshi argue that the United States is underestimating the strategic threat posed by the People’s Republic of China and must build a...
Trump Vindicates Horton’s Law
by Thomas Eddlem | May 14, 2025 | Featured Articles, Politics
Every president is a disappointment when compared to his predecessor; even, as in Donald Trump’s case today, when compared to himself. Trump 45 got an income tax reduction passed, while Trump 47 raised tariffs across the board. Trump 45 didn’t start any new wars,...
Britain’s Two Party System Cracks
by Owen Ashworth | May 13, 2025 | Featured Articles, Politics
The Reform Party romped their way to a thorough beat down of the uniparty in the recent British council elections. There were more than 1,600 council seats up for election, multiple mayoralties, and a seat for parliament. Reform dominated the narrative around the...