Become a Patron! The Democratization of Taiwan Dan Slater and Joseph Wong view Taiwan as the paradigmatic example where an authoritarian party embraced democratization due to its strength rather than its weakness. Other examples in Asia include Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia. It's also possible to identify other examples from around the world. One notable... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Considering Democratization Through Strength This podcast has explored many counterintuitive theories about democracy and autocracy. Bryn Rosenfeld explained why a state-dependent middle class resists efforts to democratize. James Loxton introduced listeners to the idea of authoritarian successor parties. Michael Miller made an ambitious argument where "democratization is most likely when the resulting... Continue Reading →
Scott Radnitz is an associate professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Washington and the director of the Ellison Center for Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies. He is the author of Revealing Schemes: The Politics of Conspiracy in Russia and the Post-Soviet Region and coeditor with Harris Mylonas of the forthcoming... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron!Review of Atoms to Ashes Serhi Plokhy wrote his latest book Atoms to Ashes as a warning against nuclear power. When he wrote the book, many intellectuals had reconsidered nuclear power as a solution to climate change. However, it's likely its momentum will grow as others consider dependence on Russian oil and gas as an... Continue Reading →
Nuclear Energy Leads to Black Swans In early March Russia seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility in Southeastern Ukraine. It is the largest in Europe and among the ten largest in the world. During an early morning battle for control of the facility, a fire broke out in the plant. It did not cause a radiation... Continue Reading →
Thomas Piketty is Professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the Paris School of Economics and Codirector of the World Inequality Lab. He is also the author of A Brief History of Equality. Become a Patron! Pure economic factors or technological factors or the level of economic development or... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! The sixth and final post on Francis Fukuyama’s recent book Liberalism and its Discontents. The Moderation of Liberalism Francis Fukuyama includes a puzzling line near the beginning of Liberalism and its Discontents. The title suggests an uncompromising defense of liberalism against its critics. However, Fykuyama writes, "The answer to these discontents is... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! The fifth of six posts on Francis Fukuyama’s recent book Liberalism and its Discontents. The Discontent for Liberalism from the Right The fiercest attacks against liberalism have always come from conservative intellectuals. Indeed, Americans imagine conservatism as the antithesis of liberalism. But conservatism is not the same as illiberalism. Moreover, conservatism can... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! The fourth of six posts on Francis Fukuyama’s recent book Liberalism and its Discontents. Leftist Discontent for Liberalism The left has a long, but complicated relationship with liberalism. Liberalism began as a radical movement of reform. But it became conservative after it accomplished its original aims. Many liberals looked to consolidate their... Continue Reading →
The third of six posts on Francis Fukuyama’s recent book Liberalism and its Discontents. Economic Liberalism Liberalism is a loaded term. Americans think of an ideology associated with the left. Europeans think of a laissez-faire school of economics associated with Mises, Hayek, and Friedman. Meanwhile, academics imply a form of political liberalism when they refer... Continue Reading →
