Media

Which is more dysfunctional – the US or the…

Living in the US, I have always seized every opportunity to insist things are better in Blighty. But now both countries look ludicrous. Arwa Mahdawi Then Brexit happened. Suddenly the US media (and the rest of the world) started looking at the UK with more sceptical eyes. Britain’s global reputation started to plummet, as did the

Politics

‘They’re puppets!’: why the US right loves to hate…

A pro-vaccine tweet from Big Bird ruffled Ted Cruz’s feathers, but it’s not the first time a Republican has been anti-muppet It’s not unusual for Ted Cruz to levy a dyspeptic jeremiad against “government propaganda” or denigrate his political enemies as “petty authoritarians who would deny you the right to make your own medical choices” or “puppet[s]

Democracy

Aided by his app, the great liar could yet…

In the life story of Donald Trump, to his mind an epic saga of unrivalled achievement, these are the wilderness years. After the US electoral college confirmed his 2020 defeat, an outcome he still mendaciously disputes, Trump plunged into despair. He sulked, he raged, he conspired. Yet the 6 January coup plot was an egregious step too

Capitalism

Why is the idea of ‘gender’ provoking backlash the…

In June, the Hungarian parliament voted overwhelmingly to eliminate from public schools all teaching related to “homosexuality and gender change”, associating LGBTQI rights and education with pedophilia and totalitarian cultural politics. In late May, Danish MPs passed a resolution against “excessive activism” in academic research environments, including gender studies, race theory, postcolonial and immigration studies