Claire Berlinski

Writer at Claire’s Invariably Interesting Thoughts

Elite creds. Interesting jobs. Writes books. Good-looking. If you like my Twitter feed, you'll love the Cosmopolitan Globalist: https://t.co/B0rpQBYjMG

Articles

Where do you think this is going?

1 week ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

I just read this essay by Jonathan Last in which he sketches out four scenarios: normalcy, paralysis, rebellion, and hardening of the autocracy. Then I readthis one, by Olga Lautman, in which she argues that Musk appears to be using DOGE to build a Chinese-style surveillance state. After the past hundred-plus days, I think anything is possible. Every structure that underpinned the stable America in which I grew up—and the reasonably stable American-led world—has crumbled or is crumbling.
The New Sheriff

2 weeks ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio snubbed the G20 Ministerial meeting in Johannesburg. It was the first G20 summit ever to be held on the African continent, and South Africa was the first African country ever to hold the group’s rotating leadership. (It’s our turn, next year, but no one knows whether by that point we’ll still be in the G20.
The Cosmopolitan Globalist

2 weeks ago | shorturl.at | Claire Berlinski

Edited by essayist Claire Berlinski, this is Substack's top forum for the discussion of international news among readers and writers, around the world, who are concerned about the future of liberal democracy and the gathering storm of global war. Over 35,000 subscribersBy subscribing, I agree to Substack’s Terms of Use and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy“Global news and a global perspective it's hard get anywhere else.
The Void

2 weeks ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

I spoke last night to the Afghan family many of you have been helping—the S. Family, I’ll call them, since it’s not safe to identify them yet. (If you're new to the Cosmopolitan Globalist and you don’t know this story, it’s here.) They’re still in Pakistan, waiting for the Canadian government to finish processing their asylum application. These are the steps for processing a privately-sponsored application: They’ve been through every step but the final decision.
Choose your Own Adventure

3 weeks ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

Ladies and Gentlemen, There are fourteen—yes, fourteen—unsent newsletters sitting in my draft folder. They treat, seriatim:The global effects of Trump’s trade policy;The dizzying speed with which China is filling the void the US is leaving;Interpreting El Salvador’s crime statistics; The historical significance of the writ of habeas corpus;Mark Bloch and the curious case of Lisa Murkowski;The unending shame of our betrayal of our Afghan allies; Do political protests work? Under what circumstances?
Middle East 201

1 month ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

They have faithfully attended my Middle East 101 and my Middle East 201 class for more than a year and a half. They have diligently done the reading, watched the documentaries, pored over the source documents, come to class prepared, participated in the discussions, and thrown themselves into learning about the politics and history of the Middle East with a curiosity and a diligence that puts undergraduates around the world to shame. Some of them even met me in Morocco for a real-world study tour.
Government by Pyromania

1 month ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

You don’t need to know anything about economics to grasp how harmful all of this has been. No Keynes, no MMT, no nothing. Common sense will get you there. Imagine you’re an American business owner. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. One day, you learn that a product you sell—or a product you need to make a product in you sell—has just been tariffed—taxed, that is—up the wazoo. The tariff is so high that your business is no longer viable.
Government by Pyromania

1 month ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

You don’t need to know anything about economics to grasp how harmful all of this has been. No Keynes, no MMT, no nothing. Common sense will get you there. Imagine you’re an American business owner. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. One day, you learn that a product you sell—or a product you need to make a product you sell—has just been tariffed—taxed, that is—up the wazoo. The tariff is so high that your business is no longer viable.
I couldn't have said it better

1 month ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

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Feeling liberated yet?

1 month ago | claireberlinski.substack.com | Claire Berlinski

10% on ALL imports... 20% ON EU... 24% ON JAPAN... 26% ON INDIA... 34% ON CHINA... 46% ON VIETNAM... MORE... WHY WAS RUSSIA SPARED?(Why indeed? Such a mystery.)Highest import taxes since 1800s... How much will prices rise? Cars Were Already Unaffordable... Trillions vanish from 401(K)s in minutes... BIG BITE OUT OF APPLE... WSJ: Blowing up world system will have consequence... Trump will “buckle under pressure” if Europe bands together, Germany says...