Michael Albertus

1 month ago | foreignaffairs.com | Nicholas Mulder |Michael Albertus |Matthew J. Slaughter |David Wessel

Since returning to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed a whirlwind of policy shifts, territorial claims, and economic threats. In his first few weeks in office, Trump has expressed a desire to bring Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and the Gaza Strip under direct American control. He has also expanded his trade offensive against China to include Canada and Mexico, the United States’ two largest trading partners.

1 month ago | foreignaffairs.com | Michael Albertus |Jason Bordoff |MEGHAN L. O’SULLIVAN |Elizabeth Buchanan

Since the mid-twentieth century, the power dynamics and system of alliances that made up the postwar global order provided a strong check on campaigns to conquer and acquire territory—an otherwise enduring feature of human history. But rather than marking a definitive break from the aggression of the past, this era of relative restraint now seems to have been merely a brief deviation from the historical pattern.

1 month ago | foreignaffairs.com | Michael Albertus |Jason Bordoff |MEGHAN L. O’SULLIVAN |Elizabeth Buchanan

Since the mid-twentieth century, the power dynamics and system of alliances that made up the postwar global order provided a strong check on campaigns to conquer and acquire territory—an otherwise enduring feature of human history. But rather than marking a definitive break from the aggression of the past, this era of relative restraint now seems to have been merely a brief deviation from the historical pattern.

Jan 17, 2025 | foreignpolicy.com | Michael Albertus

Thirty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa remains a troubled country with glaring racial disparities in income, employment, and access to everything from adequate housing to drinking water and electricity. But the abundant challenges that continue to face the country belie strenuous efforts at restitution and racial reconciliation—efforts that, in South Africa, have often focused on land.

Jan 15, 2025 | time.com | Michael Albertus

IdeasBy Michael AlbertusJanuary 15, 2025 7:00 AM ESTAlbertus is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and an internationally renowned expert on land issues. He is the author of the book, Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies. You can follow him on X, Bluesky, and Substack @michaelalbertus where he writes the newsletter The Good SocietyToday the city of Palm Springs is the Las Vegas of California.