Current Affairs

1 week ago | currentaffairs.org | Alex Skopic

According to our elected leaders, we should be very scared of the possibility that Iran could get a nuclear bomb. But Israel already has them, and its government is increasingly unstable and belligerent. Among U.S. politicians, there’s one consistent narrative you’ll hear repeated over and over. Iran, the story goes, must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran is unstable and untrustworthy; Iran is theocratic; Iran is evil.

1 week ago | currentaffairs.org | Nathan J. Robinson

When bold egalitarian policies are proposed, they are inevitably branded impossible, even if they’re feasible. See the case of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. I have called the Atlantic “the worst magazine in America,” in part because it tends to take unfair swipes at leftists, making contemptuous declarations that aren’t backed up by sources and arguments. I compiled plenty of examples of this in my original essay about the magazine, but now we have one more to add to the pile.

2 weeks ago | currentaffairs.org | Nathan J. Robinson

The latest Democratic fad sidelines equality and justice in favor of a focus on cutting red tape. This is not the path forward. Well, it looks like Abundance isn’t going away as quickly as I’d hoped. The book, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, has spent months on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. It’s “spectacular” (David Brooks). It’s “terrific” (Fareed Zakaria). Klein was recently a special guest at a retreat for Democratic senators.

2 weeks ago | currentaffairs.org | Alex Skopic

Horses and dogs don’t understand why they’ve been conscripted into human law enforcement. Forcing them to inflict violence on people, and get hurt in return, just isn’t right. In the third season of the BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders, there’s a crude joke that’s taken on new relevance this week. “What animal has got a prick halfway up its back?” asks John Shelby, one of the show’s gangster protagonists. “A cavalry horse!,” comes the punchline.

2 weeks ago | currentaffairs.org | Alex Skopic

The viral pistachio-filled candy bar is everywhere—but there’s nothing sweet about the United Arab Emirates and its human rights record. If you’ve been shopping recently, or even if you’ve just been scrolling your Instagram feed, you may have noticed that “Dubai chocolate” is suddenly everywhere. They’re selling it at Walmart, Target, Costco, and Trader Joe’s now, and big European chocolate companies like Lindt and Godiva are producing their own branded versions.