Meet the New Boss in Azerbaijan
A look at Azerbaijan’s rampant corruption, unfair elections, and flimsy institutions
Politics
Kyle Rittenhouse Case Unlikely To Bring Tighter Gun Laws
Restrictions have little chance of moving beyond political theater, or of winning compliance if passed.
Lost in Transition
30 years after the Soviet collapse, what happened to the Russian dream of a free economy?
The Sick Man of Central Asia
Tajikistan remains economically underdeveloped despite plentiful natural resources.
The Pope Who Helped Bring Down Communism
"I have no doubt," Polish President Lech Wałęsa once said, that without John Paul II "the birth of Solidarity would not have been possible."
Should We Lower the Voting Age to Six?
British political scientist David Runciman says the answer is "yes." And he makes a stronger case than you might think.
The TSA's 20th Birthday Should Be Its Last
Plus: A dispatch from the National Conservatism Conference, a progressive FCC nominee gets a surprising backer, and more...
Eugene Huskey on the Soviet Legacy in Central Asia
"This is the nature of an authoritarian regime. You don't quite know where the boundaries of acceptable discourse are. Everything is uncertain."
Court Rejects Michigan Lawmakers Challenge to State's Term Limits Law
Whether or not term limits for state legislators are wise, they are constitutional.
A Glimmer of Success in Miserable Moldova
Maia Sandu, Moldova's new president, has cleverly positioned her new government as being in thrall neither to Moscow nor to Brussels.
Kamala Harris Was Unpopular Before She Became Vice President. Nothing Seems To Have Changed.
Harris' attempts at evolving her political image away from being a law-and-order prosecutor have been disingenuous and unconvincing.
Leaving Uzbekistan
Why is it so hard for Uzbek citizens to get permission to travel abroad?
Ukraine Still Hungers for Independence
For two years in the 1930s, the people of Ukraine were forced to starve in service of a political idea.
Communism Destroyed Russian Cooking
Soviet rule promised abundance. Instead it brought misery and starvation.
The Anarchic Interlude
In 1990s Prague, wonderful things happened in the chaotic space between the end of communism and the rise of its replacement.
DC Circuit Temporarily Blocks Release of White House of January 6 Documents
A panel of the court will hear Trump’s challenge to the release of material on an expedited basis.
Watching Mikhail Gorbachev Resign in Moscow
The day the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time
The Virginia Governor's Race Was an Advertisement for School Choice
Children are too important to be entrusted to unions or government monopolies.
Kazakhstan Kleptocracy
Authoritarianism and abundant natural resources make a treacherous combination in Kazakhstan.
Let Trade Topple Cuba's Tyranny
Biden should denounce Cuba’s communist tyranny while pushing for more free trade with Cubans.
The Cuban Heavy Metal Band That Joined the Communist Regime
The members of Zeus fought for the freedom to be frikis. Then they joined the Castro government's official Agency of Rock.
Soviet Ethnic Policies Split Kyrgyzstan
Conflict between minority groups still lingers today
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2021
While I have long advocated using May 1 for this purpose, November 7 is a worthy alternative candidate, which I am happy to adopt if it can attract a broad consensus.
Red Markets
Sometimes communist countries had to tolerate a little economic liberty just to survive.
Garry Kasparov's Gambit
The greatest chess player in modern history on how the Soviet Union lost to the free world.
They Just Keep Closing Schools and Mandating Masks
So much for politicians, educators, and public health officials learning a damn thing from Tuesday's election.
Democratic Socialists Lost Big on Election Night With India Walton Defeat
In Buffalo, incumbent Byron Brown staged a successful write-in campaign against DSA-backed candidate India Walton. Elsewhere in the country, DSA candidates won their local races.
Voters Don't Want To Pay for Your Dumb Stadium
In Albuquerque, Augusta, and Denver, plans to borrow and spend on stadiums got soundly defeated on Election Day.
Politics Is Rotting Brains and Making Everyone Mad
As exciting as it may sound to grab power and vanquish enemies, the only way to save America is to recommit to its original principles.
The Best of Cold War Culture
Books, films, and more related to the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Detroit Becomes the Second-Largest U.S. City To Urge Tolerance of Psychedelic Use
Voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that makes "entheogenic plant" possession the city's "lowest law-enforcement priority."
Hope Must Conquer Fear in Politics
Princess Leia shows us why hope is crucial for a liberty-oriented way of life.
A Truck Driver With a Few Thousand Bucks and an iPhone Just Toppled New Jersey's Most Powerful Lawmaker
Edward Durr's incredible upset victory over New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney is worth celebrating.
University of Florida Bans Professors From Testifying Against State Voting Law
"Outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the State of Florida create a conflict for the University of Florida," said the university in a statement.
What Happened to the Former Soviet Republics?
Exploring the long-tail consequences of the evil empire in its many forms
Remittances Bolster—and Limit—Armenia's Potential
Remitting took off during the Soviet period and has remained high over the years due to lack of domestic economic opportunity.
Garry Kasparov: Greatest Soviet Chess Champion on the Awful System That Created Him
The grandmaster and human rights activist talks about the lessons the world—especially American democratic socialists—must remember three decades after communism's collapse.
Mad, Trump-Averse Parents Finally Had Someone To Vote Against
Politicians continue to ignore—or insult—independents at their peril.
Cleveland Votes for More Police Oversight, While Minneapolis Rejects Abolishing, Replacing Cops
The obvious lesson is that, yes, people want reform and better police conduct, not necessarily broad, vague plans to replace them.
In Gangbuster Night for Republicans, Glenn Youngkin Wins Virginia Governor's Race
Plus: The Twin cities both say yes to rent control, Eric Adams will be the next mayor of New York City, and more...
Sen. Josh Hawley Joins Chinese Communists in Fretting Over Manhood
Authoritarians see masculinity as so fragile that it needs to be reinforced by the state.
If Glenn Youngkin Has to Answer for Trump, Terry McAuliffe Really Has to Answer for Randi Weingarten
Parents are at their wits' end and that might cost the Democrats the governor's race.
Joe Biden Presses Ahead With Vaccine Mandates, Inviting Legal Challenges
Plus: The Twin Cities will both vote on rent control ballot initiatives, New Jersey and Virginia voters will pick a new governor, and more...
Virginia Governor Race Is an Education Policy Wake-Up Call That Democrats (and the Media) Won't Heed
Calling voters racist is an odd closing argument, let alone an effective response to concerns over schools.
The Uses and Disadvantages of Soviet History for Life
It is hard to comprehend the scarcity and existential dread that was humanity's constant companion during the Cold War.
Democrats Have a Lot of Bad Ideas for Tax Reform
Careful, thoughtful policy making is not ruling the day.
