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Why Autocracy Persists | Focus
The fall of the Soviet Union promised democracy’s global triumph. But we quickly forgot the principles that brought our victory.…
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Join Spectacles editors Harry and Philip as they each dive head-first into big issues to explain their significance and broader connections to democratic health and well-being.
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Re-Engaging with the Civic Question | Guest Focus
A guest writer asks, "A generation after Bowling Alone, what do we make of America's declining social capital?"…
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The Systemic Challenge of Immigration, Explained | Focus
As the climate crisis and a decline in global cooperation fuel migration, we must recognize the relationships between the challenges we face, if we are to solve them.…
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What I Learned in Becoming an e-Resident of Estonia | Focus
The small nation of Estonia, with its world-class digital democracy and social services, demonstrates the importance of humility and learning from other countries.…
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Why Does American Politics Feel Like Theater? | Focus
Over-promise and under-deliver has become D.C.’s unspoken rule. When politics is a performance, of course the show must go on, but how does it end?…
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Lessons from Norm MacDonald: Comedy in a Democracy | Focus
Following the passing of one of comedy’s greatest of all time, we have a moment to pause and consider what humor can do for us in a democracy.…
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Bureaucratic Tyranny With Democratic Characteristics | Focus
Europe's increasing attractiveness as a model for reformers in the United States, while justified, is cause for an evaluation of political tradeoffs.…
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An Unconventional Answer to Contemporary Chaos | Focus
Our current crisis is not one easily solved by simple facts or fancy rhetoric. What we need is new leadership more romantically attached to national ideals than petty vanity.…
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The Supreme Court: Political, Unaccountable, and All Too Powerful | Focus
The Supreme Court has exercised too much authority over American political life for centuries, and the urgent need for reform pre-dates today’s conservative court.…
