What does Trump want now? Revenge — and a second term
The figure of the ex-president is one of the most endearingly republican features of American politics. He who was the…
America’s Yeltsin moment
The end of the Cold War was as great a shock to US politics as it was to the Soviet Union’s. The…
The fight for liberalism
The world has many island nations, and sometimes the United States counts itself among them. We have water on either side of us,…
Can the GOP win by losing Georgia?
Not long ago I attended a gathering of young White House and congressional Republican staffers. Conversation turned, as you might…
The wars go on
America’s longest war has just entered its 20th year. The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to overthrow the Taliban…
Joe Biden’s endless wars
In just over a week, the Empire hopes to strike back. Joe Biden personifies the foreign policy of endless war…
How democracy dies
What would happen if Americans voted on different days? Suppose Republicans voted on Tuesday and Democrats voted on Wednesday. Would…
The persistent myth of a non-political Supreme Court
The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a terrible blow to Democrats, but there is an important point to…
After Trump, the reckoning
As voters prepare to pass judgment on Donald Trump’s presidency in November, they might want to entertain a few counterfactuals.…
Trump redefines the race
Helplessness and passivity were the defining themes of the Democratic convention last week. The American people are unable to overcome…
Joe Biden's Republican Convention
Joe Biden’s range of emotional expression has narrowed with age – when he wants to convey feeling now, he shouts.…
Will it be Biden-Harris or Harris-Biden?
News of Kamala Harris’s selection as Joe Biden’s running mate was greeted by everything but the popping of champagne corks…
The mock revolution of the elites
‘Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified,’…
Same old same old
American politics is getting senile. Donald Trump and Barack Obama were both elected as agents of change, repudiations of an…
Self-righteous vandals
Violent left-wing activists have taken to styling themselves as antifa, short for ‘anti-fascists’, though their street-fighting tactics resemble nothing so…
Neocons come home to roost
Dolphins returned to the canals of Venice during the COVID-19 lockdown, and neoconservatives are returning to the Democratic party. Bill…
This riot is brought to you by Nike
In Chicago last weekend 82 people were shot, 22 of them fatally. Between May 2019 and late May 2020, homicide…
The roots of riot
That LEGO set or Louis Vuitton bag you’ve always wanted can be yours free if you just wait for the…
Why did Justin Amash give up?
Three weeks after announcing his bid for the Libertarian party presidential nomination, Justin Amash has called it off. What went…
When money dies
This article is in The Spectator’s May 2020 US edition. Subscribe here to get yours. ‘Money for Nothing’ is more than just…
Who will be Joe Biden’s co-president?
Joe Biden needs a co-president. Not just a running mate, not just a potential vice president, but someone who will…
Justin Amash: a study in vanity
Every Democrat’s favorite ex-Republican has just announced he’s going to seek the Libertarian Party nomination for president. If he gets…
Why Joe Biden’s America loves a lockdown
COVID-19, the Wuhan virus, is an epidemiological scourge — but it’s also a clarifying catalyst for American politics. The virus’s…
Foreign policy is in a straitjacket
This article is in The Spectator’s April 2020 US edition. Subscribe here to get yours. Before the world went into quarantine, I…