United States Archives

Analyses

United States

Corners of the internet collided this week as Kamala Harris’s campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president took off. The sometimes incomprehensible absurdity that makes virality blew new air into what was turning into an uninspiring electoral season. Kamala’s folksy, unscripted comments regarding “the context” and coconut trees have propelled her into the arms of Gen Z voters.

International Affairs
Biden’s Move Follows Tradition of Selfless Leadership
Hussein Ibish 23 July 2024

Political heroism is typically framed in terms of the acquisition and retention of power. But the US has a long tradition of celebrating, even venerating, those who have voluntarily given up power to promote the general welfare. President Joe Biden – who announced on Sunday that, in the interests of the party and the country, he is surrendering the Democratic presidential nomination, which he has earned in the primaries and fully controls – is the latest heir to that noble tradition.
Society
Israel and the Puritans: A Dangerous Historical Romance (p. II)
Jim Sleeper 15 April 2024
Political Theory, Religion
Israel and the Puritans: A Dangerous Historical Romance (p. I)
Jim Sleeper 11 April 2024
Society
The Myth of a US Colorblind Constitution
Hussein Ibish 6 July 2023

The US Supreme Court has issued another shocking but unsurprising ruling that arbitrarily dispenses with precedents and upends long-settled law at the expense of the historically disempowered: now African American and Latino students will be deprived of “affirmative action” programmes considering race in university admissions. However, the assumption there was a shared originary understanding of the Constitution is false since the Constitution has been aggressively colour-conscious throughout its history, mainly at the expense of minority groups
International Affairs
China Plays Go while NATO Plays Chess
Seán Golden 29 May 2023

Chess pursues the elimination of pieces; Go the encirclement of territory. Against US containment policy, China is expanding where there is space to expand.
International Affairs
Can Iran’s “Revolt of the Hungry” Revitalize the Nuclear Deal?
Marina Forti 11 July 2022

A new wave of popular protests against mounting prices piles pressure on conservative president Ebrahim Raissì. But he only can walk a fine diplomatic line.
International Affairs
A Forgotten Middle East Awaits Joe Biden’s Visit
Claudia De Martino 30 June 2022

An Israel with a collapsed government will host Joe Biden in mid-July, amid uncertain political legacy and perspectives.
International Affairs
China, US and Rare Earth Elements: All You Need to Know
Giovanni Panzeri 19 May 2022

In recent decades the world has gradually understood the importance of transitioning to a clean energy economy, buoyed by the prospective of catastrophic environmental collapse. However, few know that this transition largely rests on the employment of a few critical minerals whose global demand is set to skyrocket in the near future. Of particular importance in this case are the so called “rare earth” minerals, which have been at the center of US-China tensions on trade and technology in the recent decade. This article will give a brief account of the current situation regarding the rare earth elements supply chain and how it has been at the center of Us-China competition.
International Affairs
China, US and the Semiconductor War. All you Need to Know
Giovanni Panzeri 12 May 2022

In the present world computers, cars, phones, televisions, refrigerators have become commodities which are so present that it is difficult for many to imagine a life without them. All these items work thanks to tiny devices called semiconductors. But what are they? How are they produced? And how have they ended up at the center of the present US-China trade war? This article will attempt to give a brief account of the present US-China competition on semiconductors, how it is affected by external factors like the Covid-19 pandemic, and what it might entail for the future.