Summer 2015

Coming Together, Coming Apart

We live in an “age of connection,” which is to say what, exactly? In the last twenty years, globalization and technological advances have improved the quality of life for many and given rise to voices traditionally shut out. It has also contributed to inequality, insecurity, and a creeping sense of instability.

in this issue:

What Would Churchill Do?

– Mark W. Davis

Putin isn’t Hitler, and this isn't WWII. But as Europe is threatened, it’s worth asking: What would Churchill do — and what do the people who invoke him get wrong?

The Case for an Unprincipled Foreign Policy

– Musa al-Gharbi

“Grand Strategies” are great for winning elections, but they’re terrible for governing.

What 18 focus groups in the former USSR taught us about America’s image problems

– Theodore P. Gerber and Jane Zavisca

After talking with dozens of people in Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, two contradictory, prevailing themes emerge about the United States.

A Born-Again Faith in Graffiti

– Jonathan Gross

In 1970s New York, an age of austerity led to a rise in graffiti. So it is in Greece, 40 years later.

How We Created the WTO: A Memoir

– John Schmidt

A personal account of how the largest and most important trade agreement in world history finally got done.

Future Wars: Reshaping the Ethics and Norms of War

– Nayef Al-Rodhan

Technology's forward march will require us to reconsider and even rewrite the rules of war.

Nowhere to Turn: a Nepali Cab Driver in Qatar

– J. Zach Hollo

Sarun, a cab driver in Qatar, had not been paid in nearly four months. His family back home in Nepal desperately needed the money. He hadn't been home in two years, and his boss controlled his passport. All Sarun could do was wait.

Modi's India: caste, inequality, and the rise of Hindu nationalism

– Abigail Fradkin

Caste and social inequality persist in modern India, but the poor are now political in a way unheard of in the first several decades after independence.

Launching the Brick Moon: GPS’ path from the space race to smartphone

– Aaron Lovell

Over the past 25 years, GPS has evolved from a battlefield novelty to a smartphone staple. Beset by technological challenges, Pentagon infighting, and the arc of history, the road to space-based navigation was grueling.