Winter 2012, No. 23

In this issue, Duke University law professor and distinguished author Jedediah Purdy looks at the Roberts Court—and finds much to worry about. Purdy argues that we are in a new era of economic libertarianism on the Court. But how we got here—through which legal theories and constructions—gives Purdy’s piece its force and originality, and drops some clues about how the Court might find on health reform.

Also in the issue: Jared Bernstein, fresh from his stint as Vice President Biden’s chief economic adviser, tackles a subject that’s on Washington’s mind: the debt. But that obsession has been outsized and misplaced—indeed, debt can be a good thing, Bernstein argues. His take on this important subject should be required reading for all of Washington.

The issue also features the return of our First Principles series. We asked five important thinkers to lay out progressive principles on foreign policy: Charles Kupchan on grand strategy, Rosa Brooks on democracy promotion, Tom Perriello on humanitarian intervention, Rachel Kleinfeld on public diplomacy, and Bruce Jentleson on adjusting to a “Copernican” world. And there’s more: Mark Schmitt on third parties. Andrew Exum on the soldier’s life. Tara McKelvey on top secret America. Christopher Byrd on Alfred Kazin.

Back Issues Archive

Symposium

First Principles: America and the World

The incompetence of the Bush Administrations foreign policy masked a key fact about progressives: We remain deeply divided on Americas role in the world. These divisions, which we saw in the lead-up to the Iraq War and during the first...

By The Editors

3 MIN READ

Grand Strategy: The Four Pillars of the Future

By Charles Kupchan

18 MIN READ

Democracy Promotion: Done Right, A Progressive Cause

By Rosa Brooks

14 MIN READ

Global Outreach: Speaking to the Awakening World

By Rachel Kleinfeld

15 MIN READ

Humanitarian Intervention: Recognizing When, and Why, It Can Succeed

By Tom Perriello

12 MIN READ

Accepting Limits: How to Adapt to a Copernican World

By Bruce W. Jentleson

17 MIN READ

Features

The Roberts Court v. America

How the Roberts Supreme Court is using the First Amendment to craft a radical, free-market jurisprudence.

By Jedediah Purdy

27 MIN READ

Rethinking Debt

Washington refuses to understand that debt can be an essential tool for economic growth. Can we overcome this irrational and destructive fear?

By Jared Bernstein

27 MIN READ

Open-Source Diplomacy

Instead of hunkering down in the wake of the WikiLeaks fiasco, Foggy Bottom should move toward a less secretive diplomacy.

By Jonathan Spalter

24 MIN READ

Book Reviews

The Things He Carried

Is one soldier's experience in battle universal or particular? It dependsand it's what it depends on that's fascinating.

By Andrew Exum

12 MIN READ

The Myth of the Middle

Why we should be skeptical about the current mania for a third party that appeals to independents and libertarians.

By Mark Schmitt

16 MIN READ

Secrets and Lies

Secrecy is necessary in the battle against terrorism. But a little transparency about secrecy ought to be possible.

By Tara McKelvey

14 MIN READ

Our Country, Our Critic

When so many of his Jewish intellectual contemporaries hustled over to the right, what kept Alfred Kazin on the left?

By Christopher Byrd

15 MIN READ

Health Reform Without Apology

The Affordable Care Act is under relentless attack from conservatives. Yet progressives are too ambivalent about defending it.

By Lawrence R. Jacobs

14 MIN READ

Responses

Arguing About Growth

Lifting the economy will require more spending now and fundamental budget reform later. William Galston and Lawrence Mishel continue their exchange on growth and the progressive agenda.

By William Galston Lawrence Mishel

14 MIN READ

Recounting

The Greatest Story Never Told

Our political problem, in a nutshell: The party of government is afraid to defend government. Nothing will really change until that changes.

By Michael Tomasky

8 MIN READ

Editor's Note

Editor's Note

Michael Tomasky introduces Issue #23.

By Michael Tomasky

3 MIN READ

Letters

Letters to the Editor

Letters from our readers

By Democracy Readers

2 MIN READ

Back Issues Archive