Новости за 28.07.2021

After 18 years of illegal warfare, corruption, and untold numbers of innocent people killed or made into refugees, the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will be declared finished—for the third time. Sort of. This week, President Joe Biden said that the United States is “not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission” in Iraq. The 2,500 U.S. soldiers officially staged there—almost certainly an undercount, as military leaders tend to fudge deployment numbers and reorganize troops under intelligence... Читать дальше...

When the state of Mississippi first asked the Supreme Court to take up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in March 2020, it argued that the court didn’t need to overturn Roe v. Wade to rule in favor of the state’s 15-week ban on abortions. The Supreme Court duly agreed in May to hear the case and decide “whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.” The dispute is now set to be the first major abortion-related case heard by the court, whose conservative... Читать дальше...

For all that ails Western democracy at the moment, it certainly doesn’t lack diagnoses. Critics such as Jonathan Rauch insist that a surfeit of popular sovereignty has tipped the delicate balance of self-governance in the direction of strongman ethnic nationalism. Norman Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann call out the structural woes that afflict America’s two-party system when one of the major parties embraces a nihilist anti-politics of procedural obstruction and minoritarian system-rigging. And scores... Читать дальше...

In early July, Spain’s minister of consumer affairs, Alberto Garzón, posted a short video on Twitter urging Spaniards to decrease their meat consumption. From a political communication perspective, it was flawless. He listed the many ways large-scale meat production and consumption harm humans, the environment, and animals, all backed by peer-reviewed science. He focused on reducing meat intake, not eliminating it—he praised nonindustrial livestock systems and family barbecues. He acknowledged... Читать дальше...