Don’t Believe the Hype — or Doom — About AI
For America’s VC-dominated tech industry, AI hype isn’t just a crazy by-product — it’s a structural part of the US economy in which capital tries to write our destinies. We shouldn’t let it.
Blog
Ukraine Faces an Imperial Carve-Up
The Trump administration’s proposals for peace in Ukraine sound like a real estate deal, where the United States gets a payoff for handing over Ukrainian land. But with Kyiv’s leverage shrinking, the country may be forced to swallow a grim deal.
The US Propped Up the Shah’s Dictatorship to the Bitter End
The shah of Iran faced a secular opposition that wanted to restore constitutional government. Washington continued to back his dictatorship as it faced mass protests, paving the way for Ruhollah Khomeini to establish a theocratic system after its fall.
Liberal Zionism Is an Inherent Contradiction
Despite the inherent contradiction between liberalism and extreme ethnic nationalism, many people still refer to themselves as “liberal Zionists.” But when liberal principles come under attack by Israel, they’re nowhere to be found.
“A House of Dynamite” Is the Wrong Metaphor for US Nukes
Kathryn Bigelow’s new film, A House of Dynamite, captures the horror and insanity of nuclear war. But by portraying the US atomic arsenal as an inheritance from the past rather than a product of our own time, it lets our political leaders off the hook.
New York City’s Forgotten Public Bank Plan
In 1975, Wall Street declared war on New York, sending the city into a fiscal crisis. A forgotten public banking proposal in the state assembly could have stopped it — and put both the city and the country on the path to socialized finance.
ICE Is Expanding Its Detention Capacity
Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a $30 million contract last week that moves to convert vacant warehouses into mega detention centers, increasing capacity in the Trump administration’s push to supercharge deportations.
How Marine Le Pen Seduced Corporate France
Emmanuel Macron has been a president for the rich, but his faltering support has also left big business unsure if it can rely on his party. For many French capitalists, the answer is to build up ties with Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National.
US Journalists on Aid Flotillas Allege Israeli Soldier Abuse
A recent panel of three US journalists aboard the Gaza aid flotillas say they faced assault and threats from Israeli soldiers — and that the US government did little to help them.
Next Sohee Is Korean Cinema at Its Bleak and Brilliant Best
Behind South Korea’s economic growth, there’s a system that grinds workers to the bone at every stage of the life cycle, from high school students to retirees. The film Next Sohee dramatizes the impact of that system to devastating effect.
The Rise of Chile’s Hard Right
The first round of voting in Chile’s general election in November saw the shocking rise of the far right and the collapse of the country’s new left. It’s a crushing but not total defeat for the movement helmed by President Gabriel Boric.
Liechtenstein’s Feudal Prince Has Become a Libertarian Hero
Hans-Adam II is Europe’s richest monarch despite ruling one of its tiniest states. The prince of Liechtenstein flaunts his contempt for democracy, blending feudalism and financial capitalism to supply a model for the Right in much bigger countries.