Blog
Civic Nationalism Is Worth Defending
J. D. Vance has attacked birthright citizenship and equality before the law by claiming that “America is not an idea.” But the realization of the idea of civic nationalism has been our greatest achievement.
Orson Welles, South of the Border
After his post–Citizen Kane slump, Orson Welles teamed up with Universal for a big Hollywood comeback about corrupt police on the US-Mexico border. The executives balked at his vision — but today Touch of Evil is regarded as Welles’s final masterpiece.
Walter Benjamin’s Graveyard
On the run from the Gestapo, Walter Benjamin committed suicide on the French-Spanish border in 1940. The place where he spent his last days now overlooks the most brutally policed border of the EU.
Building Civilization at Shenzhen Speed
Once the poorer neighbor of Hong Kong, Shenzhen has been transformed into a showcase for the speed, power, and dynamism of Chinese development — and a study in extreme inequality.
Biafra’s Back
More than 50 years after the end of the civil war, there’s a new generation of Biafran separatists in Nigeria.
Issue 59: Letters + The Internet Speaks
No border can contain our subscribers’ enthusiasm.
Cowboys and Italians
In the 1960s, Italian filmmakers took the cowboy out of America. They gave the western a wild, blood-soaked makeover that revived the genre for global audiences and imbued it with new political relevance.
How Can We Organize Immigrant Workers?
Bosses will always try to divide native-born and immigrant workers. Our response has to be unconditional solidarity.
Borders Books
Some recommendations from the Republic of Letters.