Foreign Affairs ‘Freedom Conservatives’ Defend Free Speech—Even for National Conservatives A bizarre 24 hours in Brussels for an annual conservative conference showed the possibility—and necessity—of a grand conservative coalition.  National Conservatives saw an unlikely party leap to their defense amidst a buffoonish and unacceptable crackdown in Brussels. None other than their arch-rivals, the “Freedom Conservatives,” stepped up. The Freedom Conservatives, an umbrella group who are broadly old fusionists in their outlook, opposed the cancellation of NatCons, while reminding them ..read more

Politics Abortion Tourism Is the Next Frontier California’s Gavin Newsom has underlined an interesting question with a shocking series of ads in red states. Planned Parenthood rally in Boston. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Two young women are driving towards the Alabama state line. The driver is seeking an abortion, which is illegal in the state of Alabama. In the passenger seat, her friend encourages her that she will not get caught, since the two are almost out of the state. Less than a mile from the border, however, blue lights flash them over, and a ..read more

Politics Biden’s New Title IX Rule is the Beginning of the End for Free Speech Compelling speech at universities is the first step toward Canada-style speech codes. Credit: Wikimedia Commons The Biden administration just released its 1500-page revision of the Title IX Rule. This new Rule makes this administration’s primary goal glaringly obvious: to cram Neo-Marxist gender ideology down the throats of every American and punish any resistance. That’s why they are weaponizing Title IX to compel speech.  Despite the fact that expressing and debating views and ideas is fundamental to ..read more

Foreign Affairs The Yemen Imbroglio Gets Even Worse for U.S. Interests State of the Union: Today, America can’t even differentiate between its own people, ships, and commerce and that of the rest of the world. Rogue actors are wreaking havoc on Mediterranean trade.  The year is not 2024 but 1801. The newly inaugurated president, Thomas Jefferson, once negotiated on behalf of the new American regime with Tripolitania to reduce the economic and human toll of piracy on Americans conducting commerce. Over the years, Jefferson grew tired of the ever-increasing demands of the Barbary sta ..read more

Foreign Affairs Burma’s Military Junta Totters Toward the Brink But that’s no reason for the U.S. to get involved. Opponents of the military junta ruling Burma (or Myanmar) recently took another small step toward winning the ongoing civil war. The Karen National Liberation Army, an ethnic militia which has long fought for autonomy, captured some 600 government soldiers and seized Myawaddy, a busy border city. Humiliated, the regime had to fly personnel and records out of neighboring Mae Sot in Thailand. Last weekend, fighting continued as insurgents attacked retreating government forces ..read more

Politics News From the Psychedelic Front The powers of chemical unreason are on the ascent in the nation’s capital. Washington, DC, is an irrational city; its conspicuous sobriety and even dullness do not diminish its irrationality. The imperial capital is laid out on a supremely systematic grid that fosters some of the worst traffic conditions in the country; Los Angeles had to go out of its way to destroy its original planning to achieve the same levels of automotive misery. If you are lucky enough to be on foot, the madness within the system is no less evident. A walk from The Americ ..read more

Politics How Biden Courted Johnson for Ukraine Aid State of the Union: President Biden takes a victory lap over persuading Speaker Johnson to pass more Ukraine aid. President Joe Biden’s administration is taking a victory lap as the president prepares to sign a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine. Specifically, Biden and company are boasting about how they worked over House Speaker Mike Johnson in the six months since the Louisianan started his tenure. “For months, President Joe Biden and his team pressed the case for additional aid both publicly and pr ..read more

Politics The Bragg ‘Interference’ Allegations Are Business as Usual The furore around the case underlines how vague the concept of “election interference” is. The former President Donald Trump says Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money case against him is election interference. Prosecutors say the same about the hush money payments themselves. The question then becomes: What is election interference? “This case is about a criminal conspiracy,” said Bragg deputy Matthew Colangelo. “Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.” “The prosec ..read more

Books Meritocracy and the Great Power Competition A new book examines weaknesses in China’s meritocratic system—and in our own. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi via Getty Images) The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline, Yasheng Huang, Yale University Press, 440 pages Whether you are a globalist or a supporter of economic nationalism, a China hawk or dove, you must consider a number of critical questions. What is the basis for the stability of CCP—how has the party managed to survive so many upheava ..read more

Foreign Affairs What $61 Billion for Ukraine Won’t Do There are problems money can’t fix. (paparazzza/Shutterstock) On April 20, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the long-delayed $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. The package quickly passed Tuesday night through the Senate on its way to President Joe Biden’s desk, where it will quickly be signed.  House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly reversed course and led the aid package through the House in part because, during intelligence briefings, he came to “believe the intel” that without the “lethal aid,” “Vladimir Putin woul ..read more