For Russians, the comfort of security outweighs the desire for truth
Russians believe the West intends to destroy their country and a fascist government runs Ukraine, thanks to a steady beat of anti-American propaganda by state-controlled media.
Neoliberal economics and identity politics—Francis Fukuyama diagnoses our discontents
Fukuyama’s new book turns away from external threats to classical liberalism and argues that the dangers lie within liberal democratic countries. Liberal principles are now open season to the critics of liberalism on the right and left.
To understand Putin, look to the history of tyrants
To understand tyrants like Putin, we must study their place in history. Waller R. Newell’s book Tyrants: Power, Injustice, and Terror is an excellent place to start.
Ukraine's inspiring fight proves democracy isn't dead yet
As flawed as democracy is, Ukraine shows that people will fight hard to retain their voice.
Adapting to a warmer world isn’t all bad news
We shouldn’t fear adaptation. We should embrace the creative powers of humans to live better lives even as the world gets warmer.
Patrick Luciani: Can our cities survive this pandemic—or the next?
David Cutler and Edward Glaeser’s book Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation examines the state of the city in the pandemic age.
Why Steven Pinker's defence of rationality is the only game in town
Errors of judgement and bias are endemic to humanity. The only way to overcome them is the rigorous application of critical thinking and rationality.
China is on a charm offensive. And it's not working
Professor Zhang Weiwei is an intelligent, scholarly, thoughtful, and soft-spoken spokesman for China. He’s also wrong about the West and too eager to promote CCP propaganda.
A better homeless solution for Canada: Follow Houston, not Seattle
Moving the homeless population out of City of Toronto parks was good for the city and the homeless people themselves.
Patrick Luciani: Is this the beginning of the end for communism in Cuba?
Is this the beginning of the end for communism in Cuba, or the end of the beginning, as Winston Churchill once said during the Second World War?