Category Archives: Uncategorized

I wrote a 3000-word essay for World Politics Review on Uzbekistan’s history as an independent state, the rise of Islam Karimov, the death of Karimov, and the challenges for his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The essay explains how and why authoritarian leaders … Continue reading →

For the Globe and Mail, I wrote about the virtues of low enthusiasm when it comes to political candidates: If this election has taught us anything, it is that enthusiasm for a political figure can be dangerous. It is a … Continue reading →

My article on the third debate for the Globe and Mail: In Mr. Trump’s alternate reality, Ms. Clinton occupies two contradictory positions. First, she is so powerful that she is unilaterally responsible for everything that has happened in the U.S. … Continue reading →

Too busy to update this site lately. A couple of new(ish) articles on the election: Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories are making his supporters paranoid — and dangerous (10/13/16) <– This article was about the possibility of armed white supremacists plotting … Continue reading →

For the Globe and Mail, some thoughts on the worst presidential debate in US history: Who won the debate? Does it matter? When this country has sunk this low – after a year dominated by bigotry and threats and now … Continue reading →

Last night I got to watch two Midwesterners debate each other in a style any Missouri resident knows well — “Midwestern nice.” On Kaine vs Pence: The vice-presidential debate was Midwestern Nice meets Midwestern Lies. An anticipated snoozefest between two … Continue reading →

For De Correspondent, I wrote about the murder of Darren Seals, a Ferguson activist who believed the local movement here had been coopted: September 6, 2016, Darren Seals, a Ferguson protester and local activist, was found dead in St. Louis’s … Continue reading →

More on the presidential debate for Quartz: That is the difference between skepticism and nihilism. The latter is what some elite journalists did by declaring Trump the winner before he opened his mouth. That is a capitulation to incompetence, the … Continue reading →

My take on last night’s presidential debate for Globe and Mail: Last night, Hillary Clinton, the daughter of a drape maker, revealed the man behind the curtain. Combining the personal with the political, she hit Trump where it hurt – … Continue reading →

For Quartz, I wrote about Missouri’s terrible new permitless carry law and our state’s cultural divide: Gun culture, in Missouri, is indeed ubiquitous: that Kander, running as a Democrat advocating gun control, assembled a rifle on TV to show his bona … Continue reading →