Current Affairs

Cory Doctorow is the author of over 20 books, including The Internet Con, How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, and the science fiction novels Unauthorized Bread and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. He’s also an activist for civil liberties on the internet with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a prolific blogger at his website Pluralistic. Doctorow joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his newest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.

The New York Times editorial board is wrong. Principled progressive politics on the Bernie Sanders model is still the path forward.

This is how you run. This is how you win. This is the politics we need right now. Democratic socialist candidates can inspire people again, and fight the right effectively.

The viral pistachio-filled candy bar is everywhere—but there’s nothing sweet about the United Arab Emirates and its human rights record. 

Kieran Andrieu is a British-Palestinian journalist, activist, and contributor to Novara Media. He joins Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss his decision to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, the risks involved in confronting Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and why he believes powerlessness in the face of genocide is an illusion.0:00-6:29 Kieran’s Family Story of Resistance6:29-10:33 Joining the Flotilla10:33-14:12 What Success Would Mean14:12-17:53 Powerlessness Is an Illusion17:53-20:57 The Case for Recognizing Palestine20:57-22:25 Shifts in U.S. Public Opinion22:25-28:02 What Comes Next

Tommy Marcus (@quentin.quarantino) is an activist and content creator who has raised over $30 million for charitable causes. He joins Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss his journey aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, the mission to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and his response to official allegations that the flotilla is a “terrorist” operation.0:00-1:39 The Mission Explained1:39-3:18 Why Launch the Flotilla?3:18-10:13 Starvation as Israel’s Strategy10:13-13:51 Facing the Risks13:51-20:10 Tommy’s Political Transformation20:10-24:58 Why Zionist Narratives Stick24:58-31:03 From Victims to Perpetrators31:03-36:01 The Case Against Working With Zionists36:21-39:21 How Democrats Betrayed Gaza39:21-58:50 A Message to the World

Current Affairs editors Alex Skopic and Emily Topping join editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss their latest articles: the normalization of “selling out,” the weirdly viral “Dubai chocolate” craze, what GOP member podcasts reveal about right-wing propaganda, and why libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie outflanks most other Democrats on foreign policy.

Academia is not full of radicals. There just aren’t many Republicans, perhaps because Republicans despise the academy’s values of open-mindedness and critical inquiry. 

Rahm Emanuel encourages us to fear China solely because this would unify the country. But what is the threat?

From North Korea to the Caribbean to Yemen, Trump claims the right to murder whoever he wants, whenever he wants. Where is the opposition to this outrageous criminality?