National
Activism, Half-Baked: Profit and Progressive Values in Corporate America
In the past year, protests over racial injustice and threats to U.S. democracy have sparked a wave of activism across corporate America. Company leaders have hosted community conversations, signed letters, released statements, promised donations, and shared hashtags picked up from their fifteen-year-old daughters. But with many of these objectives left unmet, the value of corporate activism runs into pressing questions: What really defines an “activist” company? How can companies engage authentically and effectively in activism, without exploiting social-justice issues as marketing tactics? And how can we, as consumers, identify and endorse the companies who are driving social change?
Bipartisanship isn’t Dead in State Legislatures
For those who hope to see a less punitive America, these bi-partisan collaborations show that progressives should, when necessary, work with conservative legislators to push for results they both hope to achieve.
The Silences of Local History
There are always missing records, topics that don’t get enough attention, and stories that don’t get told.
Cybersecurity: The Evolution of Contemporary Warfare
Warfare in the 21st century is evolving. As the world grows increasingly dependent on databases and security systems, cyberattacks and ransomware may hold greater potency than missiles and drone strikes.
The Paradox of Urban Migration in the Climate Change Era
The most vulnerable regions of the country are becoming more populous. How has federal policy expedited this phenomenon? And can bipartisan legislation improve urban sustainability before it’s too late?
Hustle and Honor
Whatever we do, we cannot continue our toxic relationship with labor, where work and identity coalesce into one grisly concept that reduces our humanity to a job title, a number of hours worked, and a salary.
Technology’s Possibilities and Pitfalls for Local Historical Societies
Many significant historical documents posted on the internet are stunningly ephemeral.
The Anatomy of the Perpetual Petrodollar Machine
Saudi oil politics, tenuous alliances in the Middle East, and the erosion of the Bretton Woods system firmly ensnared the United States in the trap of the petrodollar. Can the U.S. escape before the climate crisis worsens?