George Packer

George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of 10 books, including The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (a winner of the 2013 National Book Award); Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century (the winner of the 2019 Hitchens Prize and Los Angeles Times Book Prize); and, most recently, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. Before joining The Atlantic in 2018, he was a staff writer at The New Yorker for 15 years. He writes about American politics and culture and U.S. foreign policy.

Latest

  1. No One Can Offer Any Hope

    Even if most Americans haven’t abandoned their private sense of empathy, many don’t seem terribly bothered by the rancidness of their leaders.

    Collage with photos of J. D. Vance and Elon Musk
    Photo-illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic. Sources: Francis Chung / Politico / Bloomberg / Getty; Jacquelyn Martin / AFP / Getty.
  2. The Talented Mr. Vance

    J. D. Vance could have brought the country’s conflicting strands together. Instead, he took a divisive path to the peak of power.

    a collage of three different photos of Vice President J. D. Vance, with a red hue
    Photo-illustration by David Samuel Stern*
  3. Be a Patriot

    Fleeing America before you are threatened is a lot like obeying in advance.

    A suitcase
    Bieke Depoorter / Magnum
  4. The Hollow Men

    It takes a special talent to betray an entire worldview without missing a beat.

    illustration of a row of 4 headless/hollow blue-suited figures with white shirts and red ties
    Illustration by Ben Hickey