Will Foreign-Policy Debates Decide Biden’s Fate?
Watch the full episode of Washington Week With The Atlantic, December 8, 2023
How to Love Winter a Little More
It’s about how you dress but also how you think.
Wood That Is See-Through Like Glass and Stronger Than Plastic
Transparent wood could soon make its way into touch screens, skyscraper windows, and car dashboards.
‘We Only Need Some Metal Things’
Will America abandon Ukraine?
Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos Get Honest With Each Other
The duo behind the fantastical film Poor Things talk sex, trust, and self-discovery.
The Joy of Underperforming
The idea of life having “seasons” has become a common way of talking yourself through a sudden upheaval.
The Dark Side of Christmas Music
Many of the songs combine gloom with cheer, echoing what the holidays can do for us.
AI’s ‘Fog of War’
How can institutions protect Americans against a technology no one fully understands?
Hayao Miyazaki Is Thinking About the End
The Boy and the Heron, which could be the Studio Ghibli co-founder’s final film, is more of a bold reinvention than a somber farewell.
Hopeful Images From 2023
I’ve made it an annual tradition to compose an essay of uplifting images from the past 12 months—an effort to seek out and recognize some of the joy and kindness present in the world around us, even in the midst of another tough year.
The Best Strategy for Late-December Reading
At this time of the year, I try to resist the pressure to be productive.
A Novel That Shows the Dark Side of Utopia
Gabriel Bump’s new book examines the human impulse to build new societies—and to destroy them.
The College Board Tries Again
The nonprofit has released an updated curriculum for its AP African American Studies course, correcting many of its earlier missteps.
The Universities That Don’t Understand Academic Freedom
Leaders of prestigious institutions who can’t say whether advocating “the genocide of Jews” is allowed on campus seem to have a basic literacy problem with free speech.
America Isn’t Ready for the Two-Household Child
Joint custody is a growing reality—but the country’s systems for supporting families aren’t built to accommodate it.
The Humbling of Henry Kissinger
The truth is that his tenure as secretary of state was often rocky, and as full of setbacks as acclaim.
Trump Voters Are America Too
If he wins a second term, perhaps we’ll finally dispense with the myth that “this is not who we are.”
What Will Happen to the American Psyche If Trump Is Reelected?
Our bodies are not designed to handle chronic stress.
The Left Can’t Afford to Go Mad
A second Trump term would require an opposition that focuses on his abuses of power—and seeks converts rather than hunting heretics.
A Military Loyal to Trump
In 2020, the armed forces were a bulwark against Donald Trump’s antidemocratic designs. Changing that would be a high priority in a second term.