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Americans Hate the Two-Party System But Don’t Know What Should Replace It, ISMA Populism Survey Finds
Voters overwhelmingly want something different, but don’t know or understand the reform options on the table
 • Andy Craig
India's Gen Z—aka Cockroaches—Brings Strongman Modi to Heel
But whether the mass youth movement can win the battle against his authoritarian misrule and nasty sectarianism remains to be seen
 • Debasish Roy Chowdhury
Britain's New Prime Minister Sees Proportional Representation as a Cure to Polarization
America needs a leader to champion similar electoral reforms in this country
 • Grant Tudor
Court Packing Is a Dangerous Gambit Best Avoided
The Roberts Court is not Trump's lackey—but its worst rulings can be fixed by less radical measures
 • Ilya Somin
1:09:06
Dismantling the Legacies of Illiberalism Haunting the US: Zooming In With Jamelle Bouie, David French, Danielle Allen
Watch now | 'Is a utopian liberalism possible'? A LibCon2026 podcast
 • Aaron Ross Powell

Recent posts

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The MAGA 'Anchor Baby' Myth Doesn't Hold Water
America should welcome birth tourists because they generate taxpaying citizens without the US having to invest in them
 • Steve Chapman
Trump's Hardcore Populist Base Has Declined By a Third, ISMA's Survey Finds
They are uneasy by his extralegal use of executive authority even as some express greater hostility toward Muslims, trans people and…
 • Thomas Shull
LibCon2026 Is Receiving Rave Reviews
As America marked its 250th, ISMA conference attendees and speakers left energized to defend the liberal democracy it was built on
 • Berny Belvedere
LibCon2026: America's Darkest Hour Might Yet Become its Finest
As our smash hit conference made clear, the forces of resistance are stronger in this country than the forces of authoritarianism
 • Berny Belvedere
The World Needs America to Save Its Liberal Democracy
If this system of government dies in the land of its birth, it will have a hard time surviving elsewhere
 • Shikha Dalmia
LibCon2026 Kicks Off Tomorrow!
Are you ready for the most important convening of liberal thinkers and advocates from around the world?
The Iran War Might End Fossil Fuel Dependence
The world is poised to pivot to alternatives in a big way because its energy needs cannot be held hostage to the whims of a rogue president and a…
 • Tibita Kaneene
49:42
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Presidentialism plus single-member districts is a bad combination that incentivizes leaders to consolidate power by fueling division.
 • Andy Craig
Trump Is Revving Up His Vote-Suppression Tactics: A Video Roundup
Our mid-July collection of clips
No, We Do Not Need a ‘Good’ DOGE
Using extra constitutional, illiberal methods to restore liberalism would be self-defeating
 • John K. Glenn
The US Team’s Loss Hasn’t Shamed America in the World Cup, Trump’s Conduct Has
His brazen campaign to reinstate a player has elicited global disgust and rightly so
 • Berny Belvedere
Trump Politicizes the World Cup by Bullying FIFA Into Reinstating a US Player: An Executive Watch Roundup
Our early-July selection of the president’s latest and greatest assaults on the rule of law
 • Executive Watch
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The latest from
Andy Craig
Americans Hate the Two-Party System But Don’t Know What Should Replace It, ISMA Populism Survey Finds
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Berny Belvedere
LibCon2026 Is Receiving Rave Reviews
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Shikha Dalmia
The World Needs America to Save Its Liberal Democracy
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Landry Ayres
The Revolution Is Dead, God Save King Trump: A Video Roundup
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Birch Smith
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
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The UnPopulist Presents:

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Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world.

Reconstruction Agenda

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49:42
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Presidentialism plus single-member districts is a bad combination that incentivizes leaders to consolidate power by fueling division.
 • Andy Craig
29:16
A Bloated Executive and a Starved Congress Is a Bad Combination: A Conversation with Kevin Kosar
It distorts our scheme of checks and balances and undermines our ability to self-govern
 • Andy Craig
31:56
Americans Have Never Had Less Recourse for the US Government Violating Rights: A Conversation With Steve Vladeck
Accountability under both state and federal law faces high hurdles, but Congress could fix that
 • Andy Craig
Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
We need a movement to fully unlock the potential for resistance by states
 • Kathrina Szymborski Wolfkot
Americans Need Legal Remedies Restored Now to Protect Themselves Against Reckless ICE Agents
Congress, state legislatures, and courts can take steps to reopen avenues for litigation unduly closed off
 • Anya A. Bidwell and Marie Miller
All-Party Primaries Can Release Us From Our Partisan Doom-Loop Trap
Our republic is being destroyed by an electoral system that ignores the vast majority of the voting public
 • Danielle Allen
Trump’s Bogus Rationale for Invading Venezuela Is an Impeachable Offense
The Framers would have regarded this president as an out-of-control lunatic in desperate need of reining in by Congress
 • Andy Craig
50:39
What Tools Does Congress Still Retain to Control a Recalcitrant Executive? A Conversation with Josh Chafetz
Eventually, though, Congress needs to fix itself to effectively rein in the president
 • Andy Craig

Podcasts

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1:09:06
Dismantling the Legacies of Illiberalism Haunting the US: Zooming In With Jamelle Bouie, David French, Danielle Allen
Watch now | 'Is a utopian liberalism possible'? A LibCon2026 podcast
 • Aaron Ross Powell
49:42
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Presidentialism plus single-member districts is a bad combination that incentivizes leaders to consolidate power by fueling division.
 • Andy Craig
58:01
Trump Has Not Turned Americans Against Immigrants: A Conversation with Greg Sargent
The administration’s cruelty has deeply disturbed the country, opening the door for reforms with more legal pathways
 • Shikha Dalmia
48:43
The Trump Administration's Anti-Foreigner Animus Is a Betrayal of the World Cup—the Most Cosmopolitan Sport on Earth
Its visa and deportation policies have cast a pall on the game, but fans are finding ways to watch and celebrate despite the fear
 • Berny Belvedere
49:07
The Disarray of Protestant Churches Is Bad News for American Liberal Democracy: A Conversation with Raymond R. Roberts
It has led to MAGA idolatry on the one hand and shallow do-goodism on the other
 • Berny Belvedere
29:16
A Bloated Executive and a Starved Congress Is a Bad Combination: A Conversation with Kevin Kosar
It distorts our scheme of checks and balances and undermines our ability to self-govern
 • Andy Craig
Podcasts
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Zooming In at The UnPopulist
Dismantling the Legacies of Illiberalism Haunting the US: Zooming In With Jamelle Bouie, David French, Danielle Allen
Logo for Reconstruction Agenda
Reconstruction Agenda
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Recommendations
View all 24
Executive Functions
Executive Functions
Jack Goldsmith
The Bulwark
The Bulwark
The Bulwark
The Next Move
The Next Move
Garry Kasparov
Telos News
Telos News
Ryan Lizza
Slow Boring
Slow Boring
Matthew Yglesias
Top posts

Book Reviews

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Liberal Societies Need Grand Stories About Themselves
An interesting new book by a former Economist writer says that would jolt individuals out of their ennui
 • Jonathan Rauch
Does Immigration Lead to ‘Democratic Drain’ and Illiberalism in Native Countries?
A fascinating book by a political scientist says yes—but, in fact, there is strong evidence for the opposite case, too
 • Stan Veuger
Universities' Best Defense Against Censorship in the Public Square Is Free Inquiry
In their otherwise valuable new book, two prominent professors acknowledge the need for diverse viewpoints on campuses but don't offer a cure for…
 • Jonathan Marks
How the Chinese Immigrant Experience Shaped Birthright Citizenship
Reviving this history is vital to understanding the 14th Amendment's true intention
 • J. L. Wall
The Constitution's Sweeping Pardon Power Is Its Achilles' Heel for Checking an Imperial President
Worse, there are no good fixes in our polarized times for stopping the abuse of this dangerous tool
 • Gabriel Schoenfeld
Dear Liberals: Don’t Forget to Brag About Liberalism
Critical self-appraisals are fine so long as they don’t validate bad-faith attacks on the liberal order
 • Jonathan Rauch

World

View all
India's Gen Z—aka Cockroaches—Brings Strongman Modi to Heel
But whether the mass youth movement can win the battle against his authoritarian misrule and nasty sectarianism remains to be seen
 • Debasish Roy Chowdhury
Britain's New Prime Minister Sees Proportional Representation as a Cure to Polarization
America needs a leader to champion similar electoral reforms in this country
 • Grant Tudor
The Iran War Might End Fossil Fuel Dependence
The world is poised to pivot to alternatives in a big way because its energy needs cannot be held hostage to the whims of a rogue president and a…
 • Tibita Kaneene
Armenia Rejects Populism and Chooses Democracy Despite a Devastating Military Defeat
In fact, voters handed a mandate to the man who lost territory
 • Alexander Kaffka
Mindless Middleness Was Keir Starmer’s Undoing
The UK prime minister was forced out because he failed to offer his own vision and played on the right’s turf
 • Berny Belvedere
Does Immigration Lead to ‘Democratic Drain’ and Illiberalism in Native Countries?
A fascinating book by a political scientist says yes—but, in fact, there is strong evidence for the opposite case, too
 • Stan Veuger
Hindu Supremacists ❤️ Laura Loomer Despite Her Racist Anti-Indian Tirades Because She Hates Muslims
Islamophobia is forging a troubling new geopolitical alliance between the Indian, Israeli, and American far right
 • Debasish Roy Chowdhury
Iranians Had a Better Shot of Toppling Their Monstrous Regime Before the War
The country's rulers have become more entrenched and brutal, turning the glimmer of hope during the protests into fear and despair
 • Pouya Nikmand
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