| | | | Fareed: Democrats Might Be Walking Into a Trap | | | The Trump administration's policy of separating migrant families "was immoral, mean-spirited and unnecessary," Fareed argues in his latest Washington Post column. But the Democrats could still be walking into a political trap on the broader immigration issue. "Immigration has become an issue that passionately motivates a large group of Americans, perhaps like no other. Some of this might be rooted in racism. But it also represents a kind of heightened nationalism. In an era of rampant globalization, people want to believe that they still maintain some sense of stability and control," Fareed writes. "The solutions to America's broken immigration system are complicated. But Democrats would do well to remember plain symbolism as well, something Bill Clinton and Barack Obama never forgot, which is why their rhetoric and actions on immigration were often far more centrist than those of many current Democratic leaders." | | Why Democrats Should Give Trump His Wall | | | The administration's decision to keep migrant families together does nothing to address the underlying problems. If the Democrats are serious about fixing the system, they need to do something they really don't want to, Andrew Sullivan writes for New York Magazine: Give Trump his wall. "He won the election. He is owed this. It may never be completed; it may not work, as hoped. But it is now the only way to reassure a critical mass of Americans that mass immigration is under control, and the only way to make any progress under this president. And until the white working and middle classes are reassured, we will get nowhere," Sullivan writes. "Don't give it to him for nothing, of course. It should come with a full path to citizenship for all DACA immigrants…But it should also go bigger: a legislative fix for Flores; massive new funding for detention facilities, humane family-friendly housing, and, above all, much more money for the immigration legal system, now completely overwhelmed by asylum cases." | | The Bright Red Line Between Saudi Women and Equality | | | Saudi Arabia ends its ban on women drivers this Sunday. The change reflects the Kingdom's growing "openness," writes Margaret Coker in The New York Times. But there's still a long, long way to go on the road to equality. "The new law…dovetails with the monarchy's ambitious economic changes that aim to wean Saudi Arabia, OPEC's top producer, from dependence on oil and to diversify the economy—shifts that require women to be workers and consumers," Coker writes. Still, "a bright red line keeps them from equality—the restrictive guardianship system. It is a mix of law and custom under which women remain dependents of male relatives—a father, husband, brother, uncle or son—their whole lives. "Guardianship ensures that the gender balance of power at home, work and perhaps even on the roads favors men by allowing them to consent—or not—to letting their women work, travel or receive medical care." | | Democracies Are Losing Faith In…Democracy | | | People around the world are losing faith in democracy and the idea that their government is formed "by the people" and is working "for the people," a new report finds [PDF]. The places where disillusionment with democracy is greatest? Democracies. "Over half (54%) of citizens living in democracies think their voices 'rarely' or 'never' matter in politics versus 46% in non-democracies. Of the ten countries that perform the worst on 'political voice,' nine are democracies," finds the Democracy Perception Index, created by Germany-based Dalia Research and Rasmussen Global. Meanwhile, "[o]ver half (54%) of citizens living in democracies think their voices 'rarely' or 'never' matter in politics versus 46% in non-democracies. Of the ten countries that perform the worst on 'political voice', nine are democracies." Japanese were the most likely to report that their voice didn't matter, followed by those living in Poland, France, Austria and Portugal. | | How US Could Be Giving ISIS a Helping Hand | | | ISIS may have been decimated on the battlefield, but thousands of remaining fighters have dispersed and the group has gone underground, writes Daniel Byman for Lawfare. Unfortunately, current US policy is making a comeback more likely. "The US military is aggressively trying to build partnerships to fight the Islamic State in Afghanistan, Africa and elsewhere, but such commendable efforts will not substitute for leadership from the top," Byman writes. "The Trump administration has signaled that it does not want to stay in Syria or otherwise engage [in] the hard work of long-term governance and state building. The White House also blasted Europe on military spending and trade, reducing popular support for cooperation with the United States. Rather than push Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other regional allies to be on the same page, the administration has exacerbated regional rivalries. Diplomacy, regional engagement, and low-level military cooperation are not glamorous and involve painful compromises, but they will be vital if the United States is to prevent the Islamic State from establishing itself once again in Iraq, Syria, or somewhere else." | | China's Next Big Bubble Is Ready to Burst | | | China's movie market is poised to surpass the United States' in the next few years. But don't be fooled by the headline numbers, writes Adam Minter for Bloomberg. Government meddling in the market has created a moviemaking bubble that is set to burst. "For years, the Communist Party, hoping to rival Hollywood's 'soft power' in global theaters, has tried to prop up China's homegrown movie-makers. Foreign competition is strictly limited by quotas, while the local industry receives generous support, including cheap real estate for studios and subsidies for theaters that show Chinese films," Minter writes. "Inevitably, all that capital led to a lot of content—too much, in fact. In 2015, only 372 of 686 domestically produced films ever made it into theaters." Minter says that a wave of consolidation and companies folding is likely, but adds that that's probably no great loss. "Audiences probably won't miss films like 'Oh My God,' a 2015 comedy that played up infanticide for laughs…But the coming implosion does show the peril of state-backed efforts to promote products that the market simply won't support." | | | | | | |
