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Stephen Holmes

Stephen Holmes

8 commentaries

Stephen Holmes, a professor at New York University School of Law, is the co-author (with Ivan Krastev) of The Light that Failed: A Reckoning (Allen Lane, 2019).

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  1. Explaining Europe's Reaction
    gambetta3_Ying TangNurPhoto via Getty Images_anti-war Ying TangNurPhoto via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Explaining Europe's Reaction

    Mar 7, 2022 Diego Gambetta & Stephen Holmes think governments' robust response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is primarily driven by fear.

  2. Putin’s Ambivalent Illiberalism
    holmes7_putin_trump_Mikhail_Svetlov_Getty_Images1152460291 Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

    Putin’s Ambivalent Illiberalism

    Jul 5, 2019 Stephen Holmes thinks the Russian president's view of the “liberal idea” merits attention, but not the attention it's getting.

  3. Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check
    Trump and Mattis Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

    Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check

    Apr 19, 2017 Stephen Holmes argues that delegating war-making decisions to the military never ends well.

  4. The Ukrainian School of War
    Ukraine revolution anniversary Russian tank Geovien So/ZumaPress

    The Ukrainian School of War

    Feb 25, 2015 Stephen Holmes & Ivan Krastev show why the motivations of Russia, the US, and Europe preclude a diplomatic solution.

  5. Putin on Ice
    Vladimir_Putin_kremlin.ru kremlin.ru

    Putin on Ice

    Nov 17, 2014 Stephen Holmes & Ivan Krastev ask why Russia has chosen a policy toward Ukraine that is undermining its geostrategic interests.

  1. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

    compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  2. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  3. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.
  4. palacio156_ Georg Moritzpicture alliance via Getty Images_immigation Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why the EU’s New Migration Pact Matters

    Ana Palacio applauds the pragmatic coalition-building, especially by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, that enabled the deal.
  5. kirchschlager1_Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_AI Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images

    AI Needs UN Oversight

    Peter G. Kirchschläger calls for the creation of a watchdog – similar to the IAEA – that employs a human rights-based approach.
  6. chellaney_VCGVCG via Getty Images_china military VCG/VCG via Getty Images

    The West Is Hastening Its Own Decline

    Brahma Chellaney argues that the unprecedented US and European sanctions against Russia are backfiring.
  7. zizek29_Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images_palestine congress germany Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images

    Canceling Palestine

    Slavoj Žižek

    Current debates about Israeli policy are rife with double standards, leading to absurd decisions like Germany’s recent cancellation of a pro-Palestinian gathering. By quashing legitimate speech and assembly, an Israel-aligned establishment risks inciting precisely the kind of anti-Semitism that it wants to prevent.

    worries that the double standards applied on Israel’s behalf will lead to an anti-Semitic backlash.
  8. ackerman2_Brian van der Brug  Los Angeles Times via Getty Images_preschool Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    America’s Childcare Is Unfit for the Postmodern Age

    Bruce Ackerman urges US President Joe Biden to put universal preschool at the center of his re-election campaign.
  9. acemoglu72_ Hulton ArchiveGetty Images_cottonhandweaving Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    History Already Tells Us the Future of AI

    Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson find policy lessons for the 2020s in the work of the early-nineteenth-century economist David Ricardo.

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