CAMBRIDGE — For the better part of a decade, the diagnosis of America’s democratic distress has enjoyed a seemingly airtight consensus among populists, progressives, and policy wonks alike: the system is broken because the economy is rigged. According to this reigning paradigm, the root cause of the nation’s profound political…
CAMBRIDGE — It has become a standard refrain across living rooms, cable news studios, and academic halls across the United States: the American political system is broken. For years, diagnosticians of the American malaise have pointed their fingers at widening economic divides. The prevailing narrative suggests that the root cause…
By Jeffrey Frankel Cambridge | September 25, 2026 Main Facts The United States political system is suffering from a profound and deepening crisis of governance, characterized by unprecedented polarization, legislative gridlock, and a complete breakdown of bipartisan consensus. While conventional political discourse frequently attributes this decay to runaway economic inequality…
By Pedro Abramovay and Julia Sakr-Tierney Published: September 21, 2026 Location: New York Introduction: The Erosion of Hegemony Through Force Far from bolstering United States dominance on the global stage, Donald Trump’s embrace of coercive militarism has systematically eroded it. In an era defined by hyper-connected information networks and complex…
For those residing in regions blessed with a distinct transition between the sweltering heat of summer and the biting chill of winter, autumn represents a fleeting, sensory-rich window of opportunity. The annual ritual of watching the landscape ignite in a wildfire of crimson, amber, and gold is more than just…
Main Facts The history of American watchmaking is a foundational chapter in global industrial history, defined by mass production, democratization, military necessity, and independent craftsmanship. For centuries, European horology—anchored primarily in Switzerland, Germany, and Great Britain—treated timepieces as painstakingly handmade, exorbitantly expensive curiosities. Components were crafted bespoke for individual pieces,…
Since its 17th-century roots, Thanksgiving has evolved from a harvest ritual into a cornerstone of American culture. Yet, in the 21st century, the definition of "family" is shifting. The rise of "Friendsgiving"—a communal, peer-led iteration of the traditional holiday—has dismantled the requirement that one must be tethered to ancestral dining…
