Current Affairs
@currentaffairs.bsky.social
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Our stunning 57th issue is here, featuring whimsical cover art by Toni Hamel!
🧠 Elon Musk’s creepy plan to put a chip in your brain
🗑️ The struggles of striking garbage workers
📚 A deep dive into Thomas Pynchon’s novels
Become a subscriber:
www.currentaffairs.org/membership
🧠 Elon Musk’s creepy plan to put a chip in your brain
🗑️ The struggles of striking garbage workers
📚 A deep dive into Thomas Pynchon’s novels
Become a subscriber:
www.currentaffairs.org/membership
American students are right to focus on American policy. We have to stop our own crimes first. www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 5:10 PM
American students are right to focus on American policy. We have to stop our own crimes first. www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Governments that abuse human rights should be opposed. But there’s nothing wrong with focusing first on the human rights abuses that your own government is complicit in and over which the population of your country may exercise some level of control.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Governments that abuse human rights should be opposed. But there’s nothing wrong with focusing first on the human rights abuses that your own government is complicit in and over which the population of your country may exercise some level of control.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
It’s part of a brutal U.S. calculus that if it can make Iranians miserable enough they will turn against their government, which will fall in line with U.S. demands. www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 5:07 PM
It’s part of a brutal U.S. calculus that if it can make Iranians miserable enough they will turn against their government, which will fall in line with U.S. demands. www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
If the U.S. was supporting the Iranian government and supplying it with arms, it would be important for American students to act. But there is not a comparable policy shift that U.S. activists should be pushing for.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 5:05 PM
If the U.S. was supporting the Iranian government and supplying it with arms, it would be important for American students to act. But there is not a comparable policy shift that U.S. activists should be pushing for.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Some commentators, rather than simply expressing solidarity with Iran’s dissidents, have used the opportunity to bash pro-Palestine protesters in the United States.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Some commentators, rather than simply expressing solidarity with Iran’s dissidents, have used the opportunity to bash pro-Palestine protesters in the United States.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Governments should respect the basic human rights of dissenters. We should always be clear that when governments are shooting dissenters in the street merely for dissenting, we side with the victims rather than the perpetrators.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Governments should respect the basic human rights of dissenters. We should always be clear that when governments are shooting dissenters in the street merely for dissenting, we side with the victims rather than the perpetrators.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Why American Students Don’t Protest The Iranian Government
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM
We owe persecuted dissidents around the world our solidarity. But we, like the Iranians, should focus first on the crimes our own government is committing.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-ame...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o reminds us that language is important, that culture is a battleground, that the fight for decolonization is not finished, and that the mind, once freed, is capable of envisioning and creating better societies and nations. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
The Decolonial Mind of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Kenya’s greatest novelist was never shy about confronting the politics of empire and capitalism.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 15, 2026 at 2:55 AM
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o reminds us that language is important, that culture is a battleground, that the fight for decolonization is not finished, and that the mind, once freed, is capable of envisioning and creating better societies and nations. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o gave the world a decolonial literature that challenged power, domination, and inhumanity. His vision is more pertinent than ever in our disputed and globalized world.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
The Decolonial Mind of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Kenya’s greatest novelist was never shy about confronting the politics of empire and capitalism.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 15, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o gave the world a decolonial literature that challenged power, domination, and inhumanity. His vision is more pertinent than ever in our disputed and globalized world.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
Kenya’s greatest novelist was never shy about confronting the politics of empire and capitalism.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
The Decolonial Mind of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Kenya’s greatest novelist was never shy about confronting the politics of empire and capitalism.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 15, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Kenya’s greatest novelist was never shy about confronting the politics of empire and capitalism.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-dec...
As horrifying as the ICE Nazis are, seeing Americans willing to be pepper sprayed, tear gassed, and beaten up to protect their immigrant neighbors is a thing that should warm the heart and give hope for humanity
January 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM
As horrifying as the ICE Nazis are, seeing Americans willing to be pepper sprayed, tear gassed, and beaten up to protect their immigrant neighbors is a thing that should warm the heart and give hope for humanity
We must walk a careful line between the complacent optimism that can come from knowing that a better world is possible and acknowledging the trajectory we are headed on if we keep our heads in the sand regarding the U.S. war machine’s environmental toll.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The U.S. War Machine is “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:43 PM
We must walk a careful line between the complacent optimism that can come from knowing that a better world is possible and acknowledging the trajectory we are headed on if we keep our heads in the sand regarding the U.S. war machine’s environmental toll.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
It would take the average American driver over 40 years to burn as much fuel as a single flight of a Boeing Pegasus refueling tanker. No amount of recycling your cans and bottles is ever going to compete with these numbers. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The U.S. War Machine is “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:32 PM
It would take the average American driver over 40 years to burn as much fuel as a single flight of a Boeing Pegasus refueling tanker. No amount of recycling your cans and bottles is ever going to compete with these numbers. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
Despite the horror of the subjects she covers, Abby Martin never wavers from her radical optimism in humanity itself. She operates under the philosophy that we all have the ability to challenge these systems of power and destruction.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The U.S. War Machine is “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Despite the horror of the subjects she covers, Abby Martin never wavers from her radical optimism in humanity itself. She operates under the philosophy that we all have the ability to challenge these systems of power and destruction.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The top priority for every activist in the climate, broader environmental, and anti-war movements must be to confront our single largest threat: the U.S. military empire.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The U.S. War Machine is “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:21 PM
The top priority for every activist in the climate, broader environmental, and anti-war movements must be to confront our single largest threat: the U.S. military empire.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
The U.S. War Machine is “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:09 PM
In their new documentary, Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s...
In the 1940s and ’50s, comics like “Is This Tomorrow” taught Americans that socialism was something to be feared. Today, the same propaganda still lingers.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-ant...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-ant...
How Anti-Communist Comic Books Spread the Red Scare
In the 1940s and ’50s, comics like “Is This Tomorrow” taught Americans that socialism was something to be feared. Today, the same propaganda still lingers.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 13, 2026 at 6:45 PM
In the 1940s and ’50s, comics like “Is This Tomorrow” taught Americans that socialism was something to be feared. Today, the same propaganda still lingers.
www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-ant...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-ant...
Reposted by Current Affairs
My new piece for @currentaffairs.bsky.social
Fascists despise many things about socialism. In particular, and related, are its rationalism, materialism, cosmopolitan universalism, and above all socialism’s egalitarianism. www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-fas...
Why Fascists Always Come for the Socialists First
Contrary to right-wing myths that the "Nazis were socialist," fascists despise socialism and want to destroy it. Here's why the left poses such a threat to them.
www.currentaffairs.org
January 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
My new piece for @currentaffairs.bsky.social
The fertility industry can give hope and life to so many families. Yet it’s been shown countless times that the welfare and the ultimate good of the families and the children who are being created are not the things that this industry prioritizes. Money is. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-pro...
January 10, 2026 at 2:21 AM
The fertility industry can give hope and life to so many families. Yet it’s been shown countless times that the welfare and the ultimate good of the families and the children who are being created are not the things that this industry prioritizes. Money is. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-pro...