A record number of abstentions, and a strictly binary choice for voters — many of whom said they were picking the lesser of two evils — are trouble signs even within a mature democracy.
Author: AMANDA TAUB
Why ‘Border Control’ Politics Is More About Control Than Borders
A quirk of political psychology helps explain the British government’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
A Crisis for Mothers
The war in Ukraine has led to familiar, but heightened, problems for women.
The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Is a Women’s Crisis
A wave of displaced women and children into Poland is forcing the country to address its lack of protections for working women.
The Powerful Force Guiding Poland’s Welcome to Ukrainians: Fear of Putin
Poland has not been a welcoming place for some refugees. But Ukraine’s cause, in this political moment, has been popular because of a mutual concern about Russia.
Why Putin name-checked J.K. Rowling
Putin has used scaremongering about gender and sexual orientation to support his authoritarian agenda. Right-wing politicians around the world are following the same playbook.
Could a Crackdown on Kleptocrats Help Ukraine?
Russian oligarchs helped boost Vladimir V. Putin’s influence in the West. Can sanctions turn that pressure back on him?
Putin Seems to Sideline Advisers on Ukraine, Taking a Political Risk
Authoritarian leaders rely on elite support to govern. Jeopardizing those relationships in wartime could be risky, experts say.
Why the Taliban’s Repression of Women May Be More Tactical Than Ideological
For Afghanistan’s new rulers, keeping the clamps on women is a kind of marketing. But it may still cost them dearly.
Privacy Is Still a Victim When Rape Cases Hit the Justice System
Britain is struggling to end its dependence on the traumatizing seizure of data from victims’ phones. Pervasive rape culture is making it difficult.