AI editor Adam Garfinkle has weighed in at Tablet with a must-read article on the slow but steady unraveling of the “triangle linking American Jewry with the governments of Israel and the United States.” For the last seventy-odd years, Garfinkle argues, the US, Israel, and American Jews found themselves in a mutually beneficial relationship. But […]

From time to time on the blog we plan to highlight a new feature: short summaries of the books VM staff writers are reading and thinking about. This week Peter Blair (@PeterBlairAI), who covers health care and religion, talks about Affordable Excellence and Mother Country.  Affordable Excellence: The Singapore Health Care Story, published in April of this year […]

Two pieces this week offered a fascinating look into the future of American jobs. The Times profiled Jon Steinsson and Emi Nakamura, two up-and-coming economists who have taken “hiring help” to the extreme. In an effort to maximize the time they spend on tasks essential to their career, Steinsson and Nakamura, a couple, outsource many duties, chores, and activities […]

Even from prison Bo Xilai still wields influence. The former Communist Party leader was jailed for corruption and bribery two months ago, but his former supporters, boldly defying the Communist Party, have set up a new party and named Bo “chairman for life.”Members of the new party call it the Zhi Xian Party: “the constitution is […]

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was back on the Hill this week to testify about the Affordable Care Act exchanges, and her words were not reassuring to those who hoped the website would soon be functional. According to the WSJ, Sebelius said “contractors need to fix a couple of hundred problems and ‘we’re not where we […]

A major meeting of the Commonwealth of Nations—mostly former British colonies—will take place later this month in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, but one important member state won’t be represented: India. The decision by New Delhi on wether or not Manmohan Singh should attend has exposed internal divisions within India and highlighted a wider […]

Anti-semitism is reaching terrifyingly high levels in Europe. According to a new survey by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency, almost half of the Jews in some European countries have considered emigration due to anti-semitism. The BBC has more: The survey of 5,847 Jewish people said 66% of those who responded considered anti-Semitism to be a problem.Three […]

It looks like the Wall Street-blue model axis that has plundered cities like Detroit and Stockton is also one of the major forces sinking Puerto Rico. The Washington Post reports that the US territory’s $70 billion public debt and collapsing economy have been fueled by the codependence of spendthrift blue politicians and Wall Street investment […]

“America spends more on its health care system than any other country, but has worse health outcomes.” It’s a familiar tune, a variation on which involves Americans’ relatively lower life expectancy. Think again, says Avik Roy, offering several reasons why life expectancy isn’t a good metric by which to compare national health care systems. For example: […]

By most accounts, Abenomics is working tremendously well for Japan. Analysts and policymakers can debate the financial impact (some say it is working wonders while others deride it as “asset-bubble economics”), but there’s no question that after years of economic stagnation Abenomics is leading a resurgence in Japanese national pride.Shinzo Abe’s political home, Yamaguchi Prefecture, was an […]