A security-oriented reading list for insecure times

Coronavirus is scary, and self-distancing will be difficult. But this can also be a time to build solidarity with friends and neighbors. We can also use it to reap a cultural and intellectual dividend. At SPRI, we’ll be using the lockdown to revisit our reading lists as we continue to develop new ideas to build a foreign policy for the left. 

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Think Trump’s corruption is unique? Look across the aisle.

Adam Smith condemned Trump’s corruption, but as Smith’s own campaign warchest demonstrates, much of ‘national security’ funding has an afterlife propping up the campaigns of members of Congress who are friendly to the industry. The ranking Democrats’ impeachment inquiry was never about corruption per se, but rather about which forms of corruption ‘national security’ permits. 

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‘Deal of the Century’ dead on arrival - Part 2: How U.S. aid to Palestine deliberately perpetuates the occupation

Israel receives more aid every three years than Palestine has in seven decades. This aid disparity is not the only issue; in reality, much of U.S. support to Palestine is — in effect — support to Israel. Crucially, U.S. policies that favor Israel and deprive Palestinians of basic rights the means of self-determination reflect a bipartisan consensus that long predates Trump. 

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