Institutions & security · Research
When enforcement becomes a test of federal power
Pape argues that militarized domestic enforcement can affect perceived legitimacy, public trust, and resistance beyond its immediate immigration objectives.
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We follow thinkers across different intellectual traditions, not an algorithm’s outrage ranking. Every selected argument links to its original essay, book, interview or video. Our analysis separates what the author says, what the evidence supports, and what remains unanswered.
Source-linked arguments 6 records
Foreign policy · Book
Can great powers remake other societies?
Mearsheimer argues that American attempts to spread liberal democracy abroad face powerful constraints from nationalism and great-power politics; he favors greater restraint.
Political economy · YouTube
Is government too large—or serving the wrong interests?
In his August 2026 program, Wolff separates two disputes often treated as one: how much power the state should exercise in the economy, and whose interests that power serves. He connects the second dispute to the Democratic Socialists of America.
History & society · YouTube
What holds a self-governing society together?
Hanson emphasizes shared civic knowledge, a substantial middle class, assimilation and a common civic identity as conditions for sustained self-government.
Economy & work · Essay
Should economic policy serve consumers or workers first?
Rodrik argues that access to affordable goods cannot be the sole yardstick of a successful economy: the quality of jobs and people’s roles as workers matter too.
Politics & institutions · Essay index
When foreign policy becomes an institutional test
Applebaum’s September column argues that foreign-policy choices can be entangled with private gain and illiberal political objectives.
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Where the frameworks differ
Richard Wolff and Dani Rodrik start from different economic traditions. Compare the questions they ask about work, prices and institutions; this is a reading prompt, not a claim they debated one another.
Wolff’s source → Rodrik’s source →John Mearsheimer’s realist theory and Robert Pape’s empirical work operate at different levels of analysis. Compare the ways each treats the limits of coercion, without pretending their findings are interchangeable.
Mearsheimer’s source → Pape’s source →Thinkers we follow 28 names · watchlist
Being on this watchlist does not imply agreement, endorsement, or that we have published a sourced argument from each person. Additional work appears only after source review.
Robert A. PapeInstitutions & security
Security research; coercion and political violence
John J. MearsheimerForeign policy
Realism; great powers and alliances
Stephen M. WaltForeign policy
Balance of threats; U.S. strategy
Kori SchakeForeign policy
Alliances and defense policy
Fiona HillForeign policy
Russia, Europe and institutions
Robert KaganForeign policy
Liberal internationalism and U.S. power
Kishore MahbubaniForeign policy
Asian perspectives and global order
Richard D. WolffEconomy & work
Marxian economics; labor and ownership
Mariana MazzucatoEconomy & work
Public value and state-led innovation
Dani RodrikEconomy & work
Trade, industrial policy and jobs
Tyler CowenEconomy & work
Markets, innovation and growth
Martin WolfEconomy & work
Financial institutions and global economy
Daron AcemoğluEconomy & work
Institutions, technology and work
Raghuram RajanEconomy & work
Banking and financial systems
Victor Davis HansonHistory & society
Classical history and conservative thought
Anne ApplebaumHistory & society
Authoritarianism and democratic institutions
Francis FukuyamaHistory & society
Liberal democracy and state capacity
Glenn LouryHistory & society
Inequality and civic discourse
Michael SandelHistory & society
Justice, markets and meritocracy
Martha NussbaumHistory & society
Ethics, capabilities and political philosophy
Yuval LevinHistory & society
Institutional conservatism
Ethan MollickTechnology & culture
Practical adoption of artificial intelligence
Timnit GebruTechnology & culture
AI accountability and social impacts
Gary MarcusTechnology & culture
AI reliability and limitations
Erik BrynjolfssonTechnology & culture
Technology, productivity and labor
Fei-Fei LiTechnology & culture
Computer vision and human-centered AI
Zeynep TufekciTechnology & culture
Digital platforms and institutions
Jonathan HaidtTechnology & culture
Moral psychology and technology
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