The Problem of Pain
It’s easier to blame individuals for the opioid crisis than to attempt to diagnose and cure the ills of a society.
Winter 2026
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Hal Rogers’s Kentucky Kingdom
The second-longest-serving Republican in the House isn’t as well-known as Mitch McConnell, but he has pioneered a model of political economy replicated to grim effect across rural America.
Mexico’s Bid for Change
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s landslide victory in Mexico’s presidential election reflects widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo—and a broad-based mandate to transform the country.
Unleashing the Military on Mexico’s Drug War
2017 was Mexico’s deadliest year on record—and a new law deepening the military’s role in law enforcement threatens only to make things worse.
Cannabis Capitalism Takes California
Starting in January, smoking a joint will become almost as legal as drinking a beer in California. But will regulation of the marijuana industry bring an end to the harms of the drug war?
When Democracy Isn’t Popular
Trump’s admiration for despots is by now well known. But why do a majority of Filipinos still support President Rodrigo Duterte—even as they fear someone close to them will be killed in his drug war?
Why Protecting Journalists is Critical for Mexico’s Democracy
Javier Valdez was the sixth journalist murdered in Mexico so far this year. What will it take for his killers to see justice?
Duterte Unbound
In the Philippines, the deaths from President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs keep mounting—as does anger among the families of the victims.
The Enemy is Us: The Opioid Crisis and the Failure of Politics
In every possible sense, the opioid epidemic—the worst drug crisis in U.S. history—is a creature of our creation.
A Strike Against the New Jim Crow
For black lives to truly matter, we need labor rights for all workers—including prison laborers and those in the drug and sex trades.
Booked: The War on Booze
An interview with historian Lisa McGirr about her new book The War On Alcohol, and why Prohibition was more important than most people think.
Beyond Criminal Justice Reform
Real criminal justice reform demands profound social change. The fixation on severe sentences and police brutality masks harder truths.
With a counter-argument by Marie Gottschalk.
The End of the Drug War—Or a New Cartel of Cartels?
This summer, Mexico’s four major cartels signed a pact of alliance. Is this a sign that they’re weakening—or are we entering a new era of state–cartel cooperation?
