The debate between capitalism and socialism often encourages people to choose a side before examining the underlying problems. Yet acknowledging weaknesses in capitalism does not require accepting every socialist proposal, just as recognizing the historical failures of socialism does not mean ignoring economic insecurity under market-based systems. A serious discussion needs to consider incentives, institutional limits, historical evidence, and the real experiences of ordinary people. My latest video explores precisely this uncomfortable middle ground by asking whether some features of the current economic model may be contributing to the appeal of the alternatives its supporters oppose. If you are interested in political economy beyond familiar talking points, the full video offers an argument worth considering. 
Out soon, and as always, thanks so much for sticking with me. It is very much appreciated and I hope your weekend goes well.
Be well.

The central arrondissements of Paris still photograph well. 
Architecture remains. 
What visitors describe, and what the psychiatric accounts record, is everything around that architecture: litter, graffiti, aggressive street behavior, and a population that no longer matches the cultured image sold abroad. 
For some arrivals the mismatch is merely annoying. 
For a documented minority it is destabilizing.  
And given the complete replacement in population it is not going to get any better any time soon. 
Other Western capitals have their own versions of the same slide. 
Paris is simply the one that already possesses a medical nickname, an embassy response, and a paper trail. The nickname is useful precisely because it is specific. It lets the comparison stay concrete. 
Out soon, and as always, thanks so much for sticking with me. It is very much appreciated and I hope your week goes well.
Be well.

Another round of street violence in France has produced the familiar official response: nothing fundamental can be altered and the native population must simply adjust. The historical record on divided populations is less comforting and far less passive. Demographic and political settlements that once looked fixed have repeatedly come apart once the underlying assumptions changed.
Between the early 1920s and the mid-1970s, Europe and its near abroad saw formal exchanges, postwar expulsions, partitions, and the rapid departure of long-settled European communities from North Africa. The circumstances differed. The speed did not. Those episodes remain awkward precedents for anyone arguing that today’s arrangements are uniquely irreversible.
Out now, and as always, thanks so much for sticking with me. It is very much appreciated and I hope your week goes well.
Be well.