Setup
Demagogues promise a return to an imaginary past. The opposite of demagogues — politicians — focus on visions of a glorious future. The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen, author of The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, explores a number of such visions — visions of a more equal, sustainable life, visions of the common good and inclusive politics — as expressed in existing projects from around the world. From Detroit to Palestine to Medellin, Gessen reports on the concept of “parallel polis,” how small societies within larger societies can be instruments for social and political reform, creating new futures.
Explore More
USA

In a time of heightened distrust, how can media outlets reclaim the public’s confidence? We hear from a longtime journalist.





The idea of unity is a compassionate, hopeful aspiration for a country ravaged by a global pandemic, racial injustice, economic downturn and mob violence.



Two weeks before the first woman of color became Vice President, an angry mob that included members of the white supremacist group Proud Boys, stormed the US Capitol. As Ibram...

Biden believes deeply that actions like the January 6th violence at the Capitol are not who we want to be as a country, says Evan Osnos, author of a Biden biography.







As the nation reels from the attack on the Capitol, we look for ideas that will move us forward.



Peggy Clark asks Dan Glickman to reflect on this past year and to share what he expects from our country under President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.





“We are not in a rush to pull people back into the workplace,” says Rob Falzon





