26
Feb
Note: Visions of Inequality
5 W Main: Visions of Inequality. For most of the Cold War, economists—not just in the West but in
1 min read
Gustav Jönsson
Gustav Jönsson is an associate editor with The Signal.
23
Feb
Shocks from underground
What’s driving the terrible conflict in Congo? The 2025 Oscar-nominee Johan Grimonprez on a history of violence and the costs of global competition over critical minerals.
10 min read
16
Feb
Men in gray
What’s the Trump administration doing to the U.S. federal bureaucracy? Francis Fukuyama on the real drivers of waste in the American civil service and the democratic peril in attacking it politically.
11 min read
09
Feb
Imperial presidency
Is there really an autocratic threat coming from inside American democracy? Daniel Bessner on the growth of U.S. presidential power and the resiliency of the remaining checks on it.
9 min read
05
Feb
Note: State of Silence
5 W Main: State of Silence. On taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to declassify
2 min read
02
Feb
The fourth branch
What exactly do U.S. President Donald Trump and his inner circle have in mind when they say they’re taking on the “deep state”? Hugh Wilford on the specter of an unelected government behind the American government.
11 min read
27
Jan
Note: We May Dominate the World
5 W Main: We May Dominate the World. During his inauguration last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “China
2 min read
21
Jan
Black box
Does the Chinese Communist Party really control TikTok? Emile Dirks on how it’s just like any other social-media platform—and isn’t.
7 min read
20
Jan
Note: ‘Generation Gap’
5 W Main: Generation Gap. Donald Trump, 78, is now the oldest person ever to assume the presidency of the
1 min read
13
Jan
Note: ‘Japan in the American Century’
5 W Main: Japan in the American Century. Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel’s
2 min read