Sweden's Shift Right

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Since Brexit’s success in June of 2016, European political commentary has focused on the decline of moderate “establishment” parties and the emergence of right-wing populism as a powerful new force. In the last two years, elections in several countries, including Germany, Austria, Poland reinforced this narrative, with far-right parties gaining ground and some governments modifying their policies to appease nationalist voters  Last Sunday, Europe’s political transformation seems to have continued.

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Buying a Conscience

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There is little doubt that the marketing team at Nike was giddy when they came up with the new advertising campaign, which would achieve two objectives with one ad.

Objective #1: Be controversial. Nothing generates buzz, the essence of advertising, quite like controversy. In the blink of an eye, they have garnered more exposure from the resulting news coverage than from actual ad placement. By that score, the marketers certainly earned their paychecks.  

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The Approaching Appointment of Brett Kavanaugh

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As smoke clears from the fiery battleground that was the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, the Supreme Court nominee stands solid for appointment. After fending off intense questioning during the last two 13-hour-long days of the hearings, the image Kavanaugh’s supporters have presented of an experienced and erudite jurist prevailed over that of a far-right Trump puppet. In one of the most controversial and heated Supreme Court nomination processes that has ever occurred, Kavanaugh managed to dodge vilifying challenges and present himself as an independent judge, loyal to the Constitution, destined for the Court with the help of a Republican-controlled Senate.

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