“We are witnessing an aggressive attempt at a hostile takeover of an American institution. There is still time to stop it.” With the DSA’s influence inside the Democratic Party growing, RDI Chairman @garrykasparov.bsky.social on five things everyone needs to understand before the midterms:

Five Things to Know About the DSA

Agree or disagree, let’s start with the same set of facts.

thenextmove.org

“David Cameron’s decision to call a referendum on Brexit was ultimately the consequence of playing on his populist opponents’ turf.” With images of Ceuta flooding the news and Reform UK rising, RDI’s Max Mottola on the lesson Britain’s decade of post-Brexit chaos holds for the Democratic Party: 

Will Britain’s New Prime Minister Miss the Moment?

Brexit and Trump are both products of politicians stuck playing defense.

thenextmove.org

“Ukraine is no dictatorship. Its president is responsive to public demands under the most trying circumstances.” Former US Marine and Ukrainian volunteer, Issac Olvera, joined the protests in Ukraine and came away inspired: 

Ukraine’s Protesters Remind Us Why Their Country Isn’t Russia

In a free society, demonstrating is not a death sentence.

thenextmove.org

“We can dispute manipulated narratives, but in order to push back against authoritarian populism, we need to be aware of what the narrative is to begin with.” RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Max Mottola on how Ceuta captivated the right—and why liberals need to pay attention:

The Ceuta Border Crisis: A Strategic Blind Spot

The American right is obsessed with a migrant crisis in a Spanish city—and many liberals aren’t paying attention.

thenextmove.org

“On the eve of the most consequential presidential election since the Civil War, the DSA released a shameful statement casting a false equivalence between Harris and Donald Trump.” RDI Chairman @garrykasparov.bsky.social lays out some basic facts about the DSA:

Five Things to Know About the DSA

Agree or disagree, let’s start with the same set of facts.

thenextmove.org

“So far, our constitutional ‘guardrails’ have held, more or less. But whack on them long enough, and who knows?” RDI’s @jaynordlinger.bsky.social investigates how dictators rig elections and the rise of election denial in the world’s oldest democracy:

‘Elections’ and Their Riggers

On Russia, Egypt, and elsewhere.

thenextmove.org

“When the immigration issue devolves into a competition over who is ‘tougher’ on border security, right-wing populists, who aren’t constrained by moral or factual guardrails, tend to win out.” RDI’s Max Mottola on why center-left to center-right leaders must shape their own narratives:

Will Britain’s New Prime Minister Miss the Moment?

Brexit and Trump are both products of politicians stuck playing defense.

thenextmove.org

“The scenes of a human cascade into Ceuta might have been lifted from a piece of nativist propaganda bearing the caption: ‘This is what happens when the left takes over.’” RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Max Mottola examine the mass border crossing that had the global far right enraptured:

The Ceuta Border Crisis: A Strategic Blind Spot

The American right is obsessed with a migrant crisis in a Spanish city—and many liberals aren’t paying attention.

thenextmove.org

“There’s a reason for this dictator apologia, and it’s the same reason that Piker's icon is Mao and not, say, Olof Palme, Sweden’s Cold War Social Democratic prime minister.” RDI's @garrykasparov.bsky.social points out a worrying trend of extremists giving their favorite authoritarians a free pass:

Democratic Socialists vs. Social Democrats

Why Hasan Piker cosplays as Chairman Mao, not Olof Palme.

thenextmove.org

“Ukraine is no dictatorship. Its president is responsive to public demands under the most trying circumstances.” Issac Olvera showcases democracy in action as Ukrainians take to the streets:

Ukraine’s Protesters Remind Us Why Their Country Isn’t Russia

In a free society, demonstrating is not a death sentence.

thenextmove.org

“Of all the institutions in America, it would be nice if our military were free of partisan and tribal politics.” RDI’s @jaynordlinger.bsky.social writes on the politicization of the US military:

The Trump-Hegseth Military

A politically charged military is bad, very bad, for democratic health.

thenextmove.org

“What we are witnessing is an aggressive attempt at a hostile takeover of an American institution. There is still time to stop it.” RDI Chairman @garrykasparov.bsky.social lists five facts about the DSA:

Five Things to Know About the DSA

Agree or disagree, let’s start with the same set of facts.

thenextmove.org

“Now, in America, the president is endangering public health in order to enforce a pseudoscientific secular religion that he knows is dangerous.” Revisit RDI’s @garrykasparov.bsky.social on MAHA last August as congressional Republicans relitigate Dr. Fauci’s record:

MAHA, Vaccines, and a Tradition of Authoritarian Hypocrisy

Comrade Brezhnev owned a Rolls-Royce and anti-vax-enabler Trump will get the jab. The leader never sacrifices like the people do.

thenextmove.org

"Ukrainians endured extraordinary restrictions to protect their democracy. That’s why I volunteered to serve in Ukraine's military. Now Ukrainians are hitting the streets for the same reason." Issac Olvera reports from the protests in Ukraine:

Ukraine’s Protesters Remind Us Why Their Country Isn’t Russia

In a free society, demonstrating is not a death sentence.

thenextmove.org

“The closing image of the whole affair was Trump himself, handing Spain’s captain the trophy.” RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Ariane de Gennaro explain what the World Cup revealed about a country that keeps having to perform its own decency around the edges of its government:

The World Cup And a Tale of Two Americas

Ordinary Americans won back the world’s goodwill. Will Donald Trump unravel the progress they made?

thenextmove.org

“After 2020, there’s certainly a reluctance to glorify the Founding Fathers, especially those, like Washington, who held human beings in bondage.” RDI’s Evan Gottesman reviews a conservative retelling of George Washington’s life in Young Washington:

Angel’s George Washington Movie Is Boring

First in war, first in peace, third at the box office.

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"It’s not that the semi-verbal jaundiced Tic Tacs Bob and Kevin are more compelling figures than the father of our nation. It’s that the only recent movie about Washington has nothing compelling to offer." RDI's @evangottesman.bsky.social reviews Young Washington:

Angel’s George Washington Movie Is Boring

First in war, first in peace, third at the box office.

thenextmove.org

“Here we see surrender in the form of the termination of ‘all types of sanctions’ on Iran.” Revisit RDI’s @garrykasparov.bsky.social on the short-lived US-Iran MOU as hostilities continue to escalate: www.thenextmove.org/p/trump...

Trump’s 14-Point Iran Deal, Annotated

Notes on a surrender.

thenextmove.org

“Many in the Democratic Party are still pretending that the DSA is something moderate, normal—something it does not claim to be.” RDI’s @garrykasparov.bsky.social explains why America’s democratic socialists are not like Scandinavian social democrats. Read more:

Democratic Socialists vs. Social Democrats

Why Hasan Piker cosplays as Chairman Mao, not Olof Palme.

thenextmove.org

“None of these efforts were choreographed by a tourism board or a State Department strategy memo, and that’s precisely why it landed.” RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Ariane de Gennaro on how Americans spent a summer winning back the world’s goodwill their government has spent 17 months burning through:

“If they close the Strait of Hormuz, you’ll dredge a new strait across Saudi Arabia, and Iran will pay for it!” As Trump threatens escalation, read RDI Chairman @garrykasparov.bsky.social ’s satirical guide to launching a war with no plan: 

How To Win the Iran War

A guide for strategic geniuses.

thenextmove.org

“Over 200 years, no one has come up with a better formula than one person, one vote, backed up by the rule of law and an expanding menu of civil liberties.” RDI’s Evan Gottesman defends liberal democracy as Trump continues to baselessly claim widespread election fraud:

Some Big Truths To Displace Trump’s Big Lie

The president’s dishonesty demands more than just a five-Pinocchio rating.

thenextmove.org

“This is The Art of the Deal meets The Art of War. They’ll call you a twenty-first century Clausewitz, which you might take as a compliment if you knew who that was.” Read RDI’s @garrykasparov.bsky.social with advice for a very-stable strategic genius threatening further military action in Iran:

How To Win the Iran War

A guide for strategic geniuses.

thenextmove.org

“The better side of America that ultimately showed up for visiting fans from abroad persists in spite of the Trump administration.” RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Ariane de Gennaro on the contrast between the American people and the American government:

The World Cup And a Tale of Two Americas

Ordinary Americans won back the world’s goodwill. Will Donald Trump unravel the progress they made?

thenextmove.org

“The truth is that our system of free and fair elections is worth celebrating. The very ability to choose our leaders is worth celebrating.” RDI’s Evan Gottesman reminds us of what it means to live in a democracy — at a time when Trump continues to challenge the security and accuracy of elections:

Some Big Truths To Displace Trump’s Big Lie

The president’s dishonesty demands more than just a five-Pinocchio rating.

thenextmove.org

“I suspect we will see the Navarros freed one day. And even Cuba itself.” RDI’s @jaynordlinger.bsky.social writes on a brave pair of Cuban political prisoners—father and daughter—fighting for democracy:

Father and Daughter, Political Prisoners in Cuba

The cases of Félix and Saylí Navarro.

thenextmove.org

“To host a World Cup, a nation need only be as democratic as the Argentine junta (1978), as transparent as Qatar (2022), and as peaceful as Russia (2018).” The World Cup is over. RDI Chairman @garrykasparov.bsky.social on what the list of previous hosts reveals about where America stands today:

The Trump World Cup

How bad actors turn sport into authoritarian spectacle.

thenextmove.org

“Trump’s dishonesty demands more than just a five-Pinocchio rating and some sharp digs.” The Big Lie is contagious. RDI’s Evan Gottesman on the president’s grievance speech and what it takes to counter a politics of resentment:

Some Big Truths To Displace Trump’s Big Lie

The president’s dishonesty demands more than just a five-Pinocchio rating.

thenextmove.org

“The US is starting to look a little more like the very nations Vice President JD Vance rightly criticized for putting ‘free speech’ into ‘retreat.’” FIRE’s @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social on how our First Amendment differs from other nations' speech protections, and why the distinction is narrowing:

America Is Failing Its Own Free Speech Standards

Criticizing ICE now means risking the censor’s wrath.

thenextmove.org

“Strongmen have used sporting events to launder their regimes’ legitimacy for decades” The World Cup has come to a close. RDI’s Sabina Cherner and Ariane de Gennaro on the America that showed up for five weeks of soccer, and the administration that kept getting in the way:

The World Cup And a Tale of Two Americas

Ordinary Americans won back the world’s goodwill. Will Donald Trump unravel the progress they made?

thenextmove.org