We’re Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid. We live in Washington DC and have been friends for a while. One of us works at a magazine, another thinks in a tank.
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In 2019, we started a podcast. In 2020, we started a newsletter. It’s an experiment.
"Proportionality refers to the “acceptable” ratio of civilians killed when weighed against whatever military goal the attacker hopes to achieve in any one strike," Damir writes in the latest Monday Note.
And why it all boils down to PR, one way or another.
🔥 LATEST PODCAST: In a special live recording in collaboration with the Aspen Institute's Philosophy and Society Initiative, Damir moderates a debate between our own Christine Emba and Washington Post nonfiction book critic Becca Rothfeld on the state of masculinity and its purpose today.
Maybe it's just modernity that's making everyone miserable.
In the latest Monday Note, Damir dissects matters of proportionality in war.
"In case you are wondering if Israel departs very far from U.S. best practices in selecting targets, the answer is no, it doesn’t."
And why it all boils down to PR, one way or another.
"The apocalypse with which he tempts those disaffected by “liberal modernity” is no closer to real transcendence than po*******hy is to real s*x," Tara Isabella Burton writes.
The billionaire investor sees the apocalypse coming. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for excitement.
![In Tom Barson's essay, he scrutinizes the "[Shadi] Hamid Plan". "My second reaction was more complicated, and stems fro...](https://img5.medioq.com/143/201/773773331432015.jpg)
In Tom Barson's essay, he scrutinizes the "[Shadi] Hamid Plan".
"My second reaction was more complicated, and stems from the fact that in almost all calls for a ceasefire...the conversation turns quickly to the role of the United States."
The "Hamid Plan" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire is well-intentioned but it misses something vital. The battle for Gaza is not an ordinary one.
On the latest podcast, a 🔥 debate in collaboration with the Aspen Institute's Philosophy and Society Initiative.
Christine Emba argues young men are struggling. Becca Rothfeld thinks we may be misdiagnosing the problem, and in doing so entrenching harmful stereotypes and gender norms.
Maybe it's just modernity that's making everyone miserable.
"Proportionality refers to the “acceptable” ratio of civilians killed when weighed against whatever military goal the attacker hopes to achieve in any one strike," Damir writes in the latest Monday Note.
In a special live recording in collaboration with the Aspen Institute's Philosophy and Society Initiative, Damir moderates a debate between our own Christine Emba and Washington Post nonfiction book critic Becca Rothfeld on the state of masculinity and its purpose today.
Maybe it's just modernity that's making everyone miserable.
In the latest Monday Note, Damir Marusic shares some very literal notes on the rules of war, civilian casualties, proportionality, and public opinion.
And why it all boils down to PR, one way or another.
In the latest Monday Note, Christine Emba dives into whether politics is the cause or a symptom to Americans' single status.
Is polarization killing romance, or is it something else?
On a recent podcast Khaled Elgindy traces the White House's empathy gap for Palestinians back to an affinity for Israel’s Western liberal values but also the various and entrenched mythologies that obscure the dispossession of Palestinians.
Listen now (99 mins) | Khaled Elgindy on why the U.S. can't seem to understand Palestinians.
“Political polarization may well make dating more difficult. But is that a reason for falling marriage rates, or a symptom?” Christine Emba asks in the latest Monday Note.
Is polarization killing romance, or is it something else?
In Tom Barson's essay, he scrutinizes Shadi's plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza War.
"My second reaction was more complicated, and stems from the fact that in almost all calls for a ceasefire...the conversation turns quickly to the role of the United States."
The "Hamid Plan" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire is well-intentioned but it misses something vital. The battle for Gaza is not an ordinary one.
In a post-9/11 world, wars are endless in part because they are less lethal. Is this “progress” or is it something more sinister? On the latest podcast, Damir, Shadi, and guest Sam Moyn take one another on in this heated conversation.
Samuel Moyn discusses the feasibility of "moral" warfare and lays out an alternative path for progress.
"What makes Thiel’s vision either appealing or dangerous, depending on your perspective, is that he is in fact on to something," writes Tara Isabella Burton in her first essay.
The billionaire investor sees the apocalypse coming. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for excitement.
"First, let’s point out that there are issues far more important than stated political affiliation that couples ought to agree on before agreeing to marry," Christine Emba writes on the latest Monday Note.
Is polarization killing romance, or is it something else?
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Samuel Moyn joins Shadi and Damir to dive into the potential for humane wars and whether progress, even in war, is possible. A contentious debate ensues.
Samuel Moyn discusses the feasibility of "moral" warfare and lays out an alternative path for progress.
"The apocalypse with which he tempts those disaffected by “liberal modernity” is no closer to real transcendence than po*******hy is to real s*x," Tara Isabella Burton writes in a new essay.
The billionaire investor sees the apocalypse coming. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for excitement.
""Why would the United States double down on a two-state solution and put pressure on Israel to negotiate with a partner it won’t accept on a solution it rejects out of hand?" asks Tom Barson.
The "Hamid Plan" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire is well-intentioned but it misses something vital. The battle for Gaza is not an ordinary one.
On the latest podcast, Khaled Elgindy joins Shadi and Damir in a heated conversation over the shortcomings of American policymaking and of its leaders’ failure to fully see the humanity of Palestinians.
Listen now (99 mins) | Khaled Elgindy on why the U.S. can't seem to understand Palestinians.
In this Monday Note, Damir Marusic dives into the Kissinger era of diplomacy in search of insights for peace.
"Indyk gently suggests that Kissinger’s prodigious efforts, though ultimately yielding a breakthrough, fell short of what was possible."
Is dreaming of lasting solutions to intractable problems a useless pursuit?
We are among the most if not the most diverse Muslim nationalities in the world yet we work together in ways few other Muslim communities can," Haroon Moghul writes.
Muslims in America are more united and have more cultural and political influence than ever. What will they do with it?
"And it is precisely in Thiel’s Straussian ambiguity...that we can better understand his message: one that transcends the easy binary of “Burning Man libertarian” and “Trumpian conservative," writes Tara Isabella Burton.
The billionaire investor sees the apocalypse coming. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for excitement.
On the latest podcast, Khaled Elgindy joins Shadi and Damir and traces a lacking moral consideration of Palestinians to an affinity for both Israel’s Western liberal values and the various and entrenched mythologies of the nation.
Listen now (99 mins) | Khaled Elgindy on why the U.S. can't seem to understand Palestinians.
"The apocalypse with which he tempts those disaffected by “liberal modernity” is no closer to real transcendence than po*******hy is to real s*x," Tara Isabella Burton writes in a new essay.
The billionaire investor sees the apocalypse coming. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your tolerance for excitement.
🔥 NEW PODCAST: Why do Americans struggle so much to understand Palestinians?
On the latest podcast, Khaled Elgindy joins Shadi and Damir in a heated conversation over policy and the lacking humanity extended to the plight of Palestinians.
Listen now (99 mins) | Khaled Elgindy on why the U.S. can't seem to understand Palestinians.
🚨 NEW EPISODE: Two weeks after Hamas’s brutal attack on Israeli civilians, tensions have skyrocketed as Israel begins an offensive against Gaza from the air and the ground as the area home to over a half million Palestinians is plunged into darkness. What could have been done to avoid this renewed war and what are the best possible paths toward ending violence?
This week, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic invite Peter Beinart on to discuss. Peter writes at his Substack, The Beinart Notebook and is editor-at-large of Jewish Currents as well as professor of journalism and political science at the City University of New York. Peter emphasizes the importance of viewing the conflict in its historical context, one that includes severe violence on either side of the border. After Hamas’ brutal massacre of Israeli civilians and now Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza, how can we speak with moral clarity and consistency about the many lives that have been lost?
Listen now (58 mins) | The paths to peace seem to lead to dead ends. Is there a way out?
🚨 NEW EPISODE: After Hamas fighters massacred hundreds of Israeli civilians, Israel is massed on Gaza’s borders ahead of an offensive.
This week, Shadi and Damir unpack the geopolitics and questions around morality in this ongoing conflict.
Listen now (76 mins) | Talking about atrocities after the fact isn't easy. But we must try to do it well.
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"I do feel like my attitude towards the past is that it's gone, but one can, one can still remember it, maybe?" Damir and Shadi talk about what we should take away from being unable recreate precious memories. Listen to the full podcast here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/how-to-regain-your-sense-of-wonder#details
In a clip from the latest podcast, Damir pushes Sohrab to articulate how his advocacy for a more interventionist government aligns with conservatism. Check out the full conversation here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/the-real-tyranny-threatening-liberty#details
On the latest podcast, Shadi presses guest Sohrab Ahmari on how he reconciles observing a government at odds with his social and cultural views while advocating for a more interventionist state. Check out the full podcast here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/the-real-tyranny-threatening-liberty#details
"To keep some of the bad influences from the right, mostly from filling that vacuum, what the left...need to do is offer a positive vision that acts as kind of a counter ideal, that is attractive to men..." Listen to Christine Emba on the latest pod! https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/the-masculine-world-is-adrift#details
A harbor pilot, a Romanian truck driver, a Spanish flight attendant, an African migrant. Ben Judah talks about the breadth of the 23 narratives in his new gripping new book, "This Is Europe". Listen to the podcast here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/this-really-is-europe#details
A harbor pilot, a Romanian truck driver, a Spanish flight attendant, an African migrant... @Ben Judah talks about the breadth of the 23 narratives in his new gripping new book, "This Is Europe". You won't want to miss the full conversation here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/this-really-is-europe#details
On the latest podcast, British journalist Ben Judah joined Shadi and Damir to talk about his new book, "This Is Europe" and how he was able to draw out intimate stories from subjects across the continent. Listen to the full podcast here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/this-really-is-europe
On the latest podcast, Damir draws on the Cold War-era conversion of some Democrats toward the neoconservative right to press @Shadi on why he feels he needs to belong to a political "team". Listen to the full episode here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/the-ideological-plates-are-shifting#details
On a recent episode, Tara Isabella Burton joined Damir Marusic and Christine Emba to discuss the subculture around therapy, which Damir sees as a form of "advanced sense of solipsistic narcissism". What's really going on here? Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjYW0e2BMYY
On a recent podcast, author Tara Isabella Burton joined Christine Emba and Damir Marusic to unpack what exactly is behind the emergence of spiritual alternatives to organized religion, including astrology. Check out the full episode here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/is-spirituality-possible-without?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2#detail
"I went through a period of thinking to myself what is this higher power? Is it energy? Is it the Universe? No, the way I think about it is in the sense of God." Don't miss Rachel Rizzo on the latest podcast here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/among-the-unbelievers#details
In the latest podcast, Ross Douthat joins Shadi Hamid and Samuel Kimbriel to discuss the institutional capture of "wokeness" and how frameworks like it that seek to transcend liberalism pose their owns risks. Watch more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gnesf8q0Z4&t=10s
In the latest podcast, the guys revisit differing views in political awareness, with Shadi Hamid believing in the power of collective change and Damir Marusic more fascinated as an observer looking in. Watch the full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH6F7yNclNQ&t=135s
In the latest podcast, Damir and Shadi discuss how a conception of progress has influenced Shadi's decision to recede from mainstream political discourse. Listen to Part 1 here: https://wisdomofcrowds.live/p/looking-for-happiness-in-all-the#details
Recently, Sam Adler-Bell joined Shadi and Damir to talk Trump and DeSantis, including how characterizations of the Florida governor as "Trump with a brain" miss the point about the former president's appeal. Watch Part 1 here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=182fvtb5efw
In our first live podcast, Damir and moderator Jen Murtazashvili probe Shadi on his approach to diplomatic democracy promotion, including how such a strategy could undermine American interests. Watch the full exchange on our YouTube page: https://youtube.com/@wisdomofcrowdspodcast7595/videos
Author Luke Burgis says "in understanding mimetic behavior and gaining some critical distance from it, we can be more intentional about the kinds of actions that we're taking." Listen to the full conversation with Shadi and Damir here: https://t.co/tivMxozIbu
"I think a lot of what we are seeing is a clash between both sides feeling that they are not represented." —Jason Willick of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page joined Shadi and Damir on the latest episode of Wisdom of Crowds to talk all things representation, legitimacy, and populism. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-counts-as-the-people/id1475204845?i=1000514267731
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