The Chimera of Enterprise Zoning  

As the debate about America’s urban crisis sharpens and “reindustrialization” gains momentum on the Republican agenda, a controversial proposal to aid distressed urban areas is making the rounds in policy-making circles. With nostalgic appeals for a return to traditional American …



Airborn – Again  

From the moment the first bit of political awareness dawned on me I spent a lot of time being annoyed at William F Buckley, Jr. Lately I’ve been wondering why he persists in his loud and public rituals of intellectual …





Too Important for the Experts  

We printed in our last issue a quietly thoughtful piece by H. A. Feiveson, “Can We Decide About Nuclear Weapons?” Mr. Feiveson wrote about the difficulties ordinary people face in trying to reach political conclusions about nuclear policy, yet the …





Toward a Sane Defense Policy  

It is essential for people of the democratic left to begin a fundamental examination of the assumptions behind U.S. defense policy—because Reagan continues to follow, in magnified form, a trend that began under the Carter administration. There has been broad …





Labor Prepares for the Election  

We’re halfway between Solidarity Day I and Solidarity Day II. At the AFL-CIO convention last fall, the delegates proclaimed Election Day as the follow-up to the extraordinary march on Washington. This November labor hopes to vote enough Reagan supporters out …







Stalemate in Northern Ireland  

“Their orders are to dominate us, y’know,” a Crossmaglen man said softly as we watched a British army patrol edge nervously down a street of this tiny Catholic border town in Northern Ireland. “They’ll never dominate us.” Crossmaglen nestles in …



A Critique of the Welfare State  

This volume collects the essays of one of the most thoughtful academic theorists writing on American politics today. While not systematic, they are learned, eloquent, intellectually independent, deeply troubled and often deeply troubling. Part of the interest of Schaar’s work …



Are 300 Parties Too Many Parties?  

A mental arrogance seems to afflict us when we consider Spain. When Americans read of right-wing plots in Spain against the new democracy every several weeks or so, if they are wise they know the old Spanish right must somehow …



The Polish Diaspora  

Last year I saw Tadeusz Kantor’s famous production of the Dead Class in New York at La Mama. It had originated in Cracow, then toured all over the world. I would like to share with you the reflections of an …