Masha Gessen Readings

Masha Gessen is a Russian-American writer, philosopher, and activist who has written extensively on authoritarianism and autocracy as they relate to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. She grew up in a Jewish family and her great-grandfather was part of the Jewish resistance in World War II Europe (he joined the resistance after realizing that working “within the system” to save his people proved futile). As a part of history, her story is captivating, but as a part of reality, it is also foreboding.

Gessen published two important articles this week, but along with them I’m also sharing two older ones she’s written. Personally, I think all four are required readings. This is also the order in which they should be read:

1. Autocracy: Rules for Survival (New York Review of Books)
2. Trump: The Choice We Face (New York Review of Books)
3. The Putin Paradigm (New York Review of Books)
4. Arguing the Truth with Trump and Putin (New York Times)

American Politics

• What Those Who Studied Nazis Can Teach Us About The Strange Reaction To Donald Trump by Shawn Hamilton (Huffington Post) [must-read]
• I was a victim of a Russian smear campaign. I understand the power of fake news. by Anne Applebaum (Washington Post)
• Peter King’s Really Bad Idea by Mehdi Hasan (New York Times)
• How to Live Without Irony (for Real, This Time) by Christy Wempole
• To Understand 2016’s Politics, Look at the Winners and Losers of Globalization by Vincent Bevins (The New Republic)
• For Public Colleges, Funding Cuts Hit Hard by Beckie Strum (Wall Street Journal)
• How Republics End by Paul Krugman (New York Times) [must-read]
• Time to End the Electoral College by the Editorial Board (New York Times)
• Registry used to track Arabs and Muslims dismantled by Obama administration by Ed Pilkington (The Guardian) [must-read]

Syria

• Aleppo: Elegy for a doomed city whose history spans centuries by Hassan Hassan (The Guardian) [must-read]
• Aleppo’s “Evacuation”Is a Crime Against Humanity by Ben Taub (The New Yorker) [must-read]
• Russia’s influence has risen but Iran is the real winner in Aleppo by Martin Chulov (The Guardian)
• Here’s The Heartwarming Story Behind These Photos From Eastern Aleppo by Rose Troup Buchanan (Buzzfeed)
• Message from Syria to the United States:We’ll never again believe your lofty rhetoric by Abdulfattah Alkhaled (LA Times)

Other Middle East

• Turkey and Iran’s Dangerous Collision Course by Ali Vaez (New York Times)
• How Islam Can Fight the Patriarchy by Riada Asimovic Akyol
• The assassination of Russia’s ambassador in Turkey creates a crisis for Erdogan by Ishaan Tharoor (Washington Post)
• Liberal Zionism in the Age of Trump by Omri Boehm (New York Times) [must-read]
• Egypt’s Cruelty to Christians by Mona Eltahawy (New York Times) [must-read]
• Understanding the UN resolution on Israeli settlements: What are the immediate ramifications? by Barak Ravid (Haaretz) [must-read]
• Five takeaways: What the UN Security Council resolution means by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man (972 Mag)
• ‘No One’s Country Anymore’ by Nicholas Kristof and Lauren Bohn (New York Times)

Europe

• Romania Set for First Female, and First Muslim, Prime Minister by Kit Gillet (New York Times)

Extra: Most Read Stories – New York Times

• The Most-Read Stories of 2016 Ari Isaacman Bevacqua, Samarth Bhaskar and Danny DeBelius (New York Times)

-Asad