James Traub

James Traub is a columnist at Foreign Policy, nonresident fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and author of the book What Was Liberalism? The Past, Present and Promise of A Noble Idea.

Articles by James Traub

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after getting out of his car in front of the White House on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump was sworn in as the nation's 45th president during an inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

When the Mob Rules, Everyone Is a Target

Voice

January 20, 2017, 5:09 PM

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - DECEMBER 9: President-elect Donald Trump looks on during a rally at the DeltaPlex Arena, December 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. President-elect Donald Trump is continuing his victory tour across the country. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Donald Trump: Making the World Safe for Dictators

Voice

January 3, 2017, 8:30 AM

Supporters of the anti-immigrant Pegida movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) mark the second year of existence as they demonstrate in Dresden, eastern Germany, on October 2016, and
Dresden, a Baroque city in Germany's ex-communist east, is the birthplace of the anti-immigration PEGIDA street movement. / AFP / dpa / Oliver Killig / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read OLIVER KILLIG/AFP/Getty Images) — Supporters of the anti-immigrant Pegida movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) mark the second year of existence as they demonstrate in Dresden, eastern Germany, on October 2016, and Dresden, a Baroque city in Germany's ex-communist east, is the birthplace of the anti-immigration PEGIDA street movement. / AFP / dpa / Oliver Killig / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read OLIVER KILLIG/AFP/Getty Images)

Angela Merkel’s Test of Faith

Voice

December 5, 2016, 4:17 PM

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 11: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump embraces the United States flag during a campaign rally at the Tampa Convention Center on June 11, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. Florida Gov. Rick Scott spoke at the rally and introduced Trump. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

The Plot Against America

Voice

November 9, 2016, 4:51 PM

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 07: Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds an election eve rally on November 7, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the historic race for the presidency of the United States comes to a conclusion, both Clinton and her rival Donald Trump are making their last appearances before voting begins tomorrow. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

What Kind of President Will Hillary Clinton Be?

Voice

November 8, 2016, 10:37 AM

Life jackets and a boat that were used by refugees and migrants to cross the Aegean sea from Turkey lie abandoned on a beach on the Greek Island of Lesbos on October 8, 2015. Europe is grappling with its biggest migration challenge since World War II, with the main surge coming from civil war-torn Syria. AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Europe Wishes to Inform You That the Refugee Crisis Is Over

Feature

October 18, 2016, 5:02 PM

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about Iraq in the Brady Briefing room of the White House on June 19, 2014 in Washington, DC. Obama spoke about the deteriorating situation as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants move toward Baghdad after taking control over northern Iraqi cities. *** Local Caption *** Barack Obama

The Mess Obama Left Behind in Iraq

Argument

October 7, 2016, 12:23 PM

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 06: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump fields a question during the first Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News and Facebook at the Quicken Loans Arena on August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. The top ten GOP candidates were selected to participate in the debate based on their rank in an average of the five most recent political polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

First, They Came for the Experts

Argument

July 7, 2016, 5:20 PM

DUBUQUE, IA - JANUARY 30: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests during a rally at the airport on January 30, 2016 in Dubuque, Iowa. Trump is in Iowa trying to gain support in front of the state's February 1 caucuses. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

It’s Time for the Elites to Rise Up Against the Ignorant Masses

Voice

June 28, 2016, 4:36 PM

BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 11: People pulling suitcases arrive at the Central Registration Office for Asylum Seekers (Zentrale Aufnahmestelle fuer Fluechtlinge, or ZAA) of the State Office for Health and Social Services (Landesamt fuer Gesundheit und Soziales, or LAGeSo), which is the registration office for refugees and migrants arriving in Berlin who are seeking asylum in Germany, on March 11, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Germany, which registered over 200,000 refugees in 2014, is expecting even more in 2015 and many cities and towns are reeling under the burden of having to accommodate them. The main countries of origin of the refugees include Syria, Serbia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Albania. (Photo by )

To Stay Open, Europe Needs to Close Its Doors

Voice

June 20, 2016, 4:57 PM

SICILIAN STRAIT, MEDITERRANEAN SEA - MAY 25: Migrants in an overcrowded boat, which was about to capsize, are rescued by Bettica and Bergamini ships of Italian Navy at Sicilian Strait, between Libya and Italy, in Mediterranean sea on May 25, 2016. The Italian Navy saved around 500 migrants as they found dead bodies of seven migrants in the sea during the operations. (Photo by Italian Navy / Marina Militare/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

If the Refugee Deal Crumbles, There Will Be Hell to Pay

Voice

June 7, 2016, 10:30 AM

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 07: President Barack Obama (2nd-L) listens to a question from an attendee at the University of Chicago Law School April 7, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Obama addressed his U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland as he hopes members of the Republican party will give Garland a hearing and a vote in Washington. (Photo by )

The Realist Playbook Is Perfect, Except for One Thing. Reality.

Voice

April 12, 2016, 1:14 PM

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The Unpopular Virtue of Moral Certainty

Voice

March 25, 2016, 1:44 PM

People queue for a warm meal in the port of Piraeus near Athens where thousands of stranded refugees and migrants have found a temporary shelter on March 15, 2016.
The European Union said it had pushed back plans to overhaul the bloc's asylum system until next month after it has sealed a crucial migration crisis deal with Turkey. / AFP / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images) — People queue for a warm meal in the port of Piraeus near Athens where thousands of stranded refugees and migrants have found a temporary shelter on March 15, 2016. The European Union said it had pushed back plans to overhaul the bloc's asylum system until next month after it has sealed a crucial migration crisis deal with Turkey. / AFP / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Europe Doesn’t Owe Migrants Fairness

Voice

March 16, 2016, 1:14 PM

DES MOINES, IA - JUNE 14: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the the Elwell Family food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on June 14, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Clinton officially kicked off her 2016 bid for the White House yesterday during an event on New Yorks Roosevelt Island. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Do Americans Really Want a Wall?

Voice

March 4, 2016, 2:33 PM

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