Max Fisher
New York
Host of The Bigger Picture, a show exploring big questions about our world. Author of The Chaos Machine, an NPR and New Yorker best book of 2022.
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Articles by Max Fisher
Reader's View: PAWS is no WIN for Duluth’s school clubs
Two years ago, the Duluth Public Schools decided to get rid of WIN (“What I Need” periods) and replace it with PAWS (“Positive Alternative Within School” days) — and it was the worst decision the district has made in a long time. I am a senior at Duluth East High School, and PAWS is worse than WIN in every way. WIN happened every day, for about 30 minutes, giving students a chance to take missed tests, meet with their clubs, or catch up on homework.
Avoiding the Utility Fiscal Cliff
On a rainy Tuesday night in GeneriCity (our fictional municipality for this article), the council chamber was packed. A routine agenda item—utility rates—had drawn an unexpectedly large crowd. Residents insisted the city should “tighten its belt” and questioned why previous increases had not solved the problem. When the finance director walked through the numbers, even seasoned councilmembers admitted they were unsure how the current rates had been set.
OSSAA Team Preview: Blanchard Lions
Team: Blanchard Lions2023 Record: 31-6Classification: 4AHead Coach: Josh Raney Outlook: Coach Raney’s Lions have built up quite the reputation over the past couple of seasons with a state title in 2022 and just missing out on a repeat in 2023 dropping a nail-biter in the championship game 4-3. The good news for the Lions is that they return almost their entire roster off of last year’s squad and will look to build off that experience heading into 2024.
OSSAA Team Preview: Carl Albert Titans
Team: Carl Albert Titans2023 Record: 34-8Classification: 5AHead Coach: Ryan Whiteley Outlook: Coach Whiteley begins his third season with the Titans after leading them to a 5A State Championship in 2023. The Titans put together one of the strongest resumes in the state thanks to a deep pitching staff and power bats littered up and down the lineup. With a large portion of that championship roster returning in 2024, the Titans are primed as an early favorite to try and make it back to back titles.
OSSAA Team Preview: Elgin Owls
Team: Elgin Owls2023 Record: 29-9Classification: 5AHead Coach: Levi Garrett Total Runs: 288/99 Average Runs: 7.58/2.61 Average Differential: 4.97 Outlook: The Owls arrived somewhat ahead of schedule in 2023 with a run to the 5A State Tournament with a roster full of young talent. Coach Garrett’s squad will look to build off the experience gained in 2023 to take another step forward in 2024.
OSSAA Team Preview: Sand Springs Sandites
Team: Charles Page Sandites2023 Record: 29-9Classification: 6AHead Coach: Matt BrownYears at the Helm: 4 Total Runs: 300/115 Average Runs: 7.89/3.03 Average Differential: 4.86 Outlook: The Sandites out of Sand Springs are coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, and look to continue that success in the upcoming season.
Majorities of Muslims in Egypt and Pakistan support the death penalty for leaving Islam
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly extrapolated data from the Pew Research Center’s 2013 survey report, “The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society,” regarding the percentage of Muslims in Egypt and Pakistan who support the death penalty for leaving Islam. The correct figures, based on the 2013 Pew Research Center report, are 88% of Muslims in Egypt and 62% of Muslims in Pakistan favor the death penalty for people who leave the Muslim religion.
‘Vanya on 42nd Street’ review by Max Fisher • Letterboxd
Vanya on 42nd Street 1994 ★★★½ Max Fisher’s review published on Letterboxd: A story about wanting so much from life and, with age, realizing that you can't have it, that your life will conclude with dreams unrealized and aspirations unfulfilled. About confronting that, if not quite accepting it.
20 Years On, a Question Lingers About Iraq: Why Did the U.S. Invade?
There is a question about the American-led invasion of Iraq that, 20 years later, remains a matter of deep uncertainty and debate among historians, political scientists and even officials who helped set the war in motion. It’s not the war’s toll in American military deaths (about 4,600) or Iraqi lives (estimates generally fall around 300,000 or more killed directly by fighting). Nor the financial cost to the United States ($815 billion, not counting indirect costs like lost productivity).
Gun Control, Explained
Jump to: Is gun control effective? Throughout the world, mass shootings have frequently been met with a common response: Officials impose new restrictions on gun ownership. Mass shootings become rarer. Homicides and suicides tend to decrease, too. After a British gunman killed 16 people in 1987, the country banned semiautomatic weapons like the ones he had used. It did the same with most handguns after a school shooting in 1996.
La renuncia de Jacinda Ardern es personal. Y también política
Cuando Jacinda Ardern anunció la semana pasada que dejará el cargo de primera ministra de Nueva Zelanda, su decisión tomó al mundo por sorpresa. Ardern afirmó que dirigir un país era “el trabajo más privilegiado que alguien pueda tener”, pero dijo que renunciará al cargo en febrero. Fue sorprendente ver a una líder renunciar de manera voluntaria al poder en un momento en que los autócratas del mundo —e incluso algunos presidentes electos— se aferran con fiereza a sus cargos.
La renuncia de Jacinda Ardern es personal. Y también política
The Interpreter En sistemas parlamentarios como el de Nueva Zelanda, es usual que los líderes renuncien cuando puede beneficiar las perspectivas electorales de su partido. En otros sistemas políticos, dejar el cargo antes de tiempo es muy inusual. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Jacinda Ardern en 2017, justo antes de convertirse en primera ministra de Nueva Zelanda.
Which Leaders Resign, Like Jacinda Ardern? Often, the System Decides.
And since any intraparty maneuvering in parliamentary methods usually performs out largely behind closed doorways, such leaders won’t seem like clinging to energy even once they struggle to take action. As an example, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister since 2015, has repeatedly survived grumbling from within his party amid sliding ballot numbers. Nonetheless, inside celebration disputes over management do generally explode into the open.
Which Leaders Resign, Like Jacinda Ardern? Often, the System Decides.
Australia|Which Leaders Resign, Like Jacinda Ardern? Often, the System Decides. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/world/australia/jacinda-ardern-resignation.html The Interpreter In parliamentary systems like New Zealand’s, it is the norm for leaders to step down when doing so may serve their party’s electoral prospects. In other political systems, leaving office early is rare. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
¿Cuál podría ser el futuro de la guerra entre Rusia y Ucrania? 70 años de conflictos ofrecen claves
The Interpreter A pesar de algunas características posmodernas, el conflicto en Ucrania se asemeja a un tipo de contienda que ya se ha visto: las guerras entre naciones en las que una no conquista directamente a la otra. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
What 70 Years of War Can Tell Us About the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Europe|What 70 Years of War Can Tell Us About the Russia-Ukraine Conflict https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/world/europe/what-70-years-of-war-can-tell-us-about-the-russia-ukraine-conflict.html The Interpreter Despite some postmodern features, the fighting resembles a type of conflict from decades past: wars fought between nations in which one does not conquer the other outright. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Putin’s Efforts to Divide the West Over Ukraine Fall Flat
The Interpreter A cease-fire proposal seemingly aimed at splintering Western unity has instead been met with Western escalation, underscoring Moscow’s diplomatic struggles. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. A Russian strike hit a vocational school in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Saturday, during Russia’s proposed cease-fire.Credit...Nicole Tung for The New York Times Jan.
‘Babylon’ review by Max Fisher • Letterboxd
Babylon 2022 ★★★★½ Max Fisher’s review published on Letterboxd: I struggle more every year to pay attention through a whole movie. I peaked at my phone in Tar and Top Gun, sent an email mid-Fabelmans. At home, even watching five-star thrillers, I take multiple breaks that I tell myself are for drink/snack necessities but are really because two hours of unbroken focus is now beyond me.
In Hostage Diplomacy, It’s Often the Hostage-Takers Who Pay
Brittney Griner’s release, nearly a year after Russian authorities detained her, is once more forcing a difficult question in Washington and other capitals. What is the least bad option in dealing with hostage diplomacy? The practice, which has grown somewhat more common in recent years, involves imprisoning a foreigner, usually on spurious or exaggerated charges, for the purpose of extracting concessions from that person’s government.
Los manifestantes en China tienen posibilidades remotas de lograr cambios
The Interpreter Aunque las protestas populares ahora se inician con más facilidad que nunca, también es más probable que se desarticulen rápidamente. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
The Long Odds Facing China’s Protesters
The Interpreter Popular protests are more easily begun than ever before, but they are more likely to dissipate, too. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. People protesting against Covid restrictions in Beijing on Sunday.Credit...Thomas Peter/Reuters 阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版Leer en español Outside observers could be forgiven for seeing hints of the Arab Spring, even revolution, in the protests sweeping China’s cities.
Troubled Loner? Political Terrorist? Both? It’s Often Hard to Say
Americas|Troubled Loner? Political Terrorist? Both? It’s Often Hard to Say https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/americas/pelosi-attack-interpreter.html The Interpreter The attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband has raised questions about the role of demonizing political speech in violent acts, not for the first time. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
How Political Primaries Drive Britain's Dysfunction
In the United States, too, the rise of inside-party primaries has empowered candidates at the extremes, and the result is likely to be a greater disconnect with the public. The rise and fall of Liz Truss, Britain's six-week prime minister, embodies a seismic and long-mounting change in British politics, though its cause and consequences may not always be obvious.
Bombing Kyiv into submission? History says it won’t work.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, in ordering missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, follows a long line of wartime leaders who have sought to cow their adversaries by bombing enemy capitals. Ever since Nazi Germany’s bombardment of London in World War II, enabled by the first long-range missiles and warplanes, nearly every major war has featured similar attacks. Unable to view this article? This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Bombing Kyiv Into Submission? History Says It Won’t Work. Original
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in ordering missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, follows a long line of wartime leaders who have sought to cow their adversaries by bombing enemy capitals. Ever since Nazi Germany’s bombardment of London in World War II, enabled by the first long-range missiles and warplanes, nearly every major war has featured similar attacks.
Even as Iranians Rise Up, Protests Worldwide Are Failing at Record Rates
The Interpreter Mass protests, once a grave threat to even the fiercest autocrat, have plummeted in effectiveness, a study shows. Factors appear to include polarization, social media and rising nationalist attitudes. Iranian demonstrators in the streets of the capital, Tehran, last week.
Why the U.S. Is Being Ominously Compared to Hungary and Turkey
Politics|Why the U.S. Is Being Ominously Compared to Hungary and Turkey https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/12/us/politics/democracy-united-states.html Friday’s newsletter is a discussion with Max Fisher, an international reporter and columnist for The New York Times who covers conflict, diplomacy and the sweeping sociopolitical changes taking place all over the globe.
Why the U.S. Is Being Ominously Compared to Hungary and Turkey
Politics|Why the U.S. Is Being Ominously Compared to Hungary and Turkey https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/09/us/politics/united-states-democracy.html Friday’s newsletter is a discussion with Max Fisher, an international reporter and columnist for The New York Times who covers conflict, diplomacy and the sweeping sociopolitical changes taking place all over the globe.
The Long Road Ahead for Colonial Reparations
Americas|The Long Road Ahead for Colonial Reparations https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/world/americas/colonial-reparations.html The Interpreter Former colonies have felt increasingly empowered to demand compensation from European powers. But even the successful efforts look like exceptions so far. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
La democracia está bajo amenaza en todo el mundo
Estados Unidos no es el único país que enfrenta presión contra sus reglas e instituciones democráticas. De acuerdo con datos de V-Dem, un instituto de monitoreo con sede en Suecia, en la actualidad, más que en ningún otro momento del siglo pasado, hay otras democracias en deterioro, e incluso hay algunas que están muy cerca de la autocracia.
How Democracy Is Under Threat Across the Globe
Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. A supporter of the veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday. A razor-thin election has brought with it another test for the country’s democracy.Credit...Ben Curtis/Associated Press 阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版Leer en español The United States is far from alone in facing pressure on its democratic norms and institutions.
With Crisis Everywhere, Do Democracies Have an Edge? Original
A debate has long raged at universities and think tanks, through public diplomacy and state media outlets: Does democracy or autocracy perform better in times of crisis? There is no doubt as to democracy’s advantage on matters like individual rights or rule of law. Still, discussions about which system is more effective in addressing major national challenges draw heavy attention, especially given China’s world-shaking rise and deepening frustration in the West over political infighting.
Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP, File)
¿Por qué parece que el mundo se cae a pedazos?
¿El mundo ha entrado a una era de turbulencias inusuales o solo se siente como si así fuera? Al mirar los titulares, es fácil concluir que algo anda mal. La pandemia. La aceleración de las crisis por el cambio climático. La escasez mundial de cereales. La guerra de Rusia contra Ucrania. El colapso político y económico en Sri Lanka. El asesinato de un ex primer ministro en Japón.
Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?
Has the world entered a time of unusual turbulence, or does it just feel that way? Scanning the headlines, it’s easy to conclude that something has broken. The pandemic.Accelerating crises from climate change. Global grain shortage. Russia's war on Ukraine. Political and economic meltdown in Sri Lanka. A former prime minister’s assassination in Japan. And, in the United States: inflation, mass shootings, a reckoning over Jan. 6 and collapsing abortion rights.
¿Y si el asesinato de Abe en Japón es una prueba del éxito de la restricción de armas y no de su fracaso?
The Interpreter Parece una contradicción, pero el ataque mortal contra el ex primer ministro parece mostrar que la restricción de armas no elimina la capacidad humana ser violentos, pero sí hace que estos eventos sean mucho más inusuales.
Does Abe Shooting Reflect Success of Japan’s Gun Laws, Not Failure?
Asia Pacific|Does Abe Shooting Reflect Success of Japan’s Gun Laws, Not Failure? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/world/asia/abe-assassination-japan-gun-laws.html The Interpreter A crude weapon. Minimal security. One death. A closer look at the details of the assassination of Shinzo Abe may actually underscore the effectiveness of Japan’s restrictions.
Brittney Griner’s case in Russia appears to be the latest example of ‘hostage diplomacy.’
Brittney Griner, the W.N.B.A. athlete facing drug charges in Russia as Moscow presses ahead with its war in Ukraine, may be merely the latest victim of a practice so common it has its own name: hostage diplomacy. The U.S. government formally classifies Ms. Griner as “wrongfully detained,” meaning that it believes the charges against her are spurious.
Brittney Griner’s Detention in Moscow Is Latest in Hostage Diplomacy
Europe|Brittney Griner’s Detention in Moscow Is Latest in Hostage Diplomacy https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/world/europe/brittney-griner-hostage-diplomacy.html The Interpreter The United States believes the charges against the basketball star are spurious and tied to American support of Ukraine.
Las democracias no siempre se comportan de manera democrática
en Español|Las democracias no siempre se comportan de manera democrática https://www.nytimes.com/es/2022/06/21/espanol/democracia-crisis-constitucional.html The Interpreter Cuando los líderes políticos se enfrentan a una crisis constitucional, como la del 6 de enero en EE. UU., el proceso de decidir colectivamente cómo responder puede ser desordenado, arbitrario y, a veces, cambiar la naturaleza del propio sistema.
In Constitutional Crises, Democracies Aren’t Always Democratic
Americas|In Constitutional Crises, Democracies Aren’t Always Democratic https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/18/world/americas/jan-6-hearing-constitution-democracy.html The Interpreter When political leaders face a constitutional crisis, like that of Jan. 6, the process of collectively deciding how to respond can be messy, arbitrary, and sometimes change the nature of the system itself.
Why Canada Races on Gun Policy When America Crawls
As Congress once more struggles through acrimonious and so far fruitless negotiations over gun reforms in the wake of a mass shooting, Americans may find themselves looking north in befuddlement. Canada’s government has begun moving to ban handgun sales and buy back military-style rifles — dramatic changes in a country with one of the world’s highest gun ownership rates outside of the United States, expected to pass easily and with little fuss.
Tras lidiar con tiroteos masivos, varios países han incrementado las restricciones de armas con resultados exitosos
The Interpreter El Reino Unido, Australia, Canadá, Nueva Zelanda y Noruega son algunos países que, a pesar de tener una cultura de posesión de armas, decidieron endurecer las restricciones. Ahora sus estadísticas de violencia son muy distintas a las de Estados Unidos.
After mass gun killings, other nations changed course - to notable effect
The world over, mass shootings are frequently met with a common response: Officials impose new restrictions on gun ownership. Mass shootings become rarer. Homicides and suicides tend to decrease, too. After a British gunman killed 16 people in 1987, the country banned semi-automatic weapons like those he had used. It did the same with most handguns after a 1996 school shooting. It now has one of the lowest gun-related death rates in the developed world. Unable to view this article?
Other Countries Had Mass Shootings. Then They Changed Their Gun Laws.
The Interpreter Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway: All had a culture of gun ownership, and all tightened restrictions anyway. Their violence statistics now diverge sharply from those of the U.S. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
U.S. Company Supplying Russian Military Seeks Exit, Caught Between Sanctions and Kremlin
The Samara Metallurgical Plant, a sprawling complex in southwestern Russia that spans an area the size of a dozen city blocks, is a cornerstone of Russian industry. It is the country’s largest supplier of aluminum commercial and industrial products. It is also a source of critical parts for the Russian warplanes and missiles that are now tearing through Ukraine.
La fragilidad del pacto mundial de refugiados queda expuesta con la guerra en Ucrania
The Interpreter El nuevo plan del Reino Unido para enviar a miles de solicitantes de asilo a Ruanda expone la naturaleza endeble del pacto mundial de refugiados, que desde sus inicios ha sido víctima de la política interna.
La fragilidad del pacto mundial de refugiados queda expuesta con la guerra en Ucrania
The Interpreter El nuevo plan del Reino Unido para enviar a miles de solicitantes de asilo a Ruanda expone la naturaleza endeble del pacto mundial de refugiados, que desde sus inicios ha sido víctima de la política interna.
The world’s broken promise of asylum
For more than 70 years, the world has enshrined, in national laws and global agreements, a promise that was presented as vitally important: Anyone who cannot live safely in their home country may seek refuge in another. If such people prove that they face the right sort of danger, and meets the host country’s conditions for staying, then that country is obligated to welcome them.
The World’s Broken Promise of Asylum
Europe|The World’s Broken Promise of Asylum https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/17/world/europe/asylum-system-britain-rwanda.html The Interpreter Britain’s new plan to send thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda exposes the fragile nature of the global refugee compact, which has always fallen prey to domestic politics. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
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