South African Land, Lebanon’s Future, US Immigration Crackdown, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
Hello, all.
News is spilling out at a breakneck pace, but United States President Donald Trump and his close confidante Elon Musk have made time to lob a few attacks at South Africa. Trump and Musk have adopted a debunked narrative about South African land restitution after apartheid, Michael Albertus points out in new commentary, but that drive to right the wrongs of the past remains important.
With a record like that, it’s probably no surprise to readers that the US is ratcheting up some of the most intensely anti-immigrant bills ever to enter state legislatures across the country. But as advocates do what they can to keep the tally of proposed laws targeting immigrants, I report in a new piece, Americans might not be able to look to the courts nowadays to stop potential violations of the Constitution.
That’s not all we’ve got at Inkstick. And if you’re not already, please follow us on LinkedIn, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube.
“A Walkman and a Wire” by Things That Go Boom (Feb. 17)
In a new episode of the Things That Go Boom podcast, former FBI agent and current fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice Mike German talks about the ways the Bureau has tried to fight domestic extremism — and all the ways that it hasn’t.
“Lebanon Has a New Government. Will This Time Be Different?” by Alexander Langlois (Feb. 18)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam recently announced the formation of a new government after roughly two years of political gridlock in the small eastern Mediterranean country. But can Lebanon move past its own divisions?
“Across the US, States are Putting Immigrants in Their Crosshairs” by Patrick Strickland (Feb. 19)
As United States President Donald Trump pushes forward with his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations, Republican governors and state lawmakers are lining up behind an ever-growing stack of anti-immigrant bills and measures, many of which rights groups insist are unconstitutional.
“Despite Trump’s Attacks, South African Land Restitution Matters” by Michael Albertus (Feb. 20)
Trump’s assertion that South Africa is treating whites “very badly” and confiscating their land echoes a longstanding false narrative among right-wing groups in South Africa that white farmers are being singled out for dispossession and persecution.
“Deep Dive: The German Kids are Not Alright” by Inkstick (Feb. 21)
A recent paper at the International Political Science Review explores the way a far-right German youth wing has radicalized alongside its “mother party,” the hardline Alternative für Deutschland. The paper argues that youth wings are an understudied and important factor for considering radicalization.
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.