The Critics

‘Evil and madness have the upper hand’

Two new books explicate the moral assault and physical violence Vladimir Putin has inflicted on Russia.

Jun 16 • Robert Coalson

Review: An Unforeseen Revolution

Scott Anderson gives an engaging but myopic account of the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Feb 6 • Paul Rahe

‘No need for a world without us’

Whatever happened to North Korea?

Nov 4, 2025 • Dmitry Kharitonov

Dreams come back to haunt us

A new translation reflects how people under authoritarianism process reality.

Aug 12, 2025 • Polina Barskova

On originality

Challenges facing new music.

Jun 18, 2025 • Roger Reynolds

Review: Opposing authoritarianism

Benjamin Nathans’s history of the Soviet dissident movement has important lessons for today.

Jun 18, 2025 • Gregory Feifer

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