The Beginning of the End for House Saud

by in International Politics, Islam Comments Off on The Beginning of the End for House Saud

Between the crash in the price of oil and the Kingdom’s flailing war with the neighboring Houthis, the Saudi’s fortunes have taken a precipitous turn for the worse. Both crises have been handled with the impressive ineptitude, long trademarked by the House of Saud. Their scheme to bankrupt their geopolitical and economic rivals, Russia and the U.S. fracking industry respectively, via flooding the oil market with cheap crude, has backfired gloriously. The war in Yemen has likewise become an unmitigated disaster, an enormous economic drain on…

When a Driverless Car Crashes, Should Passengers or Pedestrians Get Protected First?

by in Technology Comments Off on When a Driverless Car Crashes, Should Passengers or Pedestrians Get Protected First?

Driverless cars pose a quandary when it comes to safety. These autonomous vehicles are programmed with a set of safety rules, and it is not hard to construct a scenario in which those rules come into conflict with each other. Suppose a driverless car must either hit a pedestrian or swerve in such a way that it crashes and harms its passengers. What should it be instructed to do? A newly published study co-authored by an MIT professor shows that the public is conflicted over…

Donald Trump Is the Candidate Conservative Intellectuals Conditioned Their Base to Want

by in Campaign 2016, Conservatism, How the Right Got It Wrong, Metapolitics Comments Off on Donald Trump Is the Candidate Conservative Intellectuals Conditioned Their Base to Want

It’s been said that societies elect the governments they deserve. That’s certainly the case with the American Right and Donald Trump. In spite of this, many Republicans have been beside themselves about the man for the past 12 months. According to his critics, the former reality-TV star is a gross departure from the conservative tradition. They couldn’t be more wrong. One group of Trump disparagers were so discontented with their future nominee that they vowed to found their own rump organization, the Renegade Party, in…

Negative Partisanship: Dislike of the Opposing Party Is a Big Factor in Voting

by in Campaign 2016, Metapolitics Comments Off on Negative Partisanship: Dislike of the Opposing Party Is a Big Factor in Voting

The 2012 election saw the highest levels of party loyalty and straight-ticket voting since the American National Election Studies began tracking American voting patterns in 1952. Over 90% of Democrats and Republicans, including voters who claimed to be independents but indicated that they leaned toward one party or the other, supported their party’s presidential candidate. Close to 90% supported their party’s House and Senate candidates as well, and 83% cast a straight-party ballot for president, House, and Senate. There is no reason to expect voting…