Skip to main content

Stephen Holmes

Stephen Holmes

8 commentaries

Stephen Holmes, a professor at New York University School of Law, is the co-author (with Ivan Krastev) of The Light that Failed: A Reckoning (Allen Lane, 2019).

Sort by: Show:
  1. Explaining Europe's Reaction
    gambetta3_Ying TangNurPhoto via Getty Images_anti-war Ying TangNurPhoto via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Explaining Europe's Reaction

    Mar 7, 2022 Diego Gambetta & Stephen Holmes think governments' robust response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is primarily driven by fear.

  2. Putin’s Ambivalent Illiberalism
    holmes7_putin_trump_Mikhail_Svetlov_Getty_Images1152460291 Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

    Putin’s Ambivalent Illiberalism

    Jul 5, 2019 Stephen Holmes thinks the Russian president's view of the “liberal idea” merits attention, but not the attention it's getting.

  3. Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check
    Trump and Mattis Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

    Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check

    Apr 19, 2017 Stephen Holmes argues that delegating war-making decisions to the military never ends well.

  4. The Ukrainian School of War
    Ukraine revolution anniversary Russian tank Geovien So/ZumaPress

    The Ukrainian School of War

    Feb 25, 2015 Stephen Holmes & Ivan Krastev show why the motivations of Russia, the US, and Europe preclude a diplomatic solution.

  5. Putin on Ice
    Vladimir_Putin_kremlin.ru kremlin.ru

    Putin on Ice

    Nov 17, 2014 Stephen Holmes & Ivan Krastev ask why Russia has chosen a policy toward Ukraine that is undermining its geostrategic interests.

  1. skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images

    The Language of Political Control

    Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.
  2. basu101_Alfonso Sangiao iStock  Getty Images Plus_voting Alfonso Sangiao/iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Globalization vs. Democracy

    Kaushik Basu highlights the contradictions and vulnerabilities inherent in the current international order.
  3. coyle36 Alishia AbodundeGetty Images INFRASTRUCTURE Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

    The West’s New Infrastructure Imperative

    Diane Coyle explains why a broader conception of the term could reflect a renewed interest in investing in the future.
  4. bp iran israel Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

    An Iran-Israel War?

    Iran’s mass ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel last week raised anew the specter of a widening Middle East war that draws in Iran and its proxies, as well as Western countries like the United States. The urgent need to defuse tensions – starting by ending Israel’s war in Gaza and pursuing a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – is obvious, but can it be done?

  5. nasheed3_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_georgieva MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

    What a Climate-Aligned IMF Would Look Like

    Mohamed Nasheed & Rakesh Mohan explain how the managing director can fully position the institution to help the most vulnerable countries.
  6. ghosh76_Kristin Palitzapicture alliance via Getty Images_afrigen Kristin Palitza/picture alliance via Getty Images

    The Key to Transforming African Health

    Jayati Ghosh highlights efforts to foster scientific innovation and drug manufacturing on the continent.
  7. op_roach3_ Kevin FrayerGetty Images_china lagging consumption Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China’s Rebalancing Imperative

    Stephen S. Roach

    The most successful development stories almost always involve major shifts in the sources of economic growth, which in turn allow economies to reinvent themselves out of necessity or by design. In China, the interplay of mounting external pressures, lagging household consumption, and falling productivity will increasingly shape China’s policy choices in the years ahead.

    explains why the Chinese authorities should switch to a consumption- and productivity-led growth model.
  8. castaneda88_GERARDO MENOSCALAFP via Getty Images_latin america safety GERARDO MENOSCAL/AFP via Getty Images

    From Welfare State to Safe State in Latin America

    Jorge G. Castañeda & Carlos Ominami

    Designing a progressive anti-violence strategy that delivers the safety for which a huge share of Latin Americans crave is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing many of the region’s governments. But it is also the most important.

    urge the region’s progressives to start treating security as an essential component of social protection.
  9. ocampo57_Celal GunesAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_imf Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    The Urgency of Sovereign-Debt Restructuring

    José Antonio Ocampo highlights the need for a comprehensive mechanism to deliver relief to low- and middle-income countries.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.