"A Meteor of Intelligent Substance""Something was Missing in our Culture, and Here It Is""Liberties is THE place to be. Change starts in the mind." Liberties, a journal of Culture and Politics, is essential reading for those engaged in the cultural and political issues and causes of our time. Liberties features serious, independent, stylish, and controversial essays by significant writers and leaders throughout the world; new poetry; and, introduces the next generation of writers and voices to inspire and impact the intellectual and creative lifeblood of today's culture and politics. This issue of Liberties includes: new work from Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa; drawings by Leonard Cohen published for the first time; Mamtimin Ala's essay on China's genocide of the Uyghurs; Jaroslaw Anders' analysis of the crisis in Belarus; Cass R. Sunstein on liberalism inebriated; Richard Thompson Ford on what slavery does and does not explain; Sean Wilentz on the historical strategy of the Republican Party; Benjamin Moser writes about translation as a form of tourism in literary life; Jonathan Zimmerman on the scandal of college teaching; Mark Lilla on cults of innocence and their victims; Helen Vendler on Adrienne Rich; Holly Brewer on race and enlightenment; David Thomson asks, What shall we watch now?; Celeste Marcus (managing editor) on the legend of Alice Neel; Leon Wieseltier (editor) on Zionism's beautiful stubbornness of survival; and new poetry from Ange Mlinko and Shaul Tchernikhovsky, translated by Robert Alter.

"A "New York Times "Notable Book of the Year
"What do hurricane Katrina victims, millionaire rappers buying vintage champagne, and Ivy League professors waiting for taxis have in common? All have claimed to be victims of racism. But these days almost no one openly defends bigoted motives, so either a lot of people are lying about their true beliefs, or a lot of people are jumping to unwarranted conclusions--or just playing the race card. Daring, entertaining, and incisive, "The Race Card" brings sophisticated legal analysis, eye-popping anecdotes, and plain old common sense to this heated topic.

A "New York Times Book Review" Notable Book
Since the 1960s, ideas developed during the civil rights movement have been astonishingly successful in the fight against overt discrimination. But can they combat the whole spectrum of social injustice---including conditions that aren't directly caused by bigotry? In "Rights Gone Wrong," Richard Thompson Ford argues that extremists on both sides of the political divide have hijacked civil rights for personal advantage, diverting our attention from serious social injustices. Is equality really served by endless litigating and legislating against every grievance or slight? Brilliantly argued, shrewd, and lively, "Rights Gone Wrong" offers "a crisp analysis of the limits of our civil rights laws and a prescription for how to move beyond them" ("Kirkus Reviews").

The acclaimed author of The Race Card and legal scholar Richard Thompson Ford offers an expert analysis of human rights struggles across the globe, uncovering the complex realities of observing "universal" principles in specific cultures. As he engages thinkers such as Edmund Burke and Karl Marx, Ford sketches divergent views on how we define rights before he offers his critique: on the ground, rights ultimately depend on a dense network of institutions and an underlying civic culture for enforcement. In fact, even well-meaning reforms can lead in practice to increased exploitation of the people they would protect. With a clear, persuasive voice, Ford explores five cases from distributing food to the poor in India to sex-trafficking in Japan and drives home a provocative conclusion. We must engage locally in local laws, institutions, and social relationships to realize meaningful change. And those who would "speak truth to power" must also acknowledge the potential costs of reform."