Author: John Foster
John Foster is a historian of European politics.

Truth in Politics

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

We are living in a post-truth society, so we are told, in which everything is permitted, and the power of assertion is now equal to or greater than that of ascertainable facts. (More…)

The Truth About Lying

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

Americans are fond of mouthing Senator Daniel Moynihan’s most famous bon mot: “You have a right to your own opinions, but you don’t have right to your own facts.” (More…)

Welcome to Corona Country

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Behind The Lines

If you want a snapshot of the “fight” against COVID-19 in the United States, you could hardly find a better model than Ohio governor Mike DeWine. (More…)

No Opposition Party

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Critical Times

The presidential election in the United States is, at the time of this article’s writing, undecided, and will probably remain so for days, if not weeks, to come. (More…)

No Alternative to Capitalism

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

Whoever said it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism (Slavoj Žižek and Frederic Jameson are both blamed,) it’s a quote that has legs because it’s true. (More…)

Democracy in Crisis

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Critical Times

As far as philosophers go, few qualify for the household name category in Germany more than 91-year-old Jürgen Habermas. (More…)

The Return of the White Republic

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

The middle class is the quintessential American category. It’s of foundational significance, although it is only since the Reagan era that it has had its current degree of political cachet. (More…)

Mark Fisher Lives

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

It’s tragically appropriate that Mark Fisher, whose work was so deeply engaged with the idea of hauntology, about the persistence of the past, should speak to us from beyond the grave. (More…)

Putting Out the Fire

By John Foster
Posted on
Posted in Sounds Like Now

The West Coast is on fire which, grim as it is, has at least given everyone in United States something else to think about than COVID-19. (More…)