M Gessen

Opinion | He Was a Star in Russia’s Media World. Now He’s a Corporal in Ukraine’s Army.

In which I'm proud to know Peter. (Gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/o...

Opinion | A Brief Note on the Difference Between Negotiation and Extortion

Here is a gift link www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o...

Opinion | A Brief Note on the Difference Between Negotiation and Extortion

In which I parse some terms. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o...

Opinion | The Fundamental Truth About U.S. Strategy That Putin Knows and Trump Ignores

In which I make just one prediction www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...

I think today is the right day for this piece. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/o...

Opinion | The Supreme Court Fails to See Transgender Teens

In which there are actual people involved. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/o...

Opinion | The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill

In which I get to profile Christo (gift link). The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/o...

Opinion | Beware: We Are Entering a New Phase of the Trump Era

In which I have the sinking feeling of boredom. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/o...

Opinion | Harvard’s Strength and How Far We’ve Fallen So Quickly The thrill over its response to the Trump administration is a measure of how low, and how fast, our expectations have fallen.

A few words abiut Harvard www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...

I'm sorry, but "that makes no sense" or "that's not how it works" is not my idea of a good-faith argument

Opinion | This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, If They Dare It’s been tried in other countries facing authoritarian crackdowns. It works.

In which I have a radical www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...

Opinion | Unmarked Vans. Secret Lists. Public Denunciations. America’s Police State Has Arrived. Those of us who’ve seen secret police in action can’t shake a feeling of dreadful familiarity.

In which I try to call things what they are. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/o...

Opinion | There’s a Name for What Trump Is Doing to Trans People: Denationalizing The message is that we are a threat to the nation. The subtext is that we are not of this nation.

In which I try to put it all together.
The Hidden Motive Behind Trump’s Attack on Trans People www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o...

I'm sorry, that's not how books work

Opinion | Putin Is Ready to Carve Up the World. Trump Just Handed Him the Knife. The talks about Ukraine were never just about Ukraine.

In which... www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/o...

Opinion | They Invented a New Language for War The words of war and the war of words.

In which war can be described. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/o...

You are right. I should have said that it was never solely about Ukraine

In which the time to think is now.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/opinion/trump-autocracy-bad-ideas.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Opinion | Hagan Scotten, Emil Bove and the Collective Punishment Test How Hagan Scotten, Emil Bove and the prosecutors who filed motions in the Eric Adams case demonstrate the tool of collective punishment.

A follow-up on collective hostage-taking. Hagan Scotten, Emil Bove and the Collective Punishment Test www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02...

Opinion | To Obey Trump or Not to Obey The voluntarily surrender of the public’s power is how autocracies are built.

In which there are many reasons to obey and one not to. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/o...

Opinion | I Spent Trump’s Inauguration in Ukraine. This Is What I Saw. “And Panama!” a Ukrainian military analyst said. “What did calm, peaceful Panama do?”

In which I watched it from afar. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/o...

All this separation of church and state. I've lost count of the number of clergy members speaking at today's festivities

Opinion | The Supreme Court Just Gave Us a Bitter Taste of What’s Coming In the case involving medical care for transgender adolescents, ignoring doctors is part of the point.

In which I think about how much we've lost already and how much worse it will get.The Supreme Court Just Gave Us a Bitter Taste of What’s Coming www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/o...

Opinion | The Secret Behind America’s Moral Panic Trans rights aren’t just trans rights. They’re reproductive rights.

In which I argue that the Dems' inconsistency may have caught up with them. What Democrats Are Getting Wrong About Transgender Rights www.nytimes.com/2024/11/22/o...

Opinion | This Is the Dark, Unspoken Promise of Trump’s Return Liberal democracy offers moral constraints without problem-solving. Populism offers problem-solving without moral constraints.

In which I consider Trump's blueprint for destruction This Is the Dark, Unspoken Promise of Trump’s Return www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/o...

Thank you, John!