The greatest threat to US democracy is not Trump, it's us

If you do think our democratic system is under assault, then who or what do you think is at fault? We have a column that examines that very thing. 

Trump is not ruining democracy, we are.

By Tom Nichols

I’ve written about a lot of unpleasant, even frightening, subjects. For most of my career, I have been a specialist in national security affairs, a cheerless area of study. I’ve written about war, terrorism, and even about the possibility of nuclear apocalypse, a project that required staring at maps and charts of how entire cities would be turned into ash and left for eternity as desolated mass graveyards.

And yet nothing was more difficult than writing about democracy in my own country.

Today's editorial cartoon 

• August editorial cartoon gallery: Cartoons on Biden, COVID-19, politics and more

Afghanistan is a brutal reminder to American women

By Theresa Olohan

The tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan this week has horrified the world. Footage of Afghans clinging to a U.S. plane, fleeing ahead of Taliban fighters, seemed darkly metaphorical of the stark contrast between American and Taliban values.

The news holds devastating consequences for Afghan women in particular, who are watching two decades of progress burn before their eyes.

We do have more for you. Don't worry.

• Army veteran: Pulling out of Afghanistan was right decision
• Preborn babies don't have to prove their worth, dignity to us
• As COVID rates rise, mandate vaccine for prison staff

This newsletter was compiled by Louie Villalobos