Introducing Notes on Globalism

Why does this Substack exist?

Some people think the liberal international order is a doomed imperial project. They’re wrong.

I don’t know if I’m early or late to the Substack party. Sometimes it seems like everyone already has a Substack — other times I think we’re still in the early days of a self-publishing revolution that will inexorably gain momentum until every IP address on the planet is attached to its very own media outlet. I could still be considered an early adopter, right?

A few words about my title and theme. I’m sure you’ve encountered the terms “liberal international order,” “rules-based global order,” “postwar international order,” or something similar (American think tankers and politicians occasionally tack “U.S.-led” onto all the above). These slightly clumsy and vague constructions refer to the same thing: the system of political and economic institutions, alliances, and rules developed since World War II to prevent conflict and facilitate global cooperation. I believe this system is one of our species’ greatest achievements, and it is now under constant assault from within and without.

“Globalism” is a dirty word. Donald Trump declared that “the future does not belong to globalists” and touted an “America First” foreign policy. Many American conservatives welcomed this insular, aggrieved, and often xenophobic reconsideration of the United States’ role in the world. Meanwhile, many on the left regard globalism as a way for duplicitous elites — who allegedly have more in common with their fellow elites around the world than many of their own compatriots — to enrich themselves while trampling on everyone else. As Bernie Sanders wrote in 2016, the “increasingly globalized economy, established and maintained by the world’s economic elite, is failing people everywhere.” While China and Russia seek to destroy the liberal international order from the outside, populists on the right and left relentlessly attack NATO, the EU, and other globalist institutions from within. Many in the West now think of these institutions as imperialistic and anti-democratic behemoths that should be dismantled. Right at the moment when we need the liberal international order the most, these political forces want to bring it down.

It’s time to reclaim globalism from the cynical and opportunistic political forces (think: Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, and Jeremy Corbyn — back when he was relevant, anyway) who’ve disfigured it. I’ll stop there for now, as this introduction is also about why I’m here and what you can expect from this Substack. But if you want to know more about my theme, see the about page.

Okay, so why am I here? I’ve made my living as an independent writer for many years. When I started, I thought freelance writing would be a temporary bridge to another regular media job (my career began at a daily newspaper). But once I discovered that working on my own could be economically viable, it was impossible to imagine abandoning the freedom of movement and thought that independent work provides. There are many tremendous outlets I write for regularly (such as Quillette, The Bulwark, Haaretz, and the Daily Beast, which you should check out if you haven’t already), and I published my first book in February 2023: How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment. But Substack offers a level of autonomy and engagement that can’t be found anywhere else.

Here are a few previous essays that will give you some idea of the subjects I cover: animal welfare, meritocracy, longtermism, atheism, secularism, guruism, public health, global poverty, pseudoscientific bullshit, fascism. I’ll write literary criticism, book reviews, and attacks on shitty academic ideas (especially an international relations theory called realism, which might be the shittiest academic idea of them all).

I may make some adjustments in the coming months based on reader feedback and what appears to be working. For now, all content on the site will be free. Speaking of feedback, I genuinely want to hear from you. My interactions with readers over the years have been extremely gratifying and illuminating, and I hope the creation of this Substack will lead to more engagement.

In the mid-1940s, George Orwell wrote a column for Tribune titled “As I Please” in which he published several of his best and most eclectic essays — from “Some Thoughts on the Common Toad” to “You and the Atom Bomb.” Orwell fully embraced the title of his column and did, in fact, write whatever he wanted. I hope the creation of this Substack will help me move into the “As I Please” phase of my career, but this can only be done with your support.