writing
Selected essays/memoir/reportage
How I turned $15,000 into $1.2m during the pandemic—then lost it all, The Guardian
Investing in risky stocks gave me the illusion of control in a time of uncertainty. Until it derailed my entire life.
Serving Soul Food in the City of Light, Eater
How Black Parisian chefs are exploring soul food and ‘Afropean’ identity in Europe’s dining capital.
France Turns to Citizen-Legislators for Climate Reforms, The American Prospect
Can a randomly selected group of people succeed where French politicians have failed?
The Vigilante President, The New Republic
As impeachment and the 2020 election loom, Trump’s hard-core supporters are poised to unleash a wave of violence against their enemies.
The Ugly, Illiberal, Anti-Semitic Heart of the Yellow Vest Movement, The New Republic
The protests have combined legitimate economic grievances with the worst of far-right politics. And the French left has been happy to go along.
’I Felt Like an Impostor’ (Skin Worn Thin republished), The Guardian Long Read
The essay, “Skin Worn Thin,” republished from Hazlitt, with additional photography.
Escape from the Trump Cult, The New Republic
Is there a way to bring people back out of extremist politics and re-create national community? Cult-leavers might be an example to look to.
Skin Worn Thin, Hazlitt
Every time someone sees me as either white or black, I wonder, is passing an act of capitulation, or resistance? A rejection of identity, or of identification?
Trump Everlasting? Rage, and the Dying of the Light, Are We Europe
Does the Trump era herald a long-term shift in the way Millennials abroad view the US?
Shifting Impressions, The Caravan
The fight to shut a pig farm on a former concentration camp and the struggle to preserve Roma identity.
Eating Dinner, Au Naturel, Are We Europe
Does food taste different when you eat it with nothing on? A review of the first nudist restaurant in Paris.
The Thirty Year Old White Guy Who's Naming And Shaming Racists, France 24
Logan Smith spent years calling racists names on Twitter. After Charlottesville, he decided to call them by their real ones.
Where Does Venezuela Go From Here? France 24
The crisis wracked nation's future looks as gloomy, chaotic, and potentially as violent as ever.
Here's How the 'Bernie Bros' of France Could Elect Le Pen, The Daily Beast
On far left abstentionism and the French presidential election.
Seeking Europe's Future, One Village At A Time, France 24
What if the EU just went out and listened? Two recent grads are on a road trip across France to try and bridge the divide between "Brussels" and "the people".
Can Russia Derail A French Front-Runner? The Daily Beast
Emmanuel Macron may be the last best hope to stop the Putin-backed populist tide in Europe, and the Russians know it.
A Unified Theory of France? Full-Stop
Can its centuries of philosophy help guide modern France through the challenges of immigration and national purpose? A review of Sudhir Hazareesingh's How The French Think.
Why America's New Radical Right Isn't Going Away, Soapbox DC @Medium
All the rich donors and all the businessmen won't put the Republican Party back together again.
Donald Trump and the Politics of Disgust, The New Republic
The Republican presidential front-runner is disgusted by many things. And it's resonating with voters.
Extremism Spreads to Chad, Lobelog
The United States and Europe remain concentrated on fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. They would do well not to overlook Western Africa's Sahel.
Tossed, But Not Sunk, The Beaver
From revolution to terror, the streets of Paris themselves have played a significant role in the great march of France through history.
American Absurdity: Gun Culture in the World's Superpower, The Beaver
“From our cold, dead hands!” the gun lobby cries. But how many actual cold, dead hands, feet, eyes, and bodies have to litter America’s streets before we are willing to truly confront our obscene and irrational national obsession with guns?
Helmets, Corruption, and Boko Haram, The Paris Globalist (Print)
In a nation racked by corruption, a history of cyclical violence poses a unique threat to stability in the Sahel.
Interviews
Steven Erlanger, The Beaver
The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and London bureau chief for the New York Times on Super Tuesday and the US election observed from abroad.
Enrico Letta, The Beaver
Former Prime Minister of Italy and current Dean of Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs talks about academia and the future of the European Union.
Martin Wolf, The Beaver
Chief economics commentator for the Financial Times and one of the world's most respected voices on macroeconomics talks about the ongoing troubles in the eurozone.
Media Appearances
Academic
Forgotten Father: Karl Deutsch and the Crucible of Constructivism
Being Frank about the CFA: The Challenges and Future of West Africa's Common Currency
Translations
Mission Aquarius: 10 Days Rescuing Migrants in the Mediterranean, France 24
The Aquarius has rescued thousands of migrants from the sea.