Why drag shows are the new front in America’s culture wars

Hello from London,

How are you going to spend the next 630 or so days? I’ve got a hunch that I’ll use many of mine to consider who might win the 2024 presidential race in America. Joe Biden will launch his re-election campaign soon. (Yes, he’s old, but have you ever met a politician who didn’t believe he, or she, was the best person for office?) Donald Trump is already on the trail, though he’s generated more stifled yawns than electricity, so far. Ron DeSantis remains a likely contender. Meanwhile Mike Pence is touting a memoir—an old-school move for those preparing a presidential run.?

This week, however, pay attention to Nikki Haley—a former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the UN. She’s set to run. It’s not crazy to imagine that Republicans would pick a woman, and a person of Indian descent, as their candidate. I could see independent voters, even some Democrats, warming to her. But she will have to withstand the sort of attacks from Mr Trump that, back in 2016, squished his rivals. Things could get ugly.

Meanwhile, here’s an American politics story you might not have predicted. Those Republican candidates may need to prepare their stances on performances by cross-dressers. Have a read of a fascinating article we’ve just published that suggests that there is a new front in the culture wars. Republican legislators in many states are demanding bans on drag shows. I can’t help wondering where this ends. Tell me, Governor, did you ever knowingly watch and enjoy Tootsie? Mrs Doubtfire? Senator, have you ever attended an English pantomime or a play by that deviant, William Shakespeare?

More seriously, we are taking further stock of how China’s economy is gaining steam. It’s not just about the lifting of covid restrictions. The state’s crackdown on tech companies may also be easing. Look out, too, for a forthcoming story on efforts around the world to speed up the energy transition, away from fossil fuels to greener renewables. Could the war in Ukraine be spurring a quicker move than previously expected?

We’ll soon be marking the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. But let me flag a couple of items early. One is a guest column by a British retired general, Sir Richard Barrons, on the military lessons from a year of fighting. The other is a new podcast series, “Next year in Moscow” , that we launch on February 23rd. In it my colleague Arkady Ostrovsky meets exiles from Russia scattered across Europe and the Middle East. He tries to solve the mystery of why Vladimir Putin launched his senseless war—and to find some answers on how it will end.?

We have also just published our latest look at the awful situation in Turkey and Syria. Our story points to the role that shoddy construction, and the corruption that allowed it, played in driving up the death toll, now at least 34,000 in both countries. The survivors are facing a prolonged, second round of horror, as they confront being homeless, hungry, exposed to wintry conditions, the effects of war in Syria and more. The outside world must find more ways to help.

Let me also point you to an election in a rising power that deserves far more global attention than it is likely to get. Nigerians pick a new president on February 25th. Between now and then we will run a series of articles, including By Invitations (our guest essays) by at least two of the presidential candidates, assessing what is at stake in Africa’s most populous country. We have kicked it off with this article about Peter Obi, an outsider who is making a surprisingly strong run for the top job.

Finally, thanks for your comments on the future of Crimea. Alikhan Kanapiya, from Kazakhstan, makes the case for Crimean independence and restoring sovereign rights of Crimean Tatars, who had dominated the population until the 19th century. Rory Fellowes likens the situation to that in Jerusalem, where hopes for internationalisation of the territory once surged. He doubts, however, that international co-operation could trump national ambitions in either place. And Kwasi Oteng—who I’m guessing has ties to Ghana—says countries will never cede land for the sake of peace.

Please continue to write to me at [email protected], or follow me on Twitter.

Our subscriber-only Britain newsletter:?

Introducing Blighty, our new Britain newsletter

Want to understand how Britain can pull itself out of political and economic turmoil? Sign up to our new subscriber-only newsletter, Blighty. With exclusive commentary and original data journalism, it analyses the challenges facing the country—and what needs to be done to overcome them

Our latest column on workplace culture:

The pitfalls of loving your job a little too much

Back in the dim and distant past, job candidates had interests or hobbies. Those interests could be introspective: reading a book was a perfectly acceptable way of spending your spare time. No longer. Today you will probably be asked if you have a “personal passion project”, and the more exhausting your answer sounds, the better. Go white-water rafting, preferably with orphans. Help build motorway crossings for endangered animals. If you must read, at least do so in the original.

Most read by subscribers this week:

• The battle for internet search
• The humbling of Gautam Adani is a test for Indian capitalism
• The world’s most, and least, affordable cities are in Asia
• The pitfalls of loving your job a little too much
• Arab petrostates must prepare their citizens for a post-oil future

Enjoyed this newsletter?

Read three free articles each month on Economist.com—register for free. If you are not a subscriber, enjoy full access by subscribing here,

If you subscribe to The Economist, we have good news: there is a new business and technology newsletter just for you. Sign up here.