How important are ideological labels and how might they change over the next generation? A lot is on the minds of Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic this week as the two go on a winding discussion about political identity and ideological shifts amid a tribalistic political culture.

The guys discussed the rarity of prominent figures publicly changing their political identity and the friction among Americans in mixed ideology relationships.

Having never felt confined by labels, Damir questions Shadi’s preoccupation with belonging to a “team” as Shadi ponders whether he should prioritize perceptions of his political identity, including as a critic of woke orthodoxy. Are we on the cusp of another Cold War era-like realignment?

In the full episode (for paying subscribers only) the conversation pivots to declining fertility rates in the United States and the role of immigration in staving off population decline in America and other emerging economies. Damir pushes back against Shadi’s claim implying that something inherent about autocratic regimes make them more distinctly restrictive of immigration compared to democracies. The debate concludes with Damir positing that a coming ideological shift could prompt Shadi to become an apologist for colonialism.

Required Reading:

Zia Haider Rahman’s tweet about Shadi’s supposed existential crisis (Haider Rahman is also the author of Shadi’s 2nd favorite novel of the 21st century).

“Millennials Just Keep Voting,” by David Leonhardt (New York Times).

“The greatest threat to democracy isn’t what Republicans or Democrats think,” by Jason Willick (Washington Post).

“A Note About Polarization,” from Murtaza Hussain’s terrific Substack.

“Lower fertility rates are the new cultural norm,” by Charles Lane (Washington Post).

“The Unstoppability of Mass Migration,” from Andrew Sullivan’s Weekly Dish.

America at the Crossroads: Democracy Power and the Neoconservative Legacy, by Francis Fukuyama (Amazon).

Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire, by Niall Ferguson (Amazon).

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