Palestinian statehood?

Plus, Putin's rival on the rise, alongside polyamory [View this email in your browser]( [The Week Evening Review]( A two-state solution, popular polycules and Putin's challenge   Good evening, Our evening edition today highlights several potentially shifting paradigms — the longstanding U.S. policy regarding Palestinian statehood, the bygone conclusion of Russia's elections, and American attitudes toward polyamory. All of the above are morphing before our eyes and worth diving into. Is change (on any of the three fronts) on the horizon? Summer Meza The Week Digital     TODAY'S BIG QUESTION [Will America recognize a Palestinian state?]( The Israel-Hamas war could end with a dramatic development: the formal U.S. recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Axios reported, is reviewing policy options on "possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state" after the Gaza war. It's "highly sensitive" given that longstanding U.S. policy has favored statehood only after "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority." U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron, meanwhile, said this week that leaders should start to consider "what a Palestinian state would look like" with full recognition at the United Nations. There would be fierce resistance from Israeli leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he won't agree to any scenario that gives up authority over the Gaza Strip. What did the commentators say? A "demilitarized" state in control of Gaza and the West Bank would need "security capabilities to ensure … it could never threaten Israel," Thomas Friedman argued in The New York Times. That would be better for Israeli security than the old policy of propping up Hamas to thwart any "unified Palestinian partner," which clearly didn't work. "The State Department has lost the plot," Noah Rothman countered at National Review. While recognition might have benefits (like enabling Israeli-Saudi Arabian rapprochement), simply "deeming Palestine a state as a direct result of Hamas' attack will not impose sobriety on the Palestinian Authority." "Israel must say yes to a Palestinian state," Haaretz editorialized. America and the U.K. are recognizing the impossibility of going "back to diplomatic foot-dragging." Netanyahu's "diplomatic stonewalling exploded in his face on Oct. 7." What next? U.S. efforts could include allowing the U.N. to admit Palestine as a fully recognized member state or encouraging other countries to recognize Palestine. But any move toward recognition would encounter opposition from conservatives. Such action "would be the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East," Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told The Washington Free Beacon. That anger may be why the State Department is downplaying talk of Palestinian recognition. A spokesperson said nothing has changed. "We support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," said Matt Miller. "That has been the policy of the U.S. for some time." What that looks like, though, could soon change.   Sponsored by Wise Bread [Pay No Interest Until 2025 and Earn $200+ Bonuses](   QUOTE OF THE DAY "I got 99 problems, but Mitch ain't one." Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), at the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner, on working closely with McConnell (R-Ky.) on a national security supplemental package     In the Spotlight [Polyamory is having a moment(s)]( Polyamory is the lifestyle people love to love and love to hate. Yet, if the last few months are an indication, the more-love groundswell is currently appreciating in a whole new way. Background Polyamory, or as Merriam-Webster explains, "the state or practice of having more than one open romantic relationship at a time," hit the comparative mainstream with the publication of the now-famous text "The Ethical Slut" in 1997 by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton. In the ensuing years, polyamory became normalized — well, somewhat. "Approximately 1 out of 22 people (4–5%) who are currently in a romantic relationship identify as part of a consensually non-monogamous relationship," according to a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Psychology. The latest Statistics tell one story about the ascent of polyamory. Its increasing appearance in mainstream news tells another, and in January 2024, peak polyamory exposure occurred. First, New York magazine devoted much of the Jan. 16, 2024, issue to polyamory. The same month, The New York Times interviewed Molly Roden Winter, author of the memoir, "More: A Memoir of Open Marriage," about Winter's, well, open marriage. And in January 2024 NPR hopped on the polyamory wagon, interviewing Winter, a therapist, a rabbi and a psychology professor about how American marriages are changing. The reaction Mainstream media exposure be damned, the ladies of "The View" were not having the January uptick and cracked a few cranky jokes on a recent episode. The response from a section of the polyamorous community was pointed. Then the public intellectuals began spouting off. "Isn't it at least a little suspicious that polyamory — which is supposedly a "liberatory" corrective to repressive family structures — happens to be exactly compatible with a mode of economic life that has made both traditional marriage and parenthood completely unaffordable?" wrote environmental studies professor and The Atlantic writer Tyler Austin Harper on X. All fun and intellectual games until X user @full_hearts upended Harper's seven-post thought exercise with one juicy comedic smackdown: "this is so many tweets to say you got no bitches" Welcome to the polyamory discourse, 2024-style.   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   Statistic of the day 4.5: The percentage by which beer sales dropped in Germany in 2023. This dip continues an overall trend of shrinking sales in a country that is known for its beer and brewhouse culture. Overall, Germany sold 1.8 billion gallons of beer last year, and beer exports were also down 5.9%. The Associated Press     Talking Point [Nadezhdin: Russia's shot at ousting Putin?]( Boris Nadezhdin is hardly a household name outside of Russia, but to hear him tell it, his dark horse bid to unseat President Vladimir Putin has a secret weapon: divinity. "You can call it God or fate, but there's a tangible force driving my campaign," Nadezhdin told Politico of his quixotic effort to deny Putin another six-year term when Russians vote in March. Whether theologically ordained or not, Nadezhdin has shaken things up. On Wednesday, the onetime member of Russia's Duma officially qualified as a presidential candidate. Nadezhdin has built surprisingly strong public support, partly fueled by his pledge to "stop the conflict with Ukraine." But in a totalitarian state like Putin's Russia, can Nadezhdin really make a difference? A 'catalyst for protest' "Nobody expects Nadezhdin, 60, to win” in a country where Putin's victory is "widely seen as a foregone conclusion," Reuters reported. Still, he has "surprised some analysts" with his criticism of the Ukraine war and become a "problem" for Putin, per International Affairs Professor Nina Khrushcheva. While Nadezhdin was "long seen as harmless," his campaign's ability to attract large crowds has become a "catalyst for protest," according to Le Monde. This energy "speaks of widespread dissatisfaction with the Kremlin and its war," Politico agreed. Nadezhdin's campaign offers "genuine political risk for the Kremlin," PBS News reported, noting that Putin's victory must have an aura of "legitimacy" to be accepted. Many dissidents see Nadezhdin as the "best bet" to demonstrate that Putin "does not enjoy unanimous support," The Washington Post reported. 'Convenient for the Kremlin' Whether actively supported by Putin or merely tolerated for offering a veneer of legitimacy, Nadezhdin's campaign is "convenient for the Kremlin" Russian analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told Deutsche Welle. He would cease being "acceptable" if he garnered more than 5% of the vote — an "ideological victory, though not an electoral one." It's "very likely there were some preliminary negotiations" between Nadezhdin's and Putin's camps, said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Andrey Pertsev. Now, however, the "nature of his public statements" suggests there's "no way" he's "being curated by Kremlin managers." Still, Reuters reported, he has been a "regular guest on state TV" and allowed to campaign, suggesting to critics that Nadezhdin is, ultimately, being tolerated by Kremlin authorities.     Poll watch Approximately 62% of Asian American and Pacific Islanders are confident about their current financial situation, according to a new AAPI/AP-NORC poll. This figure is slightly higher than the 54% of overall Americans who feel the same. However, just 30% of Asian Americans said they were confident in their ability to maintain their expenses.     INSTANT OPINION Today's best commentary 'The dawn of a new era of oppression'Charles M. Blow in The New York Times America has entered the kind of "backlash" we always experience after "surges of Black progress," writes Charles M. Blow in The New York Times. It happened when the end of Reconstruction reversed strides made after the Civil War. Now we're seeing "the dismantling of affirmative action, governmental attacks on the teaching of Black history and the full-court press on the political right to get rid of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives." The damage "could linger for decades." 'Good news about taxes! (Yes, really.)'Adam Chodorow at Slate"Doing your taxes will never be fun, but it could be cheaper and easier," says Adam Chodorow at Slate. The Internal Revenue Service has launched a 2024 pilot program in a dozen states "that would allow a large number of taxpayers to file directly," for free. Predictably, tax prep companies are trying "to undermine the effort." But this pilot project offers "an opportunity to help government work better for all of us." Don't "pass it up." 'That judge is right. Elon Musk isn't worth what Tesla pays him.'Timothy Noah at The New RepublicA Delaware judge's rejection of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's $55.8 billion pay package was "an unexpected triumph for anyone who aspires to save capitalism from itself," says Timothy Noah at The New Republic. Fortune's annual chief executives survey has ranked Musk the nation's most overrated CEO twice straight. The magazine points to the electric vehicle maker's rising competition, "notably slower" growth, and multiple price cuts. Musk's "ridiculous" pay would be impossible without a board under his "Svengali-like control."     Picture of the day Shock wave The Israeli army fires rounds of self-propelled artillery toward the Gaza Strip Jack Guez / Getty Images     Good day 🕹️ … for "Palworld." The surprise viral hit video game, described as a "Pokemon" rip-off with guns, hit a major player milestone. Developer Pocketpair said the game sold 12 million copies on Steam and reached 7 million Xbox players, making it the biggest third-party launch in Game Pass history, per Microsoft.     Bad day 📺 … for Hulu subscribers. Following a similar move by Disney+, the streaming service has decided to crack down on password and account sharing. The Disney-owned platform sent out an email about the change in its subscriber agreement, notifying account holders that they could no longer share their subscriptions outside of household devices.     Puzzles [Daily crossword]( Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes [sudoku]( and [codewords](. [Play here](     The Week recommends [Movies to watch in February]( Just in time for Valentine's movie dates, here are two teasers for the year's shortest month.  'Argylle' (Feb. 2)The buzz around Matthew Vaughn's forthcoming spy adventure has largely surrounded one still unanswered question: Who wrote the book on which the movie is based? The "Kingsman" director said the film is supposed to be based on the fourth volume of a spy series written by the elusive first-time author Elly Conway. The problem is that the book has yet to be published, and no one can find a trace of Conway. At one point, there was speculation that Taylor Swift wrote the book; Vaughn shut those down. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Elly Conway and is joined by Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. 'Drive-Away Dolls' (Feb. 23)After his brother Joel went solo with "The Tragedy of Macbeth," the other half of the Coen brothers, Ethan, is set to make his solo directorial debut with a film that "sounds like the tonal opposite of his sibling's spare Shakespeare adaptation," Alison Willmore wrote for Vulture. "Drive Away Dolls" is a comedy thriller that stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as "stuck-in-a-rut friends" on a road trip to Tallahassee who end up crossing paths with some criminals. In an interview alongside co-writer Tricia Cooke, Coen told Collider that in terms of his previous work, his solo debut is most comparable to classics like "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "The Big Lebowski," and is "filthy fun."     WORD OF THE DAY robocall The Federal Communications Commission is seeking to make AI-generated "voice-cloning technology used in common robocall scams targeting consumers" illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.     In the morning Tomorrow is a longstanding favorite day for those who love a ridiculous made-up holiday and/or Bill Murray: Groundhog Day. Read our Morning Edition to learn why we still watch men in top hats carry a rodent in Punxsutawney. And if you live-stream the groundhog party, you may also want to read why live events on streaming platforms could be cable's death blow. Thanks for reading, Summer     Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Harold Maass, Scott Hocker, Justin Klawans, Kelsee Majette, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / The Week; Getty Images; Artem Priakhin / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images; Eamonn M. McCormack / Stringer / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.