Zócalo Public Square

The United States is moving toward more protectionist policies—abandoning a system of free trade that America itself had built. Nationalists in the White House and labor unions are embracing tariffs to protect older industries, like steel and aluminum, while some economists encourage trade protections for America’s intellectual property and new technologies like artificial intelligence. What does greater protectionism look like in 21st-century America? Are there advantages to raising tariffs? And in what ways will American businesses, workers, and consumers feel the consequences of protectionism and resulting trade wars? UCLA Anderson economist Ed Leamer, Former U.S. Treasury Department senior coordinator for China affairs David Loevinger, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade and Compliance in the Obama Administration Michael Camuñez, Director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center Daniel Sumner, and moderator and reporter for The New York Times Natalie Kitroeff, took part in a Zócalo/UCLA Anderson event at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles to discuss how a newly protectionist America will affect Americans.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has done more than flex international box-office muscle while earning critical raves at home and overseas. The superhero blockbuster also has shaken up Hollywood’s long-held myth that big-budget popcorn flicks about black people, with largely black casts, couldn’t pull in crowds in places like Asia, Russia, the African continent—or even white American audiences. Despite the proven crossover appeal of movies like Beverly Hills Cop and The Color Purple, and the global fan base of stars like Will Smith, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, and Samuel Jackson, the major studios too often confined black talent to a celluloid ghetto of stereotyped storylines and clichéd characters. But writer-director Ryan Coogler’s film has become not only one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, across all audiences, but also a significant cultural event, inspiring storytellers of many different types and sparking debate among activists and scholars about the politics of its underlying themes and messages. What will be the long-term impact of this phenomenon? Is this just old school commercialism with a new face, a tectonic shift in cultural representation and opportunity, a one-time aberration, or something else? Black Panther executive producer Nate Moore, UCLA Dean of Social Sciences and author of UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report Darnell Hunt, Duke cultural historian and host of the webcast Left of Black Mark Anthony Neal, and Afrofuturist novelist and screenwriter Tananarive Due discussed the film and these questions in a Zócalo/UCLA event titled “Will ‘Black Panther’ Really Change Hollywood?” at the ArcLight Hollywood.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has done more than flex international box-office muscle while earning critical raves at home and overseas. The superhero blockbuster also has shaken up Hollywood’s long-held myth that big-budget popcorn flicks about black people, with largely black casts, couldn’t pull in crowds in places like Asia, Russia, the African continent—or even white American audiences. Despite the proven crossover appeal of movies like Beverly Hills Cop and The Color Purple, and the global fan base of stars like Will Smith, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, and Samuel Jackson, the major studios too often confined black talent to a celluloid ghetto of stereotyped storylines and clichéd characters. But writer-director Ryan Coogler’s film has become not only one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, across all audiences, but also a significant cultural event, inspiring storytellers of many different types and sparking debate among activists and scholars about the politics of its underlying themes and messages. What will be the long-term impact of this phenomenon? Is this just old school commercialism with a new face, a tectonic shift in cultural representation and opportunity, a one-time aberration, or something else? Black Panther executive producer Nate Moore, UCLA Dean of Social Sciences and author of UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report Darnell Hunt, Duke cultural historian and host of the webcast Left of Black Mark Anthony Neal, and Afrofuturist novelist and screenwriter Tananarive Due discussed the film and these questions in a Zócalo/UCLA event titled “Will ‘Black Panther’ Really Change Hollywood?” at the ArcLight Hollywood.

Democracy can mean very different things—majority rule, self-governance, the way we vote for our favorite contestants on TV dance competitions—to different people and in different places. Our lack of a shared definition of democracy adds to the confusion in times like our own, when we hear warnings of grave and growing threats to democracy. What does “democracy” really mean now in a world where almost every country purports to be democratic? Oxford political scientist Stein Ringen, Brookings Institution/Robert Bosch Foundation fellow and former Clinton Administration foreign policy advisor Ted Piccone, Mélida Jiménez, program officer at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and moderator Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point,” took up that question in a panel discussion titled “What Does Democracy Mean in the 21st Century?” a Zócalo/KCRW Berlin Event in partnership with the Daniel K. Inouye Institute and Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, held at the CIEE Global Institute in Berlin, Germany.

Democracy can mean very different things—majority rule, self-governance, the way we vote for our favorite contestants on TV dance competitions—to different people and in different places. Our lack of a shared definition of democracy adds to the confusion in times like our own, when we hear warnings of grave and growing threats to democracy. What does “democracy” really mean now in a world where almost every country purports to be democratic? Oxford political scientist Stein Ringen, Brookings Institution/Robert Bosch Foundation fellow and former Clinton Administration foreign policy advisor Ted Piccone, Mélida Jiménez, program officer at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, and moderator Warren Olney, host of KCRW’s “To the Point,” took up that question in a panel discussion titled “What Does Democracy Mean in the 21st Century?” a Zócalo/KCRW Berlin Event in partnership with the Daniel K. Inouye Institute and Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, held at the CIEE Global Institute in Berlin, Germany.

Authoritarian populists have seized power—from Turkey to Poland, and India to the United States—and things may get worse. Trust in democracy is wilting in many societies, to the point that rising numbers of people in Western democracies prefer military to representative rule. Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It, argues that stagnating living standards, corruption, social media, and a backlash against multiethnic governance are driving the public’s disenchantment with democracy. What sort of actions can be taken to restore the public’s commitment to self-government? Mounk, a Harvard lecturer, visited Zócalo Public Square and spoke with Zócalo columinist Joe Mathews about how the people can be convinced to love democracy again.

Authoritarian populists have seized power—from Turkey to Poland, and India to the United States—and things may get worse. Trust in democracy is wilting in many societies, to the point that rising numbers of people in Western democracies prefer military to representative rule. Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It, argues that stagnating living standards, corruption, social media, and a backlash against multiethnic governance are driving the public’s disenchantment with democracy. What sort of actions can be taken to restore the public’s commitment to self-government? Mounk, a Harvard lecturer, visited Zócalo Public Square and spoke with Zócalo columinist Joe Mathews about how the people can be convinced to love democracy again.

California has exited a long period of high immigration, during which it struggled with whether and how to welcome newcomers. But other parts of the United States are still in the midst of reckoning with immigration and the questions it poses. What did California get right—and what did California do wrong—during its immigration wave? How many of the Golden State’s successes in integrating immigrants were a result of government and policy, and what is the product of our open culture and laissez-faire attitude about so many things? UC Immigrant Legal Services Center executive director Maria Blanco, Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly, California state director of Immigrant Integration Daniel Torres, and moderator Foon Rhee, a columnist and associate editor for The Sacramento Bee, discussed these issues in a Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event titled “What Can California Teach America About Immigrant Integration?” at Sacramento’s Capital Center.

California has exited a long period of high immigration, during which it struggled with whether and how to welcome newcomers. But other parts of the United States are still in the midst of reckoning with immigration and the questions it poses. What did California get right—and what did California do wrong—during its immigration wave? How many of the Golden State’s successes in integrating immigrants were a result of government and policy, and what is the product of our open culture and laissez-faire attitude about so many things? UC Immigrant Legal Services Center executive director Maria Blanco, Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly, California state director of Immigrant Integration Daniel Torres, and moderator Foon Rhee, a columnist and associate editor for The Sacramento Bee, discussed these issues in a Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event titled “What Can California Teach America About Immigrant Integration?” at Sacramento’s Capital Center.

American mass shooters. Islamic terrorists. Vengeful nationalists. Racist presidents. Social media misogynists. In today’s world, paranoid hatreds—and the wrath of the people who spread them—is inescapable. Where does all the rage come from? Pankaj Mishra, author of "Age of Anger: A History of the Present," locates the answer, paradoxically, in modernity’s successes. As the world has become more closely linked via mass politics and technology and the pursuit of wealth, those unable to enjoy the fruits of progress have been cast adrift, uprooted from older traditions. Many have responded by lashing out. Mishra visited Zócalo to explore the paradoxical perils of freedom, stability, and prosperity, in a conversation titled “Why Is the Modern World So Angry?” moderated by Gregory Rodriguez, founder and editor-in-chief, Zócalo Public Square, at the National Center for the Preservation for Democracy, in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles.