Conor Friedersdorf

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

Why Eric Holder's Excuse for Spying on Reporters Isn't Enough

Why Eric Holder's Excuse for Spying on Reporters Isn't Enough

If the enemy already benefited from a serious leak, why can't he tell us the details that they already know? More »

No, President Obama Isn't Trying to 'Wish Away' Islamist Terrorism

No, President Obama Isn't Trying to 'Wish Away' Islamist Terrorism

Some conservatives are still clinging to the idea, but it's a foreign-policy critique that can't succeed. More »

A Buzzing Sound in the Massachusetts Sky Evokes Drone Fears

A Buzzing Sound in the Massachusetts Sky Evokes Drone Fears

The mysterious plane is keeping residents up at night and making them anxious. More »

How Can We Understand Benghazi Without Probing the CIA's Role?

How Can We Understand Benghazi Without Probing the CIA's Role?

The attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens targeted a CIA operation, not a 'diplomatic post.' More »

Harold Koh's Slippery, Inadequate Criticism of the Drone War

Harold Koh's Slippery, Inadequate Criticism of the Drone War

The strongest criticism he'll make of Team Obama is that they aren't transparent enough. But its targeted killing policies are problematic for many additional reasons. More »

What President Obama Gets Wrong About Citizenship and Tyranny

What President Obama Gets Wrong About Citizenship and Tyranny

He urged Ohio State graduates to trust their fellow Americans to exercise "awesome authority." Mistrust is more prudent. More »

The Absurdity of Letting the CIA Vet the Torture Report

The Absurdity of Letting the CIA Vet the Torture Report

President Obama is making history beholden to the institution that has the biggest incentive to distort it. More »

Bill Keller's Absurd War Metaphors as Hawkish Propaganda

Bill Keller's Absurd War Metaphors as Hawkish Propaganda

In a column advocating for intervention in Syria, he implies doing so might resemble choreography and a symphony. More »

How Did Progressive Journalists Get Pigford So Wrong?

How Did Progressive Journalists Get Pigford So Wrong?

A New York Times investigation into black farmers' lawsuit and associated settlements vindicates conservative journalists' concerns. More »

What Happens When the Enemy of Our Enemy Is a Terrorist?

What Happens When the Enemy of Our Enemy Is a Terrorist?

A Chicago teen is facing terrorism charges after trying to join an al-Qaeda-affiliated group to fight President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. More »

What the Framing of a Terror Suspect Says About GOP Attacks on Due Process

What the Framing of a Terror Suspect Says About GOP Attacks on Due Process

Paul Kevin Curtis was falsely accused in the ricin plot -- and the legal requirement to bring him before a judge helped set him free. More »

Why Does the Right Think the Left Is Morally Squishy?

Why Does the Right Think the Left Is Morally Squishy?

"I am repelled by the Left's worldview, which implicitly argues that morality is subjective," Matt Lewis writes. But that isn't so. More »

On Gitmo, President Obama Isn't Fooling the Press Anymore

On Gitmo, President Obama Isn't Fooling the Press Anymore

Sure, Congress has thwarted some of his plans. But he doesn't himself favor ending indefinite detention. More »

At the Height of the L.A. Riots, NBC News Cut Away for 'The Cosby Show'

At the Height of the L.A. Riots, NBC News Cut Away for 'The Cosby Show'

Crazy as it sounds, they made the right call! More »

Reports of Congressional Drone Oversight Are Greatly Exaggerated

Reports of Congressional Drone Oversight Are Greatly Exaggerated

Thanks in part to misleading statements from Dianne Feinstein, Americans get the false impression that Congress can do its job. More »

Mayor Bloomberg's Parallel Disdain for the NRA and the ACLU

Mayor Bloomberg's Parallel Disdain for the NRA and the ACLU

He casts both organizations as "extremist," and his disdain for them makes sense, given his belief system. More »

The Silliness of a 51-Year-Old Being Cowed by Talk-Radio Hosts

The Silliness of a 51-Year-Old Being Cowed by Talk-Radio Hosts

Frank Luntz wanted to criticize Rush Limbaugh, but he didn't want anyone to know. More »

Mexico Is Ready to End Failed Drug-War Policies—Why Isn't the U.S.?

Mexico Is Ready to End Failed Drug-War Policies—Why Isn't the U.S.?

When the U.S. and Mexico collaborated against the cartels, violence increased and drugs kept flowing. Mexico wants to change course. Why don't we? More »

When He Talks Abortion, President Obama Pretends to Be a Libertarian

When He Talks Abortion, President Obama Pretends to Be a Libertarian

He's always supported "the right to choose." But when he tells women only they should make decisions about their health, he's contradicting himself. More »

12 Uncommon Suggestions for Amending the Constitution

12 Uncommon Suggestions for Amending the Constitution

Atlantic readers offer ideas including a tricameral legislature, a ban on incarcerating nonviolent criminals, and declassifying all information after 20 years. More »

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Finland in World War II

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