Fascism or Genocide: How a Decade of Political Disorder Broke American Politics

A deeply reported look at how polarization and compounding crises, including the war in Gaza and threats to democracy, have reshaped American politics

Fascism or Genocide is New York Times Magazine writer Ross Barkan’s sweeping report on the 2024 US election and the decade of political upheaval leading up to it.

As in 2020, Joe Biden campaigned on a platform to save democracy, but fewer voters were persuaded this time. During the Democratic primary season, more than half a million Americans cast votes for ＂Uncommitted＂ ballot options to send Biden a message about the urgent need to end the killing in Gaza, with some tagging him ＂Genocide Joe.＂

In contrast, mainstream liberals backed the Democratic ticket in the belief that Trump would put America on the road to fascism. As the director of an influential Palestinian advocacy group tells Barkan, ＂It’s a choice between fascism or genocide.＂

Biden’s withdrawal from the election and Kamala Harris’s subsequent nomination barely changed the narrative. Millions of Democrats stayed home after souring on the party, while others switched allegiance and got behind the Trump team. Fascism or Genocide takes a hard, informed look at the election, focusing on the future of the Democratic Party, the influence and potential of the progressive ＂Squad,＂ and ongoing culture wars within the party.

Ross Barkan is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of two novels and The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, Coronovirus, and the Fall of New York. Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid called him ＂consistently one of the most interesting and original essayists of his generation.＂ His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, GQ, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among others.