USA Africa Dialogue Series - Israel’s Dangerous Expansionism to Musk as Businessman and US Govt Reshaper: A Superb Analytical Buffet

Also: Is Elon Musk remaking government or breaking it?

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March 28th 2025

The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue

Edward Carr Deputy editor

Nobody in Donald Trump's inner circle has made feathers fly like Elon Musk. His so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has broken laws with glee and callously destroyed careers. It has made false claims about waste and seized personal data protected by law. Some federal employees still have to send a weekly email listing five things they did last week. But the inbox is full and they bounce back. And yet we are hesitant to write off Mr Musk completely. We cannot ignore his record of transforming one industry after another. In other countries government reform, however painful and controversial, has often proved benign. And more is clearly needed: over the past 15 years voters across the West have become frustrated, because their governments seem more adept at slowing things down than making them go. In most of our editions this week, our cover package sets out to decode DOGE's top dog—by looking at his business, his dream of getting people to Mars and the mess he is creating in Washington. Is he remaking government, or breaking it as part of an ideological crusade to boost executive power and crush liberal values? In the Middle East and Africa our cover looks at Israel. Just 18 months ago the Jewish state was in grave peril. Surrounded by enemies, bickering with its main ally in Washington and reeling after Hamas's attack caused the most murderous day in the country's history, Israel seemed vulnerable and confused. But it has staged a remarkable turnaround. It is fighting again, in Gaza, on the West Bank and in Lebanon and in Syria. But this time it is fighting on its own terms and with full American backing. You might think that would make Israel safe. Yet its military supremacy comes with a danger of over­extension amid bitter strife at home. As the country's government charges ahead, it risks turning hubris into disaster.

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Editor's picks Must-reads this week

Efficiency drive Is Elon Musk remaking government or breaking it? So far, there is more destruction than creation

Related → Elon Musk is powersliding through the federal government → Musk Inc is under serious threat → Can Musk put people on Mars?

A perilous path Israel's expansionism is a danger to others—and itself It risks turning hubris into disaster

Related → An unrestrained Israel is reshaping the Middle East

Signal failure White House denials over the Signal snafu ring hollow The breach raises questions of security and legality

Related → A shambolic leak reveals Team Trump's contempt for allies → The cover-up is worse than the group chat

Dark times President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is throttling Turkey's democracy But no one outside Turkey seems to care

Crib sheet A visual guide to critical materials and rare earths What are they, how are they used and where are they found?

Zuckraking How not to handle a corporate kiss-and-tell book Meta's attempt to put a gag on "Careless People" is backfiring

Podcast

Drum Tower Why is China cracking down on one of its most addictive entertainment exports? This week we examine the global rise of Chinese micro-dramas

Video

Office life How to remain calm if your colleagues steal your ideas Our Bartleby columnist explains all

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