Together But Apart

The Four P's That Connect the World

Products, payments, people, and pollution

4 hrs ago • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

3

August 2025

Everyone is misunderstanding what happened to USAID

I read 18 pieces reckoning with the end of USAID. Here's what they get wrong.

Aug 21 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

68

7

40 million Black Americans are eligible for Beninese citizenship

How a recent law shows the promise and challenges of trying to right the wrongs of the past

Aug 1 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

10

July 2025

Most people don't care about your issue

If you want to make political change, the general public is generally not your audience

Jul 28 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

9

1

Five reasons for hope

Earlier this year the United Nations General Assembly declared July 12 the International Day of Hope.

Jul 12 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

9

A global war for the rich

Making the rich richer is the unifying theme for so much of what Trump does at home and abroad

Jul 8 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

9

June 2025

10 Books for the Summer

It’s summer!

Jun 20 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

2

4

What has the world thought of the Trump administration?

In geopolitics as in high school, being this unpopular is bad

Jun 6 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

10

May 2025

Help me grow my Substack (yes, you!)

It took a couple tries to get the wording of the title right—the first few would have made you think I had been hacked or taken a career pivot to…

May 31 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

24

2

The Composition of Humanity is Changing

The Global North is old. The Global South is (mostly) young. The implications are huge.

May 21 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

25

24

An interview with a newcomer to the US

Today 50,000 people will learn they can become Americans. Four years ago Djissa was one of them.

May 3 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

6

April 2025

Where I Get My News

It's hard to find good sources. Here are my favorites.

Apr 24 • 

Tim Hirschel-Burns

11

4