Mamdani’s list starts small. History proves where it ends
The lens of history can clarify the present. Emzari Gelashvili in a Washington Examiner op-ed compared New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pied-a-terre list to Stalin’s list of kulaks, which preceded Holodomor. The history of proscription lists is long, and the pattern is sharp: Proscription lists of targeted individuals historically have appeared when democracies were in the process of being transformed into dictatorships.
TL;DR
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's pied-a-terre list is compared to historical proscription lists.
- Proscription lists of targeted individuals have historically appeared when democracies were transforming into dictatorships.
- The rule of law relies on the impartial application of general rules, which is undermined by identifying individuals based on economic class.
- In ancient Athens, the Thirty Tyrants restricted political participation and killed approximately 1,500 citizens.