The Economist: America's longest war ends with no winners

"Al-Qaeda, which sparked the war by planning the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan, is no longer much of a force in the country, although it has not been eliminated entirely. But that is about as far as it goes. Other anti-American terror groups, including a branch of Islamic State, continue to operate in Afghanistan. The zealots of the Taliban, who harbored Osama bin Laden and were overthrown by American-backed forces after 9/11, have made a horrifying comeback. They are in complete control of about half the country and threaten to conquer the rest. The democratic, pro-Western government fostered by so much American blood and money is corrupt, widely reviled, and in steady retreat." —The Economist

MORE: Afghans own whatever comes next, Biden says —Defense One

Sarlin: What keeps democracy experts up at night?

"The Trump-led focus on identifying new ways to discredit, assert control over, or ultimately throw out an unfavorable [election] result by targeting the right bureaucratic choke points creates new risks. Some observers worry the party's increased willingness to even entertain these scenarios could create perverse incentives in which state or local officials try to boost the odds of a poorly administered election that would give partisan leaders more flexibility to intervene." —Benjy Sarlin on NBC News

Benjy Sarlin is policy editor for NBC News.

MORE: Arizona secretary of state asks for probe into whether Trump and allies tried to interfere in election results —CNN

Cullen: Bipartisanship works

"Everyone already knows Biden has endorsed an infrastructure deal drafted by a bipartisan group of senators. A bipartisan bill to help reshore crucial pharmaceutical and computer component manufacturing from Asia cleared the Senate overwhelmingly. What does this all mean? Things are getting done. Both parties are helping, despite the rhetoric. Biden campaigned on a belief that bipartisanship has a chance. It does, when you have no choice but to act." —Art Cullen in The Washington Post

Art Cullen is editor of The Storm Lake Times in northwest Iowa.

MORE: Business, labor groups endorse bipartisan infrastructure deal —The Hill

Waldman: Trump's ridiculous lawsuit

"His complaint against Facebook...claims that it 'rises beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor. As such, Defendant is constrained by the First Amendment right to free speech in the censorship decisions it makes regarding its Users.' It goes on to use the word 'unconstitutional' again and again to describe Facebook's decisions, despite the fact that only government action is or isn't constitutional. Facebook may be one of the most pernicious forces on Earth, but it's a private company that set up rules for those who chose to use its service. Trump repeatedly violated those rules, and was kicked off. It really isn't all that complicated, and it’s the furthest thing from 'unconstitutional.'" —Paul Waldman in The Washington Post

Paul Waldman is a political columnist at The Washington Post.

MORE: How Trump's own Supreme Court justice undercut his Facebook lawsuit —The Washington Post

Fowler & Fowler: A potential solution to gerrymandering

"Some election experts recommend multi-member districts, which counteract partisan sorting in a variety of ways. Increasing each district's size makes both packing and cracking harder, since each district is larger than even the most populous partisan cluster. Fewer districts mean fewer boundaries to manipulate. Larger districts offer more coalition possibilities to attract strong, well-funded candidates from both parties. Together, these changes encourage both incumbents and challengers to attend to a wider range of voters." —Christopher Fowler & Linda Fowler in The Washington Post

Christopher Fowler is an associate professor of geography at Pennsylvania State University. Linda Fowler is a professor of government and the Frank J. Reagan Chair in Policy Studies, Emerita, at Dartmouth College.

MORE: Gerrymandering is a squeeze on the moderate voter —The Tribune

Traub: American democracy is a global outlier

"It is troubling enough that in the United States, as elsewhere in the world, faith in democracy is yielding to the wish for a strongman who will put things right or restore an imaginary golden age. What is distinctive about the United States is the way in which a localized, politicized, market-based political culture, abetted both by intense polarization and racism, has enabled anti-democratic forces to reduce the vote of the other side and thus win elections even when they constitute a minority." —James Traub in Foreign Policy

James Traub is a columnist at Foreign Policy and a nonresident fellow at New York University's Center on International Cooperation.

MORE: Republicans should champion voting rights, not restrictions —USA Today

Mounk: Has the populism explosion peaked?

"The rules and norms that sustain liberal democracies are similar. In good times, most voters don't care about who sits on the electoral commission or regulates the media. But when authoritarian leaders stack those institutions with loyalists, banning popular candidates or shutting down independent television stations, voters start to pay attention. ... [T]hough the future remains highly uncertain, we have good reason to hope that people are more willing to fight for its preservation. Authoritarian populists remain a serious threat to the future of liberal democracy around the world. But the democratic fight back has begun in earnest." —Yascha Mounk in The Atlantic

Yascha Mounk is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and a board member at Stand Up Republic. He is the author of "The People vs. Democracy."

MORE: Adam Russell Taylor: Our democracy is not a given —Sojourners

I've noticed an interesting trend in some of the letters to the editor in The Topline. When the writers compliment President Biden on something he has done, they add, "While I don't agree with him on everything..." That is as it should be. There shouldn't be anyone we agree with all the time, especially in politics. That's the kind of one-track-mindedness that got us into this polarized mess in the first place. We don't always have to agree; we just need to work with each other with humility, respect, and in good faith. Our country would be a lot better off for it. —Carole L., New York

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.