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U.S. travelers are expected to visit U.S. destinations more in 2023 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council. Thanks in part to rising inflation rates, which make international travel far more difficult to budget for a family, along with the general public's desire to freely move about now that COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted. Combining that with the plethora of places to choose from when it comes to making your way across America, domestic travel rates went up 30.1% in 2022, and it seems to be on trend to continue its ascent.

With so much to do, however, who could blame someone for wanting to get in the car and leave their cares behind during an epic road trip? For booking that last-minute flight on a whim because the mood seems to strike. The U.S. is home to 424 National Parks, 620 amusement parks, over 35,000 museums, and don't even get us started on how many restaurants there are to try!

As summer approaches, and many are beginning to plot out their itineraries for the road, we wonderedwhich states are the most popular to visit by U.S. tourists? Using data from YouGov to determine what states Americans are visiting, Stacker has ranked the top 25 by the percentage of U.S. adults who have already made a visit. Check the rankings to see if your next destination is among these popular choices, or find your next adventure as you scroll.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

In a state full of early American history, Oklahoma City visitors can take the opportunity to learn about the state's 39 Native American nations in Oklahoma by visiting the First Americans Museum. Tulsa's museum Greenwood Rising tells visitors about the city's Black neighborhood, Greenwood, a once-historic space known as a freedom colony after slavery was abolished. The area, lauded as Black Wall Street, was infamously bombed in 1921 during an incident known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

Travelers who like visiting the cultural landmarks listed among the bevy of UNESCO World Heritage sites can see more here than in any other U.S. state. In order to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status, a place must be a work of human genius, contain superlative natural phenomena, or any of the eight other requirements on the qualifications list. The sites located in New Mexico, such as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Taos Pueblo all manage to fit the criteria!

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

While Missouri may be most well known for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, many are unaware upon first glance that the museum housed beneath the landmark is full of history about the "Show Me State" including how it got the nickname. Don't be fooled though, Missouri offers so much more. Branson, for example, is known as the "Live Entertainment Capital of the World" per their tourism site because of the amount of entertainment that is accessible at any given time, and the state has six national parks you can visit.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

Michigan offers a mixture of natural beauty, history, and culture all wrapped up in one state. Visitors often make their way to Detroit to visit the Motown Museum, where curators pay homage to a form of music that, in essence, created the blueprint for all other music to follow. Home to four of the Great Lakes (Erie, Superior, Huron, and Michigan) travelers can also enjoy a car-free adventureincluding a side trip to Mackinac Island, home to Arch Rock. On top of that, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor offers a huge list of attractions from the University of Michigan Museum of Arts, to the Museum of Natural History Planetarium.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 31%

There are some places that make you feel like you've stepped back in time and Louisiana is one of them. It is known for having a multitude of plantations, with at least 14 still open to visit, but they also represent a painful chapter of enslaved people in the state's history. New Orleans is home to the French Quarter, known for jazz on Bourbon Street, shimmery beads during Mardi Gras, and some of the best beignets you can find. Grand Isle is known as a "sportsman's paradise" with amazing fishing spots that offer unencumbered views of the Gulf of Mexico. Plus, if you've always wanted to delve a little deeper into understanding Voodoo, an African diasporic religion, there are plenty of places to dive in.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 34%

Travelers can walk through part of the world's longest-known cave system in Mammoth Cave National Park. With more than 400 miles of explored caves and nearly 53,000 acres of land to explore, you can spend a whole day there and not even notice. If you're in more of a sporty mood, you can head north to Louisville for river cruises, horse racing at Churchill Downs, and baseball nostalgia at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 34%

Massachusetts is the kind of state where the kid in you can come out and play! Baseball fans will feel right at home in Boston's Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox and the oldest ballpark of any Major League Baseball team. Fans can surround themselves with the peanuts and Cracker Jacks as the stadium is open for tours all year round. In the fall, Salem, Massachusetts, becomes the state's focal point as a popular destination to celebrate Halloweenand no wonder, considering the town's history! The infamous Salem Witch Trials took place in the state, a time when religious persecution and fear allowed women to be burned at the stake if they were found to be witches. Speaking of American history, you can also visit Plymouth Rock, known as the landing spot of the Mayflower.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 36%

Winter sports are definitely the draw when it comes to the popularity of Colorado, or at least one of the big ones thanks to the Rocky Mountains as the state's backdrop. Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge are some of the most well-known ski towns in the country. Colorado is also home to one of the most amazing outdoor amphitheaters, Red Rocks, which gets world-class musical acts on a constant basis and is housed within a natural rock formation. For history fans, the Chicano Movement was a heavy influence on the landscape of the state, and you can visit the Chicano Humanities and Art Council Gallery to learn about the rich history of the 60s and 70s.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 38%

When you think of white sand beaches you might not necessarily think of anywhere statesidebut that's where South Carolina comes in to prove you wrong. The state has a bevy of beaches, including the popular family tourist attraction Myrtle Beach, which offers 60 miles of white sand and a fantastic boardwalk full of carnival rides, games, and delicious food. Speaking of the cuisine, culinary tourists can head to Charleston, which is known for making a killer bowl of shrimp and grits. For a sweet treat, the brown sugar and butter explosion known as Charleston chewies is the local favorite. Both of these borrow heavily from the influence of the Gullah Geechee, descendants of West and Central Africa forced upon the lands during the trade of enslaved people, and who have been well known for preserving and maintaining their cultural heritage.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 38%

Maryland is another state well-loved for its seafood dishes, but here crab is king. Travelers will find plenty of unique local dishes, including Maryland Crab Soup, Smith Island Cake, and stuffed ham. Travelers can also make their way to Baltimore, where you can find everything from the National Aquarium, to the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Oriole Park to spend a day traversing.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 39%

Lucky be a lady in Nevada, or at least she does in its most famous city, "Sin City" Las Vegas, Known as the kind of destination where what happens there, stays there, you can hit the Strip for gambling, fine dining and residency shows that alternate throughout the season. If the bright lights of the big city aren't your thing, Nevada also has spectacular natural attractions like Red Rock Canyon and Lake Tahoe.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 39%

Ohio is full of family-friendly stops, like Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Tourists can head out of town to learn about a different way of life with a visit to Amish country, where you can learn about what life is like without technology.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 40%

Nashville, Tennessee, is where country music and bachelorette parties meet in the lively downtown honky-tonks. Head west to Memphis for the soulful sounds of blues music on Beale Street. If you're looking for a strong drink, the Tennessee Whiskey Trail is home to at least 30 distilleries open for a visit.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 40%

Boardwalk and beach lovers get both along the Jersey Shore, which is far more entertaining than what the MTV series made it seem like. In fact, it's known for being a well-loved family destination, especially in Ocean City, which is known as an alcohol-free city. Gamblers can try their luck by heading north to the casinos in Atlantic City, home to the first boardwalk built in the world.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 41%

The natural red-rock formation known as the Grand Canyon may be Arizona's top stop, but Arizona has many natural feats to admire. Saguaro National Park protects the state's majestic cacti, as well as the petroglyphs left behind by the Hohokam tribe. Guided tours in Antelope Canyon can feel like hiking through another world, with canyons and formations that look more like they belong on Mars than in America.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 42%

North Carolina is a regular pit stop for racing fans. Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame not only tells the history of the sport but puts visitors in the driver's seat in its racing simulators. Those who want off the roads and into the great outdoors can make their way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, full of lush forests, wildflowers, and waterfalls as far as the eye can see.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 42%

Outdoor lovers have plenty to choose from between Virginia's Atlantic Ocean beaches and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Literary fans can enjoy the Poe Museum in Richmond, dedicated to one of the United States' most famous writers and a tragic tale in literary history, Edgar Allen Poe. Fans of history can visit the sites for the Battle of Yorktown, the last battle of the Revolutionary War, as well as the colonial town of Williamsburg known as the world's largest living history museum.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 43%

Foodies have many options in Illinois' biggest city, Chicago, from the city's deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs to upscale dining from award-winning chefs. Tourists and locals alike flock to the lakefront in the summer, when the weather is ideal. The state is also known for playing a heavy role in the Underground Railroad, and in Alton, you can partake in either driving or walking tours that guide you along some of the most important landmarks.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 46%

Atlanta's film and music industries make Georgia's capital city an entertainment hub. You can take a tour of Tyler Perry's massive production studio, or catch a glimpse of The Dungeon, the studio where Outkast recorded their albums. Tourists who want a more relaxing pace choose Savannah's historic downtown and coastal living.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have been: 48%

Head to Philadelphia to bring a U.S. history lesson to life, with visits to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Art lovers can hop over to Pittsburgh to The Andy Warhol Museum, home to the largest collection of Warhol art and archives. You can also get your fill of chocolate as Pennsylvania is the home of Hershey's Chocolate World.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 52%

Trips to Texas leave a lot of ground to cover, from Space Center Houston for NASA lovers, to the Alamo in San Antonio for history buffs, and Big Bend National Park's limestone cliffs in the western part of the state. Fans of live entertainment can also make their way to Austin for SXSW every March for a week-long festival and conference centering around music, arts, technology, and culture.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 54%

Considering this state can take nearly 12 hours to drive the full length of it, it comes as no surprise that there are tons of sights to see in California. Los Angeles is known as the home of Hollywood, the rich and famous, and of course the neighbor to Anaheim's Disneyland. San Francisco offers a wealth of culture with the de Young Museum, Museum of the African Diaspora, and the Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts. Sacramento, the state's capital, is a burgeoning city recently voted by Forbes as the top place to live in the state and is home to the California State Fair. That doesn't include the nine state parks like Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and more.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 55%

The city that never sleeps is also the city that brings the most visitors to the state of New York. First-time U.S. and international tourists love to visit Times Square, catch a Broadway show, and eat a New York slice of pizza. Music lovers can take walking tours that show you the birthplace of punk in Greenwich Village and the East Village or the birthplace of hip-hop in Harlem. Not to mention the city's countless museums, galleries, live music venues, and more.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 61%

For countless families, a visit to Orlando's Disney World makes a childhood, or adulthood, dream come true. Florida's pristine beaches also make it the top-ranked state for a trip in the U.S. Everglades National Park offers a great day trip for families, and if you happen to have a birdwatcher in your family, the wetlands in the park are home to the largest breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America.

Data reporting by Lucas Hicks. Story editing by Olivia Monahan. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.

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Some sentences make false claims but still manage to touch a nerve. We have woken up in a different world today is one such sentence. It was said by Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, the day after Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, summing up her reaction to Moscows latest violation of international law.

Baerbock was spontaneously expressing a feeling that a fundamentally new situation had emerged, in which once unshakeable political certainties seemed to evaporate overnight. As if we suddenly stood exposed to the cold storm winds of history. This feeling was real, and it remains so. But that does not mean it should be viewed as a wise basis for political strategy: to do so would deepen, not lessen, the confusions of our time.

The belief that the world changed utterly on February 24, 2022 comes from a very European and transatlantic perspective, one which regards adherence to treaties as the historic norm. In this view, the death of Hitler in 1945 marked the end of states that unscrupulously tore up all legal and humanitarian conventions, declaring violence to be a legitimate political instrument. From this point on, borders within Europe were considered inviolable, almost sacred. The vast majority of Europeans who were born after World War II never experienced anything but peace and non-violence. We considered this state of affairs to be normal, even natural.

But we can now see that this was an illusion, more cherished in Europeabove all in Germanythan in the United States, which always kept a keen eye on Mars as well as Venus. European unification may have had great success in peacefully integrating the states of the European Union, but it also inculcated a strange forgetfulness about history. While striving for ever-closer interdependence, European integration nurtured a belief that historys final phase was close at hand. From now on, according to this belief, politics would consist only of routine tweaking, in the name of an ever-more-perfect, ever-smoother equilibrium. European unification sought to bring an end to the continents long history of violence, but for this very reason, it also weakened Europeans historical awareness. More specifically, it obstructed an insight which had been obvious after the barbarities of the 20th century: the existence of evil in the world, an evil which can never be vanquished once and for all. Crimes, once committed, can happen again. Civilizational ruptures have occurred throughout the history of humankind, not just in the past 100 years.

Russias war of aggression against Ukraine provoked such horror because it was the first time that one of the victor states of the Second World War had unilaterally declared the post-war international settlement, co-created by them, to be obsolete. However, if we look beyond the group of World War II victor states, it is clear that the primacy of treaties has been the exception rather than the rule. In general, war and violence have remained the norm. Since the turn of the millennium, more than 30 wars have been fought around the world. In the post-1945 era, the gods of war and violence were always ubiquitous: China, Korea, Vietnam, Biafra, Congo, Algeria, Chile, Argentina, Nicaragua, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan. It was wrong to believe that a combination of democracy, free trade, and market economies would be so attractive to spread all over the world. This clearly did not happen. We continue to live in a familiar, violent world, not a new and unknown one.

Russias invasion of Ukraine had a surprising impact. The war did not achieve what Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped it would. It did not strike terror into Germany, Europe, or the West as a whole. President Putin has had no success in sowing divisions and splits between the EU member states, once notorious for their squabbling. In fact, Putins actions brought EU member states closer together than they had ever been. Moreover, the Russian president also created an unexpected renaissance in the transatlantic alliance, which had previously seemed on the verge of dilution or even collapse. Putin had sought to encourage centrifugal forces within the Western alliance; instead, he strengthened the forces that kept it together, in a surprisingly powerful way. Even the German Greens have now become ardent transatlanticists, passionate supporters of NATO and the need for genuinely combat-capable German armed forces.

Thats good in and of itself, but it does not represent a real political leap. All the Greens have done is internalize the domestic, security, and foreign policy norms of the old Federal Republic of Germany. In other words, they have caught up with the past. It all has something fundamentally backward-looking about it, restoring a status quo ante. And theres no reason to pat ourselves on the back just because weve grasped the need for the famous Zeitenwende, Germanys much-heralded foreign policy watershed moment. Baerbocks insistence that we would stand steadfast by our values sounded like a ritual invocation. Moreover, it ascribed a level of global political strength to the European-transatlantic community of nations that in fact does not exist. However much we may puff our cheeks, we remain in the minority. A German foreign policy that purports to make a real difference must above all recognize this fact. There has been a renaissance of transatlantic relations, but on its own it is simply not enough.

Russias war of aggression turned Ukraine into the focal point of European interests. Shaken to our core by Moscows actions, we now feel ourselves transported from the periphery to the center. The war in Ukraine has had a paradoxical effect. Because we have been more or less directly impacted, the war has revived a Eurocentrism that only recently had seemed to have run its course, mired in a political swamp. The war in Ukraine has not broadened our perspective, it has narrowed it. The era when Europe could define the world ended, at the latest, in the years following World War II. Today, the transatlantic alliance has also lost this formative capacity. The West is probably the best that modernity has produced, in political, social, economic, and societal terms. But it can no longer simply exist as the center, to which other countries line up to seek admittance. The West has lost its allure. Moreover, it has to admit that some of its reputational damage is self-inflicted.

Writing in Foreign Affairs, Chancellor Olaf Scholz impressively demonstrated the limitations of German politics. (Even his articles hybrid German-English headlineThe Global Zeitenwendecame across as slightly ridiculous.) It takes a certain arrogance for a German chancellor to announce the dawn of a new era in the main US foreign policy publication. It was also presumptuous to insist that Germanynewly awakened from its security-policy slumberswould be a major player in this new epoch. Scholz certainly rejected any new form of bloc mentality. He emphatically lent his support to an open multilateralism, thus setting himself against anti-Kantian thinking in foreign policy. Moreover, the chancellor has made serious efforts to seek new political allies, going beyond the well-worn paths of recent decades. In doing so, he has gone far beyond Germany's previous foreign policy.

But Scholz has stopped halfway. His strategic thinking has failed to go beyond the old transatlantic constellation in any systematic way. He speaks of emerging states in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, which deserve to be granted greater participation in the international order. But mere participation would imply that we remain the cooks, while emerging regions are allowed to be mere waiters, for the time being at least. The center would remain in the West, where it has always been. This is not enough for the epoch we now face. With this kind of attitude, the West will find it difficult to forge new alliances with the large number of states who see Russias war against Ukraine as an internal European affair, of no concern to them.

Declarations of basic human rights are curious things: they are proclaimed as universally valid, but then implemented in very limited ways for a long time. The 1776 American Declaration of Independence begins: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Words written almost a quarter of a millennium ago. Did they mean all human beings? On paper, yes. In reality, no. The authors included neither women nor Black people in their universal vision. This was not out of hatred, but because of their assumptionone would almost like to call it a nave assumptionthat human being meant white man. They simply did not perceive the Others.

Although this tunnel vision gradually broadened as the years went on, it remains the original sin of Western conceptions of human rights. Today it is more or less unquestioned that all human beings should enjoy human rights. This is undoubtedly also a result of the logic inherent to Christian understandings of the individual and the mentality of the Enlightenment. Seen in this light, the universal application of human rights has come to seem inevitable. However, it would be an over-simplification to think of the Western world as a machine which, despite all setbacks and hesitancies, must necessarily lead to the final establishment of a liberal culture based on separation of powers and inalienable individual human rights. (This argument has been made for many years by the German historian Heinrich August Winkler.) The scandal is how long it took to accept that everyone has equal rights. This belated recognition of universal human rights can correctly be seen as the Wests fault, although this is not so with all of the problems of the non-European world, which are partly self-inflicted. From this responsibility comes a duty to insist on the connectivity of the free world. We must refuse to see the free world as an island located in the West. Moreover, we must pursue these connections with every political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural means at our disposal.

Some of the worlds peoples refused to wait around for human rights to prevail. Some years after the United States won its independence, Haiti under Toussaint Louverture fought for the abolition of slavery. In 1804, it became the first country in Latin America to achieve independence. The desire for freedom and self-determination quickly spread worldwide. By the early 20th century, the anti-colonial movement in India had coalesced. Several Pan-African congresses were held to discuss the possibility of a unified anti-colonial struggle in Africa. The countries of the West often sought to prevent and hamper this movement; at best they passively looked on. The formalized order of international rules and norms which emerged after World War I was agreed upon between the victorious powers. Colonial liberation was not on the agenda.

Just two decades later, war broke out again. The Second World War put the creation of a stable world order back on the agenda, ultimately leading to the foundation of the United Nations in 1945. That organizations initial phase featured proclamations of high-minded aims, but even these went hand-in-hand with the old Wests unabashed attempts to assert hegemony. Initial plans for the United Nations, discussed by British prime minister Winston Churchill and American president Franklin Roosevelt just before US entry into the war, had envisioned a New Deal for the World. But the intention was not to create a global community where all member states would enjoy equal rights. In 1941, during the preparation of the Atlantic Charter, the UNs earliest founding document, Churchill insisted that it would not apply to British colonies. Privately, Roosevelt remarked that the new world organization must become a police organization of the great powers.

The preamble to the United Nations Charter affirmed its faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. These lines were written by Jan Smuts, a confidante of Churchill and a racist politician. At the time he was prime minister of the Union of South Africa, and as such responsible for racial segregation and the expulsion of black South Africans from their urban communities.

Later, the United Nations was hijacked by a majority of states that had fought for their independence in the post-war decades. Many of these states had become autocracies, and they largely disregarded human rights in their own countries, while waging a constant struggle against the countries of the free world in the name of human rights and the right to self-determination. In retrospect, this might seem to support the arguments of those who tried to prevent the admission of Third World countries, on the grounds that they lacked the maturity to belong to a world organization. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that the old free world failed to actively promote these countries liberation process and did not recognize them as equals. In this way, the West did not manage to win these countries trust, which boosted international anti-Western sentiment.

Kwame Nkrumah had led the British crown colony of Gold Coast to independence in 1957, when the country was renamed Ghana. In September 1960, Nkrumah addressed the United Nations General Assembly as the president of Ghana. He used the global platform now available to his country to declare that the United Nations must become an international forum for decolonization, demanding that it lead the fight against imperialism.

Just two months before Nkrumahs speech, the Belgian colony of Congo had gained independence, celebrated in a ceremony attended by the king of Belgium in the city of Kinshasa, at that point still named Lopoldville after a previous Belgian king. At the ceremony, Patrice Lumumba, the 35-year-old self-educated hero of the independence movement, gave a spontaneous speech that inspired the local crowd but offended the king. Lumumba recalled that Belgium had not given up the colony voluntarily: the Congolese had had to win their independence for themselves. Moreover, he reminded his audience of the exploitation and oppression practiced by the Belgian colonists. His speech remains a shining example of optimistic oratory: Brothers, let us commence together a new struggle, a sublime struggle that will lead our country to peace, prosperity and greatness. But it all came to nothing.

Lumumbas actions enraged Belgium and the United States, since he planned to use the countrys rich natural resources to promote the development of the new Congolese republic. Western states placed every conceivable obstacle in its path, and the new Congolese leader, in desperation, turned to the Soviet Union. Lumumbas turn to Moscow is just one example of many that suggest that the leftism pursued by some post-colonial states was not a freely chosen path, but a reaction to Western unwillingness to grant them anything more than purely formal independence. With his belief that the Congolese people should rule over Congo and its natural resources, Lumumba had in effect signed his own death warrant. The US ambassador to Belgium wrote: A principal objective of our political and diplomatic action must be to destroy the Lumumba government. US President Dwight Eisenhower was even blunter, expressing in a recorded conversation his wish that Lumumba would fall into a river full of crocodiles. A while later, Lumumba was deposed by rebels backed by Belgium and the United States. The head of the new Congolese state was kidnapped and tortured; in January 1961, he was shot dead by soldiers from the breakaway province of Katanga, under Belgian command. Lumumbas killers dismembered his body, dissolving it in sulfuric acid provided by a Belgian mining company. No one involved in the murder was ever prosecuted; on the contrary, one of the conspirators, tienne Davignon, went on to enjoy a stellar career in European business and politics. From 1977 on, he was a member of the European Commission, and served as its vice-president for four years. Until 2020, he remained co-chair of Brussels Airlines. In other words, a colonialist murderer rose to become a prominent representative of the European Union, an organization then and now hailed as a great project for peace.

This was just a single episode, but a significant one. It is one example of many that highlight the economic interests and geopolitical ambitions underlying the interventions of Western states in the Third World, at least as a secondary factor. Throughout the years, this has caused a great deal of harm, for example in Africa and Latin America. For this reason, Russias invasion of Ukraine cannot be used simply to praise our values and propagate them as a kind of universal panacea. Given the terrible challenge now posed by Russia, it is more important to seek out new alliances. We must pay much more political and diplomatic attention to certain states than we have done in the past: these include Canada, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Namibia, Ghana, and Chile, to name a few. This does not mean, of course, expecting them simply to dock with the core states of the West. A new free world must find its place on the international agenda, but it cannot simply be an expansion of the old free world. It should become something new.

Twice previously, in the years 1918 and 1945, the conclusion of a world war forced states to set about creating a new world order. Russias attack on Ukraine, which has horrified and alarmed war-weary states, could be an occasion to again think big in political, diplomatic, and economic terms. It could also offer a new lease of life to the idea of multilateralism, which has been damaged and discredited by Russias brusque refusal of it.

None of this will happen by itself, simply as a matter of course. A recent book by Lucio Caracciolo, the editor of the Italian geopolitical journal Limes for three decades, bears the curt title La pace finita (Peace is over). The book begins with a reference to Francis Fukuyama, and with a harsh truth: On February 24, 2022, the end of history finally came to an end. In a somewhat triumphant tone, Caracciolo outlines his argument that all grandiose ambitions based on international law, in which all states would enjoy equal rights, have now come to an end. Caracciolo predicts the return of an unabashed old-school geopolitics, in which what ultimately counts most is any states arsenal of weaponry. This danger does indeed loom large, and that is why it is worth trying to prevent it, to stop the world returning to conditions seen in the early decades of the 20th century.

Stable democracies have one weakness: they are only familiar with peace, and they only think in terms of contracts. The British geographer Halford Mackinder, the inventor of geopolitics, was sympathetic to this idealism, which he saw as inherent to democracy. But he also saw it as a weakness. In 1919, as the victorious powers were busy designing the new world order, Mackinder wrote a book warning about the ideal and the reality of democracy. It contains the famous sentence: Democracy refuses to think strategically unless and until compelled to do so for purposes of defense. Democrats rarely think in terms of emergencies.

Now we have been forced to think and act strategically by Russias actions; this fact seems at last to be dawning on the political leaders of the anti-Russian alliance. Of course, this goes far beyond the question of increased arms deliveries to Ukraine, and beyond general questions of defense policy. Strategic thinking must include an effort, determined but cautious, to win over as many states as possible to an alliance that is not limited to general humanitarian declarations, which can easily go too far. In 1975, the US diplomat and politician Daniel P. Moynihan advocated a policy of liberal internationalism as an alternative to doing nothing while the United Nations was exploited by anti-Western states. Today, the idea could once again become relevant. Moreover, it could be an attractive policy, if it succeeds in combining a smart human rights policy with a consistent pursuit of free trade.

Thomas Schmid is a journalist and author. From 2008 to 2014 he was editor-in-chief, from 2010 also publisher, of the WELT newspaper group. His German journalism can be found here.

The IPQ Summer 2023 issue, out on June 29, 2023, will focus on Europe and the Global South.

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Rethinking Liberal Internationalism - IP Quarterly

Storms likely in Nebraska Friday night into early Saturday. Damaging wind and hail are expected in spots. Flooding and tornadoes can't be ruled out. Get the latest on storm timing and how the hazards will vary across the state in our updated forecast video.

U.S. travelers are expected to visit U.S. destinations more in 2023 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council. Thanks in part to rising inflation rates, which make international travel far more difficult to budget for a family, along with the general public's desire to freely move about now that COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted. Combining that with the plethora of places to choose from when it comes to making your way across America, domestic travel rates went up 30.1% in 2022, and it seems to be on trend to continue its ascent.

With so much to do, however, who could blame someone for wanting to get in the car and leave their cares behind during an epic road trip? For booking that last-minute flight on a whim because the mood seems to strike. The U.S. is home to 424 National Parks, 620 amusement parks, over 35,000 museums, and don't even get us started on how many restaurants there are to try!

As summer approaches, and many are beginning to plot out their itineraries for the road, we wonderedwhich states are the most popular to visit by U.S. tourists? Using data from YouGov to determine what states Americans are visiting, Stacker has ranked the top 25 by the percentage of U.S. adults who have already made a visit. Check the rankings to see if your next destination is among these popular choices, or find your next adventure as you scroll.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

In a state full of early American history, Oklahoma City visitors can take the opportunity to learn about the state's 39 Native American nations in Oklahoma by visiting the First Americans Museum. Tulsa's museum Greenwood Rising tells visitors about the city's Black neighborhood, Greenwood, a once-historic space known as a freedom colony after slavery was abolished. The area, lauded as Black Wall Street, was infamously bombed in 1921 during an incident known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

Travelers who like visiting the cultural landmarks listed among the bevy of UNESCO World Heritage sites can see more here than in any other U.S. state. In order to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status, a place must be a work of human genius, contain superlative natural phenomena, or any of the eight other requirements on the qualifications list. The sites located in New Mexico, such as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Taos Pueblo all manage to fit the criteria!

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

While Missouri may be most well known for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, many are unaware upon first glance that the museum housed beneath the landmark is full of history about the "Show Me State" including how it got the nickname. Don't be fooled though, Missouri offers so much more. Branson, for example, is known as the "Live Entertainment Capital of the World" per their tourism site because of the amount of entertainment that is accessible at any given time, and the state has six national parks you can visit.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 30%

Michigan offers a mixture of natural beauty, history, and culture all wrapped up in one state. Visitors often make their way to Detroit to visit the Motown Museum, where curators pay homage to a form of music that, in essence, created the blueprint for all other music to follow. Home to four of the Great Lakes (Erie, Superior, Huron, and Michigan) travelers can also enjoy a car-free adventureincluding a side trip to Mackinac Island, home to Arch Rock. On top of that, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor offers a huge list of attractions from the University of Michigan Museum of Arts, to the Museum of Natural History Planetarium.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 31%

There are some places that make you feel like you've stepped back in time and Louisiana is one of them. It is known for having a multitude of plantations, with at least 14 still open to visit, but they also represent a painful chapter of enslaved people in the state's history. New Orleans is home to the French Quarter, known for jazz on Bourbon Street, shimmery beads during Mardi Gras, and some of the best beignets you can find. Grand Isle is known as a "sportsman's paradise" with amazing fishing spots that offer unencumbered views of the Gulf of Mexico. Plus, if you've always wanted to delve a little deeper into understanding Voodoo, an African diasporic religion, there are plenty of places to dive in.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 34%

Travelers can walk through part of the world's longest-known cave system in Mammoth Cave National Park. With more than 400 miles of explored caves and nearly 53,000 acres of land to explore, you can spend a whole day there and not even notice. If you're in more of a sporty mood, you can head north to Louisville for river cruises, horse racing at Churchill Downs, and baseball nostalgia at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 34%

Massachusetts is the kind of state where the kid in you can come out and play! Baseball fans will feel right at home in Boston's Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox and the oldest ballpark of any Major League Baseball team. Fans can surround themselves with the peanuts and Cracker Jacks as the stadium is open for tours all year round. In the fall, Salem, Massachusetts, becomes the state's focal point as a popular destination to celebrate Halloweenand no wonder, considering the town's history! The infamous Salem Witch Trials took place in the state, a time when religious persecution and fear allowed women to be burned at the stake if they were found to be witches. Speaking of American history, you can also visit Plymouth Rock, known as the landing spot of the Mayflower.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 36%

Winter sports are definitely the draw when it comes to the popularity of Colorado, or at least one of the big ones thanks to the Rocky Mountains as the state's backdrop. Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge are some of the most well-known ski towns in the country. Colorado is also home to one of the most amazing outdoor amphitheaters, Red Rocks, which gets world-class musical acts on a constant basis and is housed within a natural rock formation. For history fans, the Chicano Movement was a heavy influence on the landscape of the state, and you can visit the Chicano Humanities and Art Council Gallery to learn about the rich history of the 60s and 70s.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 38%

When you think of white sand beaches you might not necessarily think of anywhere statesidebut that's where South Carolina comes in to prove you wrong. The state has a bevy of beaches, including the popular family tourist attraction Myrtle Beach, which offers 60 miles of white sand and a fantastic boardwalk full of carnival rides, games, and delicious food. Speaking of the cuisine, culinary tourists can head to Charleston, which is known for making a killer bowl of shrimp and grits. For a sweet treat, the brown sugar and butter explosion known as Charleston chewies is the local favorite. Both of these borrow heavily from the influence of the Gullah Geechee, descendants of West and Central Africa forced upon the lands during the trade of enslaved people, and who have been well known for preserving and maintaining their cultural heritage.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 38%

Maryland is another state well-loved for its seafood dishes, but here crab is king. Travelers will find plenty of unique local dishes, including Maryland Crab Soup, Smith Island Cake, and stuffed ham. Travelers can also make their way to Baltimore, where you can find everything from the National Aquarium, to the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Oriole Park to spend a day traversing.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 39%

Lucky be a lady in Nevada, or at least she does in its most famous city, "Sin City" Las Vegas, Known as the kind of destination where what happens there, stays there, you can hit the Strip for gambling, fine dining and residency shows that alternate throughout the season. If the bright lights of the big city aren't your thing, Nevada also has spectacular natural attractions like Red Rock Canyon and Lake Tahoe.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 39%

Ohio is full of family-friendly stops, like Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Tourists can head out of town to learn about a different way of life with a visit to Amish country, where you can learn about what life is like without technology.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 40%

Nashville, Tennessee, is where country music and bachelorette parties meet in the lively downtown honky-tonks. Head west to Memphis for the soulful sounds of blues music on Beale Street. If you're looking for a strong drink, the Tennessee Whiskey Trail is home to at least 30 distilleries open for a visit.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 40%

Boardwalk and beach lovers get both along the Jersey Shore, which is far more entertaining than what the MTV series made it seem like. In fact, it's known for being a well-loved family destination, especially in Ocean City, which is known as an alcohol-free city. Gamblers can try their luck by heading north to the casinos in Atlantic City, home to the first boardwalk built in the world.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 41%

The natural red-rock formation known as the Grand Canyon may be Arizona's top stop, but Arizona has many natural feats to admire. Saguaro National Park protects the state's majestic cacti, as well as the petroglyphs left behind by the Hohokam tribe. Guided tours in Antelope Canyon can feel like hiking through another world, with canyons and formations that look more like they belong on Mars than in America.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 42%

North Carolina is a regular pit stop for racing fans. Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame not only tells the history of the sport but puts visitors in the driver's seat in its racing simulators. Those who want off the roads and into the great outdoors can make their way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, full of lush forests, wildflowers, and waterfalls as far as the eye can see.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 42%

Outdoor lovers have plenty to choose from between Virginia's Atlantic Ocean beaches and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Literary fans can enjoy the Poe Museum in Richmond, dedicated to one of the United States' most famous writers and a tragic tale in literary history, Edgar Allen Poe. Fans of history can visit the sites for the Battle of Yorktown, the last battle of the Revolutionary War, as well as the colonial town of Williamsburg known as the world's largest living history museum.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 43%

Foodies have many options in Illinois' biggest city, Chicago, from the city's deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs to upscale dining from award-winning chefs. Tourists and locals alike flock to the lakefront in the summer, when the weather is ideal. The state is also known for playing a heavy role in the Underground Railroad, and in Alton, you can partake in either driving or walking tours that guide you along some of the most important landmarks.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 46%

Atlanta's film and music industries make Georgia's capital city an entertainment hub. You can take a tour of Tyler Perry's massive production studio, or catch a glimpse of The Dungeon, the studio where Outkast recorded their albums. Tourists who want a more relaxing pace choose Savannah's historic downtown and coastal living.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have been: 48%

Head to Philadelphia to bring a U.S. history lesson to life, with visits to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Art lovers can hop over to Pittsburgh to The Andy Warhol Museum, home to the largest collection of Warhol art and archives. You can also get your fill of chocolate as Pennsylvania is the home of Hershey's Chocolate World.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 52%

Trips to Texas leave a lot of ground to cover, from Space Center Houston for NASA lovers, to the Alamo in San Antonio for history buffs, and Big Bend National Park's limestone cliffs in the western part of the state. Fans of live entertainment can also make their way to Austin for SXSW every March for a week-long festival and conference centering around music, arts, technology, and culture.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 54%

Considering this state can take nearly 12 hours to drive the full length of it, it comes as no surprise that there are tons of sights to see in California. Los Angeles is known as the home of Hollywood, the rich and famous, and of course the neighbor to Anaheim's Disneyland. San Francisco offers a wealth of culture with the de Young Museum, Museum of the African Diaspora, and the Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts. Sacramento, the state's capital, is a burgeoning city recently voted by Forbes as the top place to live in the state and is home to the California State Fair. That doesn't include the nine state parks like Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and more.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 55%

The city that never sleeps is also the city that brings the most visitors to the state of New York. First-time U.S. and international tourists love to visit Times Square, catch a Broadway show, and eat a New York slice of pizza. Music lovers can take walking tours that show you the birthplace of punk in Greenwich Village and the East Village or the birthplace of hip-hop in Harlem. Not to mention the city's countless museums, galleries, live music venues, and more.

Percentage of US adults who have been: 61%

For countless families, a visit to Orlando's Disney World makes a childhood, or adulthood, dream come true. Florida's pristine beaches also make it the top-ranked state for a trip in the U.S. Everglades National Park offers a great day trip for families, and if you happen to have a birdwatcher in your family, the wetlands in the park are home to the largest breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America.

Data reporting by Lucas Hicks. Story editing by Olivia Monahan. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.

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Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stars On Mars episode "Water Crisis." Read at your own risk!

Tom Schwartz admitted during the latest Stars On Mars episode that he joined the show to take a break from the drama in his life, which included a pretty messy and public divorce. Schwartz has managed to escape the controversy that partly revolved around his kiss with Raquel Leviss, but given his latest performance in the show, he may be on his way back to Earth and that intense Vanderpump Rules reunion pretty soon. This revelation came after Schwartz miraculously survived another week in the Mars colony after flubbing a mission that would've ruined an actual space exploration.

The episode bid farewell to Tallulah Willis after the team decided the failure of the mission ultimately fell on her inability to lead and ensure its success. Tom Schwartz got off pretty easy in my opinion, and I can't imagine he'll survive another week if he makes a blunder quite as bad as he did in the latest episode.

The Stars On Mars crew was tasked with obtaining more water after losing access to the supply they had. Tom Schwartz was initially given the job of traveling into a cave with others to help hold a tarp and extract water but swapped duties with actress Ariel Winter at the last minute. She went into the cave while Schwartz stayed above ground with Marshawn Lynch to help fill and count the barrels being filled with water.

With six minutes left in the challenge, Tom Schwartz informed the team they had three and a half containers filled of the four they needed to complete the mission. Shortly after that announcement, a pipe became disconnected, and the team struggled to reconnect it immediately. Once the pipe was finally reconnected, Schwartz jumped on to explain that he had miscounted, and they had only filled two and a half containers. Time ran out, and the mission failed.

Ultimately there are a few reasons the challenge failed. Quite frankly, Tom Schwartz and Ariel Winter shouldn't have swapped roles, as his strength was needed more than his counting ability. Had he been down there to fix the pipe, it might've been connected faster, and Winter could've delivered an accurate count of containers filled and put more pressure on the team to work faster. Schwartz accepted responsibility for his part of the mission failing and found himself in the bottom three for elimination. As mentioned, he survived the elimination, but readers can revisit the episode with their Hulu subscription and make their own judgments on whether that was earned.

Stars On Mars' latest episode was another poor outing for Tom Schwartz, who only just barely escaped elimination the week prior. Christopher Mintz-Plasse took the fall on that one, but one could make the argument that the only thing that separated his effort from Schwartz's was Marshawn Lynch calling the former McLovin. Mistaking two filled barrels for three is a rough look, and it has me wondering if Schwartz is really present during these challenges on the Fox competition.

If he isn't, that's completely understandable, but I'd love for the other Stars On Mars contestants to pick up on that. He's arguably been the least mission-critical member two weeks in a row now, and if he lands there again in the upcoming episode, I don't really think anyone can justify keeping him another week.

Stars On Mars airs on Fox on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's one of many must-watch shows popping up in the month of June, so be sure to stay ahead of the game by peeping CinemaBlend's 2023 TV schedule to see what's around the corner.

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Stars On Mars' Tom Schwartz Miraculously Survived Another Week ... - CinemaBlend

Mars is one of Earths neighboring planetswith Venus. This star has, for years, been the object of study by various European agencies, as signs of past life may be found there or even a new opportunity to establish a human colony there.

Therefore, the NASA is already preparing missions to the Red Planet Also, other organizations such as the European Space Agency are investigating how life might be possible there. In a new study, researchers at the University of Warwick have explored how the Red Planet can harness solar energy.

With this power, the Plant photosynthesis on Mars. In addition, space travel will be more stable and will require it Less storage space and less cost. Scientists have tested a new technique to achieve this using renewable green energy.

They take advantage of plants photosynthesis To generate energyThey are their mouse study, published in the journal Nature Communications. Theyll do it on the Moon and Mars using semiconductors that absorb and store light.

These are Artificial Photosynthetic Devices They undergo the same processes that keep plants alive on Earth: using only sunlight to convert water into oxygen. Meanwhile, they recycle carbon dioxide.

Considering the future, this energy, if installed on the Moon or Mars, can Helps boost rockets or to complement the astronauts systems Produces oxygen This allows you to breathe properly. Other chemical products may also be formed, which are illustrative University of Warwick.

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They've discovered a method to colonize Mars: through ... - Nates's Crest