Welcome to Beg to Differ, the Bullworks Weekly Roundtable discussion

featuring civil conversation across the political spectrum from center left to

center right. I'm Mona Charon's syndicated columnist and policy editor at the Bulwark, and I'm joined by our regulars,

Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution in the Wall Street Journal, Linda Chavez of the

Niskanin Center, and Damon Linker of the Week.

Our special guest is Anne Applebaum, noted author,

contributor to the Atlantic, and author most recently

of a piece that got our attention called Coexistence is the only option.

Welcome, One and All.

I want to jump right in with you, Anne, because this essay that you wrote I think touches upon the great

question that all of us are facing in this post-insirection because and I say that because it really has changed our sense of the

stakes here that we don't just have it we're not just living in a divisive time,

we're living in a time of severe, severe strains

on our national life.

And as you put it, I'll just read from your piece you said about the secessionist you said they

declared that they want to live in a different America from the one the rest of us

inhabit ruled over by a different president, and yet they cannot be wished away or sent away or

somehow locked up.

They will not leave of their own accord and Americans who accept Biden's lawful victory won't either. We have no choice except

to coexist. So tell us, you, one of your wonderful strengths as a writer is that you bring an international perspective

to everything, and you've cited some examples from other nations that have dealt with severe internal strains and you're hoping to find

some way out there. Can you describe some of that?

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