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Tag Archives: nature of politics
What matters most
A recent opinion article by Roger Cohen about a book and polling data demonstrating a gulf in transatlantic public opinion struck me as a windy but representative example of the unnecessary polarization in our political debate. We find more visceral examples of this bifurcated outrage … Continue reading
Some Dreamers of the Impossible Dream
With nods to George Kennan, Joan Didion, and Cervantes, enjoy this excerpt from my book, The United States and the Challenge of Public Diplomacy about an extraordinary visit I made to Macedonia in 2006 published in The Foreign Service Journal. Although I wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Books, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Politics and Political Theory, Public Diplomacy, The Former Yugoslavia
Tagged Albania, Books, Bosnia, Bulgaria, current-events, EU, European Union, Foreign Service Journal, George Kennan, international relations, Joan Didion, Macedonia, NATO, nature of politics, Ohrid, politics, Public Diplomacy, Rebecca West, Serbia
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Plenums and Power (Power v. Force III)
The past two weeks have been astounding to witness in Ukraine and Bosnia- Herzegovina. While I haven’t been able to follow quite as intimately what has happened in Ukraine, media reporting from that country has been very good. In Bosnia … Continue reading
Posted in North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Politics and Political Theory, The Former Yugoslavia
Tagged Arab Spring, Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Communism, current-events, EU, European Union, force, hannah arendt, NATO, nature of politics, politics, repressive regimes, transitional justice, Ukraine, western political philosophy, Yugoslavia
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Lessons from Robben Island
I visited Robben Island, South Africa’s prison colony off the Western Cape, more than a decade ago when I was in South Africa with the woman who would become my wife. Then as today it is a national heritage site … Continue reading
Lou Reed and the Power of Art
Lou Reed died today at 71. The standard obituaries have noted his profound influence on popular music since the 1960s and 1970s. Dig a little deeper and you might find, as The New Republic did, that he affected political leaders like Vaclav … Continue reading
Posted in Politics and Political Theory
Tagged aesthetics and politics, Communism, current-events, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Lou Reed, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, nature of politics, Plastic People of the Universe, politics, totalitarian regimes, Vaclav Havel, Velvet Revolution, Velvet Underground
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American Republic, Now Available from Amazon
I’m pleased to announce that my book, American Republic: Essays on the Nature of Politics, is now available in Kindle and paperback from Amazon.com. American Republic includes the original book, plus three essays that first appeared on this site: “The Plastics and … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Politics and Political Theory
Tagged aesthetics and politics, Books, Carl Schmitt, Communism, george orwell, hannah arendt, language, literature, nature of politics, political faith, political language, politics, religion, repressive regimes, totalitarian regimes, western political philosophy
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In Egypt, Force v. Power (II)
It’s been sickening listening to usually sensible and decent people try to justify the ugly ouster of Egypt’s first democratically elected head of state. Watch David Brooks, for example, speaking on PBS’ Newshour, contort himself into a principle for the outcome of … Continue reading
Clearing the Air in Turkey (latest update July 14)
For anyone caught unawares by the political protests now roiling Turkey, you’re not alone. But for those looking for simple analogies between the demonstrations sparked by plans to bulldoze an Istanbul park and the regime-splitting Arab uprisings, you’re probably seeking a … Continue reading
Egypt’s Attack on Civil Society — and Politics
Today’s prison sentences by an Egyptian court in the case of several democratic activists in the country has rightly drawn attention to the 43 defendants – including 16 Americans, two Germans, and more than dozen Egyptians – who face jail … Continue reading
Posted in Politics and Political Theory
Tagged Arab Spring, Freedom House, International Center for Journalism, international center for journalists, International Republican Institute, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, middle-east, National Democratic Institute, nature of politics, politics, repressive regimes
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An Assault on Joseph Nye, Part Two: “Power and Violence are Opposites”
In a previous discussion, I attacked Joseph Nye’s “soft power/hard power” theory at the level of language, effectively calling his terms unclear and mealy-mouthed substitutes for clearer, more precise terms we can use like force and coercion, sanctions or diplomacy. Nye … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Politics and Political Theory, Public Diplomacy
Tagged Arab Spring, Books, civil rights movement, faith groups, force, hannah arendt, hard power, international relations theory, Joseph Nye, nature of politics, politics, Public Diplomacy, roman catholic church, Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, soft power, Solidarity, terrorism, western political philosophy, Yugoslavia
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