Tag Archives: politics

Belief from the inside out

Posted on May 8, 2016 by

Carla Power’s Pulitizer Prize-shortlisted If the Oceans Were Ink, an outsider’s meditation on The Holy Qur’an with the help of a learned Islamic scholar, signals a subtle but seismic shift in our intellectual world.  It joins other unmistakable indications that mostly secular Western … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Politics and Political Theory, Public Diplomacy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What matters most

Posted on August 8, 2015 by

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 →

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A Divisive Concept

Posted on July 5, 2014 by

With Iraq on the edge of calamity, a hoary, dangerously stupid idea has again been floated by people smart enough to know better. With primarily Sunni extremists breathing down the Tigris and Euphrates river valley toward Baghdad and the mainly … Continue reading →

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“What Forever Stirs in the Human Heart”

Posted on March 30, 2014 by

I have been critical of President Barack Obama’s rhetoric on matters of war and peace, here and in my recent book. I respect and admire his ease, eloquence, and ability to communicate on virtually all other issues (“Between Two Ferns” was … Continue reading →

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Thinking Through Ukraine

Posted on March 2, 2014 by

I was at NATO when Russia invaded its neighbor, Georgia, in August 2008. The action caught anyone not paying attention by surprise. The experts knew it was long in coming. I’m sure the same is for the unfurling crisis in Ukraine, … Continue reading →

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Some Dreamers of the Impossible Dream

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

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 →

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Plenums and Power (Power v. Force III)

Posted on February 26, 2014 by

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment