By Oliver DeMille This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. Read Part One Here. Problems with Grand “Tactics” Generals lose when they fail to learn the lessons of past wars; generals also lose when they attempt to fight new wars with old strategies. This adage applies even more to statesmen. To put this in context, each time a new grand … [Read more...]
America’s New Grand Strategy, Part 1: Internationalism and Beyond
November 23, 2010 by 1 Comment
By Oliver DeMille The United States is currently experiencing a Grand Strategy Crisis — and the most powerful nation in the world since the Roman Empire better get it right. Such a crisis typically comes along once a generation, when the nation drops its old grand strategy and selects a new one. Unfortunately, this significant change, … [Read more...]
Something New in the Middle East?
November 22, 2010 by 1 Comment
By Oliver DeMille For decades the Middle East has posed many challenges to American presidents. It seems every U.S. president wants to make history by helping negotiate a lasting peace in this difficult region. Few people feel a lot of optimism about this, however. Palestinians argue that they are a people under siege, a nation under … [Read more...]
The Education Crossroads, Part 2: Types of Education
November 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille Read Part 1 Here But I do not believe that either the modern or the Shakespearean mindsets will influence our future as much as that from and even earlier age — the era of Virgil. I am convinced that Virgil’s understanding of freedom eclipses both of these others. Virgil witnessed Rome losing many of its freedoms, and he … [Read more...]
The Education Crossroads, Part 1: New Tribes Versus Cliques
November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille Education today is at a crossroads, and the options are fascinating. Certainly the rise of the Internet has revolutionized most industries, and its impact on education is expected to be significant. But the change in technology isn’t the only major shift which is impacting schooling. The end of the Cold War ushered in a … [Read more...]
The Reality Behind the 2010 Election: It’s the Economy
October 29, 2010 by 1 Comment
The economy is struggling, and it is driving the election. As so many have said since the Clinton campaign made it popular in the 1990s, “It’s the Economy, Stupid!” And many Americans believe the economy will continue to decline. If it does, the Obama Administration has very few tools to respond. The White House has based its entire economic … [Read more...]
O Canada: Lessons From Our Northern Neighbor
October 25, 2010 by 1 Comment
Two words that haven’t shown up together very much since the 2008 economic meltdown are "austerity" and "Canada." That’s quite an accomplishment for our neighbor to the North. Austerity has been paired with Greece, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain and France in just the past 18 months. Austerity means having your economy controlled and run by … [Read more...]
Why Societies Decline, Part 2: Six Choices for Citizens
October 13, 2010 by 1 Comment
This is part 2 of a 2-part article. Read Part 1 Here If the first step of decline is arrogance, the second is “a time of troubles” where the actions of society and its institutions too often fall short of the people’s lofty ideals. For example, consider the era when Americans saw themselves as the land of the free, the best place in the … [Read more...]
Why Societies Decline, Part 1: The Positive Effects of Adversity
October 12, 2010 by 3 Comments
This is part 1 of a 2-part article. Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is often cited by people trying to see where America is on the long path of her place in history. Certainly the detail of Gibbon’s work is full of specifics and nuance. But another work may be even more helpful. Although it is more … [Read more...]
