March 2013 – The Scholar's Stage

C. Wright Mills Explains the Decline of the American Congress

26 March, 2013Books and Literature, History, The Legislature

The Capitol Building, c. 1910. Image Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, “Detroit Publishing Co. Collection” no. 039985. [Link] The corruption of the United States Congress by monied interests and its eclipse by the other branches of the federal government is a topic we regularly return to. [1] It is not difficult to show that this […]

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Troubles With the Chinese Military Tradition

23 March, 2013Military Affairs, Possessions For All Time, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom

Terra Cotta Soldiers — Image Source Via Zenpundit comes an interesting article written by Tonio Andrade for The Diplomat. This online magazine has some of the world’s best coverage of Asian-Pacific affairs and I always read its contents with interest. Mr. Andrade’s piece introduces his readers to the Sino-Dutch war of 1661, China’s “first” war with […]

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Grand Strategy Absent Grand Ends

18 March, 2013Community, History, Narrative, Steppe and Sown, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom

How can America craft a new grand strategy? The example of Jia Yi – a famous Chinese statesman and thinker who failed to convince his dynasty to adopt the strategy he proposed – can help us understand the central role that culture and a sense of national mission play in the creation of national strategy. Jia Yi was a strategist born […]

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Notes From All Over (15/03/13): Rome, Banks, and China

15 March, 2013Energy, Military Affairs, Monied Interests, Notes From All Over, Romans and Grecians, The Middle Kingdom

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit.TOP BILLINGRue the IdesBurt Likko. League of Ordinary Gentleman. 15 March 2013.This is one of the best treatments of Caesar and his times yet published on the blogosphere. A few money quotes: After all nearly two centuries of history that preceded Caesar’s rise to power demonstrated […]

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Separation of Powers is Dead

14 March, 2013Dogs of War, Military Affairs, The Legislature, The Presidency, Tyranny

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” I ask my readers to pause for a moment and ponder this statement. It was penned by James Madison in […]

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Energy Use and Economic Growth: Some Basic Facts

13 March, 2013Climate, Complex Systems, Energy, Wealth

In a recent post discussing what we know about energy consumption and economic growth in post-recession America, I wrote something that is not true: “History has shown that increases in energy efficiency lead to more energy consumption, not less.” [1] I will repeat: I made a mistake. I will take this opportunity to explain both […]

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Changing a Political System That Is Rigged Against You

11 March, 2013By The People, Community, History, Oligarchy, Tyranny

In a recent post titled “The Rule of Law and the Ruling Class in American History” I suggested that observing which parts of the American people could break laws with impunity and which parts were certain to be punished for doing so can shed light on the inner workings of American society during any particular […]

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What Senator Paul Accomplished

07 March, 2013Domestic Politics, Military Affairs, On Liberty, The Legislature

If you are reading this post you have probably heard of Senator Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster over John Brennan’s confirmation as Director of the CIA. The filibuster ended today, giving both Washington politicians and their internet observers a chance to declare their thoughts on the Senator’s actions. Many tweets, posts, op-eds, and press statements […]

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The Power of Ideas in History: An Example From Antiquity

06 March, 2013Complex Systems, Culture, History, Romans and Grecians, The Middle Kingdom

Han Gaozu- Deified Founder of the Han DynastyImage Source Many drivers shape the course of world history. With a few exceptions, I lend little respect to those works that try to explain all of history as the result of one great thing – geography, genetics, climate, culture, class conflict, freedom, or whatever. Usually there is […]

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Is China’s Economy a Great Bubble?

05 March, 2013The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

Two informative videos about the “largest housing bubble in history.” The first is a CBS 60 Minutes investigative report that focuses on the “what” and “why” of the bubble. The second is a Financial Times interview with Zhang Xin, a Chinese real estate mogul, who focuses her remarks of the Chinese government’s response to the […]

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Monthly Archives: March 2013

C. Wright Mills Explains the Decline of the American Congress

Troubles With the Chinese Military Tradition

Grand Strategy Absent Grand Ends

Notes From All Over (15/03/13): Rome, Banks, and China

Separation of Powers is Dead

Energy Use and Economic Growth: Some Basic Facts

Changing a Political System That Is Rigged Against You

What Senator Paul Accomplished

The Power of Ideas in History: An Example From Antiquity

Is China’s Economy a Great Bubble?

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