Appeasement of a ruthless outside power always invites aggression. Treaties made with ruthless despots are always fruitless and dangerous. Prior to the ultimate conquest of the Greek mainland in 338, Greek allies, Thebes and Athens, negotiated the Peace of Philocrates with Philip II of Macedon. This gave him their acquiescence to the capture and enslavement [...]
In battle, free men almost always defeat slaves. (Herodotus’ Law) In 450 BC, Herodotus completed his Histories of the great war between the Greeks and Persians. (It is from his work that we know the details surrounding the battle of Thermopylae popularized in the film, 500). Herodotus, considered the first Western historian, attempted to understand [...]
One of the lesser understood phenomenon of history is that small ruthless bands of thugs will inevitably take over vastly larger docile civilizations, the operative words being ruthless and civilized. The civilized are those among us who feel that they have too much to lose and are therefore always willing to deal. The ruthless thugs [...]
No nation has ever survived once its citizenry ceased to believe its culture worth saving. (Hanson’s Law) In Professor Hanson’s essay, War Will Be War, which became the genesis for this book and was the inspiration for this immutable law, he wrote: “Themistocles’ Athens beat back hundreds of thousands of Persians; yet little more than [...]
(An excerpt) ...During the winter of AD 408-409, (the barbarian chieftain) Alaric, and his invading barbarian army once again moved north into the Italian peninsula. The army swarmed and pillaged its way south until it arrived at the gates of the West Coast city of Portus, the harbor city that supplied Rome with food and [...]
The Implementation of Obamacare In my forthcoming book, Lessons from Fallen Civilizations, I note that no people untouched by the ancient Greeks ever came up with the notion that the many should rule the few. Based on our founding, we are the inheritors of that principle, because we as citizens of the US, are supposedly [...]
With America’s withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan and mounting tensions between Iran, Israel, and the US as a backdrop, James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, testified before Congress that, given the recently thwarted Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, it appeared that the Regime is now more willing to conduct attacks in [...]
President Bush, the Younger, made the observation that conducting American foreign policy in the brand new war-torn 21st century was as difficult as playing chess in three dimensions. Now with the escalation of tensions between Iran’s Mullahs and the rational world and the probability of an Israeli strike on the [...]
I covered Oakland’s occupation march and shut-down for Townhall.com. My deadline was noon the following day. I’ve never had such a tight deadline. But I got it done. This is my take on the state of our endangered Republic. "It was a good day for the 99% movement." Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan In attending the [...]
In the wake of the first ever Tunisian elections, it is worth reflecting upon the Athenians of the fifth century BC who first conceived of a system of governance where the many would rule the few, and worth considering that it was the Romans who refined the concept of democracy with the construction of their [...]
