The ‘Arab revolution’ as a phenomenon backed by France and its allies is evidence of the arbitrariness of liberal democracy long ago identified by the German jurist Carl Schmitt: it is no more than rule achieved through a state of emergency.
Imagine that the world is governed by concentric circles or spheres of power, with the most powerful one on the outside. Today the innermost circle is a neglected biosphere. We have to turn the paradigm inside out. The biosphere must come first.
The city of Kobe died twice: once through being bombed in 1945, and subsequently by earthquake in 1995. As a result of both this and the hasty ‘restoration’ process, you can only see in a few bullet marks on one pier of the Owada Bridge, crossing over Hyogo Canal in downtown Kobe, the real legacy
Alternative histories are written by alternative victors. If Guy Fawkes had won ... British history would have sounded very different... (originally published, November 5th 2009)
Bomber County—The Poetry of a Lost Pilot's War is the title of the first book by Daniel Swift, assistant professor of English at Skidmore College. Part memoir (Swift's grandfather was a British bomber in WWII) and part literary criticism, the book is an investigation into the poetry and bombing ca
Stephen Pinker's new book is a powerful paean to humanistic modernity. But its method of questioning may not be its own best friend
Notions of right and left have been muddled througout Russian history. The Soviet Communists professed left-wing slogans, but practised right-wing ideologies, embracing a neo-feudalist and unfree order. Russia’s politicians continue that duality today. For Poel Karp, what Russia desperately needs
Each EU country has a relationship to Europe which tells you about its own makeup, character and inclinations. Ireland, which entered the European Economic Community in 1973, is no exception.
As the latest movement of the 99% take to the streets, one important underlying concept we need to grasp about the global decadence in which we live is the corruption of stewardship.
Guilty verdicts from a military commission in Cuba will do little to correct the impression that America failed to use its most powerful weapon – full and open justice in front of the people – in the fight against terrorism.
