President Lyndon Johnson signing the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act into law, surrounded by his supporters.
President Lyndon Johnson signing the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act into law, surrounded by his supporters.
3,031 words
Part 6 of 9 (Chapter 1 here, Chapter 4 Part 2 here, Chapter 5 Part 2 here)
When a term has become so universally sanctified as “democracy” is now, I begin to wonder whether it means anything, in meaning too many things. — T. S. Eliot (more…)
1,555 words
The United States federal government has been fixated for years on far-off conflicts while America’s backyard, especially Mexico, has slid into chaos. Nationalists for years have likewise demanded that our troops be stationed on the Rio Grande instead of the Euphrates. (more…)
5125 كلمة
بو ألبريشت
English original here
في عام 1982، ظهر تقرير حكومي للسياسة الخارجية في مجلة إسرائيلية ربع سنوية غامضة إلى حد ما، والتي أصبحت تُعرف بشكل غير رسمي باسم خطة عوديد ينون. لم يكن هذا القدر من الأهمية بمكان، باستثناء أن المؤلف بالتأكيد لم يكن ميالاً للسياسة. شغل عوديد ينون منصباً رفيعاً في وزارة الخارجية الإسرائيلية، ويبدو أيضاً أنه كان مقرباً من أرييل شارون. والأهم من ذلك، أن أجندته بعيدة المدى تحمل تشابهاً ملحوظاً مع مستقبل الشرق الأوسط، وعلى وجه الخصوص، العقدين الأخيرين من العبث الدقيق للولايات المتحدة هناك. يبدو أن بعض الأشخاص المؤثرين جداً أحبوا أفكاره، أو أنه عراف أفضل من نوستراداموس. (more…)
5,125 words
Arabic version here
In 1982, a foreign policy white paper appeared in a fairly obscure Israeli quarterly, which informally became known as the Oded Yinon Plan. That much wouldn’t have been too momentous, except that the author certainly wasn’t a run-of-the-mill policy wonk. Oded Yinon held a high post in the Israeli foreign ministry, and also seems to have been close to Ariel Sharon. More to the point, his far-flung agenda bore a remarkable resemblance to the future of the Middle East, and in particular, the last two decades of the USA’s fine messes therein. (more…)
1,342 words
D-Day is one of the most important anniversaries on the American calendar. Even though it was only the 77th anniversary this year, politicians and other dignitaries still felt it was needed to tweet about the day. It’s not the worst holiday in the world. It ultimately celebrates the heroism of white men in combat. (more…)
3,495 words
Tucker Carlson recently ruffled some feathers for calling WWI “the Iraq War of its day.” I’m not sure what these people were offended by. I think there are just people who get outraged by the things Tucker Carlson says first before coming up with a reason why (more…)
2,812 words
Lynne Olson
Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight over World War II, 1939–1941
New York: Random House, 2013
The idea of America First policy is back after a long hiatus. The first proponent for such a policy was none other than George Washington. (more…)
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Joe Biden’s cabinet promises to restore globalism to its previous dominance. Gone are any hints of America First or aspirations to pull back from foreign hellholes. Liberal interventionism will be the Biden administration’s credo.
Biden’s pick to be the next Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, encapsulates the cabinet’s worldview. (more…)
1,963 words
1,963 words
Greg Grandin
The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2019
In this excellent and quick-to-read book about the border wall and its place in history, Greg Grandin builds upon the work of historian Frederic Jackson Turner (1861–1932). (more…)
4,218 words
4,218 words
HBO has begun to air a new miniseries, The Plot Against America, an adaptation of the execrable eponymous Philip Roth novel. The series depicts an alternate reality, one in which aviation hero Charles Lindbergh ran for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1940 and defeated Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (more…)
2,724 words
Remember the 2000s?
It was a simpler time. For most of the decade, smartphones were non-existent. Twitter did not drive the news. People still bought CDs. Not every movie at the theater was based on a Marvel character. Jnco jeans (the horror!) were in style.
It was also the time when neoconservatism ruled the political landscape. It wasn’t just an ideology limited to Washington, DC; the media also pushed it. (more…)