America is the new Rome
The American empire is arrogant, brutal and yet completely indispensable to Western civilisation.
In the legendary HBO series The Sopranos, a Hasidic Jew, being beaten for not paying up, refers to Masada, where a handful of Jewish zealots kept an entire Roman legion at bay for years. ‘Where are the Romans now?’, he asked. Tony Soprano’s response: ‘You’re looking at them, asshole.’
Like the Mafia, Americans are hardly reluctant to apply force against opponents. As we see in Iran, even a bully can prove a civilisational necessity when confronted with existential threats. At a time when most democracies have become cream puffs, there remains a need for an authoritative force, which right now only America and Israel seem willing and able to apply.
How the current conflict in Iran ends up is far from certain, but something had to be done about the Islamic Republic. The world’s primary exporter of terrorism was on the verge of being able to deliver nuclear-tipped missiles over long distances. Nothing was going to stop them – not the EU, much less the United Nations. Britain, which can barely defend its bases in Cyprus, has not proved of much consequence.
Politics
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Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?
We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.
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The Future of ESG and DEI
Though things will likely not become as radical as the Covid hysteria of 2020 and 2021, there is still plenty of institutional “muscle memory” for ESG that will make its re-emergence all too easy.
