Great Depression Explained
A lot of new info I did not know about.
Politics
Falling Off the Map
States are not permanent. “Of the 207 states that existed in 1816, sixty-six had died by 2000, most of them violently, from external conquest, revolution, civil war, or coup. “ https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/11/20/falling-off-the-map-how-states-die/
Practical Polytheism, Part I: Knowledge
Religion did not work like you think it did. “over time, these customs won’t seem so strange anymore. Humans have a tendency to assume that whatever the customs – for instance, for diplomacy – are in our time, that this… Read More »Practical Polytheism, Part I: Knowledge
Why Are There No Empires in Age of Empires?
Empires are not what you probably think. “Empire, I should note, seems to be one of – if not the – dominant form of large-scale human social organization since at least the bronze age (which is to say: since as… Read More »Why Are There No Empires in Age of Empires?
WTF Happened In 1971?
Bad money. https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/
How Many Comedians Does It Take to Change a Country?
I have no idea what to think about this. “As I ate dinner one night at the Ritz-Carlton, in a Chinese restaurant overlooking the indoor swimming pool, I reflected that the promise of a five-star hotel is insulation, a cocoon… Read More »How Many Comedians Does It Take to Change a Country?
We need a planetary system of diplomacy for the 21st century
Diplomacy has changed many times in the past. Why should it stay the same now? “A new chapter started with a bang. In 1814, the Austrian foreign minister Prince Klemens von Metternich was convinced that diplomacy had to make a… Read More »We need a planetary system of diplomacy for the 21st century
A Study Guide for Human Society, Part I
Good tips to get yourself educated. “My recommendation is to pick three very different historical periods that you find fascinating. They can be any three, really, but ideally they will be a bit separated from each other in space, time,… Read More »A Study Guide for Human Society, Part I
A Clausewitzian Lens on Modern Urban Warfare
War is more complicated than shown in movies. “Victory, then, is not always the annihilation of enemy forces—it is the collapse of the enemy’s will to resist.” https://mwi.westpoint.edu/a-clausewitzian-lens-on-modern-urban-warfare/
Why Are We Hyperconnected?
It is more complicated than 5 steps of separation.