If you didÂn’t see how the inauÂguÂraÂtion of the 44th AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdent went down, here it goes.
Foreign Policy: The 10 Top Stories You Missed in 2008
In 2008, our attenÂtion was mostÂly focused on the long AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdenÂtial camÂpaign and the draÂmatÂic crash of the globÂal finanÂcial sysÂtem. These two stoÂries overÂshadÂowed many othÂer imporÂtant ones. And so ForÂeign PolÂiÂcy has put togethÂer a colÂlecÂtion of the most overÂlooked forÂeign affairs stoÂries of ’08. RusÂsiÂa’s move into Africa, the beginÂning of a new DarÂfur, solar panÂels emitÂting greenÂhouse gasÂes — these stoÂries and more get covÂered here.
For MLK on His Birthday
The full “I Have a Dream” speech. The place: The LinÂcoln MemoÂrÂiÂal. The Date: August 28, 1963. The Why: To bring about many small changes in AmerÂiÂcan sociÂety, which evenÂtuÂalÂly and colÂlecÂtiveÂly bring us to TuesÂday. Take it away MarÂtin:
The Clash of Civilizations (and the Passing of its Author)
When the twin towÂers were takÂen down in SepÂtemÂber 2001, AmerÂiÂca looked to make sense of what hapÂpened. And it wasÂn’t long before many startÂed turnÂing to The Clash of CivÂiÂlizaÂtions and the RemakÂing of World Order, a book writÂten by Samuel HuntÂingÂton, the HarÂvard poli sci proÂfesÂsor who passed on last week.
The book itself was an elabÂoÂraÂtion upon a conÂtroÂverÂsial artiÂcle that HuntÂingÂton pubÂlished in ForÂeign Affairs in 1993. In the openÂing lines, he wrote: “World polÂiÂtics is enterÂing a new phase… It is my hypothÂeÂsis that the funÂdaÂmenÂtal source of conÂflict in this new world will not be priÂmarÂiÂly ideÂoÂlogÂiÂcal or priÂmarÂiÂly ecoÂnomÂic. The great diviÂsions among humankind and the domÂiÂnatÂing source of conÂflict will be culÂturÂal. Nation states will remain the most powÂerÂful actors in world affairs, but the prinÂciÂpal conÂflicts of globÂal polÂiÂtics will occur between nations and groups of difÂferÂent civÂiÂlizaÂtions. The clash of civÂiÂlizaÂtions will be the batÂtle lines of the future.” ParÂticÂuÂlarÂly he sugÂgestÂed, it would be the “West verÂsus the Rest,” and withÂin the latÂter catÂeÂgoÂry, he lumped in Islam.
Below, we have postÂed HuntÂingÂton’s 1997 appearÂance on the CharÂlie Rose show, where he expandÂed on his world view. You can also get Edward Said’s genÂerÂal retort, The Myth of the Clash of CivÂiÂlizaÂtions, here and Noam ChomÂsky’s thoughts on the conÂcept here.
Atlas Shrugged Updated for the Current Financial Crisis
Ayn Rand’s clasÂsic gets dustÂed off and humorÂousÂly brought into 2008 over at McSweeney’s. Worth a read.
As a side note, you may want to revisÂit the New York Times 2007 piece, Ayn Rand’s LitÂerÂaÂture of CapÂiÂtalÂism, which talks about the influÂence that Atlas Shrugged (and its free marÂket phiÂlosÂoÂphy) has had on ForÂtune 500 CEOs and parÂticÂuÂlarÂly Alan Greenspan, the forÂmer head of the FedÂerÂal Reserve, who helped archiÂtect the deregÂuÂlatÂed bankÂing sysÂtem that’s now unwindÂing around us. BelatÂedÂly, Greenspan would acknowlÂedge a “flaw in the modÂel” that he “perÂceived is the critÂiÂcal funcÂtionÂing strucÂture that defines how the world works” — which is a fanÂcy way of sayÂing “on secÂond thought, maybe the free marÂkets don’t always regÂuÂlate themÂselves.” And there we have it, anothÂer utopiÂan ideÂolÂoÂgy colÂlides with realÂiÂty. Not the first, and it won’t be the last.
A Short Introduction to The Great Depression & The New Deal
Eric RauchÂway, an AmerÂiÂcan hisÂtoÂriÂan at UC-Davis (and an old grad school colÂleague of mine), pubÂlished a timeÂly book earÂliÂer this year, The Great DepresÂsion and the New Deal: A Very Short IntroÂducÂtion. And it sets him up perÂfectÂly to talk about an hisÂtorÂiÂcal moment that’s now back on our minds.
RauchÂway appeared last week on EconÂTalk (iTunes — Feed — MP3), a podÂcast that’s getÂting some play lateÂly, and spent a good hour surÂveyÂing the ecoÂnomÂic criÂsis that all othÂers will be meaÂsured against. The conÂverÂsaÂtion starts with the afterÂmath of World War I, where John MayÂnard Keynes saw the ecoÂnomÂic probÂlems beginÂning. (Read online his 1919 book, The EcoÂnomÂic ConÂseÂquences of the Peace.) Then, it moves through the 1920s, the stock marÂket crash, Hoover’s attempts to restore staÂbilÂiÂty (which weren’t as bungling as his hisÂtorÂiÂcal repÂuÂtaÂtion now sugÂgests) and finalÂly FDR’s New Deal and the effects of World War II. If you have an hour, you’ll learn a good deal.
Capitalism with Humility
It’s pretÂty hard to pull this off, but the titans of AmerÂiÂcan indusÂtry have made HerÂbert Hoover look like a very wise man, at least when he said: “You know, the only trouÂble with capÂiÂtalÂism is capÂiÂtalÂists; they’re too damn greedy.”
But we shouldÂn’t conÂsidÂer Hoover rehaÂbilÂiÂtatÂed. Not quite yet. The video clip below sugÂgests that in Japan the CEOs have figÂured out how to run their capÂiÂtalÂist sysÂtem with a degree of humilÂiÂty. And they’re doing it volÂunÂtarÂiÂly. That’s a news flash that you can send to our politÂiÂcal leadÂers before they funÂnel more taxÂes to misÂmanÂaged instiÂtuÂtions with no real strings attached.
(A quick PS: Europe’s leadÂing philosoÂpher and sociÂolÂoÂgist recentÂly spoke in the GerÂman press about the finanÂcial criÂsis and what it means for the future of our globÂalÂized sociÂety. You can find an EngÂlish transÂlaÂtion here.)
Peter Schiff on the Economy and What’s Coming Next
Last week, we feaÂtured a rather preÂscient video clip highÂlightÂing Peter Schiff and his warnÂings in 2006-07 that that our econÂoÂmy is in deep trouÂble. Since then, many have wonÂdered where Schiff sees things going next. So NPR’s PlanÂet MonÂey (iTunes — Rss Feed — Stream) caught up with him on FriÂday and asked him just that: The upshot is nowhere good. We’ve got some deep, underÂlyÂing probÂlems — probÂlems that go well beyond asset bubÂbles. We’re headÂed for anothÂer DepresÂsion. And it’s in part because all of the govÂernÂment interÂvenÂtion is hurtÂing, not helpÂing, things. There’s nothÂing very hopeÂful here. But, if Schiff is right again, it could pay to lisÂten and get his take on what the future could look like.
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