Latest podcast: Can we cope with the pace of change?
Change is part of life and central to history. But has the pace of change accelerated over the last 50 years beyond our capacity to cope?
Prospects of Global War
There have been some dark signs about the prospects for global international conflict over the next ten years. Without getting into details, the war is not going well for NATO, and there are signs that the leaders of those states are not prepared to eat humble pie in order to make genuine peace.
Day Four of 13 Days of Looking at a Bureaucrat: Governing the Drunken Commons
For 7 years between 2006 and 2013 I was directly responsible for alcohol and drug policy in Victoria (Australia). It is a contentious field, and it was a personally rewarding field. But it is a field in which many common problems of governing are revealed.
Day Two of Thirteen Days of Looking at a Bureaucrat
The second chapter of Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat is Silenced Voice of the…
NEW BOOK! Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat
My new book, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat, is now out! Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat: Writing on Governing, is both memoir and essay collection. I think it breaks new ground because bureaucrats don’t publish memoirs. It will change how you see government, politics, working life, and bureaucrats.
Another Northern Atlantic Crusade for Democracy
On the podcast this week I gave a rapid fire history of the Altlantic, structured around seven key dates. These dates provide glimpses into the multipolar history of the Atlantic Ocean, and the chameleon-like character of the Atlantic idea, institutions, alliance and civilization. It tells the story of how NATO emerged from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
All Russian Collapse Narratives Collapse in Time
Vladislav Zubok compared the Time of Troubles, Russia’s major civil war of the early 1600s, with the political situation in Russia today. It has the flaws of many historical articles penned this week. The mutiny fizzled so fast that the facts fell before the drafting was finished.
The 30-hour Prigozhin Protest: insurrection, protest, psy-op or breakdown?
The protest of Yevgeny Prigozhin and a small group of his Wagner fighters is over. It began and ended in 30 hours. Noone died. So the Russian government has controlled the protest, and most likely emerged stronger.
The second casualty of war?
The first casualty of war is truth. But what is the second casualty?
Polycrisis, Everywhere All At Once
The most interesting aspect of Tooze’s use of the idea of polycrisis is not that many big things are happening all together. That is pretty standard, messy human history, really. The more interesting part is how he identifies a mismatch between decision-makers’ mental model of social reality, and the facts of social reality.