Russian Ark, yes. American Ark? Unlikely.
The great Russian film, Russian Ark, is a deep meditation on the treasures of culture and the tragedies of history. Will there be an American Ark 100 years from now?
Biden remarks on Xi were a boast, not a gaffe
So Biden’s remarks were not a gaffe, not a slip. They are not words of petty anger, even if they are the simmering resentment of Captain Ahab’s obsessive revenge. Biden’s remarks are more boastful than angry, though they have that edge too. Biden is angrily defending his inflated image of his own prowess as political leader and foreign policy leader, and indeed the infinite ‘possiblilities’ of America.
Reserve Currency and the End of the US Dollar Empire
I took a deep dive into the history of the idea of global reserve currency in the podcast this week. This episode was provoked by the outcry in America about other nations that showed the audacity to trade in their own national currencies rather than the US dollar.
Two new podcasts on America and Australian Foreign Policy
I have released two new podcasts on the crises in America and the challenges of a multipolar world for Australia.
How Lenin on the Train began a 100 Years War
Catherine Merridale, Lenin on the Train (2016), which I finished reading last night, is a very fine book. It is a gem, and perhaps ought to be recommended as among the very best introductions to the history of the Russian Revolution.
Ukraine Crisis Shows Fault Lines of Multipolar World
We are not entering World War III, I think, I hope, I insist on believing. But we are entering the final phase of the Hundred Years Cold War of the Anglo-American Powers against Russia. My forecast is that the system of power that has led this war will collapse, perhaps surprisngly quickly, but likely over five to ten years. Seven great fault lines are cracking open during the Ukraine crisis that will shape the social, political, cultural and international orders we navigate through.
Flowers of the Mind 17
A holiday of regeneration. The crisis in Europe, Ukraine, the failure of American diplomacy and the end of NATO. The Siege of Leningrad, Vladimir Putin, Operation Barbarossa, and Dmitri Likhachev on the Russian Soul. Elena Shvarts and the Flora of Ukraine. Russian Ark and the survival of culture in the floating hermitage of the Neva.
Flowers of the Mind 13
Dominic Lieven, Napoleon vs Russia, and the eastward expansion of NATO. The Hundred Years Cold War. Mary Sarotte, Not One Inch, James Baker and Mikhail Gorbachev. Totalitarianism and public health.
Flowers of the Mind 8.
Beowulf, polyphony and Mikhail Bakhtin. RussiaGate indictments approach the spider. Peter Frankopan and Fiona Hill. Jordan B Peterson. Elena Shvarts. Jonathon Sumption on how fear has undone democracy.
Flowers of the Mind 2. Ochpaniztli (week 4) 2021
Emily Dickinson, Vaclav Havel, Revolution in Military Affairs, the fall of the Anglo-American Ascendancy, Vale Angelo Codevilla, Boris Pasternak