A chief historical lesson validated by the current state of American politics is that a functioning democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. Pervasive ignorance, and the susceptibility to demagoguery it entails, is the surest way to authoritarianism. Averting this inherent vulnerability of representative governance requires a degree of responsibility from both the consumers and […]
I recently finished reading Will and Ariel Durant’s The Lessons of History. Written in 1968, it’s perhaps the most profound book I’ve ever read. It’s not long, coming in at roughly 100 pages, but what it does in those few pages is testament to the depth of knowledge possessed by its authors. The Durant’s were […]
The business of analyzing international politics is a convoluted one in which it is often difficult to separate misinformation from facts and reality. Even seasoned observers of world events, much less ordinary citizens, are often easily taken in by self-serving narratives spun by media pundits or agenda-driven “experts” from this or that think-tank or institution. […]
As I recently graduated with my MA in international affairs, I thought it would be a good idea for my first blog post to be a list of the most valuable books I came across in grad school. These are the books I feel most advanced my own knowledge of international relations and political economy, as […]