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VLADIMIR PUTIN: UNLEARNING THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
Vladimir Putin believes himself to be a serious student of history. If so, he has drawn the wrong lessons from the past. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the War of 1812 (1812-1815)...
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LIKE STALIN? LIKE PUTIN?
On February 24, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Officially called a “special military operation,” it was intended as an important step toward...
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GIVING ADVICE SAFELY—THE MACHIAVELLI WAY
Ask the average person, “What do you think of Niccolo Machiavelli?” and he’s likely to say: “The devil.” In fact, “The Old Nick” became an English term used to describe Satan and slander Machiavelli...
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NAIVETY AND COWARDICE: HOW DEMOCRATS LOSE ELECTIONS
Most Americans believe that Nazi Germany was defeated because “we were the Good Guys and they were the Bad Guys.” Not so. The United States—and its allies, Great Britain and the Soviet Union—won the...
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PRESIDENTS RULE BY CONSENT, DICTATORS RULE BY FEAR: PART ONE (OF TWO)
Donald Trump has often been compared to Adolf Hitler. But his reign bears far more resemblance to that of Joseph Stalin. Germany’s Fuhrer, for all his brutality, maintained a relatively stable...
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PRESIDENTS RULE BY CONSENT, DICTATORS RULE BY FEAR: PART TWO (END)
In January, 2018, the White House banned the use of personal cell phones in the West Wing. The official reason: National security. The real reason: To prevent staffers from leaking to reporters. More...
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NANCY PELOSI: THE LION AND THE FOX: PART ONE (OF TWO)
It’s one of the most famous passages in The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli’s classic work on Realpolitik. “A prince…must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and...
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NANCY PELOSI: THE LION AND THE FOX: PART TWO (END)
In facing off against President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi proved the embodiment of Niccolo Machiavelli’s “lion and the fox.” Trump couldn’t believe that Nancy Pelosi meant it when...
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MACHIAVELLI WAS RIGHT: DISTRUST THE RICH
For President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans, the single greatest achievement of their time in office was to drastically cut taxes on the wealthy (including themselves). It’s a view that...
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MACHIAVELLI’S VERDICT ON TRUMP: HE’S NO PRINCE
No shortage of pundits have sized up Donald Trump—first as a Presidential candidate, then as the nation’s 45th President, and now as a potential Presidential candidate in 2024. But how does Trump...
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HOW DEMOCRATS CAN DEFEAT EXTORTION: PART ONE (OF TWO)
It took 15 votes—and a series of humiliating concessions—for Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to become Speaker of the House of Representatives. All of the concessions he made were to the most Right-wing members...
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HOW DEMOCRATS CAN DEFEAT EXTORTION: PART TWO (END)
….A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must inevitably come to grief among so many who are not good. And therefore it is necessary, for a prince who wishes to maintain...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART ONE (OF SIX)
Once again, Republicans are ruthlessly playing “chicken” with the nation’s financial security. During the Presidency of Barack Obama, Republicans threatened to plunge the country into defaulting on...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART TWO (OF SIX)
By studying the “negotiating” methods used by Adolf Hitler, Americans generally—and Democrats in particular—can learn much about the mindset and “negotiating” style of today’s Republican party. A...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART THREE (OF SIX)
In September, 1938, seven months after seizing Austria, German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler gave another exhibition of his “negotiating” methods. This time, the target of his rage and aggression was...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART FOUR (OF SIX)
For the postwar Republican party, Adolf Hitler’s my-way-or-else “negotiating” methods would become standard operating procedure. During the summer of 2011, Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART FIVE (OF SIX)
In April, 2011, the United States government almost shut down over Republican demands about subsidized pap smears. During a late-night White House meeting with President Barack Obama and key...
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“NEGOTIATING” REPUBLICANAZI STYLE: PART SIX (END)
In 2011, Republicans threatened to destroy the Nation’s credit rating unless their budgetary demands were met. President Barack Obama could have...
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LOVE VS. FEAR: PART ONE (OF TWO)
It’s probably the most-quoted passage of Niccolo Machiavelli’s infamous book, The Prince: “From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved than feared, or feared more than...
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LOVE VS. FEAR: PART TWO (END)
Is it better to be loved or feared? That was the question Florentine statesman Niccolo Machiavelli raised more than 500 years ago. Presidents have struggled to answer this question—and have come...
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