By Oliver DeMille For decades the Middle East has posed many challenges to American presidents. It seems every U.S. president wants to make history by helping negotiate a lasting peace in this difficult region. Few people feel a lot of optimism about this, however. Palestinians argue that they are a people under siege, a nation [...]
This is part 2 of a 2-part article. Read Part 1 Here If the first step of decline is arrogance, the second is “a time of troubles” where the actions of society and its institutions too often fall short of the people’s lofty ideals. For example, consider the era when Americans saw themselves as the [...]
Just this morning I received an e-mail from a friend breathlessly warning of the dangers of impending Sharia law in America. The e-mail contained a series of photos of an Iranian boy whose arm was being crushed beneath a car’s tire for the crime of stealing. Why aren’t we bombing them already? Wow. I guess [...]
“The system of corporate life is a new power for which our language contains no name. We have no word to express government by moneyed corporations.” -Charles Francis Adams Equal opportunity is the bedrock of freedom. This nation was established to preserve, protect, and ensure that opportunity. The United States (and the world) will need [...]
Much of our recent foreign policy is guided by the notion that spreading democracy will naturally result in a state of peace, and respect for basic human rights. While seeking peace and human rights are notable and essential goals, the idea of using force to set up a system claiming to foster true freedom is [...]
Futurist John Naisbitt wrote in Mindset that success in the 21st Century will go to the opportunity leaders, not the problem solvers. America hasn’t yet figured this out. The focus of our leaders — political, corporate, media — seems mostly on problems. As Fareed Zakaria argues, the current debate in the United States is totally [...]
After coming across a group of (older generation) Europeans skinny-dipping in a semi-secluded national park pond, my friend thought to himself, “That is why I love Americans.” From our sense of modesty, to the democratic experiment resulting in the U.S. Constitution, all of us have our reasons for feeling patriotic. We have much in the United States, [...]
