The McChrystal Affair: Pity the Poor Historian

Crossposted from Michael Hunt’s Washington and the World blog. There is good reason to pity the poor historian, who has been tested especially severely during the recent McChrystal-Obama imbroglio as the eruption of historical parallels and lessons have ranged from the wrong-headed to the off-kilter. Henry Kissinger is a good example of the wrong-headed. This [...]

What Obama Might Learn from the Past: Bending History in the Direction of Justice

It is the nature of the political process that presidents campaign outside history and must then live within it. For Barack Obama, this meant promising a speedy withdrawal from Iraq, a stronger focus on defeating Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, firm but respectful relations with Russia and China, engagement with opponents like Iran, and progress with our [...]

Lessons for Late Baby Boomers

I’m eight months older than President Barack Obama, so we fall into the same generation.  Of course, the similarities end there, including his ascent to a slightly higher administrative level than I will ever reach.  Still, we share some things in common because we gained an awareness of the world around the same time, in [...]