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Fund for Peace & the Failed States Index

Reader comment on item: The One-Minute Guide to Obama's Foreign Policy
in response to reader comment: I would like if you could elaborate more

Submitted by Robert (United States), Nov 4, 2015 at 07:33

Dear British-Greek Alexandros,

If you wish to understand the meaning of the notion of a "failed states" consider beginning with a study of the work of the Fund for Peace:

http://global.fundforpeace.org/aboutus

Regarding the rest of your difficult query I thought you would have appreciate the contribution of your Greek ancient ancestors to the modern civilized Western world - centered around the Mediteranian "Lake." This includes not only the Democracy of ancient Athens, but also the Political analysis of Aridyoyle regarding the essentially three (3) kinds of polities: Rule by One, Rule by the Few, and Rule by the Many. And as to the notion of Empire and Imperialism, I thought you would see the positive contributions not only of the great Alexander the Great with his successful imperial conquests and the spread of "enlightened" ancient Greek rational thought (Alex was a student, literally, Aristotle), but also you would appreate the "mixed" system of Great Britain (of the 3) and the spread of these notions throught the British Empire at the time when the Sun never set on it. And, you might recall, that we (North) Americans in particular are the inheritors of these developments when our 13 Colonies became the 13 States which successively turned into the United States of America - the inheritor of the work of the Greek Alexander the Great, democratic and imperial (I'm omitting the contributions of Ancient Rome, of course).

After all that, I suggest you acquire all the printed and published books of Daniel Pipes, who pretty much understands the Middle East, as well as the constructive role of the United States, assuming, of course, that that is possible, in the context of the Arab Spring failures, and the violent success of Islamism in the Islamic State in particular, and the fementation on the tentacles of the the Ayatolah's Iran/Persia.

But before you even contemplate doing that, I suggest that you also read and study the work of the four (4) great thinkers and actors on the world stage: (1) Metternick, (2) Bismark, (3) D'Israeli, and (4) Kissinger. However, I assume that you have also absorbed a substantial amount of the study of World History throught the perpective of the West, and its intellectual traditions.

But if you are a student of Edward Said, and a believer in his conception of "Orientalism" (as expounded in his book by the same title), I do not think I'll be able to liberate you from your "religious" belief; like Religion, our Politics are shaped in our childhood and adolence, and after that, not even the force of Hercules, if it could be so harnessed, could free one from ones prejudices.

Good luck in your reading - because that what's necessary, ultimately, to interpret the role of policy in the Obama world - or any modern moment.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (35) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Translation of the poster [17 words]GIMDec 30, 2015 17:50227376
Consider the President's heritage [172 words]James NixDec 16, 2015 15:34227097
Our Muslim President [175 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
James NixDec 16, 2015 15:29227095
Obama Foreign Policy in One Sentence [25 words]Barry BlackDec 8, 2015 12:16226876
1I have to disagree with this one [249 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
AlexandrosOct 27, 2015 08:20226086
Alexander the Great [191 words]RobertOct 28, 2015 10:37226086
1I would like if you could elaborate more [878 words]AlexandrosNov 2, 2015 06:09226086
Fund for Peace & the Failed States Index [469 words]RobertNov 4, 2015 07:33226086
1Thank you for your suggestions [518 words]AlexandrosNov 9, 2015 06:29226086
Er... [7 words]GarryNov 15, 2015 22:35226086
Obama's concerns for world safety are less than that of his hatred for what used to be the US ... [649 words]kmanOct 26, 2015 01:11226062
on point [4 words]judy adamsOct 24, 2015 17:24226052
How my comments are hooked to foreign policy [109 words]Tabitha KorolOct 20, 2015 21:40225723
Fortunes of Empires Cannot be Discerned in One Minute Scenarios [336 words]M ToveyOct 19, 2015 15:45225709
Obama, the optimal outwitter [180 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Tabitha KorolOct 18, 2015 21:21225693
Maybe more to it [22 words]HouyhnhnmOct 16, 2015 15:48225666
Iran and the Wizard of Blame [283 words]Bob BraunOct 15, 2015 11:24225649
3Job Wanted Posting: President of The United States [228 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
DaveOct 14, 2015 17:17225638
Confused Am I [68 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Barry BlackOct 14, 2015 11:53225635
No Elaboration Needed [80 words]Till ErgenspiegelOct 15, 2015 08:57225635
my thoughts exactly [131 words]DianneOct 16, 2015 23:45225635
If the consequences are not intended where are the purposeful reactions to them [13 words]JoeOct 14, 2015 10:08225634
America's sinking power [98 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Lars NielsenOct 14, 2015 10:04225631
Lars, check your figures [76 words]Michael SOct 17, 2015 04:38225631
1Translation of the Russian text in the attached picture [37 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Alex WainapelOct 14, 2015 09:30225630
I differ [65 words]VijayOct 14, 2015 07:13225629
1Russian caption translation [22 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
FionaOct 14, 2015 01:36225626
A Smile and a Ribbon [188 words]Pied PiperOct 14, 2015 00:56225624
Obama leads by giving impulse with a taste for irreversible short time results [138 words]mythOct 14, 2015 00:15225623
Thanks [75 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
JohnOct 14, 2015 00:03225622
2It's an Extremely Complex Predicament - Coinsider Henry Kissinger's World Order [603 words]RobertOct 13, 2015 23:15225621
OBAMA IS AT HEART A MOSLEM. [134 words]Sheila FeuchtwangOct 13, 2015 22:44225619
Formations of certain people are intreaging. [9 words]Jake van der KooghOct 13, 2015 21:31225618
A tiny correction [16 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
V. RosenzwaigOct 13, 2015 21:11225617
Where is Uncle Claudius? The President is off his rocker. [288 words]Michael SOct 13, 2015 20:37225616

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