Sources of today’s populist movement – the state as enemy 

Brian M Downing  Americans see themselves as independent, self-reliant, and opposed to intrusive forces. That was essential to the merchants, craftsmen, planters, and farmers who opposed British taxation and Church of England expansion. “Don’t tread on me” was embroidered into flags and myths. The principle surfaced during the Whiskey Rebellion, the Read More …

Policy and failure twenty years on – part one, Afghanistan 

Brian M Downing Two decades have passed since the 9/11 attacks. Two decades of wars, expenditures, casualties, and failures. As US troops left Afghanistan last month President Biden pointed out that we’d killed Osama bin Laden but that hardly addressed the entirety of the operations.  In another twenty years assessments Read More …