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- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
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* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
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* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
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Category Archives: America
The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle to Define Legitimate Power in the Trump Presidency
Thomas Edsall writes in the New York Times: Trump’s Smash-and-Grab Presidency Reaches New Heights Moynihan agreed that “there are significant strategic motivations for the U.S. military action” against Iran. But for Trump, “the key point seems to be the impulsiveness, … Continue reading
Posted in America, Elites, Expertise, Stephen Turner
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Decoding Trump’s Rhetoric About The Iran War
Donald Trump has not really been speaking with one voice. He has been speaking to five audiences at once. What looks like incoherence is mostly coalition management per David Pinsof’s Alliance Theory. In February 2025, Trump restored “maximum pressure” on … Continue reading
Posted in Alliance Theory, America, Donald Trump, Iran
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The Jurisdictional Wars: Alliance Theory and the Battle for Power Among America First Think Tanks
Nobody in this world says they want power. They say they are fixing a failure. The America First think tank ecosystem of 2026 is no different. Its organizing myth is a diagnosis: we won the election but lost the state. … Continue reading
Posted in America
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Trump Might Be On A Roll
John Ellis writes: It’s sort of an article of faith in the “mainstream” news media that President Trump’s war in Iran will end badly and do him grievous political harm. You don’t have to read between the lines of the … Continue reading
Posted in America, Iran, Journalism
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Decoding The Blob’s Cliches About The Iran War
The foreign policy establishment’s rhetorical toolkit for the 2026 Iran war is designed to protect the “managerial” brand. By using standardized clichés, the Blob can signal loyalty to the professional class without necessarily having to offer a viable military alternative. … Continue reading
Decoding The Blob (America’s Foreign Policy Establishment)
The distinction between a war of necessity and a war of choice is pure signalling. These categories are not objective descriptors of military reality but are propagandistic tools used to manage the internal prestige of the coalition. Why have elites … Continue reading
Posted in America, Elites, Journalism
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Decoding Richard Haass
Richard N. Haass is a useful case for Alliance Theory because he sits at the center of the American foreign policy establishment. His career is not primarily about commanding armies or winning elections. It is about coordinating elites. Council on … Continue reading
Pentagon Switches To Plain Talk Instead Of Elite Talk
Coop LoPresto (@LCplLoPro) writes on X: There’s a couple things in here that, while not a huge deal, I can dig. And mainly it’s just the language of the presentation. Ever since Hegseth became SecDef/War/Bro, you can hear staff officers … Continue reading
Decoding The US Secret Service
Through the lens of Alliance Theory, the Secret Service is the ultimate validator of physical sovereignty. While the FBI manages the “informational” and “legal” alliances of the state, the Secret Service manages the physical space where the coalition’s leaders exist. … Continue reading
Posted in America, Secret Service
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Is Trump’s Foreign Policy A Rejection Of 100 Years Of The Anglo Great Game?
The 100-year Great Game refers to the long-term geopolitical strategy where global powers compete for influence, resources, and territory, specifically in Central and South Asia. This competition relies on a logic of permanent entanglement and the maintenance of buffer states. … Continue reading
Posted in America
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