American revolution

Unequal representation caused problems for Britain in 1776, & will for us soon

By / 7 Comments / 17 September 2018

Summary: Conservatives belittle concerns about America’s increasingly unrepresentative government. Citizens in these big states have 29% the voting weight of small states in the Federal government (even slaves were weighted at 60%). Citizens in cities have less representation than those in rural areas (just as in Britain’s 18th century rotten boroughs). Unequal political representation has caused serious …

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Samuel Adams started the Revolution because he didn’t have Twitter

By / 7 Comments / 18 July 2017

Summary: We don’t eat kippers for breakfast because Samuel Adams didn’t have the temptation of running the Revolution by Twitter instead by snail mail. Social media are a powerful tool for organizations, but no substitute for them. The delusion of a self-organizing crowd appeals to people seeking easy low-commitment ways to reform America. Perhaps repeated …

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A real-life Christmas story: Washington’s Gift to America

By / 7 Comments / 18 January 2015

Here is a Christmas story known to few except historians, well worth reading by all Americans:  Washington’s Gift byThomas Fleming, Wall Street Journal, 24 December 2007 — “Our revolution could have ended in despotism, like so many others.”  Subscription only. Here is the opening (an open copy appears at the David Gold website): There is a Christmas …

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France gives us tips for the Afghanistan War, from their successful role in the American Revolution

By / Leave a Comment / 2 June 2013

There have been few victories by foreign troops fighting insurgencies since Mao brought the art of 4th generation war to maturity after WWII.  The few grey cases are those conducted with a legitimate local partner (e.g., Malaysian government for the UK) or those not substantially foreign (e.g., Northern Ireland for the Brits).  To find clear victories we need …

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Can we judge the actions of Iraq’s government, from our safe seats at home?

By / 2 Comments / 29 June 2008

Summary:  Can we judge the actions of Iraq’s government?  From our safe and secure society, Americans often give advice that seems suicidal for those in Iraq’s violent and turbulent society. From today on the essential “abu muqawama“, a post by Dr. iRack discussing the “The rise and fall of a Sons of Iraq warrior“, Los Angeles …

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