April 29, 2012

Alexander on Leadership 0

by Barry Strauss • What Would Alexander Do? • Tags: , , ,

In the run-up to the publication of Masters of Command on Tuesday, I’ll ask each of the book’s three masters for the lessons of his leadership. Today I speak to the ghost of Alexander the Great.

Good morning, Your Majesty. What makes you a greater leader, O King, than Hannibal or Julius Caesar?

“I made many Alexanders. From Ptolemy and Pyrrhus to Pompey and Trajan. Hannibal and Julius Caesar were just two of those who followed me.”

So you were first, O King, but what makes you the best?

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April 26, 2012

P-DAY is coming 0

by Barry Strauss • Masters of Command • Tags: , , , , ,

May Day. Visions of country folk dancing around the May Pole. Of labor unionists marching behind raised banners. Of student rebels scuttling across Parisian cobblestones in ’68. Of Soviet era Politburoniks lining up above Lenin’s Tomb to salute the latest weaponry rolling across Red Square.

And this year, I’m dreaming of a new May Day. It’s D-Day! Er, make that P-Day!

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April 12, 2012

Rest in Peace 0

by Barry Strauss • General

Driving downtown on Route 13 Tuesday night I saw an unaccustomed sight: the American flag everywhere. It was draped over the railing of the overpasses, which were filling up with people holding small flags. Flag-wavers gathered on the road beside the high school as I walked by. When I turned onto Green Street downtown, the road appeared to be blocked by a giant American flag hanging from a crane. As I got closer the flashing lights of police cars came into view, making it clear that the road really was blocked, so I turned onto a side street. More

March 27, 2012

Render Unto Tebow 0

by Barry Strauss • Caesar's Ghost

I found the former Dictator-in-Perpetuity of Rome glued to a computer screen. Watching You Tube.

“Hail, Caesar. Are you watching a report of today’s arguments at the Supreme Court?” I figured that a politician like Caesar would find the Obamacare case riveting.

“No. I’m watching a tape of Tim Tebow’s first press conference as a New York Jet.”
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March 15, 2012

The Ides of March 0

by Barry Strauss • Masters of Command

USAToday has picked up my blog post in its online edition. Please read it here: Roman Political Lessons for Today

Barry Strauss is author of Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar and the Genius of Leadership (Simon & Schuster, May 2012).

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