At the USAF Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado yesterday President Obama said the US has the greatest military in the history of the world.” I was asked to comment and responded thus: “If it’s pardonable exaggeration for the president to call the US military the greatest fighting force in history, it is not an exaggeration by much. No one …
D-Day, A Myth to Live By
I was five years old in 1959 when Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day appeared and it was probably another 20 years before I picked up a copy but I was already hooked. The 1962 movie – or, rather, the re-release several years later – made me a fan. It was, in its way, my Game of Thrones: an epic …
“MY HONOR FOR MYSELF” – The Liberation of Rome 1944
The Allies marched into Rome on June 4, 1944. Some years ago I asked a US army veteran who was there about his experience. “It was the greatest day of my life,” he told me. “The streets were lined with crowds. Everyone was clapping and cheering: Americani! Americani! Viva gli Americani!” American troops came into town through the Porta San …
Memorial Day 2016: Five Books on America’s Wars for Summer Reading
As I headed out onto the lake this morning in my single scull, a large bird flew by off the port side. I stopped and stared and realized that it was a bald eagle, big, beautiful, majestic and moving slowly as if in salute. It has been our national symbol since 1782, and tomorrow is a national holiday. Memorial Day …
How Anti-Trade Nativism Wrecked the Ancient Greeks
In my latest op-ed, published on May 22, 2016 in the Wall Street Journal, I talk about how insular politics can negatively impact trade and the economy, both through the lens of ancient Greek demagogues as well as the current state of affairs leading up the American Presidential Election later this year. Scroll down to read the full article. …
North Korean Missiles and Greek Spears
Barry looks at the recent failed missile tests by North Korea and deepens our understanding of them by an ancient Greek case study.
From Perpetual Peace to Armed Camp in the Baltic
Könisberg, Germany, where Kant dreamed of perpetual peace, is now Kaliningrad, Russia, where a major military and naval buildup is shaking the security of the Baltic — and of NATO. Barry explains how and why.
Uneasy Allies: America, Turkey and the Kurds
Is it true that nations have no allies or enemies but only interests? Recent US-Turkish relations remind Barry of that statement by Lord Palmerston, and they bring him back, as usual, to lessons from Greece and Rome.
Maskirovka and the Greeks
As Russian jets buzz an American ship and plane during NATO maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, Barry puts it into historical perspective. See his latest post on the Hoover Institution’s Military History in the News.
Happy Ides of March!
Today is a great day…except if your name is Julius Caesar! To commemorate the Ides of March, there have been many notable postings on the Internet highlighting The Death of Caesar: The Wall Street Journal has published an excellent op-ed of mine discussing the leadership failures on March 15th, 44BC (reading the article may require a subscription so stay tuned …