Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
For years, American politicians from all parties have talked about a “threat” from Iran’s uranium-enrichment program. So now that Iran has reached a provisional agreement with the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany to keep it at non-threatening levels, who’s not happy? To Iran, the deal will mean a (conditional) end to the international sanctions imposed in … >>
One of the brilliant themes in George Orwell’s classic novel 1984 is the way that the government of Oceania always succeeds in distracting people from the real problems they face — like shortages and malnutrition. When cocoa supplies are disrupted, for example, the government is forced to cut each individual’s chocolate ration from 30 grams a week to 20. But … >>
What if John F. Kennedy had never gone to Berlin? What if he hadn’t given that speech at the Rathaus Schöneberg in 1963 in which he proclaimed, in his horrible Massachusetts accent, “Ich been ein Bee-leena”? What if he had chosen to side with the Soviets instead? In the most recent world war, the Soviets had been America’s ally. They … >>
There was a time when politicians used to be quoted for saying wise things — things like “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts.” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan) These days, they’re usually quoted for things they shouldn’t have said. Republicans know they have a chance of beating Barack Obama in next year’s presidential election because … >>