Naimisha Forest
Two Epidemics in Three Chinas
Emperor Renzong, Xi Jinping’s ‘Party-State,’ and democratic Taiwan
As the coronavirus pandemic that began in China makes its way among us, with a modest cough and a friendly handshake, it brings to my bookish mind another epidemic in that 
country, the one that sets in motion the classic Chinese novel “The Outlaws of the Marsh.” That was in the reign of Emperor Renzong (AD 1022-1063), the . . .
New York Times unsure about democracy
The New York Times editorializes on the Italian election: “Demagogues win as Europe’s populist tide sweeps Italy.”
Demagogues? In its modern pejorative sense, a demagogue is one who seeks power by exploiting the prejudices of the mob. But in the original 5th century BCE Greek usage a demagogue could also be simply . . .
Posted in: democracyeuropeimmigration
Votes for the Dead
In 500 words or less, explain why the following statement is either right or wrong, both right and wrong, or, perhaps, neither right nor wrong:
"I have never been able to understand where people got the idea that democracy was in some way opposed to tradition. It is obvious that tradition is only democracy extended through time...
. . .
Posted in: conservatismdemocracytradition
'Is Donald Trump a threat to American democracy?'
Over at Bloggingheadstv, Glenn Loury spars with his old friend Harold Pollack on what threat if any Donald Trump poses for American democracy.
Loury is a professor of economics at Brown University. He was famed as a ‘black conservative’ in younger days but seems to have converged to independent centrist or center-right . . .
Remarkable poll numbers on immigration: why Democrats folded on the government shutdown
Little wonder Chuck Schumer and the Democrats folded on the government shutdown. Look no further than this Harvard-Harris poll released yesterday: the public supports 
the sort of immigration deal President Trump wants by a margin of around 2 to 1.
Specifically: “Would you favor or oppose a congressional deal that . . .
Posted in: democracyimmigrationnation state
Two angles on why we need the nation state
The two angles are from the English conservative writer and philosopher Roger Scruton, and from the economist Dani Rodrik, who, outside his technical economic writings, appears to be a conventional American liberal – horrified by Trump and so forth. Yet both, in sometimes overlapping, sometimes complementary ways, make a persuasive case . . .
“19 Things We Learned from the 2016 Election” – I am scared
Statistician Andrew Gelman and political scientist Julia Azari have an interesting discussion paper on “19 Things We Learned from the 2016 Election”. The 19 things are grouped under Nominations and Campaigning, Polling and the News Media, How Voters Make Decisions, and The US Political Environment. Here are a few that . . .
Cover image credit: http://Pinterest
