Jeremi Suri

Austin

Historian, Writer, Policy Wonk, Political Junkie, Professor, and Dad. Host of podcast, "This is Democracy:" https://t.co/GAIULaap9U

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Articles

U.S. Power Was Built by Experts, but Trump Is Throwing It All Away

1 week ago | foreignpolicy.com | Jeremi Suri

Geopolitics Security United States The Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote that war is a “mere continuation of policy by other means,” but he did not mean that war is merely politics.
What Passover Means in These Times

1 week ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriFor more than 2500 years, Jews have gathered to recount their exodus from slavery in Egypt. The Passover seder is a unique ritual, assembling the children of Abraham to re-tell the story of how God saved them from Egyptian bondage and allowed them to flee to freedom in the Sinai Desert. The Passover seder is a moment for collective reflection and renewal. It takes on special meaning when conflict and cruelty appear to be on the rise.
On-again, Off-again Tariffs Show Trump’s Weakness and Confusion

2 weeks ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriWhen Machiavelli wrote his advice to the prince, he emphasized a few simple points. The prince must “live with the people,” he must “give good reasons for his decisions,” and he must, above all, show consistency and logic in his actions. Why? Citizens need not agree with the prince, but they must understand what he is doing. If they understand, they can plan, adjust, and survive.
Trump’s Idiocracy

2 weeks ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriOn Thursday, the Trump administration closed down the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The staff were told in the morning to clean out their offices by 5 pm the same day. Research and public programs terminated. Congress created the Center in 1968. For more than fifty years, it brought together scholars, policy-makers, and journalists from around the world.
The People Are Taking Back Our Government

3 weeks ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriRarely has a president lost the support of voters faster than Donald Trump. Less than five months ago, Trump won the state of Wisconsin in the presidential election. He received 29,000 more votes than Kamala Harris, winning by a margin of about one percent. It was close, but clear. Less than 75 days into Trump’s volcanic presidency, the earth has shifted decisively.
A Hopeful Week For Our Democracy

3 weeks ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi Suri“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials, but the voters of this country.”Franklin Roosevelt, 1938Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week might begin our climb back from two months of destruction to our democracy.
Defending Universities Will Save Us From A Dark Age

1 month ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriEvery civilization values learning, not because learning guarantees riches but because it makes people wise. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to see beyond the immediate to observe a wider world filled with many ideas, abilities, and experiences. Wisdom uses deeper, acquired understanding to improve performance. The talented person tries to win races by running as hard as they can whenever possible.
Why Free Speech Matters More Than Ever

1 month ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriI have never witnessed so much fear of free speech. People are afraid to share their thoughts on controversial issues today, concerned that they will be bullied, labeled, and even fired. Leaders of organizations cannot lead because a strong defense of values will bring attacks on their programs and their funding. Political polarization, fed by social media, has created pressures to conform, not to think or speak.
Who really is Elon Musk? And what is he really doing?

1 month ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriAll kings have courtiers. They are the people around the monarch who flatter and serve the man who wears the crown. They are the people he trusts. They preserve his power as they preserve their own. Powerful, ambitious, and perhaps mad kings have capos. Derived from the Italian for “boss” or “head,” the capo is the monarch’s trusted figure who breaks things on behalf of the king. The capo will intimidate enemies, sideline critics, and destroy barriers to the king getting his way.
Trump’s Oval Office Tirade Showed His Weakness

1 month ago | democracyofhope.substack.com | Jeremi Suri

By Jeremi SuriThere is a quiet confidence to real power. When a country has superior resources and a strategic direction, it does not need to shout or even brag. Power is in the actions taken and the conditions changed. That is why Niccolo Machiavelli, the greatest writer on politics, spends almost no time encouraging the prince to advertise his power. His behavior should speak for itself. When a bully screams, he shows his lack of confidence, his insecurity in his strength, and his fear of defeat.