Revolutionary Reflections: Harnessing Historical Wisdom

As I described in my recent post, Fareed Zakaria’s recent book, “Age of Revolution,” provides an examination of the forces that shaped our modern world. From the revolutions of the past, Zakaria articulates the seismic shifts that have redefined global dynamics, influenced political landscapes, and reshaped societal structures. In a world that looks eerily like prior periods of revolution, there is much we can learn by analyzing history. However, analysis is meaningless if we do not learn from the past, and historically, we have failed to do so. It was Henry Kissinger that once said: “it is not often that nations learn from the past, even rarer that they draw the correct conclusions from it.” Analyzing periods that look like our current day is the first step, but it’s the application of these lessons to our current context that enables constructive pathways.

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The Loom Of Time

I just finished reading a book that instantly drew my attention. Given the role the Middle East has played historically, and considering our current day situation, the region plays a significant role in our geopolitical future. The book titled The Loom of Time by Robert D. Kaplan explores this harsh geography that he considers a register of future great-power struggles across the globe, as it always has been in the past.

Like in the past, thousands of years of imperial rule will continue to cast a long shadow on politics as it is practiced today, in a region where stability remains a prized commodity.

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