John J. Tierney Jr.

Above: A world map showing the two blocs during the Cold War in 1959. In political terms, a “pole” is a center of power, expressed in the familiar terms of national strength, military, diplomatic, economic, sociology, stability, leadership, determination, etc. There are three, and only three, ways in which to examine world politics through “poles”:…

Flunking History While it is fashionable in the modern United States to disparage any and all recall of history, it is equally possible that, without knowing it, modern Americans are simply bringing forgotten history back to life. This is particularly so in left-wing ideological circles, much of academia, the media, and the “politically correct” culture.…

While the North Atlantic Treaty (NAT0) is alive and well after seventy years, now with thirty members, SEATO has long-since been forgotten. As a distant “cousin” of NATO, SEATO (Southeast Asian Treaty Organization) was intended to provide the same rationale in Asia as NATO did in western Europe, i.e. to provide a collective defense against…

Realities In a world that remains in political “anarchy,” 6,000 years later, one might think that a truly global organization might arise to supervise the lurid activities of the membership. Not so. After thousands of years with incessant warfare, alliances that come and go eternally, spying, rivalry, sustained suspicion, “sovereignty,” “territoriality,” we might, at last,…

When nation-states behave as “nation-states,” that is, since time began, the American media and public react in horror. Like, “this is unheard of,” or “how dare they.” It might help to open a book. What they “Do” The Russians are “meddling,” there is “collusion” between Putin and Trump, they seem to get along, Trump is…

“Ancient” History Most Americans, especially under 50, have little or no remembrance of what it’s like to be a “superpower,” at the top of the global power structure and influencing events from the Congo, Vietnam, Egypt, Cuba, Korea, not to mention living within a world order made by and supervised by Americans. These citizens (“kids”)…

The title of this essay today (August 4, 2020) will probably not draw a great deal of attention and may well seem so obscure as to throw away. I cannot blame anyone since neither the day nor the name has thus far captured much American attention (I really mean “any.”) But they should! A Day…

Theory The field of Political Science is divided into four parts. First, and fundamental, is “Theory,” the study of thoughts, ideas, theses, and analyses of politics as it has evolved from ancient times to today. Theory (“Philosophy”) is fundamental since it provides the origins (and results) of all political movements that have graced the earth…

When asked about “winning,” legendary football coach Vince Lombardi replied, “it’s not just the most important question, it’s the only one.” Winning If asked about American foreign policy today, what would be a comparable answer? What is “winning” to America in the world? Undoubtedly, the answers would be as different and as contentious as the…

The first two words overlap and have a common understanding in the colloquial sense. But in the American popular culture there is a distinction, whereas division implies separation (“portion,” “piece,” “unit”) diversity implies variety within a whole (“assortment,” “heterogeneity”). By any definition, however, both words are the exact opposite of “unity,” best defined by its…