“That’s what Chess is all about,” insists renegade Grandmaster Bobby Fischer. “One day you give your
opponent a lesson, the next day he gives you one.” In a world of anarchic intra-state relations, the question of governing dynamics has inspired countless political scientists since Machiavelli first reflected on the lessons of power. Perhaps not surprisingly, the lessons of chess provide a useful analogy in that never-ending debate…

Check republics
Sally Feldman in New Humanist

This summer the Iraq Chess Federation’s annual tournament took place at Kufa, near Najaf. It was a serious contest, attended by regional champions from all over the country. Between games there was feasting and rejoicing as a ray of optimism briefly shone…

This paper was written for quite possibly the best combination of professor and class I’ve ever experienced. If only all academic endeavor challenged so profoundly, surveyed so broadly, and bore as much intellectual fruit…

Hegemonic Stability and the Rise of Global Corporations
by Devin DeCiantis

“The logic of markets is borderless,
but the logic of politics remains bounded.”
- Louis W. Pauley, Who Elected the Bankers? Surveillance and Control in the World Economy, 1997

“Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” In the case of Iran and the U.S., Sun Tzu’s prescient advice — combined with the thorough research of “your correspondent” — suggest that peace might be an easier wager than recent history predicts. With their popularity on the wane, like-minded conservatives in their ranks, and religious ideology on their side, Bush and Ahmadinejad have more in common today than either care to admit…