Author Archives: lawrence serewicz

About lawrence serewicz

An American living and working in the UK trying to understand the American idea and explain it to others. The views in this blog are my own for better or worse.

Journalists wrestling Trump for the truth: Fake News and a Post-Truth society?

Posted on June 11, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

Jay Rosen in his article (“The Trump White House has turned into a kind of playground for the press.”) has hit upon two important truths about the Trump presidency, the press and the problem of “fake news”.[1] First, Trump like … Continue reading →

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Trump, supremacism and political extremism

Posted on June 6, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.”– Abraham Lincoln Donald Trump has made America … Continue reading →

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Of course, the Queen wants Brexit.

Posted on May 9, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

If we read Aristotle, his effort to insist that the function of political science is to describe accurately the regime we are talking about or living in, it becomes clear that the most dangerous thing we can do sometimes is … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, public opinion, statesmanship | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Thoughts on Michael Anton and Leo Strauss’ Machiavelli

Posted on May 3, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

In a recent interview, Mr Anton said that he knew “Nick”, his short hand for Niccolo Machiavelli, for over 30 years. He qualified his support by saying he followed the Leo Strauss’ Machiavelli.[1] For his interviewer, this made sense. Leo … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Syrian missile strike was a strategic blunder with Xi

Posted on April 16, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

Dedicated to the memory of Dean Rusk; a Southern gentleman, an American patriot, and a public servant who understood what is at stake with China. In statecraft, there are three types of blunders or sins. Two are punished and one … Continue reading →

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To salvage his presidency Trump must defeat himself to escape the wilderness of mirrors

Posted on April 14, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

Rick Wilson has written something that every member of the Trump White House, including Trump, needs to read.[1] They need to read this if they want to salvage Trump’s presidency. Unlike Mr Wilson, I believe that the Trump presidency can … Continue reading →

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Why Scarlett Johansson does not understand Ivanka Trump’s public silence

Posted on April 9, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

In a recent interview, Scarlett Johansson criticized Ivanka Trump. She said that Ivanka’s failure to challenge her father’s public betrayed her claims to be an advocate for women.[1] In response, Ivanka explained that her influence was hidden from the public. … Continue reading →

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Milo, nihilism, and conservatism’s decayed soul (revised)

Posted on March 14, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

Recently, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) withdrew their offer to Milo Yiannapolous to speak at their event. They withdrew their offer after a video was found that showed him explaining how sex between an older man and a 13yr … Continue reading →

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Trump, Murdoch and digital tabloids: from media bodyguards to Praetorian Guards

Posted on February 21, 2017 by lawrence serewicz

For I know that some human beings are like horses—the more they get what they want, the more unruly they are apt to become. [3] The way to manage men like that is to put the fear of the bodyguard … Continue reading →

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“A horse was in sole occupation of a meadow. A stag having come and done much damage to the pasture, the horse, wishing to avenge himself on the stag, asked a man whether he could help him to punish the … Continue reading →

Posted on February 12, 2017 by lawrence serewicz | Comments Off on An ancient fable to explain the 2016 election