Tag Archives: Fred Zilian

Marcus Aurelius and His Meditations

While many Roman emperors are infamous for their tyranny and debauchery, Marcus Aurelius is famous for his statesmanship, generalship, and intellect. He reigned as emperor, 161-180 CE, and is considered the last of what are called “the good emperors.” Edward … Continue reading

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A Tribute to Martin Luther King: Move over Lone Ranger

About twenty years ago, I attended a conference in California where we discussed the ideas of the famous 17th philosopher-scientist Francis Bacon. I learned much about him, but the greatest insight I gleaned was during a coffee break. I was … Continue reading

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The Causes of Peace, Part VII: Guernica and the Horror of War on Innocents

The horror that war brings to non-combatants or “innocents” can help to restrain the initiation of war and to curb its most destructive tendencies once it has begun. The bombing of the city of Guernica, Spain, in 1937, showed the … Continue reading

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American Exceptionalism on Climate Change

(Note: This essay was originally published as “Fred Zilian: Obama Leads on Climate, but Will U.S. Follow?” by the Providence Journal on December 17, 2015, and as “U.S. Out of Step in Fight Against Climate Change,” by the Newport Daily News … Continue reading

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Causes of Peace, Part VI, Civil War, The Military Level and Political Will

The Military Level First, The South had some notable advantages, including what are called “interior lines.” Defending its own territory from an external threat, it had shorter “lines of communication,” had greater familiarity with the terrain, and could count on … Continue reading

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The Causes of Peace, Part V: The American Civil War, Section I

Let us now apply the Multi-Dimensional War Model to the American Civil War. Political Level On the domestic political level, the South faced a dilemma, a contradiction. In the name of defending Southern rights, the Confederate government had to infringe … Continue reading

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The Causes of Peace, Part IV, Paradigm #2: Zilian’s Multi-Dimensional War Model

Paradigm #2 views war not as uni-dimensional but rather as multi-dimensional. War is more than warfare. Call this Zilian’s Multi-Dimensional War Model. To truly understand why one side won and the other lost, we cannot simply look at the military … Continue reading

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The Causes of Peace, Part III, Thinking About War, Paradigm #1

In order truly to understand war & peace, we must delve into some military theory. A theory lays out the principal concepts of a given field of study and their relationships, and it must also explain the “why” of things: … Continue reading

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The Causes of Peace, Part II

The authoritative, London-based, weekly magazine, The Economist, has just issued its annual look into the next year: The World in 2016. It contains an essay written by John Andrews entitled, “More War than Peace.” He notes International Peace Day, September … Continue reading

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Unified Germany at 25: More Normal, More Independent

(This essay, abridged, was originally published as “Germany’s Unification a Huge Success,” in the Providence Journal on October 3, 2015. For more analysis, please see my book:  From Confrontation to Cooperation: The Takeover of the East German Army by the Bundeswehr.) … Continue reading

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