| From | Intercollegiate Review <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Peace through strength? |
| Date | December 21, 2023 7:08 PM |
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Is our military still projecting strength abroad?| Read Intercollegiate Review every Thursday for the best of intellectual conservative thought.
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CATEGORY: MILITARY (4 MIN)
Doubt over defense
[link removed]
While Americans debate the level of involvement our nation should have in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and in the Middle East, the U.S. military continues to face crises within. Besides the degradation of national pride which has led to less enthusiasm for new soldiers and the woke influence which now permeates every branch, fiscal concerns dog the Defense Department, as they have for many decades.
Byron Callan writes on the narratives surrounding the American military for Aviation Week
[link removed]
, describing several important uncertainties which have many in the defense world on edge. First, he writes that the Defense Department recently requested a supplemental source of funding, but Congress has not yet chosen what to do with it. Instead, the House passed a support package for Israel with offsetting spending cuts.
Second, if Congress fails to pass certain appropriations bills before a deadline next year in April, the Pentagon will take a 1% spending cut. Although the percentage seems small, Callan says it could be a substantial damage to research and development expenditures. And third, Callan says that future defense budget proposals may not fully account for inflation’s effect on the supply chain. If not, planned military expenditures might not cover everything the budget originally accounted for, leaving the Pentagon in the lurch.
Read Callan’s piece right here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
RESULTS: 12/14/23
Last week, we asked: After the fourth debate, who is your favorite Republican presidential candidate? Here are the results:
[A] Chris Christie - 5.5%
[B] Nikki Haley - 23.3%
[C] Ron DeSantis - 35.6%
[D] Vivek Ramaswamy - 4.1%
[E] Donald Trump - 27.4%
[F] Unsure - 4.1%
Is the U.S. military still projecting strength abroad?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Unsure
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: CULTURE (10 MIN)
Desecrations and delusions
[link removed]
As mental health decreases across America and young people avoid personal interaction and stick to screens, commitment to traditional stabilizing factors like religion and other local institutions collapses. But if religion and local community leaves a hole, something must fill it.
In his recent article for Compact
[link removed]
, Travis Kitchens notes that a new study found that middle-aged adults are using hallucinogenic drugs at the highest rate ever recorded. Kitchens centers his piece around the 2020 book The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku. Muraresku claimed that Christianity may have come from a Greek cult whose rituals included taking psychedelic drugs.
Kitchens wrote this article in response to a growing wave of fascination with these drugs. Muraresku and others, including Elon Musk’s brother and many Silicon Valley heavyweights, have poured huge amounts of resources into psychedelics. Even more dangerously, Kitchens says, the FDA is approving them quickly, with very little time to research or investigate their impact on American society.
“The truth is that the effects of psychedelics are far from predictable. We have been here before: The opioid crisis began with uncritical enthusiasm for drugs whose real effects were only later recognized,” Kitchens warns.
Read Kitchens’ entire article, including a discussion of Aldous Huxley and our God-given limits, here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE
Dealing with the Overspending Crisis | Andrew Bacevich
[link removed]
In this episode, Andrew Bacevich joins the podcast to talk to Tom about:
his 2008 book, The Limits of Power, about the failures of the Iraq War and the cultural, political, and military crises that led to it and exposed the weaknesses in America’s global posture
the lessons to be taken from the post-WWII history of American military policy and foreign entanglements
why the impulse to rely on “American muscle” to fix things is often unjustified
Texts Mentioned:
The Limits of Power
[link removed]
by Andrew Bacevich
The Decadent Society
[link removed]
by Ross Douthat
“The Crisis of Confidence”
[link removed]
speech by Jimmy Carter
Battlegrounds
[link removed]
by H.R. McMaster
ISI Debate on Taiwan and China
[link removed]
American Conservatism: Reclaiming an Intellectual Tradition
[link removed]
by Andrew Bacevich
Watch Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
March for Life Reception
January 19th, 2024
Join the Intercollegiate Studies Institute for a happy hour to discuss life and liberty! The event will be held after the March for Life at The Heritage Foundation. Refreshments will be available. Our featured speakers are Alexandra DeSanctis and Tom Shakely.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
[link removed]
Daring Greatly: Forming America's Next Great Statesman
February 2nd, 2024
The Heritage Foundation is proud to host the launch of the insightful new book, Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill
[link removed]
, on February 2, 2024, at 11:00 AM. This event features a dynamic panel discussion with distinguished speakers Larry Arnn and Elbridge Colby, delving into the rich tapestry of statesmanship across history and its relevance today.
In this panel discussion, Johnny Burtka, Larry Arnn, and Elbridge Colby will explore how the study of statesmanship extends beyond the realms of politics into the broader scope of human thought and action. They will discuss how the classics teach us about the difficult choices that shape lives and character, providing insight into how these teachings are vital today.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
[link removed]
41st Annual Viennese Waltz Ball
February 17th, 2024
Join ISI on Saturday, February 17th, at The Organization of American States for the 41st Annual Evening of Viennese Waltzing.
It will be a night of silk top hats, furs, dance cards, champagne, and flaming crepes as more than 200 couples recreate the sumptuous balls of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Watch: Palestine Protestors Hide from the Thinker but Record Cops as 28 Students and Faculty Arrested
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“This month, 26 students and two faculty who were arrested for trespassing at the November 9 Rosenwald Hall sit-in will appear in court. The sit-in disrupted classes and admissions tours, while nearly 100 other protestors rallied outside. The protestors eagerly recorded police officers and Thinker Editor-in-Chief Declan Hurley but tried to prevent Thinker correspondents from recording reciprocally.”
Stanford Ignores Students’ Rising Cost of Living
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“As an unincorporated municipality separate from Palo Alto, Stanford University controls nearly everything that occurs on its land, including public safety, utilities such as water, and all of the real estate... Stanford is a fiefdom in many respects, and the administration plays the role of an economic central planner... But planning an economy on a much larger scale for nearly 20,000 students is no easy task, and despite the University’s best efforts, it often makes huge mistakes.”
Cornell law professor to host event on campus antisemitism
[link removed]
via Cornell Review
“On December 19, the Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF) and the Cornell Free Speech Alliance will be hosting an online event
[link removed]
, ‘Campus Antisemitism Crisis: Cornell, The Ivies, and Other U.S. Universities’ ... The virtual event comes in the wake of rising tensions on-campus due to the Israel-Hamas war.”
Butler College Republicans Deserve Freedom of Speech
[link removed]
via The Collegiate Commons
“In October
[link removed]
, The Collegiate Commons attended a series of protests held by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Butler University. The College Republicans (CR) at Butler University were present at an opposing protest on Oct. 12, supporting the Jewish community in mourning those killed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Afterwards, CR released a statement condemning SJP’s protest. The members of SJP then reported CR to the University alleging discrimination, which the University is currently investigating. In actuality, CR simply pointed out the hard truth. In SJP leadership’s zeal to support the cause of Palestinian liberation and self-determination, they stepped too far and chose to justify the massacre of Israelis simply by virtue of their national origin.”
ISI's Collegiate Network is featured in the recently released book: Y
[link removed]
ou’re Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College
[link removed]
. Here is a brief description from the publisher: “Conservative students today face censoring from their peers, hostile liberal professors, and more. Karin Lips, President of the Network of enlightened Women
[link removed]
and editor of She’s Conservative: Stories of Trials and Triumphs on America’s College Campuses, wrote You’re Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College to prepare young women for what they will face on college campuses. Sharing the stories of students and recent graduates involved in NeW, Lips identifies problems on campus and provides practical tips on how conservative young women can thrive in this environment.”
CATEGORY: LITERATURE (9 MIN)
Post-wall pandemonium
[link removed]
The largest country in the world means many different things to Americans today. Some still associate Russia with its Communist roots, others see it as a paper tiger bereft of strength, and many more consider it the boogeyman of the modern age. But few Americans know the depth of the chaos which ruled Russia after the Berlin Wall fell and the old Soviet order collapsed with it.
For this week’s Intercollegiate Review
[link removed]
archive, Timothy Crimmins shines some light on the Russian Federation in his review of the 2018 novel A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen. Gessen’s story stars a “Russian-born but American-raised” protagonist, Andrei Kaplan, who investigates what happened to his native relatives during the post-Cold War era. In doing so, Crimmins describes how Kaplan discovers the tension between corrupted capitalism and reactionary socialism which defined that Russian era.
“The transformation of Russia into a stable, pro-Western, liberal democracy was a signature task of the Clinton administration,” Crimmins says. “That transformation never happened, for reasons both internal and external.”
Crimmins notes the similarities between Gessen and his main character, as both were born in Russia but spent their formative years in America. And behind the political and economic commentary, Crimmins lauds Gessen’s emphasis on humanity—especially a moving depiction of Andrei’s grandmother and her battle with dementia.
Read Crimmins’ full review right here
[link removed]
. [Note: some of the excerpts from A Terrible Country contain strong language.]
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.”
- Ronald Reagan
Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
unsubscribe from all emails
[link removed]
update subscription preferences
[link removed]
Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser
[link removed]
.
[link removed]
CATEGORY: MILITARY (4 MIN)
Doubt over defense
[link removed]
While Americans debate the level of involvement our nation should have in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and in the Middle East, the U.S. military continues to face crises within. Besides the degradation of national pride which has led to less enthusiasm for new soldiers and the woke influence which now permeates every branch, fiscal concerns dog the Defense Department, as they have for many decades.
Byron Callan writes on the narratives surrounding the American military for Aviation Week
[link removed]
, describing several important uncertainties which have many in the defense world on edge. First, he writes that the Defense Department recently requested a supplemental source of funding, but Congress has not yet chosen what to do with it. Instead, the House passed a support package for Israel with offsetting spending cuts.
Second, if Congress fails to pass certain appropriations bills before a deadline next year in April, the Pentagon will take a 1% spending cut. Although the percentage seems small, Callan says it could be a substantial damage to research and development expenditures. And third, Callan says that future defense budget proposals may not fully account for inflation’s effect on the supply chain. If not, planned military expenditures might not cover everything the budget originally accounted for, leaving the Pentagon in the lurch.
Read Callan’s piece right here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
RESULTS: 12/14/23
Last week, we asked: After the fourth debate, who is your favorite Republican presidential candidate? Here are the results:
[A] Chris Christie - 5.5%
[B] Nikki Haley - 23.3%
[C] Ron DeSantis - 35.6%
[D] Vivek Ramaswamy - 4.1%
[E] Donald Trump - 27.4%
[F] Unsure - 4.1%
Is the U.S. military still projecting strength abroad?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Unsure
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: CULTURE (10 MIN)
Desecrations and delusions
[link removed]
As mental health decreases across America and young people avoid personal interaction and stick to screens, commitment to traditional stabilizing factors like religion and other local institutions collapses. But if religion and local community leaves a hole, something must fill it.
In his recent article for Compact
[link removed]
, Travis Kitchens notes that a new study found that middle-aged adults are using hallucinogenic drugs at the highest rate ever recorded. Kitchens centers his piece around the 2020 book The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku. Muraresku claimed that Christianity may have come from a Greek cult whose rituals included taking psychedelic drugs.
Kitchens wrote this article in response to a growing wave of fascination with these drugs. Muraresku and others, including Elon Musk’s brother and many Silicon Valley heavyweights, have poured huge amounts of resources into psychedelics. Even more dangerously, Kitchens says, the FDA is approving them quickly, with very little time to research or investigate their impact on American society.
“The truth is that the effects of psychedelics are far from predictable. We have been here before: The opioid crisis began with uncritical enthusiasm for drugs whose real effects were only later recognized,” Kitchens warns.
Read Kitchens’ entire article, including a discussion of Aldous Huxley and our God-given limits, here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE
Dealing with the Overspending Crisis | Andrew Bacevich
[link removed]
In this episode, Andrew Bacevich joins the podcast to talk to Tom about:
his 2008 book, The Limits of Power, about the failures of the Iraq War and the cultural, political, and military crises that led to it and exposed the weaknesses in America’s global posture
the lessons to be taken from the post-WWII history of American military policy and foreign entanglements
why the impulse to rely on “American muscle” to fix things is often unjustified
Texts Mentioned:
The Limits of Power
[link removed]
by Andrew Bacevich
The Decadent Society
[link removed]
by Ross Douthat
“The Crisis of Confidence”
[link removed]
speech by Jimmy Carter
Battlegrounds
[link removed]
by H.R. McMaster
ISI Debate on Taiwan and China
[link removed]
American Conservatism: Reclaiming an Intellectual Tradition
[link removed]
by Andrew Bacevich
Watch Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
March for Life Reception
January 19th, 2024
Join the Intercollegiate Studies Institute for a happy hour to discuss life and liberty! The event will be held after the March for Life at The Heritage Foundation. Refreshments will be available. Our featured speakers are Alexandra DeSanctis and Tom Shakely.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
[link removed]
Daring Greatly: Forming America's Next Great Statesman
February 2nd, 2024
The Heritage Foundation is proud to host the launch of the insightful new book, Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill
[link removed]
, on February 2, 2024, at 11:00 AM. This event features a dynamic panel discussion with distinguished speakers Larry Arnn and Elbridge Colby, delving into the rich tapestry of statesmanship across history and its relevance today.
In this panel discussion, Johnny Burtka, Larry Arnn, and Elbridge Colby will explore how the study of statesmanship extends beyond the realms of politics into the broader scope of human thought and action. They will discuss how the classics teach us about the difficult choices that shape lives and character, providing insight into how these teachings are vital today.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
[link removed]
41st Annual Viennese Waltz Ball
February 17th, 2024
Join ISI on Saturday, February 17th, at The Organization of American States for the 41st Annual Evening of Viennese Waltzing.
It will be a night of silk top hats, furs, dance cards, champagne, and flaming crepes as more than 200 couples recreate the sumptuous balls of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Join us in Washington, DC >>>
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Watch: Palestine Protestors Hide from the Thinker but Record Cops as 28 Students and Faculty Arrested
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“This month, 26 students and two faculty who were arrested for trespassing at the November 9 Rosenwald Hall sit-in will appear in court. The sit-in disrupted classes and admissions tours, while nearly 100 other protestors rallied outside. The protestors eagerly recorded police officers and Thinker Editor-in-Chief Declan Hurley but tried to prevent Thinker correspondents from recording reciprocally.”
Stanford Ignores Students’ Rising Cost of Living
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“As an unincorporated municipality separate from Palo Alto, Stanford University controls nearly everything that occurs on its land, including public safety, utilities such as water, and all of the real estate... Stanford is a fiefdom in many respects, and the administration plays the role of an economic central planner... But planning an economy on a much larger scale for nearly 20,000 students is no easy task, and despite the University’s best efforts, it often makes huge mistakes.”
Cornell law professor to host event on campus antisemitism
[link removed]
via Cornell Review
“On December 19, the Legal Insurrection Foundation (LIF) and the Cornell Free Speech Alliance will be hosting an online event
[link removed]
, ‘Campus Antisemitism Crisis: Cornell, The Ivies, and Other U.S. Universities’ ... The virtual event comes in the wake of rising tensions on-campus due to the Israel-Hamas war.”
Butler College Republicans Deserve Freedom of Speech
[link removed]
via The Collegiate Commons
“In October
[link removed]
, The Collegiate Commons attended a series of protests held by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Butler University. The College Republicans (CR) at Butler University were present at an opposing protest on Oct. 12, supporting the Jewish community in mourning those killed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Afterwards, CR released a statement condemning SJP’s protest. The members of SJP then reported CR to the University alleging discrimination, which the University is currently investigating. In actuality, CR simply pointed out the hard truth. In SJP leadership’s zeal to support the cause of Palestinian liberation and self-determination, they stepped too far and chose to justify the massacre of Israelis simply by virtue of their national origin.”
ISI's Collegiate Network is featured in the recently released book: Y
[link removed]
ou’re Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College
[link removed]
. Here is a brief description from the publisher: “Conservative students today face censoring from their peers, hostile liberal professors, and more. Karin Lips, President of the Network of enlightened Women
[link removed]
and editor of She’s Conservative: Stories of Trials and Triumphs on America’s College Campuses, wrote You’re Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College to prepare young women for what they will face on college campuses. Sharing the stories of students and recent graduates involved in NeW, Lips identifies problems on campus and provides practical tips on how conservative young women can thrive in this environment.”
CATEGORY: LITERATURE (9 MIN)
Post-wall pandemonium
[link removed]
The largest country in the world means many different things to Americans today. Some still associate Russia with its Communist roots, others see it as a paper tiger bereft of strength, and many more consider it the boogeyman of the modern age. But few Americans know the depth of the chaos which ruled Russia after the Berlin Wall fell and the old Soviet order collapsed with it.
For this week’s Intercollegiate Review
[link removed]
archive, Timothy Crimmins shines some light on the Russian Federation in his review of the 2018 novel A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen. Gessen’s story stars a “Russian-born but American-raised” protagonist, Andrei Kaplan, who investigates what happened to his native relatives during the post-Cold War era. In doing so, Crimmins describes how Kaplan discovers the tension between corrupted capitalism and reactionary socialism which defined that Russian era.
“The transformation of Russia into a stable, pro-Western, liberal democracy was a signature task of the Clinton administration,” Crimmins says. “That transformation never happened, for reasons both internal and external.”
Crimmins notes the similarities between Gessen and his main character, as both were born in Russia but spent their formative years in America. And behind the political and economic commentary, Crimmins lauds Gessen’s emphasis on humanity—especially a moving depiction of Andrei’s grandmother and her battle with dementia.
Read Crimmins’ full review right here
[link removed]
. [Note: some of the excerpts from A Terrible Country contain strong language.]
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.”
- Ronald Reagan
Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
unsubscribe from all emails
[link removed]
update subscription preferences
[link removed]
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