by Jo Red for the Saker blog The Drama of Italian Politics Frodo is indeed the most tragic character in the Lord of the Rings. He belongs to the shire and goodness. Yet he’s also got curiosity and adventurousness that are unusual for Hobbits, even if still not enough to subvert his life. Finally, the occasion comes, and the harmony is broken: Frodo must bear the burden of the ring
by Jo Red for the Saker blog In war, as in life more generally, the concept of tempo is essential. In his masterpiece Philosophy and Real Politics, British “Leninist” philosopher Raymond Geuss emphasizes “priorities, preferences, timing” (p. 30) as defining differences between “real politics” and the abstract, universalistic philosophy that flattens everything in the unfathomable ignorance of timeless present and depthless surface. Be reminded of that while you celebrate Putin’s