President Putin’s proposal for a ‘social’ parliament to ‘improve the links between government and society’, put forward after the attack on Beslan in September, has a chequered political lineage. The main historical idea is that a ‘social’, or ‘industrial’, or ‘functional’ parliament should be set up alongside the ‘political’ parliament, though in some schemes it … Continue reading Russia: Putin’s Public Chamber
Author: Robert Skidelsky
Economist and member of the House of Lords
At last, a power of sense at the UN
LIBERALS ON both sides of the Atlantic are dismayed by President Bush’s nomination of the arch-hawk John Bolton as US representative to the UN. They are wrong; Bolton’s appointment may give the UN just the shot in the arm it needs. It promises serious US interest in UN reform; it challenges the UN to get … Continue reading At last, a power of sense at the UN
In the Führer’s Face
Making Friends with Hitler: Lord Londonderry, the Nazis and the Road to World War II by Ian Kershaw Penguin, 488 pp., $29.95 1. Two themes run through the life and career of Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry. The first is the decline and fall of the British aristocracy; the second is British … Continue reading In the Führer’s Face
Economic Freedom
On Monday I went to the launch in London of the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom. It is published every year by the Washington-based think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, in conjunction with the Wall Street Journal. It ranks 155 countries by how economically ‘free’ they are, according to 10 criteria. Seventeen countries are classified as ‘free’, … Continue reading Economic Freedom
Marshall Aid for Asia?
Seizing the moment of pity and guilt created by the East Asian tsunami, the British government has launched an ambitious ‘Marshall Aid’ plan for the poorest countries in the world. It consists of three elements: debt relief, trade reform, and aid. As well as cancelling poor country debts owing to them, the wealthiest nations would … Continue reading Marshall Aid for Asia?
Book Review: A rational sceptic who is always his own man
Review of Against the Flow by Samuel Brittan Atlantic Books, £19.99 Samuel Brittan has an unmistakable "voice". In political philosophy, he is an extreme individualist: it is individuals, not groups, who "feel, exult, despair and rejoice". A private person, intensely protective of his habits, he despises and fears crowds and manifestations of tribal passion. In … Continue reading Book Review: A rational sceptic who is always his own man
The Just War Tradition
In recent years there has been a revival of war as a policy of choice. Since the collapse of communism, the US and its allies have attacked Iraq (twice), Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. With "hot war" released from its cold war constraints, it is important to consider the conditions under which resort to war is justifiable, … Continue reading The Just War Tradition
Myths vs. Truths: The Middle East
With Yasser Arafat dead, peace in the Middle East supposedly has a new chance. It is time to revive the ‘road map’, leading to the creation of a ‘viable’ Palestinian state. This presupposes that Arafat was the main obstacle to peace. He was the terrorist leader who never made the transition to being a statesman. … Continue reading Myths vs. Truths: The Middle East
Keynes, globalisation and the Bretton Woods institutions in the light of changing ideas about the market
Published in World Economics, Vol. 6, No. 1, November 2004 I. Markets and Institutions Globalisation has been defined as ‘integration of economic activities, across borders, through markets’. It is both descriptive and prescriptive: a process and a project. In the latter aspect it is partly a growth project. One writer has summed: ‘By conforming to comparative … Continue reading Keynes, globalisation and the Bretton Woods institutions in the light of changing ideas about the market
Bush’s Arsenal
Asked why he beat George Bush Senior in the US Presidential election of 1992, Bill Clinton answered ‘It’s the economy, stupid’. Last week Bush’s son might well have been tempted to say, ‘It’s moral values, stupid’. George Bush Junior, the reformed alcoholic and born-again Christian, became the standard-bearer of Middle America’s crusade against evil – … Continue reading Bush’s Arsenal
Robert Skidelsky 