By Matthew Ehret From the drafting of the UN Charter in 1941, the formulation of the Bretton Woods system in 1944, to the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, there is no doubt that there is very little that America has not directly influenced over the past 75 years. While this leadership is undeniable,…
Category: USA
The Post war US-China Alliance that Nearly Was
By Matthew Ehret In these times, it is worth revisiting a bygone time in which a leading American political figure embraced a US-Russia-China alliance: Henry A. Wallace, Agricultural Secretary from 1933-1941, and US Vice-President from 1941-1944. After his government service, Wallace passionately upheld a new vision of the post-war world that included the East. As…
Frank Capra’s Defense of Humanity: Cinema Considered as a Moral Institution
By Matthew Ehret For those who find themselves with excess time this holiday season which they would prefer not to squander with idleness or Netflix binges, then I’d like to offer this serving of Frank Capra films to uplift the soul. Frank Capra (1897-1991) stands as one of the most brilliant directors/producers of the 20th…
JFK’s Defense of the Poetic Principle: The Artist as the Unacknowledged Legislator of Society
Many know of John F. Kennedy as a great patriot and world citizen. Too many however are unaware of Kennedy’s profound understanding of the purpose of poetry in the moral education of society. Describing his understanding of the mind of Leonardo Davinci during a worldwide tour of the Mona Lisa, the young president said: “Today,…
Forum for Peace: American University in Moscow Roundtable 02
In this second roundtable hosted by the American University in Moscow and the Rising Tide Foundation, Matt Ehret, Dimitry Lascaris and Hall Gardner discuss the causes and solutions to the current world crisis. To register for future round tables (which will be held every two weeks), contact Ed Lozansky or register online here: https://russiahouse.org/american-univ… The…
Why Today’s Crisis forces a Re-Evaluation of “Value”
By Matthew Ehret Today’s international crisis has caused the world to confront a major blind spot in thinking which has gone unchecked for far too long: The belief that money holds intrinsic value. Not only has the reality of insufficient medical infrastructure across European and American nations cause a sudden alarm (despite the trend occurring…
How to Overcome Today’s Crisis: A Lesson from 1933
As the world is swept up by a two fold crisis led by a global coronavirus pandemic and financial collapse, it is no wonder that America’s great president Franklin Roosevelt is on everyones’ mind. Faced with the collapse of the cultural, economic and social fabric of society after 4 years of depression, President Roosevelt launched…
In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Manufacturing of a Cold War
By Cynthia Chung “She [the United States] has seen that probably for centuries to come, contests of inveterate power, and emerging right [will persist]…But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy…She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own…she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in…
Franklin D. Roosevelt: A US President Committed to the Development of Humankind
In this Rising Tide Foundation lecture, historian and Africa expert Lawrence Freeman presents a deep dive into the life, policies and political battles of Franklin Delano Roosevelt with a focus on the New Deal followed by an analysis of the clash between post-WW2 ideologies (British imperial vs American republican) at Bretton Woods in 1944. Transcript…
Today’s Multi Polar Potential and the Missed Chance of 1867
By Matthew Ehret In a recent paper entitled ‘Tomorrow’s Arctic: Theatre of War or Cooperation?’ I introduced readers to the US-Russian grand design which shaped not only the sale of Alaska in October 1867 to the USA for $7.2 million, but also Russia’s involvement in the American Civil War as Czar Alexander II arranged the deployment of…