The Study of Thucydides-Trump Team "Obsessing"

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Spock
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Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:01 pm

The Study of Thucydides-Trump Team "Obsessing"

#1 Post by Spock » Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:34 pm

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/ ... ory-215287

I think this is my favorite Trump story that I have yet seen and it will be very hard to beat because it covers so many bases.

"The Trump team is obsessing over Thucydides, the ancient historian who wrote a tract on war."

Apparently, they are looking at US/China relationship through the lens of Sparta/Athens.

Does any sentient human being believe that if the Obama team were studying their Thucydides that the word "Obsessing" would have been used in the subtitle?
Last edited by Spock on Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Spock
Posts: 4295
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:01 pm

Re: The Study of Thucydides-Trump Team "Obsessing"

#2 Post by Spock » Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:56 pm

As a fun comparison:

Google -"Obama, Team of Rivals Book"

Notice the acts of virtual fellatio performed on Obama regarding that book.

Spock
Posts: 4295
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:01 pm

Re: The Study of Thucydides-Trump Team "Obsessing"

#3 Post by Spock » Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:06 pm

A couple of fun quotes in the article.

It starts with a gratuitous slam at the Trump Admin.

"The Trump White House isn’t known as a hot spot for Ivy League intellectuals. "

But if you read the article, the core is about how well the Trump team knows their Thucydides and other history.

>>>Thucydides is especially beloved by the two most influential figures on Trump’s foreign policy team. National security adviser H.R. McMaster has called Thucydides’ work an “essential” military text, taught it to students and quoted from it in speeches and op-eds. Defense Secretary James Mattis is also fluent in Thucydides’ work: <<<

My personal favorite passage:
>>>That’s a lot of Greek history for any administration, never mind one led by our current tweeter-in-chief. “Most people in Washington have almost no historical memory or grounding,” Allison says. “Mattis reads a lot of books. McMaster can quote more central lines from more books than anybody I know. And Bannon reads a huge amount of history. So I think this is an unusual configuration.” <<<<

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jarnon
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Re: The Study of Thucydides-Trump Team "Obsessing"

#4 Post by jarnon » Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:05 am

Spock wrote:A couple of fun quotes in the article.

It starts with a gratuitous slam at the Trump Admin.

"The Trump White House isn’t known as a hot spot for Ivy League intellectuals. "

But if you read the article, the core is about how well the Trump (Penn '68) team knows their Thucydides and other history.

>>>Thucydides is especially beloved by the two most influential figures on Trump’s foreign policy team. National security adviser H.R. McMaster has called Thucydides’ work an “essential” military text, taught it to students and quoted from it in speeches and op-eds. Defense Secretary James Mattis is also fluent in Thucydides’ work: <<<

My personal favorite passage:
>>>That’s a lot of Greek history for any administration, never mind one led by our current tweeter-in-chief. “Most people in Washington have almost no historical memory or grounding,” Allison says. “Mattis reads a lot of books. McMaster can quote more central lines from more books than anybody I know. And Bannon (Harvard Business School '85) reads a huge amount of history. So I think this is an unusual configuration.” <<<<
Also Steve Mnuchin (Yale '85), Ben Carson (Yale '73), Elaine Chao (Harvard Business School '79), Mike Pompeo (Harvard Law '94), and Jared Kushner (Harvard '03).
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