Alliances, respect, saving of face, shows of force, ratings of strength, turfs, animosities, negotiations, etc. I too began my study of power politics on long ago play yards.
Not Completely, But Close
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
“The strong do what they will. The weak do what they must.” or words to that effect. Those who deny the essence of the Melian dialogue are idealists without any grounding in reality.
The problem being that who is strong and who is weak often is hard to discern in the fullness of time. Athens would soon enough become a pit stop for conquerors. Sparta after its moment in the sun became a museum piece. The most enduring Greek political system turned out to be the federations that developed among smaller city states, partially as a result of the depredations of the Peloponnesian War, something that Thucydides and his contemporaries didn’t see coming.
Europe has become a Museum piece.
And Obama and Biden have worked hard to turn America into one as well.
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