recent presidential election: A slew of officersrnfrom the entourage of Troshev andrnCaucasian Military District commanderrnKazantsev have secured appoinhnents tornelite units serving in the Moscow MilitaryrnDistrict (MMD). In short, Putin isrnnow surrounded by Chechen generalsrnwho could play a pivotal role in decidingrnthe fate of Yeltsin’s successor if the Kremlinrndoes something they don’t like—suchrnas opening peace negotiations...

PERSPECTIVErnHoisting the Donkeyrnby Thomas FlemingrnIn troubled times, we look for something to hold on to as therndangerous eurreuts are sweeping us downstream to destruction.rnSome will have the clear sight (or unthinking prejudice)rnto grab on to some rooted feature of the landscape—the limb ofrnan oak tree, the steeple of a church, the arm of a brother;...

ing from one unresolved crisis to another, they are simultancouslrntransforming their electoral system and flounderingrnaround in a hopeless effort to find competent leaders. Therncommunist government of Massimo D’Alema has been a totalrnflop, and if many Italians once believed that the communistswhateverrntheir faults —held out the promise of effective, honestrngovernment, they know better now. Their prime...

come and the unending verbal battles between the phony rightrnand the phony left. The woods were thick with chestnut trees,rnand in their shade, the locals could pick the funghi that grew inrnabundance—porcini, boletus, and others whose names I hadrnnot so much as heard.rnThe shock was Consonno itself. Somehme in the 1960’s, therncity fathers of Olginate...

lack of arbitrary authorih’—made it easy prey for revolution.rnThe empire was supranational, multiethnic, and multiracial,rnhi order to destroy it, the revolutionary forces ignited nationalistrnpassions, which were lying dormant under the Austrian crown,rnfostering separatism, secession, and ultimately disintegration.rnAfter 1814, murky forces attempted to create a nationalistrnstate of mind in the various populations of Europe. Becausernthese forces...

erty, the immediate revolt of the poorer classes —in whosernname the progressives had taken power —put it in difficulty.rnCalabria revolted under the leadership of Cardinal Ruffo, andrnthe rebels undertook the armed rcconquest of the capital, convergingrnon Naples with bands of peasant volunteers. In the end,rnthe little people had the best of it: The republicans werernlynched...

archists, Mussolini caught the Italians’ collective imagination.rnHis physic[Lie was impressive, his stle of orator}’ superb, his attitudesrnhighly theatrical. His ideas were contradictory, his fectsrnoften wrong, but his words were dramatic and his metaphors sornapt and striking that he captivated the crowds.rnFascism grew and provided an antidote to the looming threatrnof Bolslievism, but b its abandonment...

ambassador to Italy, Breckenridge Long, was also full of enthusiasmrnfor the “new experiment in government” whieh “worksrnmost successfullv.” Henry Stimson (secretary of state underrnHoover, secretary of war under Roosevelt) recalled that he andrnHoover had foimd Mussolini to be “a sound and useful leader.”rnRoosevelt shared many of these positive views of “that admirablernItalian gendeman,” as he...

lo’e and call their own in Huxley’s? Oh, certainly, as a matterrnof practical convenience there were, in the world of my )’outh,rnthose called husbands and wives, there were children and familyrnfriends, there were e’en some conurbations called cities, andrnone or tv’o genuine dreamers in them. But there was no waiterrnin the cafe whom voii saw...

CHRONICLES INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENTrnImmigration MisinformationrnTeeming Masses and Fnnny Numbersrnb’ Virginia Deane AbernethyrnThe debate over immigration policy has been marked b’ inaccuraternreporting in an astonishing number of instances.rnErrors and material omissions bv the U.S. Immigration andrnNaturalizahon Service (INS), the Census Bureau, and the Departmentrnof Education are only the beginning of misinformationrnabout immigration. News releases and publications by...

projects or training tliat increase ]5rodnctiit’. ‘I’liese argnnientsrnliave lately been snhnierged b the concerted loblningofrngroups that hae an interest in high lexcls of immigration.rnIn tandem with the Competitiveness Act, CJongress passed arnweak version of the Religious Persecution Act sponsored brnKep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA). In itsrnoriginal form, this bill would have...

criteria of cli crsih and “faiuilv rcvinificatiori” first hccanic manifest,rnthe scenario is far different. According to deniograplierrnMeredith Burke, “ininiigrants after 1970 and their descendantsrnaccount lor three quarters of current American populationrngrow til” and will account for “90 percent of the grow th betw eenrn2t)00 and 20s()-and all of dre growth after 20?(J.” Mo-e Hiernstarting line,...

“make it seem as if immigration is a free liineh for Americans.rn. . . ITlic”] simpK- failed to mention that the hulk of the increasernin the GNP [due to immigration! goes to the immigrants thcmseUesrnas wages and salaries, not to the natie born.” The economicrnbenefit to nahves is on the order of one to ten...

“All the NewsrnUnfit to Print” ignsi of tlje tlimesirnVol. 2 No. 8 August 2000rnMost American conservatives arernaware of the close connection between AlrnGore’s family and the late, unlamentedrnArmand Hammer, one of the most appalhngrnfigures in the 20th-century Americanrnrogues’ gallery. But in order to readrnabout that connection in a major dailyrnnewspaper, they have to look abroad—tornEngland,...

National Commission on Terrorismrngave warning that US a n t i ­terrorismrnpolicies were “seriouslyrndeficient” andrnrecommended a series of drastrni c measures that have angeredrni t s a l l i e s accused of t o l e r a t ­ingrnterrorism. The most radicalrnelement in the report is arnproposal to begin surveillancernof every foreign...

Briefly Summerrnby Constance Rowell MastoresrnI like the wild formality,rnthe strict order that survives.rnDune grass, beach rose;rna spindly yarrow. In rivuletsrnby the roadside, watercressrnand vines of morning glory.rnCloser to the sea, a strugglingrnpine; or tea tree bent by winter,rnits muted foliage rustlingrnas the wind passes to the east —rnpeacock feathers of palestrngreen. No ardent colorrnuntil you...

when he was working on a study of Picasso’srnportraits and going through hundredsrnof photographs with him, the artistrn”pointed out the iconographical complexitiesrninvolved [aird revealed] how certainrnimages represented not only DorarnMaar but also her predecessor, MariernTherese, as well as Lee Miller and Inez,rnthe maid.”rnThe Picasso that emerges from thisrnbook (foreshadowing the later volumes ofrnRichardson’s biography) is...

Principalities & Powersrnhy Samuel FrancisrnCapitalism the EnemyrnBy a margin of 63-56, the South CaroHnarnHouse of Representatives voted on Mayrn10 to pull down the Confederate batdernflag that has fluttered above the state’srneapitol dome sinee 1962 and to remove itrnto “a place of honor” on the eapitolrngrounds. The vote was the grand (or perhapsrnthe petty) finale to...

vativcs—sliould not be surprised. Capitalism,rnan economic system driven only,rnaccording to its own theory, by the accumulationrnof profit, is at least as much anrnenemy of tradition as the NAACP orrncommimism, and tiiose on the “right”rnwho make a fetish of capitalism generallyrnunderstand this and applaud it. The hostilityrnof capitalism toward tradition isrnclear enough in its reduchon of...

CORRESPONDENCErnLetter FromrnNorthern Italyrnby Mario MarcollarnPoe, Henry Adams, and anrnAlliance of ChristendomrnAn interior bond ties me to America,rnwhere one of my grandfathers is buried.rnHe tried the adventure of emigration,rnwithout ever rooHng himself in a regularrnjob and without managing to send a pennyrnto the family in Italy, until he died almostrncertainly in an almshouse. My otherrngrandfather crossed...

during the years when Wilham JenningsrnBryan was waging his unsuccessful campaignrnfor a different, non-imperiahstrnAmerica.rnOn June 5,1895, he wrote to his brotherrnBrooks from Washington: “I fear Russiarnmuch! Wliy can one never penetraternthat polar mystery? . , . Our true point ofrninterest is not India but Russia, yet Russiarnis impenetrable, and any intelligent manrnwill deal with her...

suspect there is a little something psychologicallyrnwrong with people whose livesrnseem to revolve around correcting otherrnpeople who live at a distance. It is not arnpart of our regional character, but it definitelyrnis of theirs.rnSurfing the net during the controversy,rnI came across a diatribe against our flagrnby a certified academic. According tornthis learned gentieman (and he...

tually marching, although crowds werernbrought out for the cameras. Thern”marchers” reached the capitol and heldrntheir rally in front of 400 people, reportedrnin the media as 2,000. On the other sidernof die capitol, pro-flag people gathered,rnabout 400 of us, reported by the media asrn200. (Wc were at a disadvantage becausernit was a workday.) The press missed,...

The answer, at least so far, seems to bernall three. Older plant supervisors, technicalrnspecialists, field representatives, andrndesign engineers, having faced thernprospect of indentured servitude to anrnendless parade of upwardly mobile butrnclueless “managers,” are leaving as soonrnas the ink dries on early retirement andrnseverance packages. This talent drain hasrnresulted in the outsourcing of criticalrntechnical and skilled...

The American InterestrnPeking, the White House, andrnWall Street Versus Main StreetrnIn tlie last week of May, the Clinton administrationrnsuccessfully pressed Congressrninto granting China permanentrnnormal trade relations (PNTR) status asrnpart of a recenth’ negotiated trade pact.rnWith that vote—the result of an unholyrnalliance between the GOP and thernWhite ftouse—American legislatorsrnhave given up their annual review ofrnPeking’s conduct,...

VITAL SIGNSrnGUNSrnLadies Against thernConstitutionrnby Philip JenkinsrnOn balance, would von say yon arcrnfor or against gun violence? Howrnabout motherhood? Pro or con? Howrnabout keeping firearms avva’ from children?rnI know that these are all contentiousrndebates nowadays, and that mostrnof us have to think awfully hard beforerndeciding such questions. Somehow,rnthough, I suspect that a decent majorityrnof us have...

with English and colonial American history,rnthe debate is largely irrelevant becausernboth sides are correct. Of coursernthe clause refers to a militia, but a militiarnmade up of individuals who bring theirrnown priate weapons with them to trainrnand fight, the weapons in question beingrnthe appropriate military technology ofrnthe era. Throughout the Middle Ages,rngovernments were deeply involved in...

Walters. In this age of celebrity journalismrnpracticed by newspeople who wantrnto hinction as hookers while being perceivedrnas virgins, it is understandable thatrnWalters enjoys a status even greater thanrnDiane Sawyer’s while at the same timernconducting interviews that are cheesierrnthan Sawyer’s. It was Barbara Walters,rnyou’ll recall, who asked the questions thatrnrevealed the delusional emotional workingsrnof Monica Lewinsky.rnFinding...

peatedly likened student radicals to Europeanrn”fascists.” My colleague found thisrnremarkable, given the fact that Hofstadterrnhad spent decades agonizing over thern”paranoid style” of the American nativistrnright. For Hofstadter and others of likernmind, however, the campus radicalsrnwere not progressive reformers but hatersrnof “liberal democracy.” Some of them,rnin deference to black nationalists, took arnpro-Arab, anti-Israel stand; and this...

open to restructuring than GermanicrnProtestant ones. The human landscapernwas too cluttered, especially by a well-organizedrnChurch and tightly-knit families,rnto favor a central state or a revolutionaryrnideology demanding absolute power. Atomizedrnsocieties that stress individualrngratification are more promising terrainrnfor such an enterprise. For these reasons,rnLatin fascism turned out to be a highlyrnornate but rudimentary instrument ofrnmanagerial control. Listening...

crwise might have been an all-too-faniiliarrnnarrative arc. The formidable inwardnessrnof his acting makes ns feel his character’srnheartbreak and brooding angerrnever)- step of the way.rnWhen Maximns, badly wonnded, escapesrnhis vvordd-be execntioners, he fallsrninto the hands of Proximo, a former gladiator.rnThis impresario of the arena buysrnand trains slaves to butcher or bernbutchered for the enjoyment of the...

son after the show.rnUnlike Gladiator, Gregory Hoblit’srnFrequency transcends mortal limitationsrn—at least temporarily, which is onlyrnfitting for its time-travel premise.rnAt the sentimental heart of this film isrna fairly typical, if seldom discussed, wishfulfillmentrnfantasy: the desire to reachrnback in time and prevent the catastrophesrnthat have already befallen us. Whornwouldn’t want to encourage a long-deadrnparent to quit smoking...

The Hundredth Meridianrnby Chilton Williamson, ]r.rnThe CentaurrnI used to make fun of them, those barelegged,rnball-capped figures grunting underrnthe weight of 90-poiind loads givingrnthem the appearance of Neil Armstrongrnon the moon or a man bearing his ownrncoffin on his back: tall, headless silhouettesrnlurching from around a bend in therntrail to dispel the illusion of primordialrnwilderness and...

Jap truck and stood, feet apart and handsrnin the pockets of their hiking shorts, tornobserve the situation from behind darkrnsunshades.rn”Why don’t I see what a Ughter vehiclerncan do?” Tim offered.rnNot even Toyota can walk on water.rnThis one made a fair try at doing so beforernretreating hurriedly to a reassuringrnmud base a few feet from the...

CHRONICLES’ BACK ISSUES, TAPES, AND BOOKSrnChronicles Overstock Sale—Take 20% Off ALL ORDERS!rnTHE FUNDAMENTAL TfflNGS OF LIFE: PAIN, KNOWLEDGE, DUTY, ANDrnSEX—^July 1993—Patrick Reilly on the purpose of pain, George Watson on combatingrnmoral skepticism, and Thomas Molnar on the ideology of technology. Plus John Loftonrnon sex and the military, Jacob Neusner on “the historical Jesus,” and Momcilo...

THE ROCKFORD INSTITUTE’SrnTHIRD ANNUAL SUMMER SCHOOLrnA classical republic: the American Founders’ dream . . . The armed citizen: fromrnMarathon to the militia . . . The pagan prophets: why Christians should study Greek . . .rn”The Greek Roots of Christendom”rn1-5 August 2000rnspecial lectures:rn”The Art of War in Ancient Greece” and “America’s Homeric Period”rnSpecial dinner event:rn”The...

EDITORrnThomas FlemingrnEXECUTIVE EDITORrnScott P. RichertrnSENIOR EDITOR, BOOKSrnChilton Williamson, Jr.rnART DIRECTORrnH. Ward SterettrnDESIGNERrnMelanie AndersonrnCONTRIBUTING EDITORSrnKatherine Dalton, Samuel Francis,rnGeorge Garrett, Paul Gottfried,rnPhilip Jenkins, J.O. Tate, MichaelrnWashburn, Clyde WilsonrnCORRESPONDING EDITORSrnBill Kauffman, Donald Livingston,rnWilliam Mills, William Murchison,rnAndrei Navrozov, Jacob NeusnerrnFOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITORrnSrdja TrifiovicrnLEGAL AFFAIRS EDITORrnStephen B. PresserrnRELIGION EDITORrnHarold O.J. BrownrnEDITORIAL SECRETARYrnLeann DobbsrnCIRCULATION MANAGERrnCindy LinkrnPUBLISHERrnThe Rockford InstituternA publication oLI’he Rockford...

arrested. According to the independentrnHuman Rights and National ReconcihationrnCommission in Havana, ahnost 600rnpeople have been temporarily detainedrnsince November, and the commissionrnhas documented 350 political prisoners.rnThey call it the worst crackdown in arndecade.rnDr. Oscar Elias Bisect, a medical doctor,rnv’as fired from his job after protestingrnlate-term abortions at a government hospitalrnwhere he worked and continued tornenrage the...

United States personnel.rnThe father has remained and has siredrnanother Httle bov. If EHan is returned tornhis father, it will be to lie under the controlrnof a stepmother and in compehtionrnwith her son, which is traditionalK’ arnheinous situation.rnI cannot agree with your conclusion,rnand I am vcr’ displeased with the authoritativerntone of your article.rnI will not renew...

CULTURAL REVOLUTIONSrnCONTEMPORARY JOURNALISMrnsuffers from many problems; to help usrnunderstand them, a quick imaginativernexereise might be useful. Not too longrnago, the South Carolina legislature hadrnto decide on the emotive issue of whetherrnto remove the Confederate battle flagrnfrom atop the state Capitol. The issuesrninoled were complex, and too familiarrnto be reccled here, but for present purposes,rnlet us...

Z I M B A B W E is in turmoil, and by early-rnMay, the existence of elaborate plans forrna British-led emergency evacuation ofrnthousands of British and other EuropeanrnUnion nationals was confirmed by thernForeign Office in London. Zimbabwe’srnMarxist president, Robert Mugabe, reiteratedrnhis pledge to redistribute whiteownedrnfarms to landless blacks, usingrn”emergency legislation” empowering therngovernment to “confiscate”...

there is no doubt that Zimbabwe’s economyrnwill finally collapse if Mugabe confiscatesrnthe property of the remainingrn3,000 white farmers.rnWlien the consequences of Mugabe’srnaction become obvious, watch out for thernmulhbillion dollar Western plan to bailrnout the Zimbabwean economy. U.S. taxpayers,rnamong others, will have to proprnMugabe up after the remaining whiternfarmers have been killed, robbed, andrnkicked out. Of...

PERSPECTIVErnA Revolution to Save the Worldrnby Thomas FlemingrniD eyond Left and Right” was the tide of the Antiwar.comrn- U conference which brought together Pat Buchanan andrnAlexander Cockburn, Justin Raimondo and Lenora Fulani (tornsay nothing of two Chronicles editors) in the same room (if notrnall at the same time) for a broad critique of the aggressive...

vas lend it to them.rnOn a deeper level, however, the West’s failure to conihat itsrnenemies ean be traced to the verv socioeconomic system it seeksrnto protect. In tlieory, the Cold Warriors were protecting thernpeoples of Britain, France, and the Ihiitcd States against thernexpansion of an evil empire, but nations can only be sncccssfulh’rndefended by people...

rialists or patriotic isolationists.rnTrue democracy, in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, meansrnthat the government leaves people alone —not simply as individuals,rnbut as families and members of communities. A trulvrndemocratic state may not attempt to engineer an artificial unityrnof diverse regions and peoples, as the Italian fascists did; or suppressrnreligion and shift populations, as Stalin did;...

VIEWSrnA Republic^ Not an EmpirernA Peace Party Is Bornrnby Patrick J. BuchananrnForeign policy, the elites of both Beltway parties tell us, isrnnot an issue in this election year. By that, they mean it isrnoff the table, a matter already decided upon and settled by thosernwho know what is best for America. So they, and their...

I speak as a proud Cold Warrior who supported ever- greatrnanticommunist initiative from the days of JFK to Reagan. AndrnI support a U.S. defense that is seeond to none and a foreign policyrnwhereby America responds resolutely to any attack on Americanrncitizens, honor, or vital interests.rnBut what purpose is served by our shortening the lives of...

how much we know about what is best for other peoples andrncultures. In the words of the great scholar Russell Kirk: “Therernexists no single best form of government for the happiness of allrnmankind. The most suitable form of government depends onrnthe historic experience, the customs, the beliefs, the state of culturern. . . and all...

Robert Kagan for their effort to dress up a barbaric doctrine inrnlanguage that sounds ahnost hke it might have been written byrna civihzed human being, hi the Summer 1996 issue oi ForeignrnAffairs, Kristol and Kagan outline what they call a “neo-Rcaganite”rnforeign policy. Conservatives, it seems, have beenrn”adrift” in the realm of foreign policy since the...

such as James Burnham (a former leader of the Fourth luternational)rnand a whole coven of ex-commies of one sort or another,rnwho were hell-bent on destroying their cx-comradcs in thernKremlin,rnIf we look at the parallel histories of the War Part}’ and the Party’rnof Peace, wc can see a whole series of such realignments,rnstarting with World War...