Robert E. Lee famously said, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” Whether terrible or otherwise, war should be so significant that it […]
What Happens When You Declare War and Forget About It?
That Time the United States Had an Emperor
Suppose fortune fails to smile upon you. Despite your best efforts at gaining wealth, you are bankrupt and have no professional skills to speak of. You could give up and embrace a […]
A Diplomatic Solution So Complex That No One Remembers the Solution
If you ever find yourself at a loss to understand the intricacies of international relations, don’t despair. Even professional diplomats can find themselves lost as they navigate the ship of state through […]
The Translated Version Hasn’t Come Out Yet
A Spanish delegate to a diplomatic conference turned on his microphone and said, “Estoy constipado, perdónadme.” Ordinarily this would translate as, “Please excuse me; I have a cold.” The French interpreter, instead, translated his […]
Clogging Up the Diplomatic Channels
The International Space Station, a multinational project, is divided into two sections: an American and Russian section. In 1998, when the venture began, it was reported that the Americans and Russians got […]
Don’t Kill the Messenger — Especially if He Comes from Genghis Khan
Haven’t heard of the Khwarezmian Empire? You can thank the unbelievably bad decisions of its leader, Shad Ala Ad-Din Muhammad II (1169-1220).
Commonplace Fun Facts 