By Alexander Perepechko

Published on March 6, 2012

We know well that states are not governed with rosary beads (Machiavelli, 2006a). States are governed by human beings with the virtues and vices of which we are capable. 500 years ago (note this number; we will come back to it in a future essay) Niccollò Machiavelli (2006b) in The Prince designed a set of rules for how to achieve and keep power and how to govern while in office. These rules are observed in various societies, consistent for different historical periods, and cannot be ignored by American elites today.

The central intent of these rules can be summarized this way. To achieve a desired end, a politician must keep information about his projects, and the means he possesses to implement them, as opaque as possible. At the same time, the politician must have a fast and accurate intuition about the character of the people with whom he deals, the ability to penetrate their hearts, and awareness of their projects and means to accomplish them. The effective politician must never be upset by fear, ambition of office, greed for money, hate, love, vanity, pride and lust. According to Machiavelli, this art is primarily a natural gift.
Continue reading Machiavelli revisited →

By Alexander Perepechko

Published on February 23, 2012

The vision described above remains a journalistic narrative, unless research questions are asked and methodology designed.

Issues of theory and research techniques for this vision are complicated in a country where a foreign accent is often met with displeasure, governments are not happy about the flow of ideas, and public relations experts and broadcast networks are frequently in command of reality. Since the late 1990s, academic social science rapidly becomes an extension of projects designed by political parties, governments, corporations and global networks. Topics pertaining to elites are not discussed in American universities at all. More than 170 years ago Tocqueville (1988: 254-255) offered an image of freedom of discussion: “I know no country in which, speaking generally, there is less independence of mind and true freedom of discussion than in America.” There is little public space to discuss eccentric visions today. America is still America; it speaks and understands only American English. For all the impediments, new technologies and media provide people in America with an opportunity to explore unconventional subjects and to make socially embarrassing discussions public. Surveillance and other socio-political consequences of cyberspace are a different story.

In terms of the vision described above, what is the role of the ruling class in quickly changing the social and political dynamics in America? What are rules of elite games? What (human) technologies do American elites use to effect these changes? Do the changes result from conflicts in the American ruling class? What are these conflicts about? What are the possible consequences of these conflicts for America and the rest of the world? Since there is a profound and original nexus between the fulfillment of a person and the destiny of the world (see Giussani, 1997: 77), what are implications of these conflicts for my own destiny, for destinies of other newcomers?
Continue reading Making sense of time in America →

By Alexander Perepechko

Published on February 17, 2012

Historical time is a local phenomenon. Since the density and frequency of events in different locations varies, we perceive time in different places as flowing at different speeds. When we move from one country to the next, we adjust to the local “movement of time” (Lightman, 1994).

When twenty years ago I found myself an asylee in Seattle, Washington, I thought “This is my terminus.” The American “modern” project and linearity of time were everywhere. The golden age of production was still present. The social factory was open to change and innovation. Progress and speed were among the major features of life, and nonstop work did not prevent Americans from smiling. Regardless, old immigrants tirelessly talked about the “cold monster of the state” and strongly advised educated newcomers like me to leave America for Canada. They even quoted Dostoevsky (1994), who had portrayed the exploitation of educated immigrants from Eastern Europe in unskilled jobs in 19^th century America. It was strange to hear these warnings. For someone who just left behind the dissolved Evil Empire – the Soviet Union – the American Leviathan had a smiling face.
Continue reading Time in America →