ConservaWonk: Conservatism, Foreign Policy and Philosophy: International Relations Theory and Fatherhood

ConservaWonk

Where conservatism, policy and philosophy Meet

Greg R. Lawson
I was born in Hays, Kansas. I guess you could say I was destined to be involved in politics. My first house was on Eisenhower Dr. and I went to school at Roosevelt Elementary. Also, Hays is a mere 20 miles from the hometown of Sens. Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. While Kansas will always be near and dear to my heart, 25 years of living in the Columbus area (and graduating from THE Ohio State University has made me bleed Scarlett and Grey! So why do I blog? I am a conservative that is deeply concerned about the direction America has taken. As a believer that, while not perfect, America has been largely responsible for the greatest amount of good in a millenium or more, I think retaining our strength and prosperity is essential not just for us and our children, but for the world at large. I do not believe that "Progressive" solutions that assume the infinite malleability of man can work. These are efforts that ignore the fundamentals of human nature, which may be tweaked, but not fundamentally reordered. We must embrace our traditions, not jettison them in the hopes of discovering elusive utopias in the here and now. Tradition is the cumulative knowledge of a culture and once it is gone, that culture loses its moorings and is cast adrift in an ocean of relativism which then prohibits man from acknowledging the transcendental importance of virtue. As this is the foundation of freedom, this loss of knowledge will inevitably lead to tyranny of the most insatiable kind. Even as we struggle to retain our traditions and our virtue, we must also remain strong in the international arena. A failure to do so invites a breakdown of the very order the US has largely erected, with its allies, since the end of World War II. Such a breakdown could portend the types of catastrophes we thought we had left behind in a more barbaric age. As an American, it is our responsibility to oppose this possibility and hope that we have imbibed enough illuminating, if inexact, historical analogies to not fall into the same disarray of Hellenistic Greece, Rome, ancient China, Western Europe and so many others. We have a chance to still be a beacon to the world, but we must renew ourselves at home and retain our strength abroad. This is my hope and, in some small way, I believe my mission.

Technorati Profile
Fresh bloggy goodness from the State of Ohio Blog Alliance:
Favorite Sites
GOP Sites
American Interests Blog

Blog Entry
Quick Search

Search only in titles: Keyword:

Search in:

Date Range:

Advanced Search

Basic Search
Recent Entries
1. Does the U.S. Face a Japanese Style Stagnation?
  Thursday, September 02, 2010
2. Heritage Foundation on the Emerging "Obama Doctrine"
  Thursday, September 02, 2010
3. A Conservative Case for a Carbon Tax?
  Thursday, September 02, 2010
4. NATO's New Strategic Concept
  Thursday, September 02, 2010
5. On Making Nukes "Safer, Smaller"
  Saturday, August 28, 2010
6. Krauthammer on Liberal Ideology in America Today
  Saturday, August 28, 2010
7. The Making of Churchill
  Saturday, August 28, 2010
8. The Consequences of Anarchy in Pakistan
  Saturday, August 28, 2010
9. On IR Realism
  Saturday, August 28, 2010
10. Kaplan on Kissinger and Dealing with a Nuclear Iran
  Monday, August 23, 2010
Recent Comments
1. Greg R Lawson on What Must a Conservatism for the 21st Century Look Like?
  5/6/2010
2. Bill Dierker on Will Atlas Shrug?
  5/4/2010
3. Dai Alanye on What Must a Conservatism for the 21st Century Look Like?
  4/20/2010
4. freethoughtmom on The Meaning of Socrates
  3/21/2010
5. Jeromy on Demography as Destiny?
  3/4/2010
6. Greg R Lawson on David Brooks on the Power Elite
  2/20/2010
7. Brian on David Brooks on the Power Elite
  2/20/2010
8. Greg R. Lawson on The Slow Disarming of America
  2/20/2010
9. george Bailey on The Slow Disarming of America
  2/12/2010
10. CrisisMaven on States as Zombie Economies
  2/9/2010
Category Archive
Monthly Archives
September 2010

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
Syndicate
Blog Catalog
- A Member of Blogcatalog
Blogroll
- None
Blogroll
- None

ConservaWonk: Conservatism, Foreign Policy and Philosophy: International Relations Theory and Fatherhood

International Relations Theory and Fatherhood

When I found this article the other day, I almost couldn't believe it. An international relations scholar actually using concepts from the discipline to outline how to deal with children. Given my pending fatherhood, I thought that I couldn't find a better guide!