Essays Reflecting the Art of Political and Social Analysis

In 2011, Lawrence Davidson founded his website, tothepointanalyses.com, as a home for his brief essays on contemporary issues touching on US domestic and foreign policy. Over the last few years, Davidson's analytic reflections on contemporary politics have garnered over six million views. Now, for the first time, these essays are collected together to form a coherent, punchy look at American Politics in 2018. Contextualized by a new prologue and new conclusion, as well as updated with new material throughout, these essays provide a cogent demonstration of the power of analytical thinking to create clear and understandable descriptions of issues that impact us all, but are most often obfuscated by propaganda, lying by omission, or other forms of distortion. For those who encounter this work, it is hoped that they will come away with a clearer, if not happier, idea of what sort of world we are all living in.

Auteur

Lawrence Davidson is Professor Emeritus of History at West Chester University, USA. He is the author of five academic titles, most recently Islamic Fundamentalism (2013) and Cultural Genocide (2012).

Contenu

Essays Reflecting the Art of Political and Social Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE: ON THE ART OF ANALYSIS

CHAPTER 2: SOME CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS

CONTEXTUALIZING CHAPTER ONE

ANALYSIS ONE: THE ROLE OF THE INTELLECTUAL

ANALYSIS TWO: NATIONALISM VS. CAPITALISM

ANALYSIS THREE: THE MIND OF THE POOR

ANALYSIS FOUR: FROM CHARITY TO MAYHEM

ANALYSIS FIVE: CONTEXTUALIZING SEXUAL HARRASSMENT

ANALYSIS SIX: FREE CHOICE VS. MEDIA DETERMINISM

CHAPTER 3: THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

CONTEXTUALIZING CHAPTER TWO

ANALYSIS ONE: INTERNATIONAL LAW AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

ANALYSIS TWO: WHY WE NEED THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

ANALYSIS THREE: INTERNATIONAL LAW VS. U.S. DOMESTIC PRACTICE

ANALYSIS FOUR: TRUMP, JERUSALEM AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

CHAPTER 4: THE UNITED STATES

SECTION ONE - STRUCTURAL SHORTCOMINGS

CONTEXTUALIZING SECTION ONE

ANALYSIS ONE: THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM WITH LOBBIES

ANALYSIS TWO: LOBBY, LOBBIFICATION, LOBBIFIED

ANALYSIS THREE: DEMOCRACY TAKES A HIT

SECTION TWO - OTHER DOMESTIC POLITICAL PROBLEMS

CONTEXTUALIZING SECTION TWO

ANALYSIS ONE: A SOBER LOOK AT U.S. DEMOCRACY

ANALYSIS TWO: TOLERANCE AS A PREREQUISITE FOR CIVILIZATION

ANALYSIS THREE: THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT IGNORANCE

ANALYSIS FOUR: FREEDOM AND HIGH ANXIETY

ANALYSIS FIVE: IMMIGRANT IRONY

ANALYSIS SIX: FREE SPEECH OR BRIBERY?

ANALYSIS SEVEN: JUSTICE CORRUPTED

ANALYSIS EIGHT: A FUTURE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

SECTION THREE - U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

CONTEXTUALIZING SECTION THREE

ANALYSIS ONE: AMERICAN GONE STUPID OVER IRAN

ANALYSIS TWO: THE STATE DEPARTMENT GOES BAD

ANALYSIS THREE: CUSTOMIZING TRUTH

ANALYSIS FOUR: ENDLESS WAR

SECTION FOUR -THE ATTACKS ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2001

CONTEXTUALIZING SECTION FOUR

ANALYSIS ONE: IGNORANCE AND 9/11

ANALYSIS TWO: THE SAUDI ROLE ON SEPTEMBER 11

ANALYSIS THREE: WILL THERE BE MORE 9/11s?

CHAPTER 5: ON TRUMP, GUNS AND TORTURE

SECTION ONE - THE TRUMP PHENOMENON

CONTEXTUALIZING SECTION ONE

ANALYSIS ONE: HOW ORIGINAL IS DONALD TRUMP?

ANALYSIS TWO: DONALD TRUMP'S AMERICA

ANALYSIS THREE: CRUELTY AS A CAMPAIGN COME-ON

ANALYSIS FOUR: ...