"THE TRUTH BE TOLD...."

THAT ADMONITION HAS FAINT RESONANCE WITHIN OUR  PUBLIC DISCOURSE TODAY.  CANDOR, VERACITY AND CONVICTION ARE RARELY DELIVERED NOR ARE THEY EXPECTED.   ARTIFICE AND CONTRIVANCE RULE OUR THOUGHTS. TERMS OF REFERENCE ARE CONVENIENTLY OBSCURED, FACTS ARE NOTED OR MISSTATED AT WHIM.  VIRTUAL REALITY SO ECLIPSES ACTUAL REALITY AS TO MAKE THE VERY NOTION OF TRUTH INFINITELY ELASTIC.  AS A CONSEQUENCE, WE COLLECTIVELY HAVE BECOME LITERALLY MINDLESS.

CEASELESS IMAGE-MONGERING, LAXNESS AMONG THE POPULACE THAT IS ITS TARGET, AND A PANDERING FOURTH ESTATE TOGETHER HAVE DEGRADED THE WAY WE THINK AND BEHAVE IN THE PUBLIC REALM.  OUR ULTRA-PERMISSIVE CULTURE GIVES LICENSE TO PUBLIC FIGURES TO SAY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING WITHOUT BEING HELD TO ACCOUNT - BY ETHICAL, POLITICAL, OR AESTHETIC STANDARDS.  ALL DEMOCRACIES GENERATE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF TRASH. THAT IS ESPECIALLY SO IN AMERICA.  THE KEY TO A HEALTHY DEMOCRATIC POLICY IS TO PROVIDE SHOVELLING CAPACITY TO MATCH.  WE NO LONGER DO.  THEREFORE, IT BECOMES EVERY CARING CITIZEN’S RESPONSIBILITY TO GRAB A SHOVEL.  THE WRITINGS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE MY SHOVEL.

I AM A PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.  AMERICA’S RECENT FOREIGN POLICIES ARE MY PRIMARY PROFESSIONAL INTEREST.  MY  AVOCATION  EXTENDS TO MATTERS OF SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY, ECONOMIC DOGMAS, & THE INTELLECTUAL SPIRIT OF OUR TIMES.  THE WRITINGS ON THIS SITE RANGE FROM STANDARD ACADEMIC PIECES TO POLICY ANALYSIS TO ADVOCACY.  THEY ARE AS VARIABLE IN LENGTH AS IN SUBJECT MATTER.  I HAVE ADDED REFERENCE TO THE WRITINGS OF OTHERS, INCLUDING NEWS STORIES THAT SEEM EXCEPTIONALLY ILLUMINATING IN TOPIC OR TREATMENT.

I INVITE COMMENTS.  ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT AN INTERACTIVE ‘BLOG,’ I INTEND TO POST ALL COMUNICATIONS UNDER CORRESPONDENCE.

-Dr. Michael Brenner

Posvar Hall
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

mbren@pitt.edu