The coolest guy I've ever met - Page 2

On November 02 2012 17:25 Shady Sands wrote:
As for backchannel negotiations, its like most state-to-state negotiations, but without much ideology involved. There's some learning involved

to quote K

"Western nations haven't had to conduct foreign policy on a purely non-ideological basis since the end of the First World War"

On November 03 2012 06:03 Cyber_Cheese wrote:
Anyone who knows the best way to contact the ex-president must be amazing to get to know

On November 02 2012 22:27 Mafe wrote:
Even though based on your description of this "guy"it doesnt sound like it, but have you ever asked yourself if he meant to gave you this very task as the first to do?

On November 03 2012 00:13 JieXian wrote:


Without much ideology? What does that mean? What do they negotiate for then?

I actually have more questions because I don't get the details.

On November 03 2012 05:08 p4NDemik wrote:

At least here in the U.S. I would estimate that very few people could put together a cogent explanation for something as complicated as the fall of the Soviet Union. Unless you've taken a focused course concerning economics that looked at the underlying causes it would be difficult to pinpoint American economic policies that lead to the dissolution of the Soviet bloc. It may be well known in academia, but not among the layman. I certainly wouldn't be able to offer anything near the explanation fielded in this blog if I was put on the spot prior to reading it, and its pretty presumptuous to assume everyone understands these things.

On November 03 2012 17:45 Shady Sands wrote:


Like raw interests. He said that after Iraq no one wanted to spend national power for ideological goals like democracy or human rights anymore (not that it was like that before, but those goals always served as a useful way to orient public opinion around intervening in other countries.)

In his view, Western nations were always striving for those goals ever since the negotiations surrounding the Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's fourteen points. He also lumped fascism in with "Western political culture" and categorized World War 2 as a "German tragedy because they could have gotten all their territorial gains and reversed all the terms in the Treaty of Versailles without resorting to an expansionist, hate-fuelled ideology".

What struck me a lot about him was how, on one hand, he could see through all the BS and brutality in politics and war and yet on the other hand he retained this irrational, almost subconscious love for his country. (btw it's that personality characteristic that I used to model Luo Shuren, the overall army commander, in my war novel.)

"Western nations haven't had to conduct foreign policy on a purely ideological basis since the end of the First World War"

"German tragedy because they could have gotten all their territorial gains and reversed all the terms in the Treaty of Versailles without resorting to an expansionist, hate-fuelled ideology".

On November 03 2012 22:29 JieXian wrote:


If I'm understanding you right, shouldn't it have been



,meaning their policies aren't tied to ideology any longer?



This got me really curious too. How?

Very interesting blog.

On November 02 2012 15:48 Shady Sands wrote:
K was an elderly gentleman who looked a bit like Gandalf, without the beard.