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War as a Possibility: Power, Anarchy, and the Limits of Peace
or War as a Possible: The Four Sins of Foreign Policy in Times of Conflict and in Times of Peace "Si vis pacem, to bellum." On February 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel, in a joint operation, attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (Y. S.). Iran retaliated by...
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Big Stick Diplomacy: Power and the Limits of International Law
Although it is depressing to realize that great powers might think and act this way, it should us to see the world as it is, not as we would like it to be. — John J. Mearsheimer. On February 28, the U.S. and Israel began a joint operation in Iran,...
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Happy Old Year
Before I begin to explore the issues that motivate this text, I feel obliged to say that the title of this article was the subject of a theft committed by me and that Marcelo Rubens Paiva, who, in 1982, wrote the book Happy Old Year, was the victim. This excellent title is...
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SYR9218: The problem of the next day and the day before
It's very easy to hope when you look at a revolution that destroys—or at least seek to destroy—the status quo of an authoritarian country. In the early hours of December 8, last year, flight SYR9218 left Damascus. The public didn't know their fate. The flight's main crew...
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Secretary-General of the United Nations: A Bicycle Without Wheels
A few centuries ago, the Pope's function was two dimensions, one policy and one religious, the latter of course being the principal. It was the religious function—coming from the fact that the Pope is the supreme representative and leader of the Catholic faith—who legitimized his political power. So we can say that the...
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Tragedy as Metaphor
Words matter. Worry about the words that are used and with—equating omission to action—the words that are not used are not mere preciousism. The form of speech is as important as its content. In fact, this distinction between form and content makes no sense. The...
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Dawkins and Peterson at the Tower of Babel
Richard Dawkins was born in Nairobi, Kenya, still during the English occupation. Son of Englishmen there. Graduated from Oxford University in biology—where, later, he took prominent positions as a teacher—Dawkins did not reach fame for his brilliant career at the Academy in the field of biology, but through his militancy...
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Freedom of Xpression
Alexandre de Moraes, Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, on 30 August, after a judicial and personal battle with Elon Musk, decreed the end of the activities of social network X (old Twitter) in Brazil. Through the internet, there is a wide range of strong opinions of experts and lay people...
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Manifesto for Useless Knowledge
A law school shouldn't graduate—or worry about training—lawyers, judges, prosecutors or diplomats. A law school should focus all its attention and resources on the formation of lawyers. At the end of the room, and last, year of Law Degree, students know, by heart, numerous articles...
