Why states believe foolish ideas

In the remaining countries, the old autocracies have reasserted themselves. The repression at home is now worsened by regional conflict on an unprecedented scale, and the resulting frustration has led to the biggest refugee flows in recent memory. What went wrong? Does this condition make this part of the world impervious to generally observable trends towards greater accountability, popular participation in political decision-making, greater generation and fairer division of economic wealth?

Join this course to find out! Learning the facts of the failure and significance of the Arab world is so fascinating and new subject for me. Thank you very much. I loved this course. It was very informative and the Professor was so acknowledgeable. I would love to take another course that he is teaching. I learned a lot. Tying together some of the structural shortcomings that have produced the dysfunction that drove the Arab rebellions, this section casts a somewhat gloomy picture about the formidable tasks ahead if these societies want to redress the causes of discontent and return to stability.

The Persistence of Foolish Ideas. Enroll for Free. This Course Video Transcript. Robert S. Lynd, Knowledge for What? Hans J. Charlesworth, ed. On diversionary war see Jack S. Midlarsky, ed. Reviewing this writing is Jack S. Gordon A.

May, ed. New York: Free Press, : , Mosse, eds. Koch, ed. Norton, : 9—53 at Michael A. Thomas R. Norton, : Stephen M. Alexander L. See also Allen S. New York: Columbia University Press, : Anthony P. For an egregious example see Warren I. Allies of these interest groups also pressed the U. Congress to defund government research on climate change; ibid. For example, British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston —, — bought favorable press coverage by awarding consular appointments to the sons of friendly journalists.

Marian Jackson New York: W. Norton, ; and Geiss, German Foreign Policy — Evans and Harmut Pogge von Strandmann, eds. Admiral Tirpitz, quoted in John A. Paul M. Among world powers only the United States economy grew faster than the German economy during —; ibid. Charles E. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, — : Arthur S. In fact, there was no trace of the famine in England that the German Navy predicted—the British were never even forced to ration food. Meanwhile the United States shipped two million men to France without losing a single soldier at sea during the whole war.

Reiners, Lamps Went Out : Willis Rudy. Taylor, First World War : On allied aims see A. Taylor, eds. Quoted in Winston S. Churchill, The World Crisis. Edward L. See Gary D. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett, : In April , quoted in William L. Oscar J. Finlayson, eds. Bruce M.