Tag Archives: John F Kennedy

David and Goliath

Posted on June 2, 2025 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, June 2, 2025 There is little in the Old Testament that can be taken to be literally true, but its books and stories do a good job describing human nature and shaping our values. Perhaps one of its … Continue reading →

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A Profound Lack of Humility

Posted on April 20, 2025 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, April 20, 2025 Have you ever heard an American president say, “I was wrong?” Kennedy never said it after badly mishandling our relationship with Cuba and committing troops on the ground in Vietnam. Johnson came close, acknowledging that … Continue reading →

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Competent Crisis Management

Posted on April 13, 2025 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, April 13, 2025 In 1962, as a college junior, I needed an elective to fill out my program. Given the state of the world and the Cold War, I thought Americans ought to be learning Russian, so I … Continue reading →

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Columbia University, Antisemitism, and Free Speech

Posted on March 15, 2025 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, March 15, 2025 I began my undergraduate career at Columbia University as a naïve, seventeen-year-old Jewish kid from Brooklyn. In 1960, Columbia was an elite university, an Ivy League school ranked with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and the … Continue reading →

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Ode to Joy

Posted on August 19, 2024 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, August 19, 2024 Today might have been very different if President Joe Biden hadn’t had the class and dignity to step aside. Four weeks ago, the 2024 election was shaping up to look like the 1980 election. Back … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Flirtation with God

Posted on July 16, 2024 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, July 16, 2024 Apparently, the theme of the Republican Convention and for now, the Trump campaign, is that Donald Trump was chosen by God to save America. That sudden switch in tactics may have been entirely a result … Continue reading →

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When Americans Lose Confidence in Government

Posted on August 14, 2023 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, August 14, 2023 As we enter the most important and potentially catastrophic election season in my lifetime (which is likely considerably longer than yours) two questions stand out. Amid all the hype fostered by both broadcast and social … Continue reading →

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Political Re-alignment

Posted on May 19, 2023 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, May 19, 2023 Historians and observers of political science often tell us that the political landscape hasn’t always been as it is today, unless the subject is volatility and change. As the culture war that began with the … Continue reading →

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The Reality of a Nuclear World Order

Posted on October 10, 2022 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, October 10, 2022 The week after next is Cuban Missile Crisis Week. It will mark sixty years during which the world managed to avoid self-destruction with nuclear weapons. I have vivid memories of the final day of the … Continue reading →

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The Nuclear Madman Scenario

Posted on March 1, 2022 by alanpzendell

Alan Zendell, March 1, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was always going to be a risky proposition with the borders between Ukraine and four NATO countries within shelling and rocket range of the fighting. The risk seems greater now that … Continue reading →

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