Why on earth should Snowden have done that, given what the US government had already demonstrably done (twisted the law beyond recognition, engaged in persecution and torture of Chelsea Manning)? It'… (View Post)

One of the interesting things about history is how people in the past were so like us in ways we don't expect, and so little like us in ways we would expect. Nationalism did not exist until relativel… (View Post)

Medieval feudalism isn't nationalism, though. The intricate webs of bounded family-based relationships that held together realms that often had nothing to do with their rulers ethnically or linguisti… (View Post)

That's wrong on several levels. First, nationalism as we understand it didn't exist until relatively recently in history. Nation-states are not a concept of great antiquity. That is part of why Rome … (View Post)

Speaking as someone who's worked in the industry, I would suspect that while the "uncomfortable" thing isn't wrong, it isn't the prime factor. I'd say it's a mix of: 1) I haven't seen stati… (View Post)