{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Protesilaos: Political Writings","description":"Political Writings","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics","pubDate":"Sun, 07 Jun 2026 11:46:54 +0000","item":[{"title":"On the absence of Greeks from Hollywood\u2019s Odyssey movie","description":"I explain why the lack of Greek actors from a Hollywood production is not a problem, given what art is about.","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-06-03-absence-greeks-hollywood-odyssey-movie\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-06-03-absence-greeks-hollywood-odyssey-movie\/"},{"title":"Comment on a Marxist critique of Free Software","description":"My thoughts on a 15.000-word essay that criticises free software without showing an alternative.","pubDate":"Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-16-comment-marxist-critique-free-software\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-16-comment-marxist-critique-free-software\/"},{"title":"Western strategic constraints in the war on Iran","description":"Western powers are facing robust constraints. They cannot afford to treat issues lightly.","pubDate":"Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-11-western-strategic-constraints-iran-war\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-11-western-strategic-constraints-iran-war\/"},{"title":"On Yanis Varoufakis\u2019 appearance at \u2018The Rest Is Politics\u2019 podcast","description":"I analyse the problems that leftists in Europe face in dealing with European Union affairs.","pubDate":"Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-07-comments-yanis-varoufakis-rest-is-politics-podcast\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-07-comments-yanis-varoufakis-rest-is-politics-podcast\/"},{"title":"On the coming economic crisis","description":"A major economic shock is coming our way and we are woefully unprepared to deal with it.","pubDate":"Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-06-thoughts-coming-economic-crisis\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-05-06-thoughts-coming-economic-crisis\/"},{"title":"International relations and impunity","description":"Global justice is not attainable. What we can hope for is a viable balance of forces.","pubDate":"Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-02-28-international-relations-impunity\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2026-02-28-international-relations-impunity\/"},{"title":"When your country is a theme park","description":"The tourism industry is turning my country into an empty shell, designed to appeal to visitors at the expense of locals.","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-09-02-when-your-country-is-a-theme-park\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-09-02-when-your-country-is-a-theme-park\/"},{"title":"America is destined to pursue interventionism","description":"The USA is on a path dependency of having to maintain its privilege through brute force. Trump's anti-war personal branding was never going to work.","pubDate":"Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-06-19-america-interventionism-destiny\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-06-19-america-interventionism-destiny\/"},{"title":"On the EU\u2019s strategic weakness","description":"The European Union does not have the power to enforce its wants and thus cannot take the initiative in international affairs.","pubDate":"Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-06-16-eu-strategic-weakness\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-06-16-eu-strategic-weakness\/"},{"title":"Thoughts on the experience of boyhood and politics of ADHD","description":"I write about my life as an active person who did not like school and who now sees the flaws in the prevailing policy paradigm.","pubDate":"Sat, 17 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-05-17-thoughts-adhd-politics\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-05-17-thoughts-adhd-politics\/"},{"title":"On the EU\u2019s indifference towards the Palestinians","description":"The EU is applying double standards because its elites are not actually upholding the values they claim to be the stewards of.","pubDate":"Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-04-25-eu-indifference-palestinians\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-04-25-eu-indifference-palestinians\/"},{"title":"On the remilitarisation of Europe","description":"The European Union rearming itself is a pragmatic choice. The key is to be mindful of democratic values and act responsibly.","pubDate":"Sun, 23 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-03-23-europe-remilitarisation\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2025-03-23-europe-remilitarisation\/"},{"title":"On the realignment of Western values","description":"Comment on how the Western world is not clearly abandoning its values. The situation is more nuanced.","pubDate":"Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-12-20-realignment-western-values\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-12-20-realignment-western-values\/"},{"title":"A \u2018sovereign European Union\u2019 is not a good idea","description":"Comment on why interdependence is a better guarantee for peace than the pursuit of sovereignty.","pubDate":"Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-18-sovereign-europe-is-not-good-idea\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-18-sovereign-europe-is-not-good-idea\/"},{"title":"Individual responsibility beside politics","description":"Commentary on how we can make things happen in our communities despite that occurs in the world of politics.","pubDate":"Tue, 12 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-12-individual-responsibility-beside-politics\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-12-individual-responsibility-beside-politics\/"},{"title":"The rhetoric of negation is a losing strategy","description":"Comment on how the political left cannot win if it is not decisive about what it actually wants.","pubDate":"Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-07-rhetoric-negation-losing-strategy\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-07-rhetoric-negation-losing-strategy\/"},{"title":"Live excerpt: comments on imperialism, AI, Linux VS Russia, Marxists, etc.","description":"These are the political comments I made in my recent 'Ask me anything' live stream.","pubDate":"Sat, 02 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-02-live-excerpt-imperialism-free-software-marx\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-11-02-live-excerpt-imperialism-free-software-marx\/"},{"title":"No future for hopeless Europeans","description":"Comment on the political situation in Europe concerning intergenerational matters.","pubDate":"Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-10-24-no-future-hopeless-europeans\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-10-24-no-future-hopeless-europeans\/"},{"title":"Do not trust the warmongers","description":"Opinion piece about the jingoistic rhetoric in America and why continuous war is not a good policy.","pubDate":"Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-10-07-no-trust-warnongers\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-10-07-no-trust-warnongers\/"},{"title":"A new EU debate culture requires systemic changes","description":"European politics will not be any better if they are led by another coalition of states. Institutional reforms at the EU level are needed.","pubDate":"Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-08-28-eu-debate-culture\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-08-28-eu-debate-culture\/"},{"title":"Europe\u2019s permanent austerity calls for a rethink","description":"The EU makes it practically impossible for elected governments to act. How then should we approach this challenge.","pubDate":"Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-07-27-eu-perma-austerity-rethink\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-07-27-eu-perma-austerity-rethink\/"},{"title":"Some leftist narratives about war are disempowering","description":"My comments on some leftist narratives about our collective guilt and how we need to be more practical.","pubDate":"Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-07-26-leftist-narratives-war-disempowering\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2024-07-26-leftist-narratives-war-disempowering\/"},{"title":"Comment on Aleksandr Dugin\u2019s illiberalism and Fourth Political Theory","description":"Part of an email exchange that covers my initial thoughs on the political views of Aleksandr Dugin.","pubDate":"Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-09-06-comment-alexander-dugin-illiberalism-fourth-ideology\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-09-06-comment-alexander-dugin-illiberalism-fourth-ideology\/"},{"title":"Comment on EU enlargement towards Ukraine and Moldova","description":"Comment on how EU membership is instrumentalised while problems within the Union are not resolved.","pubDate":"Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-06-27-eu-enlargement-ukraine-moldova\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-06-27-eu-enlargement-ukraine-moldova\/"},{"title":"Comment on the dubious dual mandate of the ECB","description":"The European Central Bank's shadow mandate to protect the Euro reveals underlying flaws.","pubDate":"Sun, 26 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-06-26-comment-ecb-dual-mandate\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-06-26-comment-ecb-dual-mandate\/"},{"title":"Comment on \u201cWhy 1% Of The World\u2019s Population Controls 45% Of The Wealth\u201d","description":"My comment on a video by Jordan Peterson on why inequality exists.","pubDate":"Fri, 22 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-04-22-comment-inequality\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-04-22-comment-inequality\/"},{"title":"A leftist perspective on the war in Ukraine","description":"Opinion against all forms of imperialism and its injustices.","pubDate":"Wed, 13 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-04-13-leftist-view-ukraine-war\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-04-13-leftist-view-ukraine-war\/"},{"title":"On the political telos of the euro","description":"Opinion on the longer-term political role of the euro to catalyse the creation of a European state.","pubDate":"Sat, 22 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-01-22-euro-political-end\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-01-22-euro-political-end\/"},{"title":"On culture and the \u2018more Europe\u2019 clich\u00e9","description":"Opinion piece on the need to avoid the simplistic thinking that 'more Europe' helps Europeans improve their lives.","pubDate":"Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-01-18-eu-culture\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2022-01-18-eu-culture\/"},{"title":"The structural aspects of public health","description":"It is not just the pandemic we should think of when talking about public health. There are systemic issues involved.","pubDate":"Wed, 14 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-07-14-duty-public-health\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-07-14-duty-public-health\/"},{"title":"On the rainbow flag and EU value tokenism","description":"Comment on the binary thinking and political calculus that characterises the EU's rainbow flag rhetoric.","pubDate":"Sat, 03 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-07-03-rainbow-flag-eu-value-tokenism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-07-03-rainbow-flag-eu-value-tokenism\/"},{"title":"Comment on democratic legitimation","description":"Exchange of views on my video presentation about national sovereignty, supranational affairs, and democracy.","pubDate":"Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-06-25-comment-democratic-legitimation\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-06-25-comment-democratic-legitimation\/"},{"title":"On the nation-state, democracy, and transnationalism","description":"Video presentation on national sovereignty, supranational affairs, and their tension with democracy.","pubDate":"Sat, 29 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-05-29-nation-state-democracy-transnationalism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-05-29-nation-state-democracy-transnationalism\/"},{"title":"Comment on collective autonomy","description":"My thoughts on personal and collective autonomy and freedom.","pubDate":"Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-04-26-comment-autonomy\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-04-26-comment-autonomy\/"},{"title":"On the contradiction of non-interventionism","description":"Analysis of the contradiction inherent to classical liberal thought with regard to non-interventionism.","pubDate":"Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-02-09-double-standard-non-interventionism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-02-09-double-standard-non-interventionism\/"},{"title":"On platformarchs, the demi-state, and deplatforming","description":"Analysis of the principles underpinning a rules-based polity and why the demi-state is a threat to such a system.","pubDate":"Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-01-26-platformarchs-demistate-deplatforming\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2021-01-26-platformarchs-demistate-deplatforming\/"},{"title":"On the appropriation of Europe","description":"How a power elite is turning Europe into an instrument of imperialism. Concerted action between people is needed to turn the tables.","pubDate":"Mon, 28 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-09-28-appropriation-europe\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-09-28-appropriation-europe\/"},{"title":"On the underlying values of superhero culture","description":"Critique of the beliefs that are common in Hollywood's superhero stories and which serve to justify and exalt the status quo.","pubDate":"Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-09-17-values-superhero-culture\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-09-17-values-superhero-culture\/"},{"title":"Communitarianism and the self-institution of divinity","description":"Opinion on the position a new revolutionary left must adopt on the issue of religion.","pubDate":"Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-08-01-communitarianism-institute-divinity\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-08-01-communitarianism-institute-divinity\/"},{"title":"Comment on resisting techno-digital dystopia","description":"What I think about the most effective response to technologically-capable tyranny.","pubDate":"Thu, 21 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-21-comment-anti-techno-dystopia\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-21-comment-anti-techno-dystopia\/"},{"title":"Comment on elections in general","description":"What I think about elections in modern democracies.","pubDate":"Sun, 10 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-10-comment-elections\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-10-comment-elections\/"},{"title":"Crises, transnationalism, and the demi-state","description":"The concentration of power is the root cause of the crises. Transnationalism is part of that problem.","pubDate":"Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-01-internationalism-localism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-05-01-internationalism-localism\/"},{"title":"On crisis and statecraft","description":"Analysis of the midpoint of rules and how a crisis refashions the polity.","pubDate":"Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-04-01-statecraft-crisis\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-04-01-statecraft-crisis\/"},{"title":"More ECB QE will not stop the Coronacrisis","description":"The European Central Bank cannot stop the impending economic crisis by means of liquidity. We need debt monetisation.","pubDate":"Sat, 21 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-03-21-ecb-qe-coronacrisis\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-03-21-ecb-qe-coronacrisis\/"},{"title":"On trust, global inter-dependence, and sustainability","description":"Thoughts on the general features of the politics to cope with the pandemic and its associated issues.","pubDate":"Tue, 17 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-03-17-trust-interdependence-sustainability\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-03-17-trust-interdependence-sustainability\/"},{"title":"I signed the Public Domain Manifesto","description":"Note on the signing of the Public Domain Manifesto.","pubDate":"Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-01-10-manifesto-public-domain\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2020-01-10-manifesto-public-domain\/"},{"title":"The untenable capitalist case against billionaires","description":"There is no real value to a so-called \"capitalist\" thesis against inequality.","pubDate":"Mon, 30 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-30-capitalism-case-billionaires\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-30-capitalism-case-billionaires\/"},{"title":"Technocratic communism is not the answer","description":"Mainstream leftists have not realised that gigantism is bad in itself.","pubDate":"Sun, 29 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-29-communism-technocracy\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-29-communism-technocracy\/"},{"title":"Notes on the \u201cJoe Rogan Experience\u201d episode #1393","description":"Comments on the need for further research following the debate between James Wilks and Chris Kresser about \"The Gamechangers\" documentary.","pubDate":"Sat, 07 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-07-notes-joe-rogan-1393\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-12-07-notes-joe-rogan-1393\/"},{"title":"The shadow play of \u201cpopulism\u201d","description":"The establishment wants us to place disproportionate emphasis on an invented threat, while we disregard the real issues around us.","pubDate":"Thu, 29 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-08-29-populism-shadow-play\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-08-29-populism-shadow-play\/"},{"title":"No optimism for the European Union","description":"The EU compounds the problems of gigantism at the national level by introducing cross-border hegemony.","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-07-05-no-euro-optimism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-07-05-no-euro-optimism\/"},{"title":"Against the secularised theology of statecraft","description":"Analysis of the underlying values of our era as a continuation of Medieval Theocracy. I reject the deified nation and nation-statism.","pubDate":"Fri, 14 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-06-14-secularised-theology-statecraft\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-06-14-secularised-theology-statecraft\/"},{"title":"After Capitalism","description":"The idea of \"progressive capitalism\" is fundamentally flawed.  It remains trapped in gigantist thinking.","pubDate":"Fri, 31 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-05-31-after-capitalism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-05-31-after-capitalism\/"},{"title":"The extreme right is the new right","description":"The conservatives only care about defending capitalism. When it is expedient they are liberals, else they turn authoritarian.","pubDate":"Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-04-23-far-right-new-right\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-04-23-far-right-new-right\/"},{"title":"Note on supporting free culture","description":"Why it is important to support free\/libre culture and code, especially in light of Article 13 and similar rules.","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-04-01-free-culture\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-04-01-free-culture\/"},{"title":"On Gigantism","description":"Gigantism is about establishing\/reinforcing a hierarchy that controls every aspect of life within its field of application. We can oppose it.","pubDate":"Wed, 27 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-02-27-gigantism\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-02-27-gigantism\/"},{"title":"Changing ways: the real bread paradigm","description":"Let us start by changing our habits. Politics will follow. This is the case for real bread.","pubDate":"Sun, 03 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-02-03-re-institution-real-bread\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2019-02-03-re-institution-real-bread\/"},{"title":"Sovereignty and debt in the modern era","description":"The economic and political realities of our time force us to rethink the principles that guide our world.","pubDate":"Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2018-12-04-sovereignty-debt-modern-era\/","guid":"https:\/\/protesilaos.com\/politics\/2018-12-04-sovereignty-debt-modern-era\/"}]}}