Public Intellectuals and War

Admiral James Stavridis as well as other retired Flag Officers have been trotted out by CNN and MSNBC to comment on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. As professional military they are trained to fight and win wars and their insight about fighting and winning battles and wars is interesting.

Ukrainian independence is not our fight, however.

President Joe Biden’s incompetent and immoral abandonment of Americans and Afghan citizens who supported U.S. military in Afghanistan is our concern.

More valuable would be discussions about what the Republican members in the Congress should do in January 2023 when they are the majority Party in Congress.

●Shall they Impeach and Convict President Biden?

●Shall they install as Biden’s replacement former President Donald Trump who claims he won the 2020 election?

●At what point and how far should the U.S military engage with Russia?

Where are the public intellectuals who, like Peter Lawler, enlivened our public debates and improved our understanding of issues such as these?

Here are three links to commentaries on the role of public intellectuals today:

https://dickbishirjian.com/2018/03/05/models-for-public-intellectuals-today

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/university-leaders-cannot-be-public-intellectuals

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/dilettantes-and-connoisseurs-the-public-intellectual-in-the-united-states