The New Centrist?

I am a husband, father and Historian living in New York City. In my 20s I was a radical anarcho/anti-imperialist political activist but I moved closer to the center in the past decade or so for a variety of reasons. First, graduate education opened my mind to the complexity of human behavior beyond class and race. Second, I reacted in disgust at the Left’s response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Third, I was shocked at the acceptance of the level of antisemitism on the Left. The third was something I had not noticed–or, really, paid much attention to–when I was activist. At first I sought to reclaim my Left from these usurpers. This was not the real Left, I thought. It took me some time to realize this was it. This is the state of the Left, we are not going back to the days of Carlo Tresca.

My politics today (2014)? Neo-Hobbesian with a great appreciation and respect for Liberty and a tragic sense of human existence. That is, Liberty is achieved via the State, rather than in its absence. I am also an elitist in the sense of acknowledging polities and revolutions are led by elites not “the masses” or by social classes. Think Gaetano Mosca and James Burnham rather than C. Wright Mills. In the international arena, anti-totalitarian and generally hawkish. If all politics is personal I am skeptical of food faddists, tea-teetotalers and anti-smokers. Enjoy life.

Euston Manifesto?
I was a signatory to the Euston Manifesto and consider it an important moment in the global struggle to promote liberty and defeat totalitarianism.

What’s up with the Header Picture?
I change the header periodically. The current picture is an image of the Incal.

A Disclaimer
Comments deemed offensive will be removed.

If you want to contact The New Centrist, send email to:

thenewcentrist (at) gmail.com