Lessons of Tragedy

An eloquent call to draw on the lessons of the past to address current threats to international order

The ancient Greeks hard‑wired a tragic sensibility into their culture. By looking disaster squarely in the face, by understanding just how badly things could spiral out of control, they sought to create a communal sense of responsibility and courage—to spur citizens and their leaders to take the difficult actions necessary to avert such a fate. Today, after more than seventy years of great‑power peace and a quarter‑century of unrivaled global leadership, Americans have lost their sense of tragedy. They have forgotten that the descent into violence and war has been all too common throughout human history. This amnesia has become most pronounced just as Americans and the global order they created are coming under graver threat than at any time in decades.

In a forceful argument that brims with historical sensibility and policy insights, two distinguished historians argue that a tragic sensibility is necessary if America and its allies are to address the dangers that menace the international order today. Tragedy may be commonplace, Brands and Edel argue, but it is not inevitable—so long as we regain an appreciation of the world’s tragic nature before it is too late.

O chemare elocventa pentru a trage lectiile trecutului pentru a aborda amenintarile actuale la adresa ordinii internationale Grecii antici au conectat cu greu o sensibilitate tragica in cultura lor. Privind in mod clar dezastrul in fata, intelegand cat de rau ar putea scapa de sub control lucrurile, au cautat sa creeze un sentiment comun de responsabilitate si curaj - pentru a stimula cetatenii si liderii lor sa ia actiunile dificile necesare pentru a evita o astfel de soarta.