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Understanding contemporary global politics by connecting them to the meditations of a classical Greek philosopher may seem farfetched and counterintuitive. But for political theorists, policymakers, the new influencers, journalists and engaged students, Thucydides’ ancient wisdom provides insights into diagnosing and even undermining an endemic of political fear spreading across the world’s borders. With his help, this book probes six case studies of aspiring great powers and the brittle identities that they may have unwittingly constructed. Raymond Taras questions the motives of the manipulators of fear whether found in in authoritarian states or increasingly in backsliding liberal democratic ones. The urgency of returning to and respecting tolerance in states establishing relations with arriving refugees and migrants takes on critical importance.
This book represents a highly original and vivid reflection on the cultural and historical permutations of the political expressions of fear across contemporary country case studies. It is the work of a mature and creative scholar and embraces cultural, literary and ideational dimensions of nationalism— Molly O'Neal, PhD. Researcher, university lecturer on European politics, former US diplomat.
Introduction: Thucydides’ Meditation on Fear; 1. Meditations on Fear: The Continuing Relevance of Thucydides; 2. National Fear: Brexit, Free Movement, Englishness; 3. Regional Fear: Saxony and the Far Right in Germany; 4. Ethnic Fear: Russia’s Management of Migration; 5. Individual Fear: Japan’s Americanized Artist; 6. Inter-state Fears: Inter-state Fears: Australia’s Linkages to China; 7. Identity Fears: Identity Fears: The United States and Tribal Politics; 8. Musings on Political Fear: Methods and Theories; Select Bibliography; Author’s Biography; Index