By Program
On Tuesday, November 1, the Strauss Center, Clements Center for National Security, LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the UT-Austin Department of History hosted Jeremi Suri, the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, for his book talk on his forthcoming release Civil War by Other Means.
Suri attributed the recent threats to our institutions and increasing undermining of our democracy as the motivation for writing his book, sharing that the last several years have shaken his formerly unwavering faith in the strength of our democracy. He stated that this book is different from others in that it challenges previous notions of democracies, particularly that they facilitate peaceful transitions of power. Suri hoped that this book will help readers recognize the ills threatening our democracy in hopes that we can work together to improve the currently negative trajectory of our democracy.
In Suri’s perspective, to solve a problem, the problem must first be properly diagnosed. This is where Suri claimed his role as a historian is crucial in understanding the pathologies in our society that go back to the second American revolution: the Civil War. He began the diagnosis with an illustration of post-Civil War America, and emphasized that many of our current issues surrounding war and political violence, leadership and how our system selects leaders, democracy itself can be traced back to “intentionally placed tumors” during that era. He made note of key American leaders, such as Ulysses S. Grant, and tells of different moments in American history where political violence was utilized. Suri drew attention to the fact that non-compliance with the law has become rampant in American society, and that leadership is one of the most important subjects to study but also the most difficult.
Suri, over the course of the talk, took us through a historical account of the events and power dynamics that drove political decisions after the U.S. Civil War. He concluded his talk by emphasizing that the maintenance and improvement of our democratic system is not a Democrat or Republican issue, but rather an American one.
Biography
Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente. His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media.
Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri hosts a weekly podcast, “This is Democracy.”
For more information on this event, contact Elizabeth Doughtie at [email protected].
