Greymantle’s Politics and Culture is an independent, non-partisan forecasting and opinion site unaffiliated with any political party, donor group, non-governmental organization or other news and/or opinion outlet. The opinions expressed on the site are solely those of its primary author, editor and contributors.
Our primary purpose is forecasting cultural, economic and political events and trends. While our main area of focus is the United States and its allied Western countries, we also have a strong interest in geopolitics and in cultural, military and political developments in nations outside of the Western order, including those in the Middle East and Africa.
We also have a strong interest in developments within Russia and other nations that were formerly part of the USSR but are not connected with any dissident or opposition groups in those nations and try to report on all events objectively. We have a keen interest in the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine War but are not affiliated with any Ukrainian group.
Our political orientation is broadly centrist and heavily invested in the maintenance and preservation of institutions. Institutions are what provide stability to societies, and the West is distinguished by its development of an unusual number of stable institutions.
As such, we are skeptical of the motivations and prospects for effective governance by populist forces of both the left and the right. It is easier to tear down a house than to build one. That said, elites periodically go through periods of governance and policy failure. We have recently witnessed a period of this kind across the Western world. Such periods necessitate a period of correction. These corrections tend to be messy.
From our perspective, culture and structures of authority are what matter more than military power, technological prowess, or who wins elections. Where structures of authority are concerned, they can be either formal or informal but exert considerable powerful either way. We believe structures of authority that are more traditional and more hierarchical tend to persist longer and guard against societal collapse.
The thinkers that we value the most view the world through this lens. At Greymantle, we value Eric Hoffer, Philip Rieff, Francis Fukuyama, Christopher Lasch, Henry George, Jacques Ellul, Robert Kaplan, Colin Wilson, and Gary Lachman.