PALLADIUM 09: Political Outcomes, our spring 2023 print edition, is available now to all Palladium members. Subscribe today to receive your copy.

History is driven by ambitious individuals who engineer great political outcomes in pursuit of great dreams.

Launching our print edition two years ago, we began with our own dreams. We have covered everything from how to build up industrial civilization to how to weave it into a flourishing garden planet; from engineering states to cultivating elites.

But history is not a blank canvas for imagined futures. Nor is it a clockwork progression. At key moments, the contingencies encountered and resolved by the agents of history determine much of the outcome. Studying them is essential for any project of applied history.

PALLADIUM 09: Political Outcomes opens with two pieces of theory: when and why history is shaped by individuals and how reformers should relate to their surrounding social hierarchy. The rest of the issue focuses on six individuals who grabbed history by the horns and made it their own. None of them are sovereigns, and not all of them were successful; in their efforts, we find the crucial importance of loyalty by ambitious lieutenants to particular sovereigns.

Their successes and failures can teach us something of the way to bring about our own dreams.

This print edition is a collection of our best writing on how ambitious individuals bring about new political outcomes, accompanied by beautiful custom art and exclusive interviews.

Our print editions are luxurious icons optimized for focused thought on the most important and overlooked topics in future governance. Display it on your coffee table or your bookshelf. This is an item for your long-term collection. We offer PALLADIUM 09 exclusively for our members; it is not for sale.

*All members also receive benefits of lower tiers. Our print publication is a quarterly newsletter that informs members about our public interest research, reporting, and analysis. Print editions, and other member benefits, are not for sale.

Featuring

Those Who Make History by Nicolas Villarreal. Mao Zedong and Cesare Borgia show that at decisive moments, the material forces of history make room for great men to change its course.

Confucius and the Whistleblower by Peter Wei. The Confucian ideal of the loyal minister who admonishes his patron lord over disagreements contrasts sharply with the modern ideal of the whistleblower.

The Triumph and Terror of Wang Huning by N. S. Lyons. The life and work of the gray eminence behind Xi Jinping’s cultural policies show the power of quiet and thoughtful advisors in politics.

“Opportunity Is Always Out There” With Simon Mann by Ash Milton. Executive Outcomes mercenary Simon Mann tells of his adventures intervening in wars and getting imprisoned for plotting a coup.

The Censor Who Ended the Soviet Union by Alex Gelland. After learning the truth about Stalin in 1956, Soviet propagandist Alexander Yakovlev became disillusioned with the communist project. Decades later, he helped end it.

Vietnam’s Red Napoleon by Avetis Muradyan. Võ Nguyên Giáp began as Hồ Chí Minh’s able lieutenant and became a legendary general. Working from the hinterlands, they defeated two foreign empires.

The Mirage of European Sovereignty by Miquel Vila. Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi dreamed of a new aristocracy to unite Europe. Known today as the EU’s grandfather, his dream is largely forgotten.

The Apostle of the French Revolution by Ash Milton. Henri Gregoire became a leading radical of the French revolution. But without a clear sovereign patron, his ideas escaped his intentions.