Timothy Garton Ash on the Ukrainian Crisis
Freeman Dyson on Historically Significant Blunders
Here is an interesting excerpt:
“The worst political
blunder in the history of civilization was probably the decision of the emperor
of China in the year 1433 to stop exploring the oceans and to destroy the ships
capable of exploration and the written records of their voyages. In no way can
this blunder be called brilliant. Before the decision, China had a fleet of
ocean-going ships bigger and more capable than any European ships. China was
roughly level with Europe in scientific knowledge and far ahead in the
technologies of printing, navigation, and rocketry. As a consequence of the
decision, China fell disastrously behind in science and technology, and is only
catching up now after six hundred years.”