William S. Lind
Encyclopedia
William S. Lind is an American expert on military affairs and a pundit on cultural conservatism
.
in 1969 and from Princeton University
in 1971, where he received a Master's Degree in history.
, Lind is one of the originators of Fourth Generation War
(4GW) theory. This theory states that the state has effectively lost its monopoly on warfare
, and seeks to address the new challenges posed by this situation. The root of this new phenomenon is the "State's Crisis of Legitimacy," which is also linked to Lind's work at the Center for Cultural Conservatism.
Lind served as a legislative aide for the armed services for Senator Robert Taft, Jr.
, of Ohio from 1973 through 1976 and held a similar position with Senator Gary Hart
of Colorado from 1977 through 1986. He is the author of the Maneuver Warfare Handbook (Westview Press, 1985) and co-author, with Gary Hart
, of America Can Win: The Case for Military Reform.
With Bruce Gudmundsson, Lind hosted the program Modern War on the now-defunct satellite television network NET
.
Lind, an opponent of the Iraq War, has written for the Marine Corps Gazette
, Defense and the National Interest, (D-N-I.net), and The American Conservative
.
According to writer Robert Coram in his book Boyd, during lectures on maneuver warfare
Lind was sometimes criticized for having never served in the military, for having "never dodged a bullet, he had never led men in combat, he had never even worn a uniform". Coram writes that when challenged by an officer, Lind "cut him off at the knees." (Coram 383)
. He advocates a Declaration of Cultural Independence by cultural conservatives in the United States
, in the belief that the federal government ceased to represent their interests and began to coerce them into negative behavior and affect their culture in a negative fashion. The Center believes that American culture and its institutions are headed for a collapse and that cultural conservatives should separate themselves from the calamity that it foresees. It supports setting up independent parallel institutions with a right to secession and a highly decentralized nature that would rely on individual responsibility and discipline to remain intact, but would prevent the takeover of the institutions by those hostile to cultural conservatism's ideals.
Lind has authored and co-authored (with Paul Weyrich
) a number of monographs on behalf of the Free Congress Foundation attempting to persuade American conservatives to support government funding for mass transit programs, especially rail transit
. He was Associate Publisher of a quarterly magazine called The New Electric Railway Journal
from its launch in 1988 until 1996, and starting in January 1994 he also co-hosted a monthly program about light rail
on the National Empowerment Television
network; the program used the same name as the magazine.
As a paleoconservative, Lind has often criticized neoconservatives in his commentaries. While not a libertarian, he has also written for LewRockwell.com
. He is a self-proclaimed monarchist and particularly admires Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
In his On War column of December 15, 2009, Lind announced that he was leaving the staff of the Center unexpectedly and that his series of On War articles was on hiatus for the moment. "Once I am re-established, either with a new institution or in retirement, I intend to re-start the column. When that will be I do not know. It also depends on obtaining connection to a telegraph line, which is not available everywhere."
However, he has recommenced his On War column with the American Conservative magazine.
, described William Lind as the one person "who has done the most to define the enemies who make up the so-called 'cultural Marxists
.'" According to the SPLC, in 1999 Lind wrote, "The real damage to race relations in the South
came, not from slavery, but Reconstruction, which would not have occurred if the South had won."
Journalist Thomas E. Ricks in The Atlantic Monthly
asserts that Lind's rhetoric differs from what Ricks calls "standard right-wing American rhetoric of the '90s" because Lind suggests that the "next real war we fight is likely to be on American soil."
Cultural conservatism
Cultural conservatism is described as the preservation of the heritage of one nation, or of a shared culture that is not defined by national boundaries. Other variants of cultural conservatism are concerned with culture attached to a given language such as Arabic.The shared culture may be as...
.
Education
Lind graduated from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1969 and from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1971, where he received a Master's Degree in history.
Military expertise
Alongside several U.S. officersOfficer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, Lind is one of the originators of Fourth Generation War
Fourth generation warfare
Fourth generation warfare is conflict characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, soldier and civilian.The term was first used in 1989 by a team of United States analysts, including William S. Lind, to describe warfare's return to a decentralized form...
(4GW) theory. This theory states that the state has effectively lost its monopoly on warfare
Monopoly on violence
The monopoly on violence is the conception of the state expounded by Max Weber in Politics as a Vocation. According to Weber, the state is that entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, which it may therefore elect to delegate as it sees fit...
, and seeks to address the new challenges posed by this situation. The root of this new phenomenon is the "State's Crisis of Legitimacy," which is also linked to Lind's work at the Center for Cultural Conservatism.
Lind served as a legislative aide for the armed services for Senator Robert Taft, Jr.
Robert Taft, Jr.
Robert Taft Jr. was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971. He also served as a U.S. Senator between 1971 and 1976....
, of Ohio from 1973 through 1976 and held a similar position with Senator Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
of Colorado from 1977 through 1986. He is the author of the Maneuver Warfare Handbook (Westview Press, 1985) and co-author, with Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
, of America Can Win: The Case for Military Reform.
With Bruce Gudmundsson, Lind hosted the program Modern War on the now-defunct satellite television network NET
National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television , also known as America's Voice, was a cable TV network designed to rapidly mobilize conservative followers for grassroots lobbying. It was created by Paul Weyrich, a key strategist for the paleoconservative movement...
.
Lind, an opponent of the Iraq War, has written for the Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette
Marine Corps Gazette is a professional journal for U.S. Marines founded in 1916 at Marine Corps Base Quantico for members of the United States Marine Corps. Begun by then Col John A. Lejeune as the vehicle to launch the Marine Corps Association , the journal is known as "The Professional Journal...
, Defense and the National Interest, (D-N-I.net), and The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
.
According to writer Robert Coram in his book Boyd, during lectures on maneuver warfare
Maneuver warfare
Maneuver warfare, or manoeuvre warfare , is the term used by military theorists for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement...
Lind was sometimes criticized for having never served in the military, for having "never dodged a bullet, he had never led men in combat, he had never even worn a uniform". Coram writes that when challenged by an officer, Lind "cut him off at the knees." (Coram 383)
Center for Cultural Conservatism
Lind was formerly the Director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism at the Free Congress FoundationFree Congress Foundation
The Free Congress Foundation , is a conservative think tank founded by Paul Weyrich. It was based near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C...
. He advocates a Declaration of Cultural Independence by cultural conservatives in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the belief that the federal government ceased to represent their interests and began to coerce them into negative behavior and affect their culture in a negative fashion. The Center believes that American culture and its institutions are headed for a collapse and that cultural conservatives should separate themselves from the calamity that it foresees. It supports setting up independent parallel institutions with a right to secession and a highly decentralized nature that would rely on individual responsibility and discipline to remain intact, but would prevent the takeover of the institutions by those hostile to cultural conservatism's ideals.
Lind has authored and co-authored (with Paul Weyrich
Paul Weyrich
Paul M. Weyrich was an American conservativepolitical activist and commentator, most notable as a figurehead of the New Right. He co-founded the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank and the Free Congress Foundation, another conservative think tank...
) a number of monographs on behalf of the Free Congress Foundation attempting to persuade American conservatives to support government funding for mass transit programs, especially rail transit
Urban rail transit
Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas...
. He was Associate Publisher of a quarterly magazine called The New Electric Railway Journal
The New Electric Railway Journal
The New Electric Railway Journal was a quarterly American magazine primarily about electric urban rail transit in North America, published from 1988 to 1998, with an international circulation. Its name was a tribute to a much earlier magazine with similar coverage, the Electric Railway Journal,...
from its launch in 1988 until 1996, and starting in January 1994 he also co-hosted a monthly program about light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
on the National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television
National Empowerment Television , also known as America's Voice, was a cable TV network designed to rapidly mobilize conservative followers for grassroots lobbying. It was created by Paul Weyrich, a key strategist for the paleoconservative movement...
network; the program used the same name as the magazine.
As a paleoconservative, Lind has often criticized neoconservatives in his commentaries. While not a libertarian, he has also written for LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com
LewRockwell.com is a 501 libertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert , Lew Rockwell , Eric Garris , and others associated with the Center for Libertarian Studies ; its motto is "anti-state, anti-war, pro-market"...
. He is a self-proclaimed monarchist and particularly admires Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
In his On War column of December 15, 2009, Lind announced that he was leaving the staff of the Center unexpectedly and that his series of On War articles was on hiatus for the moment. "Once I am re-established, either with a new institution or in retirement, I intend to re-start the column. When that will be I do not know. It also depends on obtaining connection to a telegraph line, which is not available everywhere."
However, he has recommenced his On War column with the American Conservative magazine.
Criticism
Bill Berkowitz, in an article for the Southern Poverty Law CenterSouthern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
, described William Lind as the one person "who has done the most to define the enemies who make up the so-called 'cultural Marxists
Cultural Marxism
Cultural Marxism is a term referring to a group of Marxists who have sought to apply critical theory to matters of family composition, gender, race, and cultural identity within Western society.-Explanation of the "Cultural Marxism" theory:...
.'" According to the SPLC, in 1999 Lind wrote, "The real damage to race relations in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
came, not from slavery, but Reconstruction, which would not have occurred if the South had won."
Journalist Thomas E. Ricks in The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
asserts that Lind's rhetoric differs from what Ricks calls "standard right-wing American rhetoric of the '90s" because Lind suggests that the "next real war we fight is likely to be on American soil."