About Timothy Garton Ash
What is ‘History of the Present’?
Following current events is like whitewater rafting: you're moving so fast you don't have time to look around and see where you are. 'History of the Present' aims to help us see where we're coming from, where we are, and maybe even make an intelligent guess about where we're heading.
The phrase 'History of the Present' comes from a review the American diplomat and thinker George Kennan wrote of one of my earliest books, The Uses of Adversity, in 1989. It's stuck, and I like it.