Sphinx

One of the things I really like about formal gatherings in Germany (okay, extrapolating from a sample of two, plus the father’s birthday party in Goodbye Lenin!, but it’s 100% so far) is the fact that they always seem to feature a jazz combo noodling away in the background before the speeches start. The Neujahrsempfang of the Einstein Foundation in the Bärensaal of the Altes Rathaus in Berlin this morning went one better, getting the band to play appropriate intro music for the winners of the awards for supporting doctoral students: ‘Route 66’ for North American Studies, Ellington’s ‘Caravan’ for the Centre for Muslim Societies and Cultures usw.

I didn’t get an intro for my cameo role in proceedings; I imagine that they simply couldn’t decide between the Imperial March from Star Wars, for the Thucydidean power politics element, and ‘Send in the Clowns’. It should all have been so simple: a few words about the research I’m pursuing with colleagues in Berlin, emphasising gratitude to the Foundation for its support, and a few words about why I love Berlin – none of which is exactly a tricky assignment, given that (1) I have brilliant colleagues here and it’s great to be able to work with them and with young postdocs and doctorands, (2) it’s Berlin, for goodness’ sake, so culture, history, opera, jazz, museums, beer, Käsekuchen usw, and (3) the Foundation makes all this possible.

But then Jörg Thadeusz, journalist and tv moderator, who was introducing the whole thing, offered a five-minute discussion about the unexpected relevance of Thucydides that took half my best lines, then asked me the second question first, and then bowled the googly: Hätte Thukydides für Brexit zugestimmt?

Really not fair… I think I muttered something about what Thucydides has to say about populism in general, and hastily segued into what I’d planned for the question I was expecting, namely that the times become ever more Thucydidean, which isn’t exactly good news, but he can help. Ten minutes later I had a much better answer: Thukydides steht immer für Vernunft; Brexit ist völlig unvernünftig; Schluss. Ten minutes too late. L’esprit de l’escalier…