The Lonely Realist is a bridge across the partisan gap, raising questions and making pointed observations about politics, economics, international relations and the markets. Its goal is to raise awareness and inspire thought on controversial issues that impact America and Americans, highlighting issues that should be, but rarely are, the focus of bipartisan discussion.
In seeking to promote dialogue, The Lonely Realist is not an advocate of conclusions or remedies. To the extent perceived biases leak into these pages, as they sometimes do, please ignore them. They are inadvertent missteps.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” – attributed to Mark TwainLoading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... TLR earlier this month addressed three possible outcomes for the Iran War. The first is the one sought by America and its allies: America and Israel...
“Wars are messy, their consequences unpredictable.” – The Lonely Realist “The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain.” – Jerome Powell (March 18, 2026) Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... History teaches that wars are disruptive. They...
“It’s about energy.” – The Lonely RealistLoading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... Today’s TLR is a brief follow-up to this past Thursday’s “The Iran War”: One month ago, writing about whether the US Dollar might surrender its reserve currency status, TLR noted that...
“Is the Iran War a terrible mistake or a brilliant geopolitical gambit?” – The Lonely RealistLoading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... Thomas Paine in 1776 said: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Wars do that. What happens to Iran and the...
What if There were No More Recessions?Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player… What if Central Bankers have figured out how to successfully manage the global economy? What if they are in the process of engineering a soft economic landing for the world’s major
Assume that the media is correct and Joe Biden has won America’s Presidential election and will be inaugurated as America’s 46th President on January 20th. If so, he would owe his relatively narrow victory to heavy voter turnout among three disparate constituencies: traditional Democratic Party
“Bureaucratic governments can’t subsist by feeding on the vital essence of the public.” – The Lonely RealistLoading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player… Have you watched The Big Conn on Apple TV? It’s a four-part docuseries about an Eastern Kentucky Appalachian lawyer, Eric C.
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William (Bill) Natbony is The Lonely Realist, its author and originator. The opinions expressed in TLR are solely Bill’s opinions, have not been edited or reviewed, and do not reflect the views or opinions or any other person.
