The following are my thoughts and recollections of a recent trip with my wife to India. We made the trip because Alka’s sister recently gave birth to a daughter. We decided to take the opportunity to do some additional travel in Europe and India. These are my thoughts, pictures, and musings while doing so. I hope […]

Almost thirty years ago, the sound of MIG and Mirage fighter jets filled the air above Iraqi Kurdistan. A warm day in early March would mark the occasion of one of the modern era’s worst crimes. The jets, menacingly circling above began to drop familiar ordinances to locals including bombs and napalm. But as the […]

From the title alone, The Impossible War, one is given a preview of the moral content of Sam Harris’ most recent podcast. On it Harris discusses a new, and epic, 18-hour PBS documentary series with its producers, directors, and writers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on a subject still sour and sore in the minds […]

Fighting Corruption in India Slideshow On November 8, 2016, in an effort to “tackle counterfeiting Indian banknotes, to effectively nullify black money hoarded in cash and curb funding of terrorism with fake notes”[1] the Central Bank of India announced that it would withdraw the legal tender status of ₹ 500 and ₹ 1,000 denominations of banknotes […]

On Thursday April 6, 2017, two American naval vessels fired 59 cruise missiles towards the Al-Sharyat airbase in Syria targeting the facilities and airplanes stationed there. The official reason behind the strike was that it was in response to a government chemical weapons attack a few days earlier on April 4th at Khan Sheikhoun, Syria. […]

In Sam Harris’ most recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast they discussed the rise of automation and the responses that are necessary to it. Harris has been discussing this issue for quite a while, sounding the alarm for the potential danger, while not attempting to spread panic. At the same time, Harris recognizes that our […]

The year 2017, like 1917, will go down in the annals of history as one marked by radical change. Though separated by a century, activists and revolutionaries of both times fight a similar struggle, against similar influences, and in similar ways. But times have also changed, and the lessons from the last bloody century must […]

In the midst of battle in Shakespeare’s Henry V, Orleans tells Bourbon that his forces could overcome the English if order could be restored and Bourbon replies, “The devil take order now! I’ll to the throng. Let life be short, else shame will be too long.” His impatience for restoring the order necessary for victory […]

Introduction Starting in August 2016, a growing movement of Native American tribes and allies have been engaged in daily protest. Their target: The Dakota Access Pipeline. The DAPL is an oil pipeline designed to transport oil as part of the larger Bakken pipeline project.[1] The Bakken project aims to connect newly accessed crude shale oil […]

In the last days of September of 2016 the armed forces of India conducted what it called “surgical strikes” against claimed terrorist targets inside Pakistan. Though the term “surgical strike” conjures up images of relatively small, precise and limited air strikes or small special-ops missions like the one that killed Osama bin Laden, the term […]

After the successful election of Donald Trump the liberal establishment is still trying to figure out what happened. While it is important to note that Hillary Clinton leads by over half a million votes in the popular vote, the 18th century institution of the Electoral College means Trump will be the next leader of the […]

As the offensive in Mosul began, a small, unmanned airplane, reminiscent of remote controlled (RC) airplanes flown by hobbyists, flew over Kurdish Peshmerga fighters north of the city. Concerned about the nature and purpose of the vehicle, security forces downed the plane to eliminate any threat it may have posed.  A small group of soldiers […]

This week Muslims around the world marked Eid al-Adha, a holy day in which sacrifice and charity are celebrated. As Syrian Muslims observed the occasion, the implementation of a new ceasefire agreement gave additional reasons to give thanks. While the agreement appears to be largely holding, though there have been reports of some violations and […]

See this post at the Civilians in Conflict blog.

After Philando Castillo and Anton Sterling were killed by police I was as enraged as any thinking person ought to have been. Living in Washington, D.C., I have a unique opportunity to engage in civil discourse at all levels of power and in many forms. From street marches, sit-ins, letter campaigns, and direct dialogue with […]

INTRODUCTION Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s 2014 military operation in Gaza, involved many of the consequences of desperate and destructive urban and asymmetrical warfare that characterizes each hot flare up of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. One of the charges often levied during the 2014 round of hostilities is the use of human shields, voluntary and involuntary, by […]

I. INTRODUCTION Arguably the most important rights contained in the International Covenant on Social Economic and Cultural Rights (“ICSECR”) are those concerning availability, security and conditions of work. One does not need to travel far to see how necessary these rights have become in the modern world of globalized, technology-based, monopolized, finance capitalism. From Bangladesh […]

TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION I. BACKGROUND A) The Question of Palestinian Statehood (1947-Present) B) Israeli Opposition, Acceptance and Recognition in 1993 C) Palestine’s Change of Status from “Observer” to “Non-Member State” by the United Nations General Assembly III.ANALYSIS. A) The Principles and the Mandates for the ICC B) ICC and Palestine C) Israeli […]

Disclaimer: After the most recent attack in Paris and the continuing struggle against IS in Iraq, Syria and Kurdistan, I notice the same arguments made by those unwittingly (or purposefully) apologizing for the violence perpetrated because of, in the name of, and motivated by some (if not many) of the tenants of Islam. The term […]

Here’s my only issue with all the discussion of white privilege. Let me first say I acknowledge the phenomenon and it’s obvious outcroppings. My issue is that the phenomenon can be draped in classic identity politics, i.e. race and gender, but that is really just masking the true underlying problem: class inequality. When you look […]

In the time when there appeared to be an imminent American attack on Syria based on the alleged use of chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus, a new argument began. The U.S. has claimed it has “irrefutable” evidence that the forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad had carried out the attack, while Russia has […]

On August 23, 2013 in the north Eastern Suburbs of Damascus, Syria, something terrible happened. At 2:30 am, the residents of that area awoke to the horrific sight of their neighbors showing signs of being exposed to Sarin Gas. Since the first widespread use in World War One, chemical agents have been generally agreed to […]

If you live in Minneapolis you most likely have your electricity with Xcel Energy. While Xcel has claimed to be a leader in adopting “Green” sources of power, it hasn’t kept pace enough for some focused on the environmental impact of energy production, specifically from coal and petroleum based power plants. Also, instead of containing […]

Even if President Obama’s jobs plan were to be voted on and passed today, it will not overnight solve the problem that workers everywhere are suffering from the economic crisis and jobless “recovery.” Some, however, fare better than others. Since the end of World War II with the advent of the G.I. Bill, higher education […]

The Recession that began in 2008 has not affected everyone equally. While large banks including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase –the same lenders who pushed for the widespread implementation of sub-prime mortgages and then compiled them into mortgage backed securities, and who further bet against the viability of these toxic securities […]

The bombing in Boston is just one of several bombing that happen each day around the world. But unlike any other day, today people are freaking out!   The difference? It happened here.   Acts of terrorism, such as the one yesterday in Boston, particularily against unarmed civilians (including children) are terrible. But it’s terrible […]

I recently read this pair of wonderful articles by Leon Trotsky about the Kronstadt rebellion. http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/01/kronstadt.htm http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/07/kronstadt2.htm I showed the second to a Christian Libertarian colleague of mine. The following discussion ensued: ME: I need to get out why I would defend War Communism, understanding the social conditions and relations of the time (which, I […]

Democracy itself is under attack in Florida. Those opposed: our very own politicians. It appears that the wave of democracy ushered in by the overwhelming approval (63%) of amendment six, which appeared on the 2010 ballot, by the people of Florida – known as the Fair Districts Amendment – is being stalled by the dam […]

    Italians awoke today to the announcement of a new government under the newly appointed Prime Minister Mario Monti. Replacing Former Prime Minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi who resigned over the weekend amid internal and external pressure regarding the ongoing debt crisis in the Euro Zone, Monti is the antithesis of Berlsconi. While […]

    While driving south of downtown on South Orange Blossom Trail, affectionately called OBT, my car begin to overheat – sadly a common occurrence with my older car combined with a desperately hot Florida summer –  and I was compelled to quickly pull to a side road and let the car cool. Although I […]

Written with: Susan Webb   Eight months ago, Libyans, swept up in the fervor of the Arab Spring, rose up against the regime of Col. Moammar Gaddafi. With the announcement of Gaddafi’s death on Wednesday, it was clear that this uprising had entered a new phase.   Mystery still surrounds the events of Gaddafi’s death. […]

Introduction: Common Misconceptions about communism 1)      Communism is a totalitarian dictatorship wherein the people are oppressed and allowed little to no freedom 2)      Communism has nothing to say about the world today as it lost the war of ideas after the breakup of the Soviet Union 3)      Communism leads to dictatorships like Stalin in Russia […]

Glenn Beck has become America’s right-wing sweetheart. The boisterous, overly emotional faker has captivated dim-witted audiences for years, and has ventured into the “non-fiction” and fiction realm of print, and even had the audacity to publish a children’s book. Although on the surface his anger and positions may seem sincere, and has surely mobilized a […]

Rick Scott’s 2010 victory in the Florida Gubernatorial race ushered in by Tea-Party euphoria over his and fellow Tea-party favorite Marco Rubio’s radical conservative agenda has pushed Florida back into the realm of the far right not seen since Jeb Bush. Ironically, Rick Scott has positioned himself to be even more conservative than the former […]