Month: February 2014

At least 51 people were killed and 62 more were killed across Iraq today. There were no major attacks or clashes.

A United Nations panel recently spent a year and lots of money from contributing nations, including the United States, to arrive at an obvious conclusion already known to the world: North Korea severely abuses human rights. The question remains, "What can be done about it?" The answer remains, "Not much." Yet public criticism of its … Continue reading “North Korea Abuses Human Rights – Tell Us Something We Don’t Already Know”

Trouble is breaking out all over. Ukraine – This is the epicenter of the latest cold war eruption. A gang of thugs backed by Russia is contending with another gang of thugs backed by the US and the EU for control of this bankrupt, historically problematic former Soviet republic. As the gateway to the oil … Continue reading “A World of Trouble”

At least 55 people were killed and 107 more were wounded in today’s attacks. Baghdad saw one significant bombers, but bombings and other violence was fairly widespread in the northern half of the country.

The problem with writing a weekly column is that when the new piece has finally appeared you have to sit right down and start thinking about what you might be able to do by the next deadline. Sometimes a story is obvious based on what is taking place in the world, but occasionally there is … Continue reading “That Old Clinton Foreign Policy Magic”

On February 15 at FPIF Focal Points, Rob Prince wrote, “At a moment when the only viable path open to resolving the Syrian conflict lies in a negotiated settlement between the Assad government and the legitimate opposition, two colleagues at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies, Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel of … Continue reading “Calls for US Military Intervention in Syria Re-surfacing”

At least 67 people were killed and 36 more were wounded in today’s violence. Many of the dead were militants; however not all of them were killed in Anbar province. Also, Turkish security forces and Kurdish rebels traded fire across the border, but no casualties were reported.

Last week Ukraine saw its worst violence since the breakup of the Soviet Union over 20 years ago. Protesters occupying the main square in the capitol city, Kiev, clashed with police leaving many protesters and police dead and many more wounded. It is an ongoing tragedy and it looks like there is no end in … Continue reading “Leave Ukraine Alone!”

Ukraine is exploding, and the force of the eruption may plunge not only the country but also Europe and the US into an abyss out of which there is no easy extrication. First, a primer for those who have missed the rapidly escalating events of the past few days: mobs of protesters have taken over … Continue reading “Coup in Kiev”

Last year, government contracting behemoth Boeing paid an effective tax rate of -1.4%. Yes, you read that correctly – negative 1.4%. According to a new report from the Center for Effective Government, one of America’s biggest corporations, with profits ranging from $1.6 to $5.9 billion over the last five years, found ways to whittle down … Continue reading “Step Right Up and See Boeing’s Amazing Shrinking Tax Rate!”