The breathless news coverage of the minuscule number of people in the United States that have so far contracted the Ebola virus has led to a typical irrational response in some quarters. For example, schools have been closed, and the public and thus some politicians...
Terrorism and ‘The True Believer’
"A mass movement," wrote Eric Hoffer in The True Believer, "appeals not to those intent on bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but to those who crave to be rid of an unwanted self. "Their innermost craving is for a new life – a rebirth – or, failing this, a...
Bombers Attack Civilian and Security Targets Across Iraq, 317 Killed
‘We Can’t Have Perpetual War’: The Realism of Rand Paul
Senator Rand Paul is everywhere: campaigning for Republican candidates during the crucial midterm elections, on Fox News explaining to Hannity why going into Iraq with ground troops is a mistake, teaming up with Cory Booker to call for reform of federal sentencing...
Why Do We Keep Thanking the Troops?
More than a few times I’ve found myself in a crowd of Vietnam veterans, and more than a few times at least one of them was wearing a curious blue or yellow t-shirt. Once that shirt undoubtedly fit a lean physique of the late 1970s or early 1980s, but by the time I saw...
Once-Peaceful Canada Turns Militaristic – Blowback Follows
In 1968 the government of Canada decided to openly admit Americans seeking to avoid being drafted into the US war on Vietnam. Before, would-be immigrants were technically required to prove that they had been discharged from US military service. This move made it...
Iraq Battles Leave 238 Dead
716 Killed As Army and Peshmerga Forces Liberate Iraq Towns
Bury the Bomb Before It Buries Us
A quarter century after the Cold War ended, the people of the world are now entering a dangerous era of improved and more accurate nuclear weapons and faster, more precise delivery systems at a time of growing antagonism between Washington and Moscow and potential...
Two Parades and a Drone
Whereas there was at least some humor in the grim reality of Bosnia's general elections – which, by the way, returned mostly expected results (Economist's wishful thinking aside) – the situation in neighboring Serbia this autumn of 2014 has been all grim and no funny....