Along with being similar societies with all the good; strong rule of law, secularism, and equality, the dark forces of mistaking religion for geographic culture, Islamophobia, and “othering” continue to divide.
A Popular President Visits New York City
In 20 minutes (social media flash-mob, you see) a surprisingly large crowd started to form on the street, gossip between strangers continued, and the human electricity in the restaurant charged.
National Artwork: Around the Roundel
Any country with an air force has roundels, even those who don’t own planes, and from a design and political perspective they’re fun. This study covers the most interesting examples.
Trump’s Islam Ban Shows How Not to Keep Us Safe
The stupidity of Trump’s showy, spiteful, move is more than geographic, it’s awful on legal and even efficacy grounds as well, and more complicated than it seems.
Walking a Tightrope to Qatar’s Future
Being citizens of a fantastically rich petro-state, Qataris do not have to work or innovate for money in the way other countries do: they are the ultimate rentiers whose tiny population has won the geological lottery.
Some Justice for an African Dachau?
Wikileaks cables provide a peek into the American view of Equatorial Guinea’s government in recent years: of the terrible corruption, unseemly ruling family, and general embarrassment to know.
Mass Psychosis in Manhattan. Again.
I live in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York, a trendy slice of South Manhattan which defines “gentrification”. Lots of tourists mix with a strong LGBT community of residents. The election hit Chelsea hard.
The Hidden Risks of Slaying Cambodian Monsters
If cushy exile is not automatic, when the retirement plan may not include a comfy villa, but rather a cell in The Hague or a Cambodian war crimes trial, why wouldn’t a dictator dig in his heels, garrison, and become more brutal?
Confessions of a Volunteer Attorney For the Hillary Campaign
I feel a very personal failing here: Did I not work hard enough at Clinton High Command in Brooklyn? Should I have volunteered more hours manning the phones? What about our ”Wonderful ground game?”
India Playing With Money, Playing With Lives
For a country trying to move forward, lift millions out of poverty, and attract investment, this abrupt collective punishment is a sad presage of India’s future under P.M. Modi.