What’s labeled “cuts” aren’t necessarily actual cuts. They could just as easily mean slower increases.
Don’t Believe Defense Cuts Until You See Them
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War & Peace
South Sudan’s New Democracy
During the Cold War, Americans wondered if newborn African and Eastern European countries would become democracies. Now we assess how new democracies will live up to their professed democratic values. The world’s newest country, South Sudan, is in the unique position of being able to learn from and construct its constitution from countries that have already gone through the risky process of declaring freedom.
Jeju Island Activist Sung-Hee Choi Interviewed in Prison
Sung-Hee Choi’s parting words about her activism to her interviewer: “It is about love for the people who cannot speak now.”
Norway: The Enemy Within
Scandinavians have a dual reputation for tolerance and homogeneity: a population of pale, polite people who speak English perfectly. But that’s your grandfather’s Scandinavia. Over the last several decades, the region has become a great deal more diverse after a steady influx of immigrants from the east and south. And the tolerance has become considerably frayed with the more recent rise of several right-wing xenophobic parties.
Breivik’s Qutb
Anders Behring Breivik was influenced by the writing of a third-rate U.S. terrorism “expert.”
The Courtship of Iran and Pakistan
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari paid a second visit to Tehran last weekend after having been there only three weeks ago. Official reports by Pakistani and Iranian sources broadly characterized the visit as “part of the ongoing process to strengthen bilateral ties, step up consultations with countries in the region for peace and stability at a time when tension was developing in some parts and for promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and fighting militancy.” But this rationale hardly warrants two head-of-state level official visits in such a short span of time. After all, lower-level officials could have dealt with such concerns, as in the past.
Pakistan’s K — as in Kashmir — Street
The grand strategy of a Pakistan-funded Washington NGO is to offset the Indian lobby on Kashmir by targeting members of Congress who work on foreign affairs.
U.S. and Mexican Governments Continue to Brush Aside Perspectives of Drug War Victims
Public confidence in the Mexican army and judiciary has declined considerably. Meanwhile, 73 percent of Latin Americans perceive corruption among public officials as a widespread problem.
What Does Lowballing the Number of Dead Iraqi Civilians Tell Us About Ourselves?
It’s shameful how threatened officials and the media are by accurate estimates of how many civilians died in the Iraq War.
A Visit from the FBI
In October 2010, I took my car to my mechanic in Santa Clara for an oil change. As the mechanic was elevating the car on the hydraulic lift, I noticed that there was something like a piece of string or wire coming out from the back. Then, when the car was fully elevated, I noticed this black device under the back of the car. I asked the mechanic to pull it out, and he handed it to me. He was somewhat freaked out.