When I was in high school and college, I used to wonder about people of my parents' generation and earlier who could tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. Surely they don't completely remember something that happened 30+ years ago, … Continue reading 9/11 + 14 years
Month: September 2015
Like Obamacare on steroids
As Democrats have accumulated enough votes to defeat, one way or another, a Congressional vote to reject the Iran deal, it's started to look like the deal might become the foreign policy version of Obamacare, with deal opponents repeatedly trying to pick the deal apart piece by piece in an infinite number of future votes. … Continue reading Like Obamacare on steroids
“How” matters more than “what”
Suddenly campaign finance reform is all the rage in the Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton is the latest to make the issue a key part of her pitch to voters, and I suppose that's a good thing, inasmuch as we know that the heavy influx of private money into our political system is a very bad … Continue reading “How” matters more than “what”
Is that a promise?
Or is it supposed to be a threat, somehow? Conservative pundit Glenn Beck said Tuesday that he had received an email from Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) vowing to quit his Congress if the Iran deal went through. Beck read the email on air during his radio show. "I just got an email from Louie Gohmert. … Continue reading Is that a promise?
Counting to 42
Sorry for the late posting, but it's been a very long day and I've been away from my computer for most of it. While yours truly was taking a break, Maryland's Barbara Mikulski became the 34th Democratic Senator to declare support for the Iran deal, which means that President Obama's promised veto of a planned … Continue reading Counting to 42
Today in European history: the Albanian Revolt of 1912 ends
Albania finally declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire on November 28, 1912, during the First Balkan War. But the outcome of the ~8 month long 1912 Albanian Revolt, which ended on September 4, 1912, with the Ottomans acceding to almost all of the the rebels’ demands, was the immediate cause of that subsequent war … Continue reading Today in European history: the Albanian Revolt of 1912 ends
Today in Middle Eastern History: the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260)
In 1260, the Mongols were near the height of their power and reach, particularly in the Middle East. In less than 10 years, Mongol armies had stormed through Iran and Iraq, crushing the notorious “Assassins” sect and ending the Abbasid Caliphate in the process. They’d even invaded northern India several times but for multiple reasons—including that … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern History: the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260)
Happy 44th birthday to Qatar!
(Reminder: I'm on a break this week) On September 3, 1971, the tiny but incredibly wealthy Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar gained its independence from the UK as part of an overall British withdrawal from the Gulf (Bahrain and the emirates of the United Arab Emirates also stopped being UK protectorates in the same year). … Continue reading Happy 44th birthday to Qatar!
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Treaty of Jaffa ends the Third Crusade (1192)
So, the Third Crusade. While the First Crusade was undoubtedly the most successful of the numbered Crusades, this is the one I assume most of us envision when we hear the word “Crusades.” After all, it produced probably the two most enduringly famous Crusader figures in history—Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, whose rivalry became legendary … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Treaty of Jaffa ends the Third Crusade (1192)
Today in North African history: the 1969 Libyan coup
The Arab world experienced quite a number of coups in the 1950s and 1960s. Syria went through three coups in 1949 alone—yes, OK, that isn’t the 1950s, but it’s close enough—and another in 1951. Egypt had a major one in 1952—perhaps you’ve heard about that one. Then Syria had another in 1954, Iraq had one … Continue reading Today in North African history: the 1969 Libyan coup
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 