The Fourth Crusade is for me, in many ways, the Crusadiest of all the Crusades. Sure, the First Crusade actually achieved its goal, which you can’t really say about any of the others in any serious sense, and other Crusades produced quintessential Crusading heroes like Richard the Lionheart and Saint Louis. But overall the Crusades … Continue reading Today in European history: the Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople (1204)
Author: DWD
writer, blogger, lover, fighter
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Dayr al-Aqul (876)
The Saffarid Dynasty ruled much of modern Iran and Afghanistan, and part of modern Pakistan, starting in the mid-860s through roughly 901, and then continued to control a small principality in Sistan until the start of the 11th century. They’re not heavily emphasized in Middle Eastern or Iranian history because they were so ephemeral (their … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Dayr al-Aqul (876)
Corrections, 10 Downing Street Edition
I have to cop to a failure here: on Tuesday, when I tried to very superficially summarize the Panama Papers leak, I noted that the two biggest stories coming out of the document dump so far were the revelations about Vladimir Putin's potentially massive illicit financial network and the resignation of Iceland's prime minister. But … Continue reading Corrections, 10 Downing Street Edition
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Fariskur (1250)
Here is the eagerly (?) awaited conclusion to February’s story of the Seventh Crusade’s Battle of Mansurah. When last we left our plucky yet doomed Crusaders, under the command of the very willing but not really able Louis IX of France (d. 1270), they’d suffered a decisive defeat at Mansurah and were sent scrambling back across … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Fariskur (1250)
I’ve been writing stuff
I kind of went on a hiatus from the blog there, didn't I? That was unplanned; when I said I wasn't going to be blogging as much I didn't mean "not at all." I think I just needed a break. Anyway, while I was away I wrote a couple of things that might be of … Continue reading I’ve been writing stuff
Model citizen, zero discipline
People who lived through the 1980s will understand the title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NshzYK9y0 The big story for the past couple of days has been the massive leak of the so-called "Panama Papers," a trove of records exposing sketchy financial dealings by people who have more money and political stroke than you or me. You can find any … Continue reading Model citizen, zero discipline
Easter nightmare in Pakistan
First off, Happy Easter to those who are celebrating it today (Orthodox Christians won't celebrate it until May 1). Unfortunately, Easter Sunday has been turned into a horror story for people living in the Pakistani city of Lahore: A suicide bomber killed at least 65 people and injured more than 280 others, mostly women and … Continue reading Easter nightmare in Pakistan
Today in European history: the (third) Siege of Algeciras ends (1344)
Modern Algeciras is the main city on the Bay of Gibraltar and one of the busiest commercial ports in Europe. It's pretty old, too, having been founded by Berber-Arab invaders all the way back in 711. "Algeciras" is a European corruption of the city's original name, al-Jazirah al-Khadra ("the green island"). And, if we're being … Continue reading Today in European history: the (third) Siege of Algeciras ends (1344)
Talking about the thing we never talk about
Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the Maalbeek metro station and Zaventem airport in Brussels killed 34 people (including three perpetrators) and injured another 300, many critically. This was the worst violence that Belgium has seen since the Second World War. It was a despicable act, and many of us here in the US have expressed and … Continue reading Talking about the thing we never talk about
Security theater in action
The terrorist attack on the Zeventem Airport in Brussels yesterday targeted one of the softest spots in the entire transportation system: the security queue at any major airport. Our "shoes off, belt off, take out your laptop, measure your liquids, put your left foot in and shake it all about" security screening process creates another … Continue reading Security theater in action
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 