The New York Daily News interviewed a neighbor of Mr. Constantino, who had a story to tell that is at odds with the Constantino family's statement that his self-immolation was "not a political act or statement, but the result of his long battle with mental illness." John Constantino "didn’t like the government for some reason," … Continue reading Is John Constantino’s story slowly emerging?

Famous historishan (like a historian, except you write about history-ish instead of history) and Very Important Opinion-Haver Niall Ferguson (FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm a big, big fan) has long had a beef with Paul Krugman, rooted in Krugman's repeated and offensive habit of pointing out that Ferguson doesn't know what the hell he's talking about most … Continue reading Like Nialls on a chalkboard

Details are starting to emerge about the man who died after setting himself on fire last Friday on the National Mall. His name was John Constantino, 64, of New Jersey, and his family says that he had been battling mental illness for some time and that "a clear motive may never emerge." They may be … Continue reading The man with no cause

In one sense I'm a little late to the story of the man who died after setting himself on fire on the National Mall on Friday, but in another sense I'm not, given that almost nobody is talking about it. Self-immolation as political protest (an act that has a long history) is increasingly common worldwide, … Continue reading Are we really not going to talk about the guy who set himself on fire?

I stopped doing daily updates on Iraq because I'd run out of things to say apart from reporting casualty figures, and there are better places to check for that kind of thing. But the situation there is still awful: While July is still the month with the highest death toll at 1,057, September was not … Continue reading Iraq continues to suffer while being mostly ignored

Republican nihilist House member, a couple of days ago: “We’re not going to be disrespected,” conservative Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., [told the Washington Examiner]. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.” Influential DC journalist/pundit, in February (via, well, me, if you must know): 2. Which side's approach … Continue reading Spot the difference between the Republican and the reporter

Apparently the Obama Administration and Secretary Clinton "botched" the chance for a peace agreement on Syria a year ago by taking too hard a line on Assad, or so says the National Journal: Former members of [former UN Syria envoy Kofi] Annan’s negotiating team say that after then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian … Continue reading Your “Syria Peace Deal” seems to be missing something…oh, right, it’s missing Syrians.

There are two organizations here in DC that don't get as much attention as they deserve and not nearly as much money as they need. They're called the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), and their mission is to work with local partners all over the world on behalf of the … Continue reading Good government begins at home, and we’re fresh out of it

Jim White at emptywheel wonders if Jabhat al-Nusrah is about to become "the next MEK." MEK, if you're unfamiliar, is a left-wing Iranian revolutionary/terrorist group that calls itself the "People's Mujahedin," or Mujahedin-e Khalq (hence MEK). It originated in the 1960s as part of the leftist opposition to the Shah, but in the aftermath of … Continue reading The enemy of my enemy is… (Syria and Iran)

A lot of attention is being paid to a joint statement made yesterday by thirteen Syrian rebel groups, who formally rejected the authority of the Syrian National Coalition, the (mostly self-proclaimed, although the US and Arab League, among others, recognize them as legitimate) "government-in-exile" awaiting Assad's overthrow from their headquarters in Istanbul (there's been talk … Continue reading On exiles and expats, and why nobody really likes the Syrian National Coalition