Remember how our friends, the moderate Syrian rebels, got mad at the U.S. for bombing targets associated with Jabhat al-Nusra in addition to ISIS targets, because they all said that Nusra was their ally against Assad (and let's not lose sight of what a blood-stained madman he is) and ISIS? Well, either those moderates seriously … Continue reading Is the battlefield shifting again in Syria?

As a matter of principle, I agree with Gabriel Arana when he writes this (fair warning, this is Bill Maher-related): But he should speak at Berkeley. I won’t argue that prejudice against Muslims isn’t "dangerous." But bad ideas, like family secrets, are less harmful when exposed. In this case, Maher's views should be aired and … Continue reading Staring down prejudice in your cap and gown

Jeffrey Goldberg may believe that "relations between the Obama and Netanyahu governments have moved toward a full-blown crisis," but for me I'm going to wait until somebody in the Obama administration actually does something more than say naughty swears about the Israeli PM before I'll believe it. Hey, if anybody at the White House is … Continue reading We’re being governed by children, part 2

My daughter has one of these freaking things, and I feel very comfortable assuming that this isn't the only time this has happened:

In this case, John Boehner. Speaker of the House isn't exactly a diplomacy-heavy job, I'll grant you, but come on: I’m not sure which is worse: the notion that House Speaker John Boehner says ridiculous things to get votes or that the Ohio Republican actually believes his own rhetoric.Take yesterday, for example. As Jay Bookman … Continue reading We’re being governed by children

You can find it at Medium: If you’re reading this in the United States, it would be understandable if any or all of the above was news to you. Here, instead of focusing on leading an international relief effort (an Ebola Marshall Plan, if you like) to contain and mitigate the Ebola outbreak in West … Continue reading My unhinged rant about Ebola

Joshua Keating asks an important question: "Do We Have to Sell Out Human Rights to Get a Nuclear Deal With Iran?" Observing that Hassan Rouhani's moderate politics either don't or (more likely) can't extend far beyond the nuclear brief and the reintegration of Iran into the international community, Keating is wondering whether improving relations with … Continue reading No more than we already have

Just to prove that I'm not one of those liberals (whoever they are, I mean Sam Harris and Bill Maher said they exist so obviously they must really exist and not just be made up) who ignores the Islamic world's massive problem with gender relations, let's talk about a remarkable protest movement that began last … Continue reading Iran reckons with its misogynist vice groups

It's estimated that over 100,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar over the past two years in the face of state-condoned hostility from Rakhine State's Buddhist majority. over the past two weeks about 900 Rohingya a day have been boarding ships to sail someplace, anyplace, else, Thailand usually, and many more have attempted to make … Continue reading Good read on the continuing plight of the Rohingya

Amidst this fantastic New York Times report on the conditions under which James Foley and his fellow Daesh captives were held, we learn that not only did the extremist group torture its prisoners, but that it did so in ways that explicitly echoed American treatment of suspected terrorist detainees: At one point, their jailers arrived … Continue reading One reason why torture matters