Nigeria’s national borders were drawn by British colonial officials after WWII. Since then, nothing but tension and violence, interspersed with periods of relative calm, have characterized the relationship between Nigeria’s religious and tribal groups. Several times since independence, conflicts have escalated into civil war or efforts by one group or another to form their own […]

The former president of Harvard put forward some important thoughts on higher education in a speech to the New York Times Schools for Tomorrow conference. He proposes six “guesses and hopes.” Here’s a quick excerpt: Suppose the educational system is drastically altered to reflect the structure of society and what we now understand about how […]

For years the punditocracy has been analyzing American decline. Dynamic Asia, united Europe, exciting BRICs: they’ve all been hailed as the new leaders in the world economy. America, wounded in the Middle East, victimized by its outmoded “Anglo-Saxon” capitalist model, deindustrialized beyond hope or repair, was toast.But a funny thing happened on the way to […]

One of my earliest memories is of an incident in the kindergarten of my childhood in Vienna. I must have been at most five years old. I was supposed to speak a line in a play about which I have no memory. All I remember is that I was wearing a top hat and was […]

The cover story for the next issue of The American Interest has just been released on the homepage: Walter Mead on “The Once and Future Liberalism.”Check it out here.

The EU’s pledge to ban Iranian oil imports in six months is confusing everyone.  Iran for one can’t decide whether to worry or gloat.  Reuters has Iran’s response: Emad Hosseini, spokesman for parliament’s energy committee, said that if Iran encountered any problem selling its oil, it would store it. “If we don’t export our oil […]

Via Meadia has looked at how teleconference technology may save the planet. Can it also provide education to poor children in the inner city? According to a recent New York Times piece, it can. The Times reports that JPMorgan Chase has launched a new remote tutoring program in which volunteers tutor children in dangerous or […]

The Olympics, like the world, is a complicated field of winners and losers. Some countries win often: the U.S. mens’ 400-meter swimming relay team has won thirteen straight times, a streak going back to 1960. Other countries are accustomed to losing: the Central African Republic has never won any medal. Still other countries win some […]

Via Meadia has already discussed the massive pension scam unfolding in Minnesota, but readers in Connecticut can stop gloating — an even bigger pension mess may be heading your way. A recent CBS story reported that Connecticut’s Governor has announced plans to deal with the funding of woefully underfunded state pension plans. The story should […]

This morning Via Meadia commented on China’s buildup of naval power. Anxious not to be left behind, India has just taken possession of a Russian nuclear submarine. According to the BBC, a second, Indian-built nuclear sub will be ocean-ready later this year.An important lesson for Asia-watchers in this new historical period: Despite warm relations with […]