As the world struggles to understand where the new Turkey is headed (something Turkey itself may not know for sure), it looks not only at Turkey’s relationship with Israel — getting worse — but at Turkey’s more general approach to the Jews.And there is some good news this week; as the NYT reports, Turkish government […]

The conflict that threatens to rip Nigeria apart is about a lot of things.  There is ethnicity: the Hausa and their allies dominate much of the the north, the Yoruba are strong in the south west, and the Igbo are strong in the south east. They speak different languages, have different histories, and want different […]

Aspiring Billy Elliots in London may soon have a school of their own, says the BBC. To be called the “Class Free School,” the school for boys 11 to 16 hopes to open in London in September 2013.School reform is moving quickly in the UK.  Under proposals from the coalition government, teachers, principals, community groups […]

Thousands of Russians recently took to the streets to voice their opposition to the prospect of a further six (perhaps twelve) years under the grip of Vladamir Putin’s rule at the Kremlin. Many of the protestors chanted for a more democratic government and a more open society. But not everyone who hates the Putin-Medvedev team […]

Each day that goes by gives the White House more reason to regret its Libyan adventure. The overthrow of Gaddafi was a good thing, but from both the humanitarian and strategic points of view, nothing has changed. The war continues to look at best like a diversion, at worst as if the US fell for […]

Yesterday, the Iranians threatened to call what they hope is Europe’s bluff.  Today, Israel is musing out loud whether it is Iran that is bluffing.The EU recently announced plans to embargo oil shipments (starting in six months) while admitting that, due to Greek and Italian dependence on Iranian supplies, the boycott can’t start immediately.  Iran […]

In his forthcoming book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, Charles Murray argues that A new upper class that makes decisions affecting the lives of everyone else but increasingly doesn’t know much about how everybody else lives is vulnerable to making mistakes.…As the new upper class increasingly consists of people who were born into […]

In many respects, this year’s list of ten trends paints a chaotic picture of the next decade: exacerbating economic upheaval, religious conflict and mass proliferation of weapons hardly constitute a reassuring forecast for the coming years. Fortunately, the list will once again end on a high note; for all the hand-wringing about the obstacles to […]

Is there something wrong with the Boston-Cambridge water supply? Via Meadia has written previously about the plague of so-called “awesome” courses in the academies that nestle along the banks of the Charles. To understand the failures of our higher educational system, one need look no further than college classes on topics ranging from “Puppetry” to […]

The Obama Administration may soon come to an agreement with Philippines to station U.S. troops or naval vessels on its territory. The talks are still in the early stages, but officials from both countries have said they are inclined to strike a deal within the next few months.An agreement with Manila would come close on […]