Pro- and anti-Assad forces are engaged in a bitter fight not only within Syria, but outside it too, and Lebanon, not surprisingly, is once again a proxy battleground for troubles in the Levant.Street fighting erupted in Tripoli, on Lebanon’s northern coast, between Sunni Muslim and Alawite communities this weekend. Automatic weapons fire and rocket-propelled grenades […]

Millions of Americans will get new health coverage under Obamacare, which means that millions of new patients will need doctors—specifically, primary care providers. According to the Washington Post, Obamacare will require almost 30,000 new primary care physicians by 2015.Unfortunately, primary care is the road less traveled through medical school, less lucrative and prestigious than the […]

Liberal activists called for a day of strikes and protests in Egypt over the weekend. Only a few people turned out, to “very little impact,” reports the BBC: Strikes at universities attracted small numbers of protesters, and public transport in Cairo ran as normal……there was no disruption at Egypt’s airports.The industrial action also had no […]

During the worst days of the recession, many warned of coming catastrophes in state and local governments, whose massive revenue losses were supposed to force draconian cuts in employment and services. Only Federal aid could avert disaster in America’s states and cities.Maybe Washington should hold on to its money. A new story in USA Today […]

Turkey’s evolving foreign policy toward Syria remained the central topic covered by the press this week. Outcries over escalating violence and Russia and China’s veto of the recent UN Security Council resolution were followed by an endorsement of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s statement on Monday that Turkey would shelter all fleeing Syrian refugees. Prime Minister […]

Over the past several years, American envy of Asia’s manufacturing boom has gone mainstream. Each new factory and infrastructure project in China or India seems to remind Americans of the glory days of U.S. manufacturing.We should be careful what we wish for: A new Reuters report warns that Indian manufacturing capacity may be outpacing demand. […]

With the economic picture in China looking cloudier by the day, party leaders in Beijing appear to be getting a bit desperate. The FT reported today that Beijing has ordered Chinese banks to roll over government loans to local governments for up to four years. These loans, given to local governments at the height of […]

Over the past few months, European leaders have begun to question the commitment of Greek politicians to the painful austerity programs that have massive numbers of Greeks taking to the streets. Lately, it seems their fears may have been misplaced. A vote yesterday over proposed cuts passed the chamber, and both major parties took a […]

The embassy of Turkey is located at 2525 Massachusetts Avenue in the core of a region of Northwest DC known as Embassy Row. The compound’s bright and lively architecture stands in stark contrast to the gray block structures across the street, representing the Indian, Japanese, and South Korean embassies. The compound is accessed through a […]

I’ve promised to write about the surveillance drone that I’ve been building over the past couple of months. I have always wanted to have my own drone that could send back a live video feed. This is partly inspired by products like the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, which is currently in use by the US military, […]