None of President Obama’s big policies in the Middle East have worked out as he hoped. That whole “fix the peace process by pushing the Israelis” thing turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. Coming into office, President Obama was sure he’d be able to straighten this out; he’s been the least effective president in […]

Less than two months ahead of the election, Obama is losing support from a surprising group: black pastors. As the Washington Post reports, a number of black pastors see the election as a choice between Obama’s support of same-sex marriage and Romney’s Mormonism, and are advising their congregants to skip the vote entirely. “When President Obama made the […]

The violent outburst of anti-Americanism that started around 9/11/12 continues to spread eastward across the Muslim world. At first a Sunni Arab phenomenon, the riots have now spread as far as Pakistan and Indonesia. Even Shia Hezbollah leader Nasrallah has come out in favor of the violence, in what appears to be a sad unity […]

Henrique Capriles, the biggest challenger to Hugo Chávez for the Venezuelan presidency, had a tricky time getting to his campaign rally last week. Fighting between rival supporters of the two candidates erupted when Chávez’s supporters cut off Capriles’s route from the airport to the rally. Capriles was then forced into a helicopter, followed by a […]

Pope Benedict XVI is earning his pay.He was on top form in Lebanon over the weekend, delivering a message of peace and prayer for the Near East. During the trip, he repeatedly argued for religious tolerance and chastised those who had succumbed to the temptation to commit acts of violence in the name of God. […]

The dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands continues to heat up, as nationalistic anti-Japanese protests are spreading across China in response to Tokyo’s purchase of the islands. In response, some Japanese firms have chosen to suspend operations at their factories in China. Reuters has the details: The weekend protests mainly targeted Japanese diplomatic missions but also shops, restaurants and car dealerships in […]

In less than 20 years, Amazon and other online shopping companies have revolutionized the way we shop. Books, electronics, airline tickets, and even diapers are all now easier to buy online.One industry, however, has largely held the line so far against the online shopping revolution: clothing. Given the importance of a good fit, physical stores where […]

U.S. officials are calling it a “minesweeping exercise” and saying it’s “not in response to any particular threat or any specific situation,” but some in Tehran might think otherwise. AFP reports: Naval forces from more than 30 countries were on Monday engaged in a massive minesweeping exercise in the Gulf, US officials said, amid Iranian […]

Turkey’s Kurdish problem is once again rearing its most unwelcome head, the FT reports: The [Turkish] general staff said late on Thursday it had deployed seven battalions – 5,000 troops – to Semdinli, a remote south-eastern area where Turkish authorities announced just a month ago they had successfully concluded a smaller military deployment.The offensive follows […]

For years, MBAs have ruled the roost as the most popular graduate degree in America. In 2010, CBS estimated that MBAs accounted for 22 percent of all master’s degrees for men, and 11 percent for women. But now, as with law degrees, the massive commitment of time and resources these degrees entail is scaring away prospective students.Business […]