The Washington Post reports on a phenomenon that Via Meadia and others have long observed: As the civil war drags on in Syria, the brutalized opposition to Butcher Assad is accepting help from increasingly unsavory elements. The al-Qaeda-approved Jabhat al-Nusra has now joined the rebels as a key fighting force in Damascus and Aleppo. Its men “fight […]

The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan is heating up. The biggest anti-Japan protests in years erupted in China this weekend in response to 150 Japanese activists who attended a commemoration for Japan’s war dead there, reports the Financial Times: Chinese protestors gathered in dozens of cities, in some cases vandalising Japanese-made cars and retail […]

So far, Asia has been a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy global economic outlook. Is that about to change? The Wall Street Journal sees some worrying signs: Koreans are buying fewer cars. Chinese consumers are cutting back on new clothes. There aren’t as many shoppers lining up outside Louis Vuitton boutiques in Hong Kong. Bets […]

After promising a prime plot of land in central Colombo for an Indian cultural center, the Sri Lankan government has backtracked and sold the land to China’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer, which maintains close ties to Pakistan’s military. Surprised at the slight, India’s high commission lodged a “strong” protest with the Sri Lankan government.Though the Chinese […]

Galilee was the scene of many of the most important moments in the life of Jesus Christ, from the miraculous transformation of water into wine at the wedding in Cana, to his walking on water on the Sea of Galilee. Not that we expect them to walk on water, but some Republican congressmen and staffers […]

As any parent can tell you, the start of the school year seems to creep earlier and earlier every year. Not long ago, Labor Day was the starting line; now it’s more like mid-August. Last weekend, the Wall Street Journal examined the pros and cons of the lengthening school year. The cons are clear: less family […]

A legend in his own mind, Russian television propagandist Julian Assange has asked the United States to stop its “witch hunt” against whistleblowers. The self-important tone of his speech speaks volumes: As Wikileaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all our societies. We must use this moment to articulate […]

This past weekend, the Romney campaign made its first attempt to introduce the American people to Mormonism, and through that to start actively defining their candidate in a way that voters might find sympathetic. The New York Times reports: On Sunday, for the first time since Mr. Romney became a candidate for president, his aides invited members of […]

Our guest contributors this week were lighting up the place. Roger Berkowitz argued (somewhat contra the WRM take) that Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running-mate actually won’t make this election more consequential and ideas-based than previous ones, but will rather deepen the sharp partisan divide and heighten the cynicism plaguing our government: We have […]

Thomas Jefferson, writing about the furor over slavery that led to the Missouri Compromise, likened it to “a fire bell in the night” warning of grave trouble ahead for the Union. That is what the panic of northeastern Indians in cities like Bangalore and Chennai is for India: it reminds the country of the powder keg […]