Turkey’s President: Short Term Victory, Long Term Trouble

When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a presidential and parliamentary election June 24—jumping the gun by more than a year—the outcome seemed foreordained: the country is under a state of emergency, Erdogan has imprisoned more than 50,000 of his opponents, dismissed 140,000 from their jobs, jailed a presidential candidate, and launched an … Continue reading Turkey’s President: Short Term Victory, Long Term Trouble

The Rise of the Middle in the Era of “Hybrid” Politics

[Daniel Wagner] Not so long ago, voting age Americans were either Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, and a climate change denier or a bunny hugger. It was deemed safe to stake out a position at one end of the political spectrum or the other, under the assumption that most people were not “lost” somewhere … Continue reading The Rise of the Middle in the Era of “Hybrid” Politics

New Alliance Could Re-shape Middle East

An unusual triple alliance is emerging from the Syrian war, one that could alter the balance of power in the Middle East, unhinge the NATO alliance, and complicate the Trump administration’s designs on Iran. It might also lead to yet another double cross of one of the region’s largest ethnic groups, the Kurds. However, the … Continue reading New Alliance Could Re-shape Middle East

‘Why, This Isn’t Cuba’

[David Swanson] Back in the 1890s those who believed conquering a continent was killing enough (without taking over Hawaii, the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc.) included Speaker of the House Thomas Reed. He clipped an article out of a newspaper about a lynching in South Carolina. He clipped a headline about “Another Outrage in Cuba.” … Continue reading ‘Why, This Isn’t Cuba’

Indonesia’s Inadequate Protections for Migrant Workers

[Muhammad Zulifikar Rakhmat] A month ago, on March 18, Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded Muhammad Zaini Misrin, a 53-year-old Indonesian driver despite pleas for clemency by President Joko Widodo. Zaini, who allegedly killed his employer in 2004, went to his death insisting he was not guilty. Migrant Care, an Indonesian organization focusing on the welfare of … Continue reading Indonesia’s Inadequate Protections for Migrant Workers

Achieving Global Risk Agility

[Daniel Wagner] A tornado does not plan in advance where and when it will strike. A cyber or terrorist attack, by contrast, is not a random event. While large organizations can often shield themselves from the financial consequences of many risks, the ensuing reputational harm can irrecoverably erode market share and stakeholder trust. Small to … Continue reading Achieving Global Risk Agility

Had Enough of Our Broken Political System?

[Daniel Wagner] If you are like me, you have had enough of just about everything that America’s current political system represents, such as institutionalized and legalized corruption, nepotism, and ‘career’ politicians. Both the Democrats and Republicans are guilty of perpetuating a terribly broken system, and neither of them appear to be interested in changing the … Continue reading Had Enough of Our Broken Political System?

Cold, Yet Beautiful, Arctic Might Become Target of War Machines

[Bahauddin Foizee] If the disputes over the control of Arctic resources are not resolved quickly, they could turn into a larger military conflict that would not just involve the Arctic countries, but would also drag a larger part of the world into this conflict.

Don’t Count on History to Predict the Future

[Daniel Wagner] Pollsters, stock pickers, and political prognosticators have been spectacularly wrong in their predictions in the recent past—so frequently that doing so has become the norm. Their overreliance on historical performance to attempt to predict the future has often proven to be fallacious. Twenty years ago they might have been justified in presuming that … Continue reading Don’t Count on History to Predict the Future

Militarization’s Brutal Assault on the Environment

[Bahauddin Foizee] Wars and militarization around the globe have been seriously impacting the environment of not only the war-torn countries, but also the other countries around the globe.

China Cannot Have it Both Ways

[Daniel Wagner] At last year’s opening ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party’s Nineteenth Congress, President Xi Jinping proclaimed his belief that China was on the precipice of becoming a great global power. He declared that China was no longer a poor country. Indeed, having lifted the vast majority of its citizens out of poverty, China … Continue reading China Cannot Have it Both Ways