There is a logical fallacy that dominates European neoliberal “thinking” at the moment. It goes like this. “Hitler had unlimited territorial ambition and proceeded to attempt conquest of all Europe after annexing the Sudetenland. Therefore Putin has unlimited territorial ambition … The post The Moral Balance. “Pathetic Propaganda” Directed against Putin. Craig Murray appeared first on Global Research.

The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel. The post Trump and Putin agree to start peace negotiations in the Middle East ‘immediately’ appeared first on World Israel News.

The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel. The post Trump and Putin agree to start peace negotiations in the Middle East ‘immediately’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Немачка, Велика Британија и Француска желе да наставе рат у Украјини, јер имају прокси режиме, који су повезани са демократском странком у САД и представницима Обамине и Бајденове политике . . . . . То је био први званични рат … The post Народ не сме да дозволи да НВО раде против Србије. Мишел Чосудовски appeared first on Global Research.

The proposal discussed by Segal echoes one that was put forward last month by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who said Israel should seize areas of Gaza if the hostages are not returned.  The post Influential journalist: Israel will annex a part of Gaza for every hostage harmed appeared first on World Israel News.

The proposal discussed by Segal echoes one that was put forward last month by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who said Israel should seize areas of Gaza if the hostages are not returned.  The post Influential journalist: Israel will annex a part of Gaza for every hostage harmed appeared first on World Israel News.

The Tikva Forum of Hostages' Families greeted the news of renewed strikes in Gaza and said they approved of the government's action. The post ‘My brother is still in hell’: Hostage families divided on renewed military action in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

The Tikva Forum of Hostages' Families greeted the news of renewed strikes in Gaza and said they approved of the government's action. The post ‘My brother is still in hell’: Hostage families divided on renewed military action in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

'The IDF will continue to operate against the Hamas terrorist organization and remove any threat to the State of Israel,' the Israeli military stated. The post IDF eliminates head of Hamas government and three other senior officials in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

'The IDF will continue to operate against the Hamas terrorist organization and remove any threat to the State of Israel,' the Israeli military stated. The post IDF eliminates head of Hamas government and three other senior officials in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

This week, President Trump deported over 260 individuals, including 137 Tren de Aragua members, to El Salvador, despite a federal judge's order to halt such actions,. The post WATCH: El Salvador receives 260 violent gang members deported from the U.S. appeared first on World Israel News.

This week, President Trump deported over 260 individuals, including 137 Tren de Aragua members, to El Salvador, despite a federal judge's order to halt such actions,. The post WATCH: El Salvador receives 260 violent gang members deported from the U.S. appeared first on World Israel News.

Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, 'The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.' The post IDF shoots down Houthi missile from Yemen appeared first on World Israel News.

Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, 'The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.' The post IDF shoots down Houthi missile from Yemen appeared first on World Israel News.

His death comes amid a wider Israeli operation targeting Hamas and PIJ commanders, aimed at crippling the terror networks operating from Gaza. The post Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza killed in Israeli airstrikes appeared first on World Israel News.

His death comes amid a wider Israeli operation targeting Hamas and PIJ commanders, aimed at crippling the terror networks operating from Gaza. The post Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza killed in Israeli airstrikes appeared first on World Israel News.

Iranian political commentator Emad Abshenas stated that American foreign policy is rooted in deception and that sanctions are ineffective against Iran and driving multiple nations—from Japan to Saudi Arabia—to seek nuclear weapons. The post WATCH: Iranian political commentator – ‘Trump’s policies push countries toward acquiring nuclear weapons’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Iranian political commentator Emad Abshenas stated that American foreign policy is rooted in deception and that sanctions are ineffective against Iran and driving multiple nations—from Japan to Saudi Arabia—to seek nuclear weapons. The post WATCH: Iranian political commentator – ‘Trump’s policies push countries toward acquiring nuclear weapons’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Ever since Trump took office, there’s been a civil war in Chicago between ICE immigration authorities who have arrested hundreds of illegal alien criminals and Mayor Johnson, the Chicago City Council and their political allies who are conspiring to block those arrests. The post Mayor Johnson terrorizes Chicago to protect illegal alien criminals appeared first on World Israel News.

Ever since Trump took office, there’s been a civil war in Chicago between ICE immigration authorities who have arrested hundreds of illegal alien criminals and Mayor Johnson, the Chicago City Council and their political allies who are conspiring to block those arrests. The post Mayor Johnson terrorizes Chicago to protect illegal alien criminals appeared first on World Israel News.

The guidelines all aim to prevent the University of Amsterdam from 'contributing to violations of human rights, misuse of knowledge for undesirable military purposes or serious damage to the environment through educational or research collaborations,' said the administration. The post University of Amsterdam ends student exchange with Hebrew U, saying it’s complicit with Israeli military appeared first on World Israel News.

The guidelines all aim to prevent the University of Amsterdam from 'contributing to violations of human rights, misuse of knowledge for undesirable military purposes or serious damage to the environment through educational or research collaborations,' said the administration. The post University of Amsterdam ends student exchange with Hebrew U, saying it’s complicit with Israeli military appeared first on World Israel News.

Over the past 24 hours, the IDF and Shin Bet have launched strikes across Gaza, targeting Hamas and PIJ terrorist cells, rocket launch sites, weapons stockpiles, and military infrastructure used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces and civilians. The post WATCH: IDF releases footage of initial wave of strikes in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

Over the past 24 hours, the IDF and Shin Bet have launched strikes across Gaza, targeting Hamas and PIJ terrorist cells, rocket launch sites, weapons stockpiles, and military infrastructure used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces and civilians. The post WATCH: IDF releases footage of initial wave of strikes in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

The IDF has committed $6.2 million toward training and infrastructure, while the Eshkol Regional Council has allocated land for a dedicated training facility to make this a long-term reality. The post Israel’s post-Oct. 7 civil defense revolution appeared first on World Israel News.

The IDF has committed $6.2 million toward training and infrastructure, while the Eshkol Regional Council has allocated land for a dedicated training facility to make this a long-term reality. The post Israel’s post-Oct. 7 civil defense revolution appeared first on World Israel News.

By integrating Wiz’s technology, Google aims to bolster its cybersecurity capabilities, positioning itself to better compete with industry leaders like Amazon, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike. The post Google to acquire Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz in record $32 billion deal appeared first on World Israel News.

By integrating Wiz’s technology, Google aims to bolster its cybersecurity capabilities, positioning itself to better compete with industry leaders like Amazon, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike. The post Google to acquire Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz in record $32 billion deal appeared first on World Israel News.

A Hezbollah terrorist noticed he was being followed by an IDF drone and deliberately loaded weapons into vehicles to transport them to Hezbollah strongholds but was struck by a missile for violating the ceasefire. The post WATCH: Hezbollah terrorist eliminated after mocking Israeli recon drone appeared first on World Israel News.

A Hezbollah terrorist noticed he was being followed by an IDF drone and deliberately loaded weapons into vehicles to transport them to Hezbollah strongholds but was struck by a missile for violating the ceasefire. The post WATCH: Hezbollah terrorist eliminated after mocking Israeli recon drone appeared first on World Israel News.

After IDF resumes war in Gaza, bombing dozens of Hamas positions, Ankara accuses Israel of ‘genocide policy,’ demands international community ‘take a decisive stance against Israel’ and impose a permanent ceasefire. The post Accusing Israel of genocide, Turkey calls to force permanent Gaza ceasefire appeared first on World Israel News.

After IDF resumes war in Gaza, bombing dozens of Hamas positions, Ankara accuses Israel of ‘genocide policy,’ demands international community ‘take a decisive stance against Israel’ and impose a permanent ceasefire. The post Accusing Israel of genocide, Turkey calls to force permanent Gaza ceasefire appeared first on World Israel News.

In 1987, a homeless woman named Joyce Brown was forcibly hospitalized by the City of New York. Brown had been seen on the streets urinating, defecating, running into traffic, and tearing apart dollar bills — and when offered food or shelter, she usually refused. With the help of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Brown

Israel’s prime minister gathers security chiefs at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv to deliberate on Gaza invasion plans, even as Israeli official says Jerusalem prepared to end fighting ‘at any point’ if Hamas serious about hostage talks. The post Netanyahu mulls full invasion of Gaza, ‘total war’ – leaves door open to ‘serious’ hostage talks appeared first on World Israel News.

Israel’s prime minister gathers security chiefs at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv to deliberate on Gaza invasion plans, even as Israeli official says Jerusalem prepared to end fighting ‘at any point’ if Hamas serious about hostage talks. The post Netanyahu mulls full invasion of Gaza, ‘total war’ – leaves door open to ‘serious’ hostage talks appeared first on World Israel News.

“Years of silence lead to a minute of silence.” It was one of the most frequently shared phrases on social media, the day after fifty-nine people died in Kočani, a small town in the east of North Macedonia, in a fire at what looks like an improvised nightclub. Some 162 others were injured, with twenty-two

Video: Is the Ukraine War Unconstitutional? Interview with Sergey Lavrov By Richard C. Cook, Sergey Lavrov, Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, and et al., March 14, 2025 Lavrov made it crystal clear that his government views the … The post Selected Articles: Video: Is the Ukraine War Unconstitutional? Interview with Sergey Lavrov appeared first on Global Research.

A mídia ocidental aparentemente já está anunciando o “fim” do governo de Zelensky na Ucrânia. Os principais jornais ocidentais, que até então apoiavam incondicionalmente o ditador ucraniano, agora apontam para a queda inevitável de seu governo, adaptando claramente suas narrativas … The post Mídia ocidental sugere que Zelensky será substituído. appeared first on Global Research.

Em 11 de março, o regime de Kiev lançou um ataque massivo de drones suicidas contra a região de Moscou, deixando várias vítimas civis. O ataque foi o maior ataque ucraniano de drones desde o início da operação militar especial … The post Kiev usa o terror para disfarçar sua humilhação na região de Kursk. appeared first on Global Research.

A woman’s face emerges from the many exposed layers of plaster. The cheeks have lost their glow. The crack that cuts through the fine contours and has claimed one eye is only scarcely closed with mortar. This fragment of a once much larger — but destroyed — mural today adorns a wall inside the National

[This article was originally published by Telegraf.rs in January 2024.] The trial against the former leaders of the so-called KLA (“Kosovo Liberation Army”) Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi continues today before the Specialized Chambers (“KLA … The post Hague Trial of Former Leaders of So-called Kosovo Liberation Army Continues appeared first on Global Research.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he had ordered the military to “launch decisive and powerful” action against the Houthis in war-torn Yemen, a glaring contradiction of what critics have called the Republican’s “anti-war charade.” The U.S. … The post Trump Bombs Yemen After Houthis Revive Blockade on Israeli Ships appeared first on Global Research.

Massive protests against Alexander Vucic’s Serbian Government culminated on Saturday 15 March. BBC reports: “325,000 – if not more – had gathered, making it Serbia’s largest protest ever”. See this. See also this video clip (21-second mass-demo in Belgrade … The post Serbia – Color Revolution in the Making? appeared first on Global Research.

Severance is probably the best show on television. And I only say “probably” because I can’t possibly watch everything on television for the sake of comparison. Is there already an online backlash beginning to develop among would-be hipsters? Of course. It must follow as the night the day, as Shakespeare put it, the backlash following

[This article was first published by GR in May 2023.] It’s a lose-lose situation for Ukrainians. While they are dying to defend their land, financial institutions are insidiously supporting the consolidation of farmland by oligarchs and Western financial interests.   So … The post Sowing Seeds of Plunder: A Lose-Lose Situation in Ukraine appeared first on Global Research.

Calls for a progressive-oriented U.S. foreign policy have been gradually growing since at least the end of the Obama administration. One such argument recently made in Foreign Affairs by Megan Stewart, Jonathan Petkun, and Mara Revkin epitomizes the inconsistencies that inevitably accompany a distinctively left-liberal vision of strong American global leadership. The problems begin with their three “fundamental principles” that the United States must embrace in international relations: the broad promotion of political/economic egalitarianism, anti-imperialism, and opposition to war/excessive militarism. The first two are inherently contradictory while the third demonstrates naivety about the intractability of international conflict A world defined by national self-determination instead of American hegemony contradicts the active spread of egalitarianism because the latter, particularly in its most progressive form, tends towards a form of intrusive cultural imperialism. The egalitarianism many leftists hold to is obviously Western in origin, acutely secular in orientation, expansive in application, and universal in objective. It seeks to supplant the convictions and social structures of traditional and conservative religious states and societies. Progressives presume that foreign states and societies desire Western social standards and structures and are just waiting to be converted. Consider their expansive notion of egalitarianism. Progressives elevate sexuality and sexual practices to the category of “rights.” It is expressed by same-sex individuals being given the right to marry and acquire children despite being incapable of having children biologically their own. The progressive, 21st century civilizing mission is anathema to many societies, if not an existential threat. It challenges the importance of conservative religious traditions that are critical to societal cohesion, identity, and legitimacy in much of the world. For example, Rahm Emanuel, former Ambassador to Japan, caused a diplomatic stir with the leading Liberal Democratic Party by insisting that Japan legalize gay marriage. Additionally, the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations have all sought to fund abortion access in developing countries despite how offensive abortion is to socially conservative nations in the global south. There is also the issue of flying LGBT pride flags on official U.S. government buildings, like embassies and consulates, which give the impression that America is inseparable from progressive social liberalism. This included such infamous incidents as flying a pride flag at the U.S. embassy to the Vatican in Rome, needlessly antagonizing hundreds of millions of Roman Catholics around the world. The contradiction and impudence of this progressive thinking and its objectives raise serious questions about its effectiveness. How does America advance its interests and maintain security while belittling and insulting others? At a minimum, promoting offensive beliefs and ideas foments distrust with allies and distances potential ones. Especially as the U.S. competes with China and Russia for influence in places like Africa, the Middle East, and India, antagonizing the majority will not be helpful. Besides the contradiction between anti-imperialism and imperious liberalism, the belief that dialogue and diplomacy are always preferable to armed conflict rests on two faulty assumptions. One is the existence of moderation in the leadership of states and societies. The other is that military force cannot be a legitimate tool for the promotion of stability and prosperity. Similar to their belittling of traditions and conservative cultures, a progressive orientation fails to recognize the significance of ideology, identity, and religion in the policies of many states and societies. Progressives also fail to recognize that an exclusively defensive war posture can put countries and people at the mercy of aggressors. An astute observer of the Middle East would recognize that the progressive fealty to dialogue and diplomacy has backfired in the face of absolutism. Instead of facilitating peace and stability, in recent years, the approach created an environment of temporary appeasement that placed American allies in vulnerable situations. Two examples are Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, with whom the Biden administration pressured Israel and Saudi Arabia, respectively, to pursue diplomacy despite continued aggression. In the case of Hezbollah, the militia cannot coexist with the state of Israel. Multiple resolutions failed to end violence at the Lebanese-Israeli border. The latest “settlement” is a U.S.-mediated ceasefire that remains unfulfilled. On February 23, a leader of Hezbollah once again threatened Israel and refused to surrender the militia’s weapons. The Yemen-based Houthis remain obstinate as ever, seeking complete dominance of Yemen and power projection across the region. The Saudis and their Yemeni state allies made concessions to the Houthis to help realize a resolution to a civil war. Despite these goodwill measures, the Houthis failed to fully comply with a 2022 ceasefire and while also demanding the ceasefire be extended. The Houthis proceeded to escalate violence in Yemen, take hostages, threaten Saudi Arabia, launch rockets at Israel, and conduct piracy around the Bab al-Mandab. Prioritizing dialogue proved destructive, failed to effectively mitigate threats, and allowed an aggressor to determine the scope of violence, leaving allies vulnerable. Once again, how does a progressive approach advance U.S. interests and security when it undermines relations with allies? Stewart, Petkun, and Revkin struggle with developing a rubric for progressive U.S. engagement. Their zeal for a U.S. foreign policy to be “a force of good” in the world exhibits confusion, myopia, and foolishness. Their case is constructed on principles that inhibit U.S. interests and security while also expecting robust American presence abroad. Despite the authors’ “refinement” of the idea of progressive American leadership internationally, the problems with a progressive-oriented U.S. foreign policy endure.

The study titled, The Discrepancy Between the Number of Saved Lives with COVID-19 Vaccination and Statistics of Our World Data, was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Trials: Abstract Our World Data reports that in 2021, 6.08 million … The post New Study: COVID-19 Vaccine “Millions of Lives Saved” Claim Debunked by Real-World Data appeared first on Global Research.

The seemingly insane push for tariffs by the Trump administration has led those endowed with soft brains to assume that Trump is just crazy and that he is in danger of losing his “conservative” base through this bid to shut … The post The True Purpose of Tariffs: Creating Chokepoints That Advance Class Warfare appeared first on Global Research.

We live in dangerous times, and politicians are happy to be cheerleaders of that supposed fact.  They do not care to reassure; they merely care to strike fear into hearts and feed the sort of pernicious despondency that encourages conflict.  … The post Militarising Europe: The EU Defence Spending Bug appeared first on Global Research.

The United States Air Force has been seeing record lows in the combat capability of its aircraft in recent times, Defense News reported, citing its own analysis. Air Force issues, though, are not just felt in the US but are … The post US Air Force Records Lowest Combat Capability of Its Aircraft in 20 Years appeared first on Global Research.

There should be little doubt in anyone’s mind that the “wag the dog” relationship between the United States and Israel has done terrible damage to American institutions and constitutional liberties. The US bipartisan unconditional support of the ongoing Israeli genocide … The post The Death of Free Speech in America? You Can Thank Israel and Its Many Friends appeared first on Global Research.

“Accomplished fingers begin to play./Their eyes mid many wrinkles, their eyes,/Their ancient, glittering eyes, are gay.” – W. B. Yeats, Lapus Lazuli The old man in the Irish cap sat on a chair on the sidewalk outside his house across … The post A Tuneful Irish Tale. Edward Curtin appeared first on Global Research.

The “terrible fruit” of Washington’s Regime Change war in Syria is genocide. Activist, author and human rights lawyer Prof. Dan Kovalik estimates the numbers killed at between 7,000 to 10,000 people. The people targeted are largely religious minorities, Alawites and … The post The “Terrible Fruit” of the Western Regime Change War on Syria appeared first on Global Research.

The way to prevent the Ukraine war from being understood is to suppress its history. A cartoon version has the conflict beginning on Feb. 24, 2022 when Vladimir Putin woke up that morning and decided to invade Ukraine. There was … The post Ukraine Timeline Tells the Tale appeared first on Global Research.

The US and Israel have been making contacts with African states to discuss the potential resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to their territories, according to an AP report released on 14 March.  The US-Israeli contacts with Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland … The post US, Israel in ‘Secret Talks’ with African States to Take In Forcibly Expelled Palestinians: Report appeared first on Global Research.

Most observers missed last week’s European Parliament resolution on the white paper on the future of European defense despite its importance. Article 15 “stresses that the East Shield and Baltic Defence Line should be the flagship EU projects for fostering … The post The European Parliament Confirmed Poland’s Centrality to the Bloc’s Eastern Security Strategy appeared first on Global Research.

Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz was an unusually inventive Marxist theoretician of the multiethnic imperial context in which he operated. Serving the Polish national cause, he blended socialism with sociology and Marxism with democratic nationalism. Instead of simply combining these elements, he looked for ways in which they could cross-fertilize each other. This approach resulted in genuine innovations,

The world has radically changed over the past four-plus decades. Unions haven’t. Or at least they haven’t changed nearly enough to match what they’re up against. In this context, unionizing Amazon — iconic in status and fanatically anti-union — stands as a definitive challenge for this generation of trade unionists. The catch-22 is that while

“Wear green on St. Patrick’s Day or get pinched.” That pretty much sums up the Irish-American “curriculum” that I learned when I was in school. Yes, I recall a nod to the so-called Potato Famine, but it was mentioned only … The post Saint Patrick’s Day: The Real Irish American Story Not Taught in Schools appeared first on Global Research.

Eric Blanc’s argument in We Are the Union is that only “worker-to-worker” organizing can create union drives that are big enough and cheap enough to save the labor movement. It’s already happening, we need more of it; listen up, union leaders, Blanc says: you can afford it. If Blanc goes a bit overboard on his

The time has come for arguably the sporting world’s most famous mafia organisation to select its new chief.  The various turf-conscious representatives of the International Olympic Committee will be busy with the task of finding a replacement for Thomas Bach … The post Sporting Contradictions: Athletes, the Olympics and Climate Change appeared first on Global Research.

“It was very difficult to keep going when all our efforts seemed in vain,” Rosa Parks described her work in the 1940s and early ’50s. Getting her political start with the Scottsboro Boys case in the early 1930s, Rosa Parks was part of a small band of activists in the 1940s that sought to transform

The political West and Russia have fully returned to the (First) Cold War-style strategic competition in various regions of the world. This includes Eastern Europe (particularly Ukraine), the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific (where Russia is working closely with … The post NATO’s ‘Joint Viking 2025’ and Growing Strategic Importance of Arctic appeared first on Global Research.

Even if you love South East London, it is difficult to like the Old Kent Road. Its air is thick with particulates and disappointment. Lorries rumble down a highway lined with big box stores and neglected social housing. But there is one sight to lift the spirits: a thousand-foot mural wrapping two sides of a

Israeli prime minister is realising that you can’t rely on Trump, no matter how much he says what you want to hear

As he watched the St Patrick’s day parade unfold in Springfield, Kent Brockman of The Simpsons posed an important question: “All this drinking, violence, destruction of property — are these the things we think of when we think of the Irish?” Brockman’s description of Springfield as “a town whose very conscience was washed away in

President Trump’s return to office has fortuitously coincided with the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria as well as ceasefire agreements between Israel and both Hamas and Hezbollah. These developments have weakened Iran’s Axis of Resistance and present a historic opportunity for regional stability. While Israel’s military operations in Lebanon and Gaza could resume, Syria’s civil war has seemingly reached a conclusion. The U.S. should maintain cautious engagement with the Syrian transitional government through strictly enforced conditions for further normalization. The outcome of Syria’s transitional government will be highly consequential for the region and so ensuring a positive outcome in Syria must be a top priority. The large and loose coalition of militias led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist paramilitary group with past ties to ISIS and Al-Qaeda, had planned a long campaign to Aleppo. Instead, the unexpected disintegration of Assad’s security forces brought this coalition to Damascus in mere days. The new transitional government of Syria is unprepared and will have to navigate serious challenges to preserve the peace. In his first national address after the fall of the Assad regime, the new President of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Muhammad al-Jolani), promised to hold a “national dialogue conference” to prepare a new constitution that would guarantee democratic governance and protect the rights of women and religious minorities.  This announcement surprised many given the Islamist government HTS previously established in Idlib and the prevalence of Islamist paramilitaries in the coalition. This contradiction prompts skepticism that these guarantees were merely to have sanctions on Syria and HTS lifted. Still, these guarantees create vulnerabilities for the new Syrian transitional government as they must fulfill competing promises acceptable to not only most Syrians, but also the Islamist extremists that make up the government and security forces.  These vulnerabilities were further exposed by the recent episode of violence against civilians in western Syria after the suppression of a pro-Assad insurgency. Mass executions of civilians and widespread looting as Islamists blared music over loudspeakers resembled the atrocities committed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq nearly a decade ago. This was the inevitable outcome of a country dominated by Islamist militants, including many foreign fighters from across the globe. Turkey has been one of the greatest sponsors of Islamists in Syria and must now join the U.S. in supporting the implementation of an inclusive, democratic transitional government and constitutional drafting process.  Initial steps to form a “National Dialogue Preparatory Committee” and “National Dialogue Conference” have included only token representation of women and religious minorities. Al-Sharaa has also increasingly centralized the transitional government around himself, prompting some concern, although it will not be apparent until the new constitution is drafted if he intends to rule as a dictator. Regardless of al-Sharaa’s personal ambitions, a prolonged transitional period raises the risk of destabilizing foreign influence in Syria. Iran has lost a vital partner in Assad and will seek to reemerge in Syria, rebuild its proxies, and re-open its land bridge to the Mediterranean. It is a core national security interest to ensure a stable transition to a democratically elected government reflecting Syria’s pluralistic society. Inclusion of Syria’s religious minorities in drafting the constitution is crucial to the legitimacy of its final product. A sectarian theocracy, even nominally democratic, would also lack popular support from Syria’s Sunni population as it is alien to the pluralistic society that has endured in Syria for centuries; many senior Islamist militants are foreign fighters with little knowledge of Syrian history and culture.  A strict imposition of Islamic jurisprudence would certainly not result in a stable transition. In this scenario, many of Syria’s religious minorities, especially Christians, would attempt to flee the country permanently like many Syrian Christians already have, erasing the oldest Christian communities in the world. Syria would transform into a hotbed for sectarian violence as opposing Islamists battle for control, possibly resurrecting the Islamic State, something the U.S.’s ongoing military presence in Syria seeks to prevent. The conclusion of the civil war has enabled the U.S. and its local partner, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to conduct further operations against ISIS remnants. This has also paved the way for the resumption of the repatriation of hundreds of families of former ISIS fighters to Iraq. The suppression of the Islamic State hinges on stability in the North East, allowing the SDF to continue military operations and repatriations. The recent agreement to integrate the SDF-governed Autonomous Administration of North East Syria and its military force into the Syrian transitional government without coming under direct control of HTS is extremely promising, though full implementation will have to be monitored. A resumption of high-intensity conflict would create a vacuum for ISIS to easily reconstitute itself and greatly increase its capabilities for international terrorism.  Through consistent engagement with carrots and sticks, the Trump administration can hold the Syrian transitional government accountable to building a democratic and civil state with legal equality for all, regardless of faith or ethnicity. Turkey will be a particularly important channel for this diplomacy and pressure must be exerted to align with U.S. regional interests, including the cessation of support for Islamist militants in Syria’s transitional government. The Trump administration’s first priority in Syria is to identify appropriate opportunities for sanction waivers conditioned upon accountability for the recent massacres by Syrian government security forces as well as progress towards a democratic constitution. Sanctions relief should be weighed carefully to balance humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts with maintaining relevant sanctions for human rights abuse and corruption. Until the transitional government meets these conditions by demonstrating their intention to build a democratic Syria, the Trump administration should maintain adamant pressure on both the Syrian transitional government and its sponsors. The chaotic alternative poses a serious risk for the return of ISIS and could enable Iran to regain lost capabilities to return to terrorizing the levant. The Trump administration has a historic opportunity in Syria for long-term regional stability while protecting key U.S. national security interests it cannot ignore. 

A plot to assassinate a Russian bishop was recently foiled by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). The goal of the Kiev regime was to once again kill a civilian who had no involvement in military activities, which shows how … The post Kiev Regime Keeps Using Terrorism Against Russian Civilians appeared first on Global Research.

Almost forty years later: The 5000 page Saville Commission Report into the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, fails to identify who were the perpetrators, both within H.M government and the British Army. The post Saint Patrick’s Day 2025. 53 Years of Crimes against Humanity: From Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland to Croatia, Kosovo and Iraq appeared first on Global Research.

The Irish Northern Aid Committee — Noraid, as it was generally known — was accused of involvement in various activities to support the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Its alleged offences included purchasing M-60 rifles, paying for ships to cross the Atlantic with weapons cargo, and even robbing a Brink’s armored car of more than $7

The displacement caused by the recent Los Angeles–area fires has renewed attention on price gouging in rental housing. Some landlords were accused of increasing their rents by more than 300 percent — spikes that appeared to violate California law, which like many other states prohibits setting unconscionable prices on necessities. Or, as we more commonly

Why was the winner of the world’s most prestigious prize for board game makers banned immediately after the ceremony by the very organization that awarded him? Palestine. When Daybreak won the Spiel des Jahres (SdJ, or “Game of the Year”) for the best “expert” board game, it affirmed what many reviewers and players knew: the

In 1975, over thirty women cleaners at Belgium’s newly created Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL) went on a three-week strike, “fired” their boss, and decided to launch a self-managed cooperative instead. Their experiment in radical economic democracy — which they named “Le Balai Libéré” (the Liberated Broom) — allowed them to triple their salaries, grow

The study titled, Cross-species and mammal-to-mammal transmission of clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 with PB2 adaptations, was just published in Nature Communications: Abstract Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) belonging to lineage 2.3.4.4b emerged in Chile … The post New Study: Sustained Mammal-to-Mammal Transmission of H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b appeared first on Global Research.

In a 1991 essay titled “Winning the Culture War: The American Cause,” radical conservative thinker Sam Francis summoned up the ghost of the late Italian communist Antonio Gramsci in order to offer the American far right a strategic path forward. Railing against the US establishment for doing “nothing to conserve what most of us regard

In the last few months, the phenomenon of fake news has come to Greenland. Ads posted on Facebook, Greenland’s main social network, variously suggested that two prominent politicians had either been sued by the Bank of Greenland or physically attacked, or that Elon Musk was offering payments to Greenlandic citizens. These cases were financial scams

The Trump administration has issued a blanket ethics waiver to venture capitalist David Sacks, now the president’s special advisor for artificial intelligence and crypto, clearing him to work on regulatory issues directly related to his financial holdings, according to a White House memorandum reviewed by the Lever. The waiver comes a month after President Donald Trump fired

On March 8, International Working Women’s Day, the town square in Chiatura, Georgia, was filled with residents. Young girls handed out violets to the women, a traditional gesture of celebration. The crowd gathered, waiting for the loudspeakers to power up on a makeshift stage made from wooden boxes. A protest had been growing for days

There were 122 National Labor Relations Board representation elections run in February 2025, and ten involved units of 250 or more eligible voters. Those ten elections, however, involved 74 percent of all eligible voters that month. The highest-profile election was the loss at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Garner, North Carolina, which my colleague Jonathan

As the United States faces a serious rising economic competitor in China, some Americans are concerned the country isn’t working hard enough, while plenty of others think everyone is already working too much. These anxieties about work appear as ever to be driving both popular and more theoretical debates. In her recent book, Hijacked: How

The last decade has seen the political establishment – whether the neoliberal left or the Reaganite right – in a state of total bewilderment. Since the ascendency of the populist right in the form of Donald Trump and the populist left, epitomized by Bernie Sanders and his supporters, center-left and right politicians cannot get a handle on what they are missing. After all, they have such good policies – policies carefully crafted in think tanks and universities to help the voters live better lives. With such empirically well-founded ideas, how could voters not reward them with a huge landslide?   The hard truth that the establishment seems incapable of realizing is that voters are motivated by more than economic self-interest and technocratic policy positions – they are moved by emotion and identity. By anger stemming from perceived injustice. By joy springing from triumph. By desperation flowing from wishes left unfulfilled. The careful calibration of these emotions is the bread and butter of the true political rhetorician. If we wish to restore balance, order, and vigorous debate to our contemporary moment, the art of political rhetoric must be revived.    There was a time when rhetoric was the lifeblood of American democracy. In the nineteenth century, citizens would travel hundreds of miles to hear the great orators of the day speak. It was the event of the season when a truly masterful orator such as William Henry Seward or Daniel Webster passed through town. In the midst of major events, people would seek out the local rhetorician to hear his thoughts. In the chambers of Congress, such oratorical displays were so commonplace that tourists would journey from all over the nation in hopes of hearing the great men of their day debate some important issue. In short, voters craved the verbal flourishes, word play, and emotional appeals that articulated, shaped, and defended the public policies of the nineteenth century.  It is not hard to see why rhetoric has faded in prominence over the last half century – it has been replaced by mass produced news, social media, and other high tech forms of communication. When in need of an emotional fuel to give politics meaning, voters turn time and again to these sources of political information instead of rhetoricians. Winston Churchill identified this rising phenomenon before the outbreak of World War II: “Public opinion is formed and expressed by machinery. The newspapers do an immense amount of the thinking for the average man and woman.”   At this point, a person could reasonably say: “It is all very well and good to fear the extent to which digital media controls the emotions of voters, but how exactly is getting views from sensationalist news and social media worse than from sensationalist politicians?”   The answer is in the diversity of viewpoints expressed by the American political class. Though politicians must constantly cater to mass produced opinions that obscure reality, the truth is that most aspirants to high office have fairly divergent views on solving the problems that confront our nation. When such differences are brought to light, it helps to cultivate more authentic political discourse apart from the latest buzzwords. Beyond that, the embrace of in-person displays of political rhetoric helps keep politicians grounded in their local communities. Though they sometimes may lose touch with their constituents, the average office-bearer is nonetheless accountable to a block of voters whose views they are expected to represent. Having to engage in town hall meetings and other in-person venues keeps politicians from being lost to the rootless world of news media.   If understanding why political rhetoric has declined is easy, reviving rhetoric is a much trickier endeavor. After all, the forces of 24-hour news cycles and social media that have destroyed rhetoric are unlikely to go away any time soon. As such, partisans of the rhetorical art must be creative. We must find ways to insert serious rhetoric into social media and the news. Nor does it seem that all voters are completely satisfied with the shallow world of social media we have entered upon. Donald Trump – whatever else his faults may be as a speaker – draws massive crowds excited merely to hear him speak. Few other politicians have gained this level of rhetorical devotion or seem to have bothered analyzing what emotional speeches like his could do for their careers.   Having said this, rhetorical education can be restored in fairly traditional methods. Too often our school system teaches history as a series of facts, parading one after another in great boring columns. However, history classes used to be taught using rhetoric. For example, to help students understand debates about states’ rights in the nineteenth century, teachers once assigned Daniel Webster and Robert Haynes’ famous exchange about the topic on the Senate floor. Likewise, we today could educate our students in the basics of politics and history through rhetoric, thus giving students some understanding of how rhetorical devices work.   More broadly, the role of the educator must be to teach students how to have an appropriate emotional response to political rhetoric. Many criticize emotional appeals in politics. However, emotion is an important part of being human. More than this, it is a vital aspect of that which makes us good. The chief theological virtues – faith, hope, and love – are all sentiments rather than purely rational objects. That we have forgotten this fact is to blame for the overwrought politics of our time; when the young are not taught harness the passions in a healthy way – usually as a result of centrist technocrats having no use for emotion – then they will instead have their hearts filled with dark emotions concocted by demagogues and self-interested media sensationalists.   To say that the art of public speaking is dead would be simply untrue. There are plenty of speeches given across the nation each and every day. However, the art of political rhetoric – carefully orienting the passions of man to some lofty goal – has sadly been lost. There are no longer Ciceros, Lincolns, and Churchills to inspire posterity with their eloquence and the halls of the Senate are filled not with glorious declamations but with the dry coughs of dull procedure. Yet, if we work at it, rhetoric need not stay dead. Rhetoric can and must be revived for the greatest of political callings to make a triumphant return.  

In 1713, Britain acquired the asiento de Negros, an agreement to to annually supply Spanish America with 140,000 enslaved Africans. In 1746 political economist Malachy Postlethwayte was moved to declare the slave trade “an inexhaustible Fund of Wealth and Naval Power to this Nation.” However, just eighty-seven years later in 1833, Parliament abolished West Indian slavery. How could public sentiment swing so decisively? Modern scholarship correlates abolitionism with the rise of Enlightenment sensibilities, liberal capitalism, and Evangelical Protestantism. These factors undoubtedly mattered, yet often unaddressed is the coalescing of British national identity around ideas linked to abolitionism in ways powerful enough to shape public opinion. In truth, the growth of British nationalism and abolitionism were inseparable, making arguments over slavery into arguments about British character as defined by ideals of Protestant piety, liberty, empire, and commerce.  The lyrics to James Thomson’s 1740 “Rule Britannia,” capture Britain’s fledgling nationalism. Its second line: “And guardian angels sung this strain: Rule Britannia, rule the waves, Britons never will be slaves,” associates nationhood with God’s providence for Protestant Britain, resistance to despotism, and maritime dominance to the benefit of commercial empire. Amidst a struggle for colonies and profits against Catholic France and Spain, British nationalism emphasized Protestant identity against irreligious, tyrannous, decadent, and wasteful Catholicism. British national identity was essentially formed in opposition to an external enemy.   Abolitionists exploited this relationship between English Protestantism and the rest of the world to make distinctions between colonial and metropolitan life proof of colonial slaveholders’ opposition to British national virtues. William Blake’s 1810 poem Jerusalem marries Protestant fervor and national purpose, vowing “I will not cease from Mental Fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand: Till we have built Jerusalem, In England’s green & pleasant Land.” Slaveholders’ failure to instruct their slaves in Christianity or live by Christian principles became abolitionist refrains.   Catholicism was entangled with tyranny in British imagination. Edinburgh journeymen denounced Catholicism for “denying to the common people the free use of the holy scriptures.” A British soldier abroad wrote Catholics “do not read the Bible; the priests have entire control over the masses.” Political tyranny followed religious tyranny. The ascendant Whigs believed their forebears’ 1688 Glorious Revolution saved Britain from French-backed Catholic despotism. “Let France grow proud, beneath the tyrant’s lust, While the rack’d people crawl, and lick the dust,” started the inscription to William Hogarth’s Gate of Calais. It concluded that “the manly genius of this isle disdains, All tinsel slavery, or golden chain.” Love of liberty tinged patriotism with populism. Patriotic vigilance against irreligious tyranny encouraged abolitionists to decry slavery as despotism. Into the mid-nineteenth century, slavery was increasingly thought of as a foreign institution employed by Catholic despotisms like Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and France. France abolished slavery in 1794 only for Napoleon to reinstate it in 1802.  For centuries the remoteness of the West Indies from Britain insulated these slave societies from criticism. Since different environments made for different institutions, Britons could accept West Indians as distant countrymen without confronting slavery as a problem for British values. Claiming “the West Indies cannot be cultivated by Europeans, whose constitutions will not bear fatigue in that climate,” William Puleteny explained that colonists embraced “some other class of the human species who, being natives of warmer climates, are able to endure that degree of labor and fatigue.” Slavery thus understood reflected environmental differences, not moral or national ones. However, maturing national motifs of Protestantism, liberty, commerce, and empire, alongside their impious, tyrannical, and decadent antitypes, distanced Britain not only from Catholic rivals but from its West Indian colonies. In this context, abolitionists stigmatized slave ownership as anti-British by attacking it as irreligious, despotic, wasteful, and decadent.  Protestantism’s intersection with popular sentiments of anti-Catholicism, fear of tyranny, and commercialism, sharpened criticism of slavery as impious. Abolitionists argued that slaveholder refusal to let missionaries proselytize the enslaved was an attack on direct access to scripture. As with Catholic despotisms, this was “denying to the common people the free use of the holy scripture.” Such denial exposed the moral corruption of colonial tyranny. Quaker abolitionist John Woolman observed that “no master was saintly enough to avoid the temptations of absolute power; slavery, instead of being ameliorated by Christianity, corrupted the wellsprings of true religion.” The danger was unavoidable, “slavery, in its mildest shape, has something dangerous and threatening to virtue,” wrote James Ramsay. It “encouraged masters to become tyrants.”  Abolitionists also linked religious attacks on slavery to commercial morality. William Wilberforce did so negatively in 1788, arguing greed had led British merchants away from the virtuous commerce that was the nation’s true prosperity. “Interest can draw a film across the eyes, so thick, that total blindness could do no more,” Wilberforce warned. He challenged his countrymen to accept that “a trade founded in iniquity, and carried on as this was, must be abolished.” John Wesley used commerce to blame the slave trade, “a worse than pagan abomination,” on fellow Britons. “It is you that induce the African villain to sell his countrymen,” Wesley thundered. Insisting “it is your money, that is the spring of all,” suggesting British money could end slave-trafficking. Lord Kames positively connected morality and commerce to criticize slavery, arguing that “contracts and promises are not confined to commercial dealings: they serve also to make benevolence a duty, independent of any pecuniary interest.” Slaveholders, however, participated in a distorted economy of unfree workers and unfair prices. They did not develop benevolence like their British counterparts. Adam Smith likewise held that slavery subverted the moral foundations of commerce: The enslaved could neither enter contracts nor keep them because free enterprise required free persons.   Granville Sharp publicly worried the slave trade and plantation slavery were undermining British liberty. He was joined by Charles James Fox who decried the “virtual representation” of the West Indian “interest” in the House of Commons, condemning it as a malign foreign influence. That opulent West Indians bought “rotten boroughs” in Parliament offended radicals like John Wade, who in his Black Book condemned how the ruling class “conquers and retains useless colonies” to benefit itself. Playwright Oliver Goldsmith opined that European colonists lost their national virtues and succumbed to “all the luxurious manners of the Asiatics.” He continued, “after two or three generations at farthest, the blood loses its primitive qualities, and those of the climate manifest themselves in men, animals and plants.” Colonists resembled their exotic environs in the British national imagination, not their distant ancestry. The national “othering” of the West Indian bolstered the arguments and broadened the appeal of abolitionism as a national response to the foreign practice of slaveholding.  Between 1807 and 1838, British governments dismantled and criminalized institutions of human bondage, which, in some permutation, had been acceptable for most of human history. Politicians, historians, and popular opinion have marveled at this transition. For nineteenth century historian William Leckey, the anti-slavery movement was “among the three or four perfectly virtuous acts recorded in the history of nations.” In the late twentieth century, David Brion Davis characterized abolitionism as a “remarkable shift in moral consciousness.” Many causes have been cited to explain this shift in moral consciousness, ranging from political ideology to religious fervor, to the progress capitalism. Though nationalism has not been absent from this conversation, it has often been seen as one cause among others in the anti-slavery movement, and not as a bridge among causes. The integration of disparate themes of piety, liberty, empire, and commerce within the framework of British nationalism shows that nationalism was more than a discrete factor in the emergence of abolitionism. Rather, it formed the connective tissue which structured the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century debate on slavery.  

Another PM is trying to make cuts equate to growth. Disabled people will again pay the price of this cruelty

As US aid cuts threaten LGBTIQ lives, these collectives show how to sustain communities beyond traditional aid models

The RTS praised Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua, which revealed abuse by Nigeria’s most prominent Christian televangelist

I give a hearty “Amen!” to Mark Tooley’s strident assertion that Just War teaching does not “require Ukraine to submit to terms favorable to Russia,” and I further reaffirm that agreement when Mr. Tooley extends his idea of submission to include “surrender” and “highly unfavorable terms.” Imagine my bemusement, then, to discover that Mr. Tooley apparently thought I had suggested such a thing! Surrender? Submit to terms highly unfavorable? One can read and reread my essay and see that the words “surrender” and “submit” are never used, much less implied. It could be Mr. Tooley has just inaccurately, albeit flatteringly, lumped me in with Dr. Reno and the good folks at First Things, but in the interest of clarity and discourse, I’ll take Mr. Tooley at his word and respond to his article as though he really does believe that I’m arguing for an American-enforced Ukrainian capitulation as a valid application of Just Statecraft. History is indeed replete with examples of smaller countries fighting off more powerful aggressors, and Mr. Tooley is right to point out that Ukraine’s self-defense has been not only courageous but also highly effective. He asserts that I do not consider variables like geography, relative strengths of alliances, Russian losses, or Russian domestic support for the war effort. The truth is I don’t consider those variables because they’re irrelevant and nonresponsive to my argument, not to mention lacking any meaningful backing (“almost certainly less motivated”?). My argument rests on two normative claims. First, that “President Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table [are] within the bounds of Christian realism and just war theory.” Second, just cause as such ought not commit the United States “to an open ended, uncritical support of Ukraine with total victory as the only acceptable outcome.” These two claims are grounded on a few empirical facts: It has been the standing policy of the United States under Obama, Trump 45, Biden, and now Trump 47 to not commit US or NATO forces to the war in Ukraine. President Zelensky has repeatedly defined victory in the war as recapturing all lost territory. Despite the massive amounts of military aid from the US and European countries, the conflict remains a stalemate. President Zelensky has set security guarantees from the US and NATO membership as functional preconditions for any peace talks despite both the Biden and Trump administrations ruling out the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine. President Zelensky has refused to commit to a plan of general mobilization of military-aged persons in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian military has opted to use new troops to organize brand new units rather than replace losses in combat tested units. These constitute two unforced errors of strategic planning that place stress on Ukraine’s manpower reserves and lowers combat effectiveness of units in the field. I fully grant that none of the above facts, even under the considerations of Just War teaching “require” Ukraine to capitulate to Russia, but, again, that’s not my argument. Rather, they are highly relevant facts in considering whether or not the United States should recalibrate its policy on the war and its strategic posture towards the two main belligerents. Zelensky’s conditions for peace talks are either militarily unfeasible, as with recapturing territory, or contrary to longstanding bipartisan consensus of Ukraine not joining NATO. Given that Zelensky’s stated aims are unrealistic and Putin’s goal of an Eastern Europe dominated by Russia is highly undesirable, how should America proceed? Should the United States continue maintaining a war effort more or less locked in stalemate or should it explore possible options for a peace agreement? I maintain that under the principle of probability of success, now’s the time to explore possible peace options. But what kind of peace should that be? Mr. Tooley seems to allow that a “truce that freezes current forces in place, without legally recognizing Russia’s occupied territory, while allowing Ukraine to recover and further solidify its national strength” would be such a “reasonable and sustainable” peace. Essentially, Mr. Tooley is calling for an armistice like the Korean Armistice Agreement that froze the Korean War. Funny thing about that agreement, the Truman administration started seeking a pathway to end the war as early as 1950 when both North and South Korea wanted to keep fighting to achieve their respective war aims. The circumstances surrounding the Korean Armistice are a more illuminating comparison for Ukraine than the overwrought references to WWII that have come to characterize much of the historical analogizing on the Ukraine war. Despite what Mr. Tooley says, I don’t believe that “Ukraine will lose,” but I do believe that “prolonging the agony [of the war will] cause needless suffering.” Given current conditions, the trick for the Trump administration is to convince Putin that Ukraine can’t lose while also persuading Ukraine that it can’t win, at least on Zelensky’s stated terms. Arriving at such an understanding could even be the first step on the long road back to a diplomatically achieved final settlement on Crimea and the Donbas. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The situation President Trump inherited has Ukraine incentivized to keep fighting with American-supplied arms and, at the same time, no way for Putin to save face at home after his three year campaign. For many, any acknowledgment that Russia will ultimately have achieved some of its war aims and that Ukrainian maximalist demands for territory and joining NATO won’t happen just seem like placating a brutal dictator, and on some level it is. However, I would challenge Mr. Tooley and those who share his view, to articulate how exactly one goes about bringing Russia to a table absent any compromises or concessions. If we’re not going to threaten Russia with full-on war, something Biden never did and Trump ran in opposition to, then we’ll need something else to make Putin end the war. This brings me back to where my original piece ended. Criticize President Trump’s attempts at diplomacy all you want, and I’m certainly critical in some ways, but without facing real political realities and wrestling with the probability principle and its implications, all Mr. Tooley is doing is morally justifying bellum ad infinitum.

The story of Jimmy Lai, a 77-year-old Hong Kong businessman turned human rights activist and convert to Catholicism, is unfolding at the intersection of politics and religion between China, the Vatican, and the US. Of profound significance for those who cherish human dignity, freedom, and the enduring principles of Christian humanism, Lai’s activism led to his solitary confinement for five years. His commitment to his now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, led to his incarceration by the CCP. Lai’s persecution has come to represent the broader battle today for human rights, including freedom of, conscience in the face of 21st-century oppression.   In February, this battle took on an additional layer of complexity during Jimmy’s nearly 150-day-long sham national security law trial, with 47 days of testimony, when Judge Esther Toh, one of the presiding judges, made the striking remark, “We are Chinese,” directed toward him.  This initiated a colloquy between Toh and Lai: Lai: “No, I am a Hong Konger because of One Country, Two Systems.” Toh: “Mr. Lai, are you yellow-skinned?” Lai: “If I am yellow-skinned, does that mean I am Chinese? I am a Hong Konger.” Toh: “You are Chinese.”  Toh’s remark, steeped in ethno-nationalist undertones, suggested that race dictates nationality, glaringly illustrating how there is no such thing as justice in Communist China. Toh’s unmoored legal reasoning dismisses out of hand Lai’s universalist aspirations for freedom and democracy as somehow foreign or un-Chinese, revealing a troubling alignment with Beijing’s narrative that pits ethnic identity against the principles of individual liberty Lai champions. Are the West’s claims to the primacy of individual liberty and democracy simply one more relativistic statement among many, perhaps true for Americans and Europeans but no one else? The CCP would certainly have us believe so.  Christian humanism, which emphasizes the universal dignity of all people, the moral imperative to safeguard freedoms and the pursuit of justice, is poignantly expressed in Lai’s plight. It echoes the Christian call to defend the oppressed, inspired by biblical teachings where the liberation of the captive is not just a political act but a spiritual obligation. From this perspective, Lai’s incarceration—and the judicial hostility exemplified by Judge Toh’s remarks—is more than a geopolitical issue; it’s a moral and ethical dilemma challenging the very essence of universal human freedom and dignity.  Enter then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, who in last year’s presidential campaign expressed a personal commitment to advocate for Lai’s release. In a candid conversation with Hugh Hewitt, Trump stated, “One hundred percent…I’ll get him out,” promising to leverage his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure Jimmy’s freedom in the event he was re-elected.   It was also heartening to hear Vice President J.D. Vance pledge at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast last Thursday: “The Trump Administration promises you, whether it’s here at home with our own citizens, or all over the world, we will be the biggest defenders of religious liberty and the rights of conscience, and I think those policies will fall to the benefit to Catholics in particular, all over the world.”  The promises of Trump and Vance evoke the intentional moral leadership of Ronald Reagan during the Cold War, who provided a lifeline to those behind the Iron Curtain in any number of ways, known and unknown.  Known instances included when Reagan rallied by the side of former Polish Solidarity leader and later Polish President, Lech Walesa, and in his appeals for the release of jailed human rights activists in the Soviet Union, Andrei Sakharov and Natan Sharansky.  The scenario is now complex as the United States does not have the “Holy Alliance” with the Vatican as Reagan did with Pope John Paul II.  This is further illuminated by recent developments in Sino-Vatican relations, as discussed in the Wall Street Journal article, “Chairman Xi Gets a Seat at the Pope’s Table.” Today, the Vatican is too conciliatory towards Beijing at the expense of human rights advocates like Lai. The Vatican’s approach, especially considering the controversial agreement on joint Vatican-CCP bishop appointments, is a return to the failed Cold War strategy of Ostpolitik, characterized by acquiescence, negotiation, and a total lack of criticism for Communist regimes.  Now, the Vatican does not even tread a delicate line between resistance and compromise, as they did then.  The Church’s approach to synodality—the practice of cooperation amid deep division—is way off the mark in a crucial aspect: standing in solidarity for justice and freedom, including those being persecuted for human rights advocacy.  The Church, as an institution that has historically stood for human rights and the sanctity of conscience, faces a pivotal moment. The Vatican, as under Pope John Paul II, must speak directly on these controversial issues, publicly appealing for the release of human rights activists like Lai, and others suffering under oppressive regimes. The time has come for Ostpolitik to end.    Lai’s story is a call to action for all who value human freedom and dignity.  The Pope and the Vatican must advocate more robustly for human rights in their dealings with China by working with government leaders like Trump and Vance. It’s a plight that demands a reevaluation of how power, whether ecclesiastical or geopolitical, should be wielded in the modern world; not for control, but for liberation. Not for silencing the voices of the oppressed, but for amplifying them. 

Does Just War teaching, which calls for a probability of success, require Ukraine to submit to terms favorable to Russia? This Providence article and this First Things article say yes. But Just War teaching does not ask for an outnumbered nation under attack automatically to surrender or agree to highly unfavorable terms. There are other considerations besides the size of contending forces.  Larger nations do not automatically prevail against smaller nations.  The latter are often better organized, better equipped, better led, more motivated, more unified, are wealthier per capita, have geographic advantages or better allies.   The other considerations include whether conditions under submission or unfavorable terms would be worse than under war, whether the “peace” would only be prelude to further war, and whether there is a duty to allies or wider humanity to continue to resist. A nation facing extreme oppression, slavery or extermination will prefer to fight against great odds. And a nation, even realizing likely defeat, may see the moral imperative of resisting the aggressor so that future likely victim nations have more time to prepare. Belgium in 1914 knew it could not successfully resist the impending German invasion when Germany requested peaceful passage for its troops attacking France. But it dutifully resisted both for honor and to assist France. Belgium’s heroic resistance, at great cost, called “the rape of Belgium,” also motivated Britain’s entrance into the war. Britain in 1940, after France’s fall, stood alone against a Nazi occupied Europe. It barely had an army after Dunkirk. Surrendering French collaborator Marshal Petain predicted Britain’s neck would be wrung like a chicken within a week. As Churchill later told Canada’s parliament: “Some chicken! Some neck!” Britain fought on because Nazi victory was too monstrous to abide. And Churchill explained that surrendering nations rarely recover, but fighting nations, even if defeated, can later resurrect.  Earlier, in 1939, Poland resisted German invasion even though outmanned and outgunned. Poland knew Germany wanted to eradicate their nation. Quick surrender was unacceptable. While Germany, joined by the Soviets, occupied Poland, and Polish armies surrendered, the Polish government escaped to London where resistance could continue. Several years ago I met an elderly Polish WWII veteran who said he never doubted, even amid imprisonment and horrors, that the Allies would win. “We listened to the BBC,” he explained. Other victims of Hitler made similar choices. Norway, tiny in population compared to Germany, fought Germany’s invasion longer than any other eventually fully occupied nation. Racially acceptable to the Nazis, the Norwegians did not, like the Poles, face physical extermination. But honor, anger, and abhorrence of Nazi outrages forbade surrender or coming to terms requiring collaboration. Norway’s king and parliament escaped north literally under fire, ultimately relocating to London, from which the Norwegian underground was directed.  France in 1940 officially capitulated. But French Deputy War Minister Charles de Gaulle escaped to London to organize a Free French force that became France’s legitimate government. Through bluster and defiance, French honor was preserved for post-war France. Israel, of course, was heavily outnumbered in 1947, 1967, and 1973 by multiple Arab armies and yet never considered submission or crippling peace terms. With its national existence at stake, Israel fought with little alternative. Prime Minister Golda Meir said she would die in Tel Aviv before leaving. General Ben Gurion suffered a panic attack during Syrian advances in the Golan. Israel had America as an ally in 1973 but not earlier. Even alone, Israel was more motivated, better led, and typically better armed. None of these defiant, outnumbered nations violated Just War teaching by not seeking peace terms with the aggressors. Even when defeated in the battlefield, their continued defiance ensured their longterm national futures and/or assisted stronger allies who could prevail. As to whether Ukraine should surrender or submit to Russia under negative terms, its situation is superior to the above-described nations during their duress. It is geographically larger than all of them with more room for losses and maneuver. Its population remains motivated. It has against great odds resisted a much larger power for three years. Russia has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, relies on conscripts, prison inmates, and mercenaries, and shows little ability to break the gridlock, despite its terror attacks on civilians by missiles and drones. Ukraine, even if losing America, under its current president, as an ally, still has far more allies than Russia. Domestic support in Russia for Putin’s war is impossible to measure accurately since all dissent is criminalized. But Russians on the attack are almost certainly less motivated than Ukrainians under attack.   Ukrainians know Putin wants to eradicate their nationhood and subsume their democracy under his dictatorship. Who can blame them for defiance? They may also feel some duty to resist on behalf of other potential Putin victims, like the Baltics. The two articles supporting USA presidential pressure on Ukraine do not acknowledge any of these factors. They assume Ukraine will lose so prolonging the agony causes needless suffering, which Just War teaching argues against. But their counsel actually makes a plausible peace less likely. Russia will not agree to peace under reasonable terms if all USA pressure is on Ukraine. And a Ukraine relying mostly on Europe, without America, can likely sustain war but with any successful conclusion less likely. USA presidential pressure on Ukraine has so far only encouraged Russia while terrifying Europe, some of whose leaders now speak of nuclear weapons for themselves, knowing America, under the current president, will not back their security. A plausible peace requires incentivizing Russia to accept terms, which is now less likely. Prudence and Just War teaching counsel seeking reasonable and sustainable peace terms when possible. They do not require Ukraine to surrender or accept terms that cripple its nationhood or only postpone further Russian aggression. The best case scenario might be a truce that freezes current forces in place, without legally recognizing Russia’s occupied territory, while allowing Ukraine time to recover and further solidify its national strength. But that scenario is only possible if Russia knows it cannot gain more. Tragically, current U.S. policy of pressure only on Ukraine makes such a peace unlikely.

A ‘win’ in Ukraine may well lead the US president to act in Gaza and resume talks of acquiring Canada or Greenland

Responses to President Trump’s Ukraine gambit have been interesting to say the least.  Russia hawks are aghast at the idea of trying to normalize relations with Russia while the MAGA-aligned crowd is ready to cut off American support for Ukraine completely. America’s Ukraine policy is becoming something of a litmus test within Jacksonian America to determine the degree to which someone supports the President. Perhaps counterintuitively, I believe the Trump administration’s handling of the Ukraine war, despite the messy Oval Office moment (and it was only a moment), is more aligned with the finer points of just war theory and Christian realism than many are willing to consider. In assessing the President’s attempt to kick-start peace talks on Ukraine, our ability to leverage the moral framework of just war theory to consider a pathway to peace constitutes the first major test of just statecraft as an analytical and pedagogical framework. Just War is the Easy Argument on Ukraine The justness of the Ukrainian cause is beyond dispute. Russia is clearly the aggressor, is clearly violating international law, and undoubtedly shoulders the blame for its own suffering. However, justifying the war and its prosecution on moral grounds is only one part of the just war equation. In this particular case, it’s the easiest part of the argument to make, and many have been comfortable to stay there. But buried under the moral justifications for the Ukrainian cause and to continued American military aid by extension lies an uncomfortable truth that just war theory demands we address: The righteousness of the cause does not guarantee victory. Even in a best-case scenario, full justice may prove elusive. Indeed, for the many who have lost loved ones, justice may never be complete in this world. In a world bereft of a just God, this would indeed be tragic. In a world where the justice of God is both watchful and sure, however, we can receive both comfort and calling: Comfort that God’s justice will prevail, and a calling to be free of the need to mete out vengeance and achieve a perfect justice in the present. Yet it is precisely the moral clarity of the Ukrainian conflict that has made proponents of maintaining US support ambivalent towards articulating an end to the war, namely, an ordered peace to use St. Augustine’s framing. The lack of a clear theory of victory coupled with an overreliance on President Zelensky’s assessments of the war have led to a moralizing posture towards Russia that is ahistorical and lacking in clear-sightedness when it comes to objectively assessing the feasibility of Ukraine’s stated war aims. Wisdom is hard to find under normal circumstances, but in this fog of war, it appears to be MIA. Probability of Success, on the Other Hand… What’s missing in much of the just war-based justifications of American support for Ukraine’s war effort is a critical element of just war theory. Namely, that engagement in a just war requires a reasonable chance of success. This probability principle recognizes that ends don’t always justify means and that even the prosecution of a just war can become unjust if it unnecessarily prolongs suffering. Further, the probability principle implicitly acknowledges a just war can be lost. In Question 40 of his Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas outlines his framework for just war, but notes that “we wage war in order to achieve peace.” He doesn’t detail what a just peace necessarily entails, but to the degree that a war is just insofar as it defends the good while punishing and restraining evil, then a just peace would be, at least in general terms, a reasonable reestablishment of a status quo ante bellum. Following Aquinas, Grotius writes in Book II.24.9 of Law of War and Peace that only wars that are both moral in cause and adequately resourced to provide a maximal chance of success are worth fighting. For Grotius, the limits of men and materiel are critical in the prudential aspect of choosing to engage in a just war. While Aquinas considers the morality of war, Grotius considers the critical variables in determining when warfighting is practical. This is a particularly relevant consideration for the US in its role as an international guarantor of security. In this sense, Jesus’ brief metaphor of a warring, yet diplomatic, king in Luke 14:31-32 anticipates both the morality and wisdom (prudential) components of what would become just war theory. Indeed, Jesus and Grotius both appear less concerned with a war’s outcome (greatest of the unknown unknowns) than with the ability of an individual to rightly judge the cost of the undertaking. This is precisely the point we appear to be at with Ukraine, and what President Trump is trying to convey to both Ukraine and Russia. Yet American and European backers of Ukraine, along with President Zelensky, don’t appear interested in this fact. Due to such a grave oversight, I believe that President Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table should be supported as well within the bounds of Christian realism and just war theory. Are We There Yet? President Trump and his team appear to have assessed the current status of the war and concluded that the conflict is at that point where further fighting, given available men and materiel, allows neither Ukraine nor Russia to achieve their maximum war aims. To continue the war is to engage in sunk-cost thinking, prolong needless suffering, and risk compounding injustices. That Zelensky and Putin don’t appear to have reached the same conclusion doesn’t mean Trump is under any obligation to wait for them to continue expending blood and (American) treasure. Rather, Trump must consider, as an involved and responsible belligerent, the part he can play in winding this conflict down. The limited aid given to Ukraine under the Obama and the first Trump presidencies was not enough to achieve the goal of deterring Putin. Then, after February 2022, the massive, over 100 billion dollars in aid sent to Ukraine under Biden also failed at its goal of decisively turning the tide against Russia. It’s fair for Trump to wonder when the end will be in sight, with many knowledgeable observers asking the same question. Give Peace a Chance We cannot be serious about Christian realism, just war, or just statecraft if it only commits us to an open ended, uncritical support of Ukraine with total victory as the only acceptable outcome. That’s neither Christian, nor realist, nor just. It’s only a justification for war. Forever.

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Attacks against Christians worldwide saw a troubling rise in 2024, with the Christmas season in particular marred by incidents in Germany, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, and Syria. The 2025 World Watch List (WWL) by Open Doors highlights the increasing persecution of Christians worldwide, particularly in conflict-ridden regions. Globally, over 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution or discrimination. The violence index is particularly severe in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia, with Nigeria and Pakistan topping the list for violence.  Germany experienced a tragic incident on December 20 of last year at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, where a car was driven into a crowded area, killing five and injuring more than 200 others. The suspect, a Saudi doctor residing in Germany since 2006, had displayed threatening behavior in the past but did not align with the typical profile of extremist attackers. While attacks on Christians are not common in Germany, this incident underscores a broader trend of increasing hostility toward Christians across Europe, particularly since the German judge ruled that the attack did not constitute a terrorist attack. This decision has deepened concerns about the reluctance to recognize and address violence specifically targeting Christians in an increasingly hostile social environment.  According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC), violence and discrimination against Christians have risen significantly. In 2023, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes were reported across 35 European countries, including 232 personal attacks, with Germany seeing a doubling of such incidents. The report highlights the growing marginalization of Christians in public life, with many self-censoring their beliefs due to hostility in workplaces and universities. Legal restrictions on religious freedom, such as fines for praying silently near abortion clinics, further exemplify the challenges Christians face. OIDAC attributes this trend to a radical secularist agenda that conflicts with Christian ethics, threatening religious freedom and pluralism in Europe.  Myanmar ranks as the 13th most dangerous country for Christians, according to Open Doors, with a persecution score of 81. The country’s Christian minority, approximately 4.8 to 5 million people, has faced escalating violence and persecution since the 2021 military coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing. Now entering its fifth year, the conflict has forced many Christians to flee their homes, seeking refuge in churches, displacement camps, or the jungle, where they endure hunger and hardship. The enforcement of military conscription has further pressured young Christians, leading many to flee the country entirely, leaving the community scattered and vulnerable.  The violence continues unabated. In Shan State, on December 25, the Burma Army launched 120mm mortar shells into Kho village, killing two children and seriously injuring a woman. Just two days later, on December 27, a military jet dropped two 500-pound bombs on Pi King Village in Phekhon Township, wounding three civilians and destroying multiple homes. These incidents underscore the ongoing crisis facing Myanmar’s Christian minority, who remain targets amid the worsening conflict.  Pakistan, ranked 8th on the Open Doors World Watch List, is one of the most dangerous countries for Christians, with 54,780 reported cases of Christians being beaten, threatened, or abused, including 10,000 in the past year. Out of a population of 245.2 million, Pakistan’s 4.5 million Christians face severe persecution, particularly under the country’s notorious blasphemy laws. These laws are often weaponized against minorities, leaving Christians vulnerable to violence, as seen in June 2024, when an elderly man was killed by a mob following a false accusation of desecrating the Quran. Christian girls increasingly face abuse, and widespread discrimination relegates Christians to the most degrading jobs, further marginalizing the community.  On December 25, in Lahore’s Maryam Colony, over a dozen gunmen opened fire on Christians gathered outside the home of Pastor Shahzad Siddique, a Pentecostal preacher from Praise TV. The attack left three Christians shot and wounded, underscoring the escalating dangers faced by Pakistan’s Christian community.  Nigeria, ranked 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List, is the deadliest country for Christians, with more believers killed for their faith here than anywhere else in the world. In 2024 alone, 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed globally were in Nigeria. Violence fueled by radical Islamic extremists, including Boko Haram and Fulani militants, is escalating, particularly in the northern and central regions. These groups destroy homes and churches, displace Christian communities, and abduct or assault women, leaving millions of Christians forced into displacement camps.  While southern Nigeria is home to some of the world’s largest church auditoriums, the north and central regions are plagued by violence and persecution. With a persecution score of 88, Nigeria remains a dangerous and deeply challenging environment for its 106.6 million Christian population. On Christmas Day, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Kwapre village in Adamawa State, killing two Christians, burning houses, and looting shops. Many others were injured during the assault.  India, ranked 11th on the Open Doors World Watch List, remains a difficult and often hostile environment for its 73.2 million Christians within a population of 1.4 billion. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the rise of Hindu nationalism, which asserts that all Indians should be Hindu, has fueled widespread violence and discrimination against Christians. Twelve states now enforce anti-conversion laws, frequently weaponized to harass Christians and suppress their ability to share their faith, with Uttar Pradesh recently introducing life imprisonment as a potential penalty.  Although last year’s elections forced the ruling BJP to form a coalition with pro-religious freedom parties, violence against Christians continues unabated across many states. During the Christmas season, Hindu nationalist groups disrupted services and attacked Christians in states including Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Kerala.   In Syria, ranked 18th on the Open Doors World Watch List, Christians continue to face severe persecution. During the World Watch List reporting period, 3,944 cases of sexual assault, harassment, or forced marriages were recorded, with 500 incidents occurring in Syria alone. Ongoing conflict, crime, and corruption have driven Christian emigration, reducing the Christian population to just 579,000 out of 24.3 million. The fall of the Assad regime to rebel forces has intensified threats to Christians, particularly in the church’s ancient heartland. Islamic extremist rebel groups have outlawed Christianity, destroyed churches, and targeted Christian and Yazidi communities in previously safe Kurdish-controlled areas, even as these regions allowed religious freedom and Christian conversion.  The Christmas season of 2024 brought additional targeted attacks against Christians. In Al-Suqaylabiyah, a predominantly Christian town in Syria, Islamist extremists burned down a Christmas tree, sparking widespread protests among the Christian community and deepening fears for the future of religious minorities under the new regime. Just days earlier, on December 18, an unidentified gunman attacked the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Hama, firing shots at its walls and attempting to remove its cross. These incidents highlight the relentless challenges faced by Christians in a deeply unstable and hostile region.  As the 21st century progresses, Christianity faces unprecedented challenges. Europe continues to drift away from its Christian roots, embracing secularization and diminishing the influence of faith in public life. Meanwhile, Christian communities worldwide endure existential threats, from ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh to systemic persecution in Myanmar, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Syria, and the Middle East. Despite these crises, previous U.S. administrations, including the Biden administration, have often turned a blind eye, failing to take decisive action to protect vulnerable Christian populations. Policies such as removing Nigeria from the religious freedom watchlist and using softened language to describe the forced expulsions in Nagorno-Karabakh have undermined U.S. credibility on human rights and emboldened aggressors.  It is hoped that President Trump will reverse this trend and redefine U.S. foreign policy by making the defense of persecuted Christians a central pillar of his administration. By addressing the failures of the past and holding perpetrators accountable, his administration can demonstrate that America will no longer tolerate violence and discrimination against Christians. This is not only a moral obligation but also a strategic necessity to uphold global human rights and restore U.S. leadership on the world stage. With decisive action, Trump has the chance to leave a lasting legacy as a defender of religious freedom and a protector of Christianity in its time of greatest need. 

Recent surveys indicate the decades-long ebb in religious observance has finally bottomed out. Last month, Pew Research released data indicating that the declining share of self-identified Christians in America has stabilized around 62 percent. Other surveys have found that young men especially are taking up more seats in the pews, with many seeking out the more traditional practices of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communions. Why are Americans suddenly returning to tradition? Explaining her own conversion to Christianity, former atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently asserted that the metaphysical and spiritual assumptions of secular liberalism seem too weak in this age of crisis. “Atheism failed to answer a simple question,” she wrote, “what is the meaning and purpose of life?” Christianity provides an account of the permanent things and humanity’s relationship to them that actually strengthens Ali and believers like her in struggles great and small. The Church is a unique source of strength in the face of this modern boredom and despair for her ability to remake believers in the image of Christ’s life. Belief is not a cheap solution to life’s problems; as He told His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The season of Lent, which begins today with Ash Wednesday, is meant to prepare new converts and renew the faith of those already in the congregation “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and alms-giving; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” More than anything, it is these practices that converts, reverts, and indeed all Christians need for sustenance in these desiccated times. A century ago, T.S. Eliot put this Lenten faith into poetry. Raised in a Unitarian home and educated at elite institutions where liberalism was fashionable, he nevertheless felt a gnawing hunger deep in his soul. After WWI, his modernist poetry used an experimental style to capture his disenchantment with the modern world. The Waste Land, the long poem which made Eliot into a literary celebrity in 1922, is nothing less than a cry of despair over the ruins of European civilization left in the wake of WWI. In the following years, Eliot came to understand that the crisis of modernity he sought to articulate was not only cultural and civilizational, but also deeply spiritual. In 1925 – exactly one hundred years ago – he published a poem titled “The Hollow Men” expressing this dimension of the all-encompassing crisis. Although not yet a believer when it was written, “The Hollow Men” reveals the deep longings of Eliot and his generation that only Christianity could satisfy. The poem begins with striking lines: We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats’ feet over broken glass In our dry cellar In his magisterial biography of Eliot, Russell Kirk argued that “‘The Hollow Men’ describes the spiritual vacuity of the modern age – and the vacuity not merely of ordinary people who have ceased to attend church services.” Christianity provided the West with a set of principles, ideas, and images that bound communities together and gave them a source of history – but something about modernity undermined all this. It is the rejection of God that has made men hollow. To some extent, Eliot was certainly taking aim at modern thinkers. The ideas of H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and especially Bertrand Russell can be detected throughout the poem in the phrases of the Hollow Men. Kirk wrote that Eliot considered these skeptics and ideologues to be “the intellectual enemies of the permanent things, those who wander amusingly into contrived corridors of the spirit – and beguile others, less gifted, after them.” Their doubt metastasized into a kind of cultural cancer, eating away at the life-giving roots of tradition. Human hollowness, however, besides being a cultural phenomenon, is perhaps even more fundamentally a personal experience. Throughout the poem, Eliot writes of the intense loneliness of life in “death’s twilight kingdom.” It is a powerful evocation of the finitude that all human flesh is heir to, an almost-Lenten reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Human nature is cursed, and we hollow men desperately need rescue. Understanding the context of Eliot’s private life makes “The Hollow Men” even more painful to read. In 1915, he married Vivienne Haigh-Wood; the couple was never happy – Eliot later wrote that to him the marriage “brought the state of mind out of which came The Waste Land.” She was plagued by a variety of physical and mental health issues, and he kept up a lingering and deeply unhealthy relationship with an American lady named Emily Hale. The Eliots separated in the 1930s, and Vivienne eventually was committed to a mental hospital where she died in 1947. Distressing as it is to admit for an admirer of his poetry, T.S. Eliot was a sinner struggling with the same hollowness we each face. Just beneath the surface of “The Hollow Men,” though, careful readers might detect a faint hope for redemption. In his interpretation of the poem, Russell Kirk pointed out the image of a rose near the center of the text. In his reading, it represents a kind of timeless love, a grace that can redeem us from this hollow condition. “A man who has emptied himself of vanity and fleshly desire may struggle through suffering to that rose,” Kirk wrote, “but a Hollow Man, a stuffed man, stirred only by the wind of the dead land, circles endlessly round the prickly pear.” The end of the poem suggests what emptying oneself of vanity might look like. Snatches of the Lord’s Prayer burst forth as the narrator contemplates the Hollow Man’s strange condition of in-betweenness. The familiar line “For Thine is the Kingdom” stands out as both a reminder of the transcendent and an indication of the pilgrimage for spiritual renewal upon which the Hollow Man must embark. As one of the assigned texts for the Ash Wednesday service instructs, “rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.” “The Hollow Men” marks a kind of turning point in Eliot’s poetry and life. From the nadir of spiritual despair it represents, he embarked on a religious journey is search of true peace. Ultimately, that quest culminated in his own baptism and the stunning mysticism of “Ash Wednesday” and The Four Quartets. He lived out a kind of earthly purgatory, a “long Lent” until he discovered that we find “Our peace in His will” and that “all shall be well and / All manner of thing shall be well.” Western civilization is desperately in need of this Lenten humility because the dominant forces in contemporary politics and culture are fueled by a kind of bitter hubris. On one hand, secular liberalism leaves people uprooted in the gale of perpetual revolution. On the other, reactionary postliberalism reduces religion to a tool of political utility rather than the soul-saving relationship it ought to be. In both cases, ideology leads to spiritual poverty and social disaster. Eliot, by contrast, provides a model for serious cultural engagement that avoids these ideological excesses. His faith is not “The hope only / Of empty men,” but rather a principle that can give order to the soul and to the commonwealth alike.

From blowing up at Zelenskyy to fast-tracking Executive Orders, what can we learn from Trump’s recent behaviour?

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Volodymyr Yermolenko on what will happen to the world if Russia wins their war against Ukraine

A deep dive into the motivations of two key Gulf states reveals how their tensions and shifting foreign policies reverberate throughout the Middle East. By Lauren Morganbesser '24... Read more about Allies at Odds: Tracking the Rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

PODCAST | ep17 | with Sven Beckert, Myles Lennon, Angélica Márquez-Osuna, and Rachel Steely  We don’t think about commodities very much. They’re all around us: cotton, sugar, oil, gas, chickens, cattle, and so many other things we take for granted. But a closer look at the history of commodities tells a revealing story about the expansion of capitalism and its profound impacts on land, labor, economics, and human rights. In this episode, we talk to four scholars who study commodity frontiers—with case studies in soybeans, honey bees, renewable energy, and more—to learn how commodities have literally altered the planet and society. Listen to episode #17 (54:04) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Exploring Commodity Frontiers

Evangelicalism and feminism come together in a movement that challenges patriarchy while still claiming Christian values. Graduate Student Affiliate Kelsey Hanson Woodruff introduces us to leaders of a digital Christian feminist community. By Kelsey Hanson Woodruff... Read more about Christian Feminists from Abroad Confront US Sexual Politics

Social media can sway political opinion, and it can also cross a line. Hadas Zur closely examines a neighborhood case where politics and violence become intertwined and are propagated by social media. Content warning: some of the images in this post show the aftermath of violent acts. By Hadas Zur... Read more about How Digitization is Changing Urban Politics

PODCAST | ep16 | with Damir Kapidžić, Denisa Sarajlic, and Nace Zavrl   One room. One locked-down camera. One roll of film. A group of famous directors from the 1960s took the challenge: they would make a short film with these parameters plus one more—their dialogue must include the sentence “I Miss Sonia Henie.” The result was a bawdy, ludicrous compilation that became an international classic. It’s featured in a new film retrospective called The Yugoslav Junction: Internationalism in the SFRY: 1958–1988. The Weatherhead Center is cosponsoring this program of short and long films from socialist Yugoslavia, which takes place at the Harvard Film Archive beginning November 9. Today we’re talking to the curator of the series along with two Weatherhead fellows from Bosnia and Herzegovina who will set up the political and cultural background for these rare films, and they’ll discuss three of them— one each from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Listen to episode #16 (38:39) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Rare Films from Socialist Yugoslavia

In her new book, Amy Austin Holmes recounts how a multiethnic coalition stopped a genocide, defied Bashar al-Assad, and then created a statelet to govern their region. Interview by Michelle Nicholasen... Read more about Survival and Self-Determination in Northeast Syria

The US student protest movement against the conflict between Israel and Gaza draws on tactics and symbolism from past protests, some of which were contentious yet successful. Daniel Manulak looks back at the student-led anti-apartheid movement.  By Daniel Manulak... Read more about Student Protests and Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Movement

As urbanization and climate change impacts converge, local governments need a range of innovations to mitigate suffering, especially in the cities of South Asia. Rajshahi city in Bangladesh has taken promising steps.  By Mohammad Tarikul Islam... Read more about Cities in Bangladesh Must Refocus to Combat Climate Change

PODCAST | ep15 | with Jacqueline Bhabha, Monique Nguyen, and Maggie Sullivan  Massachusetts has long been a welcoming state to immigrants and migrant families. In the summer of 2023, its one-of-a-kind “right to shelter” law was put to the test when emergency shelters reached capacity. It was called a humanitarian crisis, and images of families sleeping on the floor of Logan Airport flooded the media. Although it is most noticed on a local level, migration is an ongoing global process that requires a structural response at all levels. In this episode, we speak to a lawyer/scholar, a nurse practitioner, and a city government official deeply involved with immigrant services and policies to better understand the scope of migration, the needs of newly arrived families, and also the varied responses of host communities. Listen to episode #15 (52:24) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Migrants Bring Opportunity to Boston and Beyond

Although the rules of entry and exit are quite nebulous, states get both real and perceived benefits from joining international organizations.     By Hazel Genieser ('27)... Read more about Members Only: How States Favor Friends and Exclude Rivals

The ataman (head) of the “All-Russian Cossack Society,” Nikolai Doluda, addressed a meeting of the Atamans’ Council, in Krasnodar Krai, on February 4, and instructed those gathered that “the time has come when the Cossacks are once again becoming a stronghold and reliable shield of Russia, a guarantor of unity and protection of its national interests” (Vsko.ru, February 4). The … The post As Ukraine Crisis Simmers, Russian Cossack Movement Tightens Integration With Military Reserves appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games Over the last several years, Ukraine’s leaders have expressed grave concern over the dangers posed to regional energy security by Russia’s Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline. From Germany and, more broadly, from Europe, the … The post The Many Faces of Nord Stream Two appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games On July 28, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrated the 1,033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus—a remarkable annual event for Ukrainian history and another reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political speculations. After the Ecumenical … The post Religion as a Hybrid War Weapon to Achieve Russia’s Geopolitical Goals appeared first on Jamestown.

On May 25, just ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the First Georgian Republic’s (1918–1921) independence, Georgian protesters paralyzed the streets of the capital city of Tbilisi in the largest rally to date against the Namakhvani Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project (Civil.ge, May 25, 26). Relatively small demonstrations against the planned dam, by locals organized under the banner “Guardians of … The post Namakhvani HPP: Georgian Hydropower Between Energy Security and Geopolitics appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games The Russian Cossack movement is emerging as one of the key social pillars supporting the regime, and increasingly it is taking on the mold of Kuban Cossackdom, found in the southern part of the country. … The post All Russian Cossacks Increasingly Resemble Krasnodar Movement appeared first on Jamestown.

On April 21, Vasily Piskarev, the head of the State Duma’s commission to investigate the facts of interference in the internal affairs of Russia, announced that his body was preparing legislative initiatives to combat foreign interference in Russia, including in its elections, by non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Piskarev said that “insults against Russia” will receive a “worthy response, including … The post Russia Cracks Down on ‘Foreign Threats’ appeared first on Jamestown.

On February 20, Ruslan Ablyakimov was walking in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, with two friends when he was stopped by six young men who proceeded to beat him. “Where did you come here from?” they asked, “You are from Moscow, right? What are you doing here?” Before the men left Ablyakimov, they told him, “You have until tomorrow to … The post Alexei Navalny’s Support in the North Caucasus: More About Corruption Than Navalny appeared first on Jamestown.

The foreign and security policy expert communities in Georgia (Neweurope.eu, November 17) as well as both the outgoing and candidate Lithuanian defense ministers (LRT, November 16, 19) have called for a permanent presence of United States military forces in their respective countries. These calls indicate a hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Joseph Biden will bring greater attention to … The post Georgia, Lithuania Call for Permanent US Troop Presences appeared first on Jamestown.

In the first week of August, cellphones across Russia lit up with surprising text messages. They came from different numbers, but each said the same thing in Russian: “The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information about interference in the US elections. If you have information, contact rfj.tips/bngc.” The State Department confirmed the messages were authentic … The post US Messaging to Russian Citizens: Time to Step It Up? appeared first on Jamestown.

Recent comments by former vice president of the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia Valery Arshba indicate a split between the older political elite and the current administration of President Aslan Bzhania (Gazeta-ra.info, October 19; Civil.ge, October 23). Arshba called for the breakaway republic to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, “without losing [its] sovereignty.” Arshba himself has a … The post Former Abkhazian Separatist Official Calls for Joining Russia-Belarus Union State appeared first on Jamestown.