Though the fall of Syria’s Assad would appear gainful for Israel prima facie, a potential nuclear threat from Iran not only remains, but is plausibly greater than before. One reason for such a counter-intuitive suggestion is that Tehran is now more likely to feel “cornered” in certain crisis circumstances (both foreseeable and unforeseeable) and to [...]
The Chagos Archipelago lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean and comprises 58 islands including Diego Garcia, which houses a major joint British and American military base. The Archipelago has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. However, in October 2024, a joint statement was issued by the United Kingdom and Mauritius explaining that [...]
The lightning-fast overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in late 2024 has dramatically changed the regional balance of power in Syria. After years of military dominance patronized by Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, the regime of Assad crumbled due to a combination of internal decay, declining morale among his forces, and strategic miscalculations. [...]
As the dust settles after the fall of the Assad regime, a significant chapter is closing in the tragic narrative of the Syrian conflict. The civil war, which erupted in 2011 following the brutal crackdown on peaceful student protests in Daraa, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Yet, with the regime’s [...]
The Chagos Archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean comprises Diego Garcia and more than sixty other islands. The Archipelago has been under continuous UK sovereignty since 1814 and was for most of that time administered as part of “British Mauritius.” In 1965, three years before the UK granted independence to Mauritius, it detached [...]
“The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill one’s heart.” Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus A greatly-improved world order is needed for human survival. In turn, any such transformation would need to rest upon imaginative and systematic “design” processes. Oddly, apart from a tiny handful of esoteric and residual academic programs, there [...]
On November 19, President Vladimir Putin announced a revised nuclear strike doctrine that escalated the consequences of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The Russian nuclear strike has become much more probable than before. The NATO countries, particularly the United States, should not dismiss what Putin says as mere threatening rhetoric but should accept it at its face [...]
“A republic, if you can keep it.” –Benjamin Franklin’s response to Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” The rule of law lies at the heart of any functioning democracy, serving as a cornerstone for justice, equality, and the very fabric of society itself. As the United [...]
In September, a federal lawsuit settlement forced Florida’s Nassau County public school district to restore 36 books featuring race-related or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) themes to bookshelves. Among the books is the award-winning And Tango Makes Three, which tells the true story of two male penguins who raise a chick together at the Central Park Zoo. [...]
Now that the election is over, people might wonder what role the Supreme Court will play during Donald Trump’s second term. If the new president engages in behavior threatening to the Constitution and the rule of law, will the justices try to stop him, or will they move even further to the right? No one [...]
