Copenhagen: a Failure of American Statecraft

After a few weeks hiatus, I am now able to devote some time to blogging. The world has not held still in my absence; over the course of the last month the Lisbon Treaty was ratified, Washington decided to send 30,000 men to Afghanistan, Andhra Pradesh fragmented into two parts, MEND rebels drove Shell out […]

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Video of the Day 27/11/09 โ€“ Massacre in Mindanao

Philippines ‘witness’ recounts killings Al Jazeera. 26 November 2009. This video is the best I have yet seen on the Mindanao massacre. Al Jazeera has once again has trumped Western news organizations in investigative ability. The composure of Ismael Mangudadatu is astounding. To lose a wife and a sister and still have the fortitude to […]

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Our Esteemed Ally, the Executioner of Sorcerers.

Human Rights Watch sent this gem to my inbox today: Saudi Arabia: Witchcraft and Sorcery Cases on the Rise.Human Rights Watch. 25 November 2009. (Kuwait City) – The cassation court in Mecca should overturn the death sentence imposed on Ali Sabat by a lower court in Medina on November 9 for practicing witchcraft, Human Rights […]

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Video of the Day 23/11/09 — East vs. West: the Myths that Mystify

East vs. West — the Myths that Mystify Devdutt Pattanik. TED. November 2009. I endorse this presentation with some hesistance. Pattanik’s presentation is convincing, even brilliant, but there are limitations to the argument he makes. It has been 30 years since the publication of Edward Said’s Orientalism. The book’s publication brought about the collapse of […]

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