In the midst of the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear threats, the issue of Iran’s nuclear program has fallen on an even greater backburner than political strife in Egypt and civil war in Syria had already relegated it. With the rest of the Middle East on fire, and the Pacific about to explode, can the United States and Europe really afford a hard-line against Iran? Or so the argument goes. Usually such arguments are combined with a suggestion that the Iran for all its faults is rational, that sanctions are taking a toll and that its leaders are desperate to escape them. Some will highlight – as Patricia L. Schouker has - the difficult history of the American-Iranian relationship and the blame the United States holds for its condition. There is undoubtedly some truth to these claims. Iran does suffer from its poor relations with the West, and there have been times in… Read Full Article >
As an openly gay supporter of the legality of same-sex marriage, I felt curiously ambivalent as I listened to the audio transcripts of the Supreme Court oral arguments for Holingsworth v. Perry, the legal challenge to the constitutionality of Proposition 8 that is now before the Supreme Court. While my Facebook filled up with posts expressing excitement at the prospect of a Supreme Court victory for marriage rights, along with links expressing incredulity at the existence of any opposition or disagreement whatsoever. Many linked to an Onion story where the members of the court expressed shock that it was even an issue, ruling instantly to legalize same-sex marriage before moving on to more pressing business. Read Full Article >
The Pauls, Ron and his son, now-Senator Rand, have long occupied an awkward position in the Republican party. Iconoclasts in a party that is strictly disciplined, yet as equally likely as to break from the party line from the left as from the right, Republicans have not known what to do with them. And while some Republicans have occasionally flirted with individual policies promoted by them, drug decriminalization or copyright reform, little has come of these initiatives, while Paulite heresy on international affairs has left them out in the cold in what is increasingly a neo-conservative party. Read Full Article >
Love it or hate it, the Catholic Church sure knows how to market a product. After a decade of criticism over its handling of sex abuse allegations, opposition to condoms, and conservative positions on gay rights and feminism, the entire global media still trudged all the way to Vatican City to witness the election of a new Pope. Self-declared “Papal analysts” spent hours discussing the candidates and their odds, only to have a candidate Betfair placed the odds of 25-1 against, Cardinal Bergoglio of Buenos Aires emerge the victor. Read Full Article >
An embattled Conservative Leader facing rumbling from the backbenches about his inability to make progress against the worst Labour leader in years. An insurgent Right-wing party surging in by-elections on the basis of frustration among Conservative voters with the moderation of their leader and his perceived alliance with Liberals. At the heart of the conflict, a struggle over whether Britain should belong to “Europe” or turn away and attach its fate to the Empire. History is repeating itself, and 2013′s David Cameron might learn a lot from 1931′s Stanley Baldwin. Read Full Article >
