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How the Bobos Broke America: Atlantic 9/21 article here: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/08/1025845766/david-brooks-new-book-takes-a-look-at-how-the-cultural-elite-broke-america

This article claims that one of the plotters in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, David Headley, was a) a double agent for the US and b) a member of a militant group created and sponsored by Pakistan's intelligence agency. And that the Mumbai attack was intended to provoke conflict between Pakistan and India, both of which are nuclear armed.

Posted as a Critique to the David Harvey Piece--the author is anonymous (why?); identifies himself as "How the World Works"; in videos where he is talking, he looks like a college-age person.

David Harvey--look for the critique of this one as well

I chose this article about the Israel-Palestine conflict because it talks about how this conflict is not an isolated battle between Israel and Palestine. The Op-Ed columnist David Brooks writes that because of all the conflict in the Middle East each country, group, or "political contour" that is striving for power influences the actions of either the Palestinian or Israeli parties. For example, Brooks mentions how Egypt blocked 95% of the tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza, which costed Hamas $460 million a year. Hamas could not attack Egypt, so they attacked Israel instead. The public dissatisfaction caused Egypt to end the blockade. Thus, the external parties in the Middle East have a large effect on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and Brooks says that the conflict should therefore be analyzed from a different perspective: "It, like every conflict in the region, has to be seen as a piece of the larger 30 Years' War" (Brooks). This article shows us that we need to think a little more broadly when analyzing certain conflicts.

I think it's interesting that these outside countries are involving themselves by using all the deaths of the Israelis and Palestinians as leverage to get what they want. The violence in Gaza negatively influences all of its surrounding regions. Violence only brings more violence.

This article was a great way to clear the air on many misconceptions that have been floating around that make the Israel-Palestine conflict seem like a very straightforward conflict. This makes it clear that many of the warfare between Israel and Palestine isn't related to conflict between these two nations, rather in some cases it is attempts by Palestinian states and Muslim rebels to show dominance to other Middle Eastern countries and sects in order to make political and economic moves. With so much intertwining of conflict with the Egypt and the Islamists at the Arab Spring and the closing of the 95% of the tunnels being closed between Egypt and Gaza. The Brotherhood, ISIS, and other militant groups are vying for power throughout the Middle East and flexing their muscle on anybody and everybody to establish political dominance.

"NPR journalists Mary Louise Kelly and Becky Sullivan and freelance photographer David Guttenfelder were among the some 150 foreign reporters who visited North Korea last month, at the invitation of the government, to cover celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Guttenfelder has taken nearly 40 reporting trips to the isolated country since 2000."

Clive Crook weighs in on the Globalization debate.  

an interesting article relating to the definition of conservatism and its bearing on the current election.

Thanks, Alexander. A lucid commentary--definitely helpful in the moment.

The British are in favor of the non-violent solution to the situation in Iraq. They say that they are skeptical of the plan, but that they will take it seriously, and that it must be "'tested out properly' to ensure it [is] not a 'delaying tactic' or a 'ruse'."

I began my study of the ISIS conflict by reading an article about the Mosul Dam and how it was a crucial breaking point in the ISIS-Iraq conflict. The forces of ISIS previously spoke of blowing up the Mosul Dam when obtaining control, thus affecting Iraq from Mosul all the way down to Baghdad. Militant forces had been engaging in firefights with armed vehicles in villages surrounding the Mosul Dam and managed to gain control. The Kurdish military and Iraqi Forces, were not doing an adequate job fighting back from the eyes of the US, placing American representatives in the area in jeopardy. Obama ordered airstrikes and within two days of continuous air raids, the Sunni' fighters were subdued enough for the Kurdish and Iraqi forces to move in and retake the Mosul Dam. While Obama says this is not a sign that America is completely joining in so Iraqi and Syrian governments can return to a lack-luster, chaotic governing system, the heavy military presence on foreign soil does seem a bit concerning. Yet, what are the other options in defending fellow Americans? Perhaps the British don't have a large number of representatives in the area, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, made sure he informed his country that they would not be joining in the conflict to any extent. With ISIS militant forces inhabiting various other areas, danger seems to be looming in Iraq and Syria. I'm curious to see if any other foreign nations join into the conflict or let the forces stay enmeshed in conflict.

I liked this article a lot because it paints the slippery slope that the United States will face if they become even more involved with the ISIS situation. Currently, the only USA involvement has been airstrikes/ airs raids as the article states. Will Obama continue to approve of the air strikes or will the situation escalate to a point where boots on the ground are required?

How British foreign policy affected the bombings.

ISIS makes its fortune by selling oil from seized territory to its enemies, including the Syrian government it has vowed to topple and to Kurds in Iraq, a U.S. official said Thursday. The official, Undersecretary David Cohen of the Treasury Department, is in charge of cracking down on ISIS finances.

Abortion was decriminalized in Mexico, but this decision faced lots of backlash, with many doctors saying that they would still not perform abortions. Also, there seems to be a general negative response or maybe a stigma around abortions.

I wonder how this connects to religious issues; Mexico is 80% catholic and the catholic church is very clearly against abortion. I found it interesting that 45% support abortion because that means at least 25% of people are catholic and in favor of abortion.

Yes, David to the Catholic position on abortion in Mexico.

Amid the nation's worst Covid-19 outbreak, patients are trapped in remote communities and doctors are prioritizing treatment based on who is most likely to survive.

It amazed and disgusted me that the people defying the vaccine and the mask mandates in Alaska have been protesting by wearing the Star of David; likening their situation to the holocaust.

Stories like this are a reminder that Covid is still very much an emergency situation. As a vaccinated person in a community with low hospitalization rates, it can be easy to feel distant from the issue at hand.

Despite the government's imprisonment of protesters, there are plans for a protest on November 15th in Cuba. They are protesting the inequality that exists in Cuba despite its government supposedly being communist. They are led by Yunior García, an artist.

I'd be interested in seeing how other nations react to this protest. Do we know how many of them are neutral, declaring support, and/or actively impacting this movement?

Thanks for posting this, David. Arjun, I wonder as well. I also wonder what degree of economic inequality there is in Cuba compared to other countries. When I traveled there in . . . 2018? it seemed to me that the greatest inequality was between the urban areas (doing okay, nothing fancy except the Chinese buses and the fancy hotels for tourists, renovated from before the Castro era). . and the rural areas, that were really poor.

The UK is facing a gas shortage which has lead to long lines and panic buying. What's fascinating is that it isn't primarily caused by a lack of oil but a lack of drivers to transport the oil. The government has offered 5000 three-month visas for foreign drivers

It seems like Brexit has made all the problems in the UK worse; this story talks about how there would be an issue without Brexit, but Brexit has made it into a bigger crisis.

Yes to your comment, David. What a terrible decision Braxit was!