A big issue in the Wikileaks controversy has to do with restrictions on freedom of speech in a democratic society, and the use of pressure tactics and of corporate policy to curb speech that is not shown to be illegal. That tendency is very troubling, and recalls the strong arm tactics of the House of […]
Archives for December 2010
Wikileaks and the New McCarthyism: Maybe we Just Need a More Open Government
Map: Modern Iran
Modern Iran Click to go to map, click again to enlarge. Informed Comment Map Page (Under Construcion)
Jamiol: The Embarrassment of Wikileaks Leaks
Paul Jamiol on Reactions to the Wikileaks: Courtesy “Jamiol’s World”
Israel’s Mega-Fire and Climate Change’s Drying Mediterranean
You can’t relate a one-off event like Israel’s massive forest fire near Haifa to climate change, which has to be measured over a long series. It is the worst in Israel’s history. But what is true is that more and more such disasters will be faced by those regions of the earth that become dessicated […]
Charges Against Cheney Filed by Nigeria in Bribery Case
The Lagos Guardian reports that the Nigerian government has preferred charges against former US vice president Richard Bruce Cheney (they always give the full names of criminals) in connection with an investigation of Halliburton on bribery charges when he was CEO of the company (1995-2000). Given that the wikileaks cables show that both the Bush […]
The Ottoman Empire, 1798-1923
The real background of the modern Middle East: Map: The Ottoman Empire, 1798-1923
Map Ethnic Groups in Iran and Central Asia
Ethnic Groups in Central Asia (click for stand-alone map and click again to enlarge) From the very useful Perry-Castaneda map collection at the University of Texas. IC map site under construction.
Bad “Weather” between Obama and Karzai Forestalls Meeting
Update: President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Friday but is said to have gotten stuck on Bagram Base and could not meet face to face with Hamid Karzai. The press is saying that Obama cannot get to Kabul because of high winds and fog, making it impossible to fly helicopters to the […]
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