As world powers head into nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad on Wednesday, is Obama so naive as to hang on to a fake fatwa promising no nukes? With enough enriched uranium to eventually make six nuclear bombs, Tehran is simply stalling for time. Recent chronology bears this out.
Contrary to the global perception that Egypt is sinking into chaos, presidential election debates reflect hope for a new Egypt. Open debate between secular and Islamist groups was unthinkable over the past 60 years. This openness means the Egyptian body politic is maturing.
Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of May 21, 2012: Natural gas is a stopgap at best. What are the long-term risks of fracking? The real issue is the huge quantity of water used and chemically contaminated in the fracking process.
As the NATO summit in Chicago wraps up, it’s clear that NATO is in a tough spot, navigating a tenuous transition in Afghanistan as a prolonged euro crisis slashes its capability. NATO must look closer to home to restore its credibility in areas our citizens agree are high priorities.
We jail people when we have despaired of any other way of dealing with their abhorrent behavior. But the vast majority will one day re-enter civilized society. Does prison make it more or less likely they will fit in?
Will the new publicly traded Facebook cater singularly to its wealthy shareholders? Mark Zuckerberg must strive to include ‘we the users,’ who made such a megabillion dollar concept possible, in his corporate model. He can start by offering a free share to each Facebook user.
For the G8 summit, Obama unveils a promise by private firms to invest $3 billion in raising Africa's farm productivity. Many young Africans, dubbed 'cheetahs,' are posed for effective private investment.
When NATO meets in Chicago this weekend, intervention in Syria is sure to be discussed – perhaps by Syria's neighbor, Turkey, which presents itself as a democratic model for the Middle East with a strong military. But questionable investigations of its military undermine those claims.
The NATO summit in Chicago can overcome the alliance's current woes about Afghanistan and defense cuts by remembering how unique NATO is in history as a club of democracies with shared principles and interests.
In Ohio, heated debate accompanied the move to ban texting while driving. That surprised me. Who could oppose such a thing? Ah, but then the law of unintended consequences put a whole new light on the controversy.
Sixteen states now allow corporations to withhold state income taxes from employees and keep the money as an incentive for a business to locate to or remain in a state. That means that, in effect, employees pay personal income tax to their company rather than their state government.
The prospect of long-term joblessness in Europe and the US should focus attention on a new type of economics that seems to work for helping the worst-off in poor countries.
On my first limousine ride alone with Ronald Reagan as a senior aide, he told me how much his mother shaped his beliefs. One thing about President Reagan, you knew what he believed in. Many voters may have a difficult time finding such rock-solid conviction in Romney or Obama.
California and New Jersey, each seek more revenue, are leading the states toward Internet gambling, starting with online poker. But this all-too-easy form of gaming would come with at a high cost to society – and government.
Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention ended with a deal this week for better treatment. That showed the power of peaceful protest. If Palestinians adopt nonviolence as a strategic tool, that could bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
Russia should be on the agenda for NATO summit in Chicago this weekend. In spite of recent tensions, the historically fractured relationship between Russia and NATO is the most ripe for transformation. Obstacles like missile defense and Eastern Europe can be resolved.
An escalation of violence in Syria, as well as the enfeebled UN cease-fire, have revived the tactics of civil, peaceful resistance among many of Syria's democracy activists. Nonviolent means may be their ultimate force.
In spite of a decade of failed government vehicle-efficiency policies, Obama has poured millions into the 'advanced vehicle' and fuel industries and wants to increase involvement. Unfortunately, the harm done by these handouts will extend far beyond simply wasting taxpayers’ money.
Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of May 14, 2012: The responsibility for long-term fixes to the tax code rests with the US Congress, but the code has increased by 13,564 over the past eight years. Political families aren't un-American dynasties; they're examples of service.
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