Ireland
The Social Pathology of Dubai
Everybody is aware of the drama now being played out in Dubai. And, frankly, the relief given by Abu Dhabi, its abutting oil-rich emirate in the confederation of self-indulgent and non-productive Arabs, will only buy time for Dubai, which will have to turn over to its cousins whatever assets remain under its robes. READ MORE >>
Peter King's Secret Terrorism-Loving History
My previous item on Peter King touched a nerve with the excellent Alex Massie, who points out that King was an outright apologist for terrorism by the Irish Republican Army. Massie points me to this old New York Sun article (not by him) which has some great details: READ MORE >>
The End of Hunger?
Famine: A Short History By Cormac Ó Gráda (Princeton University Press, 327 pp., $27.95) READ MORE >>
Perfect Strangers
Innovation Nation: Israel
As America struggles to get its mojo back as a preeminent center of innovation and thereby prosperity, metropolitan and national economic leaders would do well to study the case of Israel. Israel? Yes, Israel. READ MORE >>
Does Dubai Matter? Ask Ireland.
Presumably the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are currently locked in negotiations regarding the exact terms that will be attached to a “bailout” for Dubai World. We’ll never know the details but if, as seems likely, the final deal involves creditors taking some sort of hit (perhaps getting 75 cents in the dollar, at the end of the day), does that matter? READ MORE >>
Is Dubai the First Casualty in a Global Epidemic?
Officially, the only news coming out of Dubai on Sunday was that the central bank of the United Arab Emirates, the seven-state federation of which Dubai is a part, will extend ample credit to banks in Dubai. That should avert a series of runs now that it's pretty clear Dubai's banks have piles of bad loans sitting on their balance sheets. READ MORE >>
What Dubai Means for the U.S.
Dying Languages Should Be Saved: But Will They Be Spoken?
You never know which ones of your pieces are going to get around. Last week World Affairs published an essay I wrote exploring whether it would necessarily be such a horrible thing if only one language were spoken in the world. READ MORE >>
Murthaville
Congressman John Murtha passed away today. Below, you'll find a recent magazine feature that we ran on him--and the town he represented for 36 years. READ MORE >>
