There is a job to be done and the time for hesitation has ended. The muscle and might of our beautiful country must bring to bear the the full weight of our just cause upon the scourge, the disease, that is ISIS.   



Indiscriminate violence is upon us. There are approximately 10,000 to 20,000 ISIS soldiers that will not be deterred or talked out of seeking to kill as many people as possible, in their pursuit of starting a world war.  Their hearts are bent on blackening the earth and… Continue

Just watched Pope Francis Speech to US Congress.  Very moving, inspirational, comprehensive need for human dialogue - many stand-up non-political party applauds. Conscience for humanity, common home, common good, "golden rule" , family, children, poverty , opportunity, life, death penalty, immigration, war and peace.  He appealed to audience to "please pray for me",  even if you don't believe wish me well"

Pope considers…

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As November 8^th approaches, news and commentary about the “landmark” Burmese general elections are picking up. As usual, I have my own thoughts about the growing buzz surrounding Election Day.

Let's start off with some quick background information. The upcoming November 8^th election in Burma is widely considered to be one of the most important political events in the nation’s history. The authoritarian regime, still warring with several ethnic rebel…

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The past week has confirmed that despite the Burmese government's made-for-export show of reforms, there is still no such thing as political freedom in Burma. Yet, you probably haven't read anything about the nation's ongoing (but increasingly repressed) student protests in this week's headlines. That's largely because the regime has responded in such a way that is threatening enough to stifle dissent at home, but not violent enough to invoke international outrage. This is the "sweet spot"…

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Over the past few months, the world has largely overlooked a series of peaceful protests by Burmese students that began in November, coinciding with President Obama’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation. The students are protesting the country’s new National Education Law, which maintains close, centralized government control of the nation’s educational institutions and limit students’ freedom of association (read more…

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A question I've been grappling with lately concerns engagement with foreign governments that systematically violate human rights. When foreign governments are behaving badly, should we engage with them and try to encourage reform, or sanction them and cut off ties? Is engagement the path to reform, or does it merely reward bad behavior? While this dilemma is central to many foreign affairs situations, this post will focus on…

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Originally Published at http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/us-china-japan-beware-the-megarian-trap/

“That decision may be judged irrational or merely a miscalculation of likely consequences, but it is like many similar ones throughout history in which passion inspired by old hatreds and wounded honor are the cause of dangerous actions.”…

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It is easy to ignore a seemingly frivolous diplomatic incident in Asia at a time when the world’s attention is firmly invested in the Middle East, which saw the latest edition of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian saga playing out in Gaza last month. Add to that the much-vaunted economic rise of Asia in the past decade, and the Asia-Pacific region barely comes to mind as a potential flashpoint or a threat to international peace and security.



Years of breakneck economic growth in… Continue

In a recent article in this month's Science magazine, the news staff summarizes President Obama's and Mr. Romney's views on how to promote and maintain a trend of scientific excellence and achievement in the United States...while paying down a 1.4 billion dollar deficit. This topic is of particular interest to a discussion of greater ethical implications as we know that innovation (commonly generated through the funding of science and engineering research and education initiatives) is key in…

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