Section: The Huffington Post (USA)
We Had Our 9/11 (But Pretended It Didn’t Happen)
That Europe is not raising its voice to stop the bloodshed in Gaza is no big surprise. Sadly, we are used to a 28 Member States consensus-based foreign policy that tends to be anodyne. Bad news for Europe’s potential, but much worse for others around the world who miss our ambition to be assertive about human rights and international law...
A Field Guide To The Bizarre And Terrifying Pro-Russian Rebels In Ukraine
Weeks after Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, fighting still rages as the government battles with the obstinate, heavily armed separatists who remain in control much of the territory around the crash site. In charge of the many masked rebel militiamen in the east is a collection of commanders and self-appointed politicians who are...
‘But They Use Human Shields!’
If truth is the first casualty of war, then ethics, its twin sister, dies in the same explosion. Karl Barth, perhaps the 20th century’s most famous theologian, lived through two European wars and described the ensuing darkness as a complete “collapse of ethics.” He was right. The ability to reason morally may be an accidental...
How Vladimir Putin Went From Spy Film Admirer To One Of The World’s Most Powerful Men
We all know the name Vladimir Putin. From his oppression of Russia’s LGBT community to his invasion of Ukraine to his unyielding support for the Syrian government, the ironfisted president at the helm of Russia’s government has been a mainstay in recent headlines. But what do we know about Vladimir Putin, really? According to...
‘Mythical Creatures’ Is An Animated Holocaust Film Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen
Los Angeles artist Gary Baseman is currently raising funds for his upcoming film project, “Mythical Creatures,” based on the heartbreaking story of his father’s narrow escape from Poland during the Holocaust. Yet Baseman is plotting a film experience like no other, combining his father’s narrative with animation, theater...
Ukraine and the Media Drumbeat
Vietnam 1964 Fifty years ago, the American media aided the Johnson administration in leading the nation into war under false pretenses. Our media therefore bears some of the responsibility for a needless war which killed 58,000 Americans and over a million Vietnamese. (The photo below shows some of the victims of the infamous 1968 My Lai...
Is Obama Really Adrift in the World?
For all the hands shaken and hamburgers eaten, President Obama has never quite shaken his reputation for detachment. He is the “cool” president who doesn’t lose his temper even when he should. He is the former constitutional law professor who is too “academic” for the Oval Office. He uses his brain when he should be...
Interview: What Can Be Expected From Ukrainian Right in the Midst of Political and Military Crisis?
In addition to the military crisis in Eastern Ukraine and the rise of pro-Russian separatist rebels, Kiev now confronts a growing political crisis as the country gears up for new elections. What can we expect from the Ukrainian right, and how will nationalist forces seek to profit from escalating tensions with Russia? For answers, I caught up...
EU Sanctions Target 3 Putin Cronies
BRUSSELS (AP) — An official European Union document shows three long-time Putin cronies are among eight people who have been hit with new EU sanctions. The European Union measures announced Wednesday were the first to target members of the Russian president’s inner circle for Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Among those sanctioned...
Some Rebels In Ukraine Vent Frustration With Putin
By Aleksandar Vasovic DONETSK, Ukraine, July 30 (Reuters) – Western leaders may be Vladimir Putin’s biggest critics over the conflict in east Ukraine but the Russian leader is also facing criticism from some of the rebels they accuse him of arming. The European Union and the United States have imposed new sanctions on Russia because...
