Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
As the world gathers to celebrate Christmas, war continues to devastate Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, and countless other places we choose not to name. This year-end iPINIONS post confronts the moral dissonance of comfort amid catastrophe, and asks what it means to look away while others endure. Read my full take on Substack:https://ipinionsdaily.substack.com/p/wither-ukraine-sudan-gaza-and-they Read more.
Biden’s come-to-Jesus talk with Netanyahu On its misadventure to destroy Hamas, Israel spent six months killing thousands of innocent Palestinians and scores of relief workers. Yet, it was only after it killed seven Central Work Kitchen aid workers recently that President Biden had a come-to-Jesus talk with Netanyahu. Reportedly, Biden’s friendship with José Andrés, the founder of this relief organization, made him so… Read more.
Darfurians starving in the shadows World attention remains focused on the genocidal war Russia is waging in Ukraine. The alleged war crimes Russians are committing there include kidnapping Ukrainian children en masse and raping Ukrainian women as a weapon of war. But world attention has become fixated on the genocidal war Israel is waging in Gaza. The alleged crimes Israelis are committing there include launching indiscriminate bombings and… Read more.
Israeli war crimes Last month, South Africa filed a case in the United Nation’s highest court accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. I reacted by accusing South Africa of being a useful idiot. I argued this was a blatant deflection, a smokescreen for the actual genocide – courtesy of its comrade Russia in Ukraine. I found the gaslighting at play unconscionable.… Read more.
Pakistan imprisons Imran Khan Imran Khan is a demagogue. Like Viktor Orbán of Hungary, he thought he could rule Pakistan like an autocrat. And, just like Orbán, he seemed to think fraternizing with Russian President Vladimir Putin was the best way to win friends and influence Western leaders. That autocratic style of leadership has worked for Orbán, but… Read more.
Biden cracks down on West Bank settlers Yesterday, in what seems like a daring move, Biden announced a visa ban targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The policy move follows President Biden’s warning last month that sanctions could be imposed on individuals the US views as involved in violence against Palestinians, particularly in the larger territory. … Read more.
Venezuela votes to seize Guyana territory Land grabs are rivaling military coups as the trending event in geopolitics. Venezuela is mounting the latest land grab. It is doing so today through a referendum on annexing an oil-rich region of Guyana. The referendum will ask Venezuelans … if they agree with creating a new state called Guayana Esequiba in the Essequibo region, granting… Read more.
Kissinger, authoritarian whisperer of realpolitik Henry Kissinger was a titan of 20th-century geopolitics. But his legacy is as complex as it is controversial. Many hailed him as a master strategist. I railed against him as a cunning narcissist. He courted praise for dispensing sage chess-like geopolitical advice. Yet, I can fairly distill his diplomatic treatise… Read more.
Hamas attacks, Israel retaliates Welcome to the Middle East, Mr. President. Here, peace is elusive, and tragedy is ever-present. That backdrop set the stage for the attack Hamas perpetrated against Israel on October 7. Israelis decry it as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. And it ignited yet another cycle of violence – with Israel vowing retaliation to eradicate… Read more.
I’ve argued for years that annual G20 summits are much ado about nothing. But I’ve always recognized their one politically redeeming value. That used to be the opportunity for the world’s political power brokers to forge collegial relationships. Even that illusion has crumbled. G20 Summit India President Putin is AWOL. But he has been for years. This year, Russia’s genocidal… Read more.
