Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
"Libertarians might be wrong about what helps and what hurts. Maybe we’re mistaken in our policy prescriptions. But those mistakes, if they exist, aren’t because we 'care' less than liberals"
Measuring the size of the global middle class is no easy matter. But here's an idea – count the number of cars in circulation and extrapolate from there. Doing so suggests much greater past and future growth than we've appreciated
"Bahrain has become a symbol of the failure of the Arab Spring to deliver real democracy and freedom. What is hardly ever mentioned is that this very system of oppression in Bahrain was largely created by the British"
"All intelligence services rely on convincing the public that there is a monster out there in the big wild world waiting to grab them." The truth is more complicated, as KGB founder Felix Dzerzhinsky could tell us
"As world population peaks and begins to decline later in this century, the strongly religious will stand against the tide. In so doing, they will remake societies and wash away many of our certainties about secularization"
Capitalism may not be perfect, but that's no reason to abandon it. Here's one major flaw that can be fixed: "The world’s productivity revolution is outpacing the political will of rich societies to fairly distribute its benefits"
Chomsky interview: "The Republican Party has pretty much abandoned any pretence of being a traditional political party. It’s in lockstep obedience to the very rich, the super rich and the corporate sector." And religious extremists
Opposition to unmanned aerial vehicles comes from two main camps. "Oppenheimers" fear that drones will encourage American presidents to launch new wars overseas. "Orwells" fear that drones will enable more domestic surveillance
US military think-tank studies 17 documents captured in raid on Al Qaeda leader's compound last year. Main theme: Bin Laden's frustration with his inability to exercise effective control over regional jihadi groups (PDF)
Reflections on global economy, Occupy movement. "Much of what has gone on can only be described by the words moral deprivation. Something wrong had happened to the moral compass of so many people working in the financial sector"
On neutral and forbidden zones. Where there is no jurisdiction, or where neighbouring states agree to disagree over sovereignty. Common in science fiction, rare in real life. Kuwait used to have two, bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Interesting take on Japan's political future. "As Europe and the United States cope with their difficulties, and as problems in China, India, Russia and elsewhere emerge more clearly, Japan is very likely to join a renascent West"
Wikimedia Commons. The Golden Age by Lucas Cranach the Elder
Anonymous Former Intelligence Officer, on negotiation
"Know what you want - and remember that whatever your bottom line is, there's always another line below that"
