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Little Stephen in the Land of Oz

CHRIS WOOD: NATURAL SECURITY Published September 12, 2013 The Majuro Declaration. Ever heard of it? I thought not. The two-page document was released Sept. 5 by a group of 15 small Pacific island nations, and two somewhat larger Pacific island nations — New Zealand and Australia. It was promptly hailed by the few climate cogniscenti who were aware of it as a breakthrough in candor, if nothing else, about the gravest crisis facing the world. No, not Syria. The crisis that is on a trajectory to exterminating most of Earth’s life forms and sharply reduce humanity’s numbers. That crisis. The

The Others of 9/11

A Black Hole is defined, in lay terms, as a piece of space with a gravitational field so fierce that no matter can escape. Since airborne terrorists attacked New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, the world has been pulled toward a metaphoric Black Hole, one created by the terrorists but fed by enraged Americans focused on security at the expense of human dignity, privacy, “rights,” governance, and decency. For a dozen years now this Black Hole has threatened to devour much of what matters in our world, from economics to the arts, from the environment to far too many lives. On that day in 2001 I was

What the wedge between Saudi Arabia and the United States means

I learn something new with every piece by international affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe. In today’s column Manthorpe looks at the growing rift between Riyadh and Washington, as a symptom of both major change in the national stance of Middle Eastern countries, and a new reticence within Europe and North America to get involved. The column, in Commentary, can be accessed with a $1 day pass for the entire site, or by subscription.

Squeeze ploy

I’ve been thinking about Brian Brennan’s funny new piece about playing the accordion, about his (tongue-in-cheek) complaint that he gets no respect. I want to listen to him. I want to hear his pain. Really – I do. I’m just having a hard time finding sympathy for the guy. First off, I’ve heard Brian play: he’s a formidable professional, an occasional studio musician on various instruments when not committing comedic writing or serious journalism. Me, I have a tin ear. I can’t even keep time clapping at a concert. You expect me to feel sorry for a guy with talent?

What’s behind Russian support for Syria?

Whatever drove Russian leader Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell reporters this morning his support for Syria’s Assad regime is unshakeable? What is behind Russian manoeuvers that evoke Cold War brinkmanship, such as bolstering its naval deployment off Syria’s coast? The two countries have no strong political links, are embroiled in frequent disputes, and Damascus accounts for very little of Moscow’s global arms sales. The answer to this puzzle is found on Russian soil, writes F&O international affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe in today’s column: Putin supports Syria because he fears revolution spreading to Russia’s Muslim population. The column, in Commentary, can be accessed with

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