The Fragility of Gulf States
Four Gulf States—Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—are structurally fragile and may not survive a prolonged U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict. They were carved out of the region and established in the late 20th century, following the decline of […]
Submit or Perish! Reading Thucydides in Iran
Honorable daughters, peace be upon you. Hope you are enjoying your school. Come closer because I am an old man, as you can see, and can only speak softly. The girls lean in. I will tell you an ancient […]
501 Laws: Boredom
Law #116. Boredom effect: discontentment Notes Doing the same thing over and over again—even making money– is boring. Workplace boredom infects all professionals, including thieves, lawyers, and physicians. Boredom means dissatisfaction with what you have: job, relationship, achievements. Boredom […]
501 Laws: Entropy
Entropy is the second law of thermodynamics—heat flows from hot to cold. If an egg breaks, it cannot ever go back to its previous state. Autumn leaves fall off the tree without any chance of turning green, but they gain new freedom to flutter far away from the tree.
501 Laws: Enlightenment
LAW #50. Enlightenment effect: disorder Notes Humans need two things to see: eyes and light. “They kindled a fire to illuminate what was around them but suddenly lost their eyes.” Al-baqarah. The 18th-century enlightenment launched reason, scientific method, colonialism, […]
The Politics of Free Speech in Muslim Countries
L. Ali Khan Political speech, the most significant part of free speech, is anything but robust in most Muslim countries. Criticism of the government lies at heart of the political speech. Ordinary citizens and journalists must be free to […]
The Persecution of Hazaras
L. Ali Khan “Persecution of human beings shall be forbidden.” Article 29, Afghanistan Constitution (2004) In January 2021, Deash (Islamic State) marked the new year by murdering eleven Hazara coal miners in Quetta, Pakistan. The world press covered the […]
Prosecuting Race Provocateurs: Bolsonaro, Trump, and Others
In 2002, the U.N. established a Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to “study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent living in the diaspora” and to draft proposals on the elimination […]
Crimes against African Americans
L. Ali Khan The world has seen shocking videos of U.S, police officers, and private citizens perpetrating crimes against African Americans. Relentlessly, the socio-legal system brings about the death, imprisonment, torture, and degradation of African American men, women, boys, […]
Undoing Kashmir Autonomy is Unlawful
” This raises the question of whether the federal parliament can revoke the State constitution. There appears to be no such authority available under the India Constitution. ” L. Ali Khan @ Kashmir Watch In the first week of […]
