In 2012, science writer John Horgan published a book called The End of War. Its premise is that we have it in ourselves to tame our violent impulses, at least enough to stop waging large-scale, collective war. At first blush, this notion seems as quixotic and naive as a famous John Lennon and Yoko Ono…Continue Reading…
Remember the Cold War doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)? To some, it justified the arms race between the U.S. and the old USSR. As Wikipedia explains: The doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) assumes that each side has enough nuclear weaponry to destroy the other side; and that either side, if attacked for any…Continue Reading…
Annia Ciezadlo, a talented writer (and a former editor of mine) has just published her first book, which got a glowing review in yesterday’s NYT: There are many good reasons to read “Day of Honey.” It’s a carefully researched tour through the history of Middle Eastern food. It’s filled with adrenalized scenes from war zones,…Continue Reading…
Every so often I think about why America doesn’t feel like a country at war. Richard Cohen, in his WaPo column today, reminds us why: The all-volunteer military has enabled America to fight two wars while many of its citizens do not know of a single fatality or even of anyone who has fought overseas….Continue Reading…
It’s prompting the Pentagon to become less fossil fuel dependent and will likely hasten the scale up of renewable energy technologies. From Elisabeth Rosenthal’s must-read front page story in today’s NYT: Even as Congress has struggled unsuccessfully to pass an energy bill and many states have put renewable energy on hold because of the recession,…Continue Reading…
As climate-concerned folks know, global warming hasn’t resonated with the average person in the U.S. because its impacts can’t be felt. That’s a big reason why there is no serious, sustained public debate about the issue. Most people just don’t care enough about it. A similar disconnect explains why there is no real public conversation…Continue Reading…
It’s never a pretty sight when the behaviors of subcultures are suddenly isolated and thrust into a harsh, public spotlight. In such cases, context matters, right? What’s fair for climate scientists should also be for combat soldiers, right? So casting aside whatever opinion you might have of Climategate, let’s say Steve Easterbrook is correct when…Continue Reading…
I’m confused by this post on Iraq’s environmental crisis over at The Duck of Minerva. First, to attribute Iraq’s devastated environment to war, as Roger A. Payne seemingly does, is an oversimplification. Even the LA Times article that he plays off of recognizes that. Then, after tallying up the devastation, Payne concludes: In IR [International…Continue Reading…
Imagine being tormented by this question your whole life: I was a good guy when I was drafted, a good guy from a good family. I wonder a lot, how did that good guy turn into something else? This muli-faceted story of a high school teacher’s crusade to protect impressionable students is quite poignant.
I always thought the term “green ammo” was an oxymoron. Let’s face it, no matter how you slice it, war isn’t great for anyone’s health.