Category Archives: Middle East

A Delicate Balance

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

One of the blogs I follow is a China Youth blog, which is an English-language blog that generally prints the official government view of foreign policy. I don’t read the blog closely, because I’m not really interested in hearing or … Continue reading →

Posted in International Relations, Middle East, Musings | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Between A Rock And A Hard Place: The Fate Of Ousted Dictators And Divided Nations

Posted on October 22, 2011 by

The sight of loony and oppressive former Libyan Dictator Gaddafi ought to be a cautionary tale for other dictators in the region. Gaddafi, like Barre in Somalia, sought to hold together his oppressive rule, which had been supported (or at … Continue reading →

Posted in International Relations, Middle East, Musings, Somaliland | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Examining The Options Of Palestinian Statehood

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

By the time I wake up, we will know a lot more about the way that the bid for Palestinian statehood is shaping up. That said, there are a few different options that exist, and they are worth examining at … Continue reading →

Posted in International Relations, Middle East | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

It’s Ten Years Later And Still I Haven’t A Clue

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

On September 11, 2001 I was just entering my third year at the University of Southern California and I awoke to my roommate watching CNN and seeing the endlessly repeated footage of planes flying into the World Trade Center towers. … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Christianity, History, Middle East, Musings | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

New Country Watch List

Posted on September 4, 2011 by

Thanks to some online sleuthing I found a person who, like me, has a very powerful intellectual interest in de facto states (though it would appear as if English is a second language) [1]. So, today I would like to … Continue reading →

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The Prophets Who Cried Wolf

Posted on September 3, 2011 by

Part of the occupational hazards of being a member of the Church of God culture is the fact that one is constantly bombarded with gloom and doom from prophetic hobbyists who either make frequent and bogus prophecies of the end … Continue reading →

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The African Union And The Arab League

Posted on August 27, 2011 by

The recent apparent flight of Gaddafi from Tripoli, though not the end of the conflict between the rebel forces and his regime, signifies a new stage where the rebel forces will not have to transition into a functioning government in … Continue reading →

Posted in International Relations, Middle East, Somaliland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Prison Towns

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

Though Baan Mae Sa Luang is a small village, somehow it manages to have two prisons. On the south end of the village, near the river, there is a juvenile detention center, and on the north end of the village, … Continue reading →

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Visegrad: An Alternative Prophetic Fulfillment

Posted on May 18, 2011 by

Though many people would little suspect it, I have a great personal interest in prophecy, little suspected because I have spent far too many years of my life dealing with people whose continual half-baked speculations on end-time prophecy were designed … Continue reading →

Posted in American Civil War, American History, Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, International Relations, Middle East, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Day In History: On May 14, 1948, Israel Won Its Independence

Posted on May 13, 2011 by

One of my favorite national anthems is Hatikvah, which means “The Dove” in Hebrew and serves as the Israeli anthem. It eschews the tendency of some national anthems to obscurity, and others to pomposity, by adopting a grave and serious … Continue reading →

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