Adrienne Mayor: Ancient Amazons — Imaginary, Man-Hating Virgins Invented to Be Killed by Greek Heroes? Wrong.
The most notorious “fact” that almost everyone has heard about Amazons is based on zero evidence. The idea that the warrior women sacrificed a breast in order to draw a … Continue reading
US Official: Bombing Oil Pipelines in Syria a ‘Viable Option’
Critic warns move would be ‘foolhardy’ and lead to civilian casualties, massive spills and environmental damage. A top State Department official on Thursday said that bombing oil pipelines controlled by … Continue reading
Richard Sahn: Thoughts on Patriotism and War
Originally posted on The Contrary Perspective:
Scene from the movie, “Platoon” Richard Sahn The other night I was watching the movie “Platoon” on television. An American soldier was killed every…
Tom Engelhardt: Edward Snowden and the Golden Age of Spying
Here’s a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! stat from our new age of national security. How many Americans have security clearances? The answer: 5.1 million, a figure that reflects the … Continue reading
Doug Anderson: The Anger of Men
Does the fact of testosterone need a cultural ritual? We think of sports as a healthy way of de-sublimating testosterone but we don’t have a spiritual or philosophical approach to … Continue reading
Marcellene Hearn: The Torture Secrets Are Coming
The American people are entitled to know what took place in U.S. detention centers. And it would be completely backwards to suppress images of government misconduct on the grounds that … Continue reading
I’m Just Mild About Francis
Originally posted on The Contrary Perspective:
Francis, top center, among the bishops of the Church. Too worried about gays and the divorced to condemn the threat of mass murder by…
Tom Engelhardt: On Being An Indispensable Nation
President Barack Obama delivers the commencement speech to the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2012 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 23, 2012. It was May 23, … Continue reading
William J. Astore: Investing in Junk Armies
Why American Efforts to Create Foreign Armies Fail ~ In June, tens of thousands of Iraqi Security Forces in Nineveh province north of Baghdad collapsed in the face of attacks … Continue reading
Djelloul Marbrook: How the Press Masks its Xenophobia
The press dolls up its xenophobia in pseudo-objective claptrap, but when you explore its use of Arabic words like jihad and caliph and mullah a persistent pattern of demonization emerges. … Continue reading
Peter Van Buren: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Seven Worst-Case Scenarios in the Battle with the Islamic State. You know the joke? You describe something obviously heading for disaster — a friend crossing Death Valley with next to … Continue reading
Peter Certo: Obama’s Dumb War
The president is now poised to leave behind a Middle East quagmire much like the one he was elected to end. No Exit Strategy. (OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib) If … Continue reading
Malala Yousafzai: Drones Fuel Terrorism
Missing Malala’s message of peace: ‘US Drones fuel terrorism.’ On October 10, Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai–who received worldwide attention after being attacked by the Taliban for her advocacy for … Continue reading
Fellow Nobel Peace Laureates to Obama: Stain of US Torture Your Job to Repair
‘When a nation’s leaders condone and even order torture, that nation has lost its way.’ Nobel Peace Prize laureates have written to President Barack Obama asking the US to close … Continue reading →