genocide

Ukraine War, January 14, 2023: NATO policy on transfer of modern armored vehicles changes, as Putin’s nuclear threats lose credibility

Developing. We are publishing this article as it is being written. Please check back for updates To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine”…

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Ukraine War, November 26, 2022 (I): “Woke” trigger warnings, literature classics, and students’ responses to Russian military aggression and barbarism in Ukraine; Germany fails to ramp up war production, as have many NATO countries



Ukraine War, October 26, 2022: The context for analysis of current developments; The “dirty bomb” as a Russian propaganda distraction from current war crimes



Ukraine War, September 9, 2022: Fighting until the last Ukrainian soldier; Ukrainians make incredible sacrifices, while the West won’t even impose secondary sanctions


Ukraine War, July 12, 2022: “Cognitive occlusion”–Mental defenses against hard truths; Genocide in progress


Ukraine War, May 30, 2022: No cure for addled thinking–Biden’s fear of Putin and refusal to give Ukraine weapons that can strike Russian territory; Trust and policy coordination with Ukraine v. mistrust and denial of needed weapons; SDP and Scholz out of sync with German public; New coalition of Greens and CDU possible if not likely



Ukraine War, April 13, 2022 (I): U.S. still hung up on “offensive” v. “defensive” weapons distinction; U.S. won’t provide Ukraine with intelligence or weapons that would enable it to strike targets in Crimea or Russia, for fear of provoking Russia

Developing Due to rapidly-breaking developments and in order to facilitate readers’ access to the latest dispatches, we are publishing this article as it is being…


Ukraine War, April 12, 2022 (III): Russian General Alexandr Dvornikov, and “The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats

Dispatches 1) Monika Bolliger, Francesco Collini und Fritz Schaap,,”Der General, der Putin die Wende bringen soll; Der russische General Alexander Dwornikow ist berüchtigt für seine…


Ukraine War, April 6, 2022 (II): International Court of Justice, Order of Provisional Measures in case of Ukraine v. Russia under the Genocide Convention (March 16, 2022)

Dispatches 1) “ALLEGATIONS OF GENOCIDE UNDER THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE (UKRAINE v. RUSSIAN FEDERATION),” International Court of…


Ukraine War, April 5, 2022 (I): After Bucha, Zelensky expresses the outrage of the world over Russian crimes against humanity; clarifications regarding Russia’s seat on Security Council, and “crimes against humanity” v. “genocide”

Developing Due to rapidly-breaking developments and in order to facilitate readers’ access to the latest dispatches, we are publishing this article as it is being…


The dead end of “white guilt”

Those who seek to make whites in America feel guilty for the actions of their forebears, in which they themselves took no part, are prophets of a false path. Following that path, while it may benefit some in the short run (e.g., academic proponents of such theories), will in the end only foster ethnic conflict, and persuade individuals they are victims, instead of focusing on their enormous potential for self-achievement.

Institutions and practices that express current racism should be opposed, and reformed. Programs aimed at helping those particularly disadvantaged by past racism, including racism against Native Americans, should be supported.

But this should be done within a broader framework which does not rely on white guilt for its motivational force.

Social programs to help disadvantaged members of society, including white individuals, should be based on empathy and our shared sense of humanity. In a democracy, they should also be based on the ultimate power of individuals to vote.



International Law and the Descent toward Barbarism: MSF —“Wars are being fought as in ‘barbarian times’

International Law constitutes the structure and the fabric which helps to hold international society back from a descent into barbarism. But, as is the case…



Jacob Zuma flouts South African court order, Constitution and international law, allowing Sudanese president al-Bashir to escape arrest on ICC charges of genocide

Developing See Norimitsu Onishi, “South Africa High Court Says Allowing Bashir to Leave Violated Constitution, June 15, 2015. Isabel Ferrer, “Un nuevo revés para La…


Russian “Invasion” or Incursion” in Ukraine? Obama and the primacy of words over actions

Barack Obama, as noted here before, places the highest priority on words, and conducting foreign policy through words, not actions. See “ISIS or ISIL? A telling…


The fruits of pacifist foreign policies: Aggression in Ukraine, atrocities in Syria; Merkel’s fact-finding mission—a last chance to avert disaster?

The new hybrid pacifism The new, hybrid pacifism of Barack Obama and NATO countries has been obscured by Obama’s use of drones, and military operations…