10
November
2009
Where is a Third World War most likely to be sparked? For at least a decade before World War One began, those most concerned knew that the ongoing arms race was leading to disaster, as did those who sat on the sidelines and watched Germany and Japan build up to World War Two. World policy wonks have taken a long sigh of relief after the Cold War ended some twenty years ago yesterday, but in so doing have been all too lax at identifying– and diffusing– actual “hotspots” that are likely to trigger a global conflict on the scale of the World Wars, or bigger if you consider the nuclear capabilities of the countries involved. Here are three possibilities…
oneworldmanypeaces 
Culture, Current Events, Economics, History, International, Middle East, Obama, Peace, Politics, War, Asia, Europe, Africa, Law, Travel, U.S., Americas 
Comments (0) » |
5
November
2009
When an insect only seven people have ever seen goes extinct in a place you need a government grant to get to, more than just environmentalists feel a part of our world has gone forever. Understandably so. But what about when a language once used by thousands is down to its last speaker, and the universe of relations and ideas that language conveys will not survive them? Who protests, who runs worldwide campaigns or passes legislation against hazardous, toxic notions like “official languages” and “world languages” that creep onto and kill ways of understanding what it means to be human? A group of fifty linguists meeting at the first-ever Endangered Languages Information and Infrastructure Workshop, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, realize the tragedy but aren’t superheroes…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Critical Theory, Current Events, History, International, Middle East, Asia, Environment, Europe, Africa, Multilingualism, Science, U.S., Americas 2 Comments » |
3
November
2009
“Loss” is a word commonly heard when someone dies, as in “a loss to us” or “the world’s loss.” But what about what we and the world have gained because someone has lived? This may be the more inspiring and pragmatic question to ask of everyone, but especially in noting the passing of two of the great 20th century intellectuals today as centenarians: Claude Levis-Strauss at 100, the French anthropologist and a founder of the widely influential structuralist school of critical analysis; and Ayala at 103, the paradigmatic anti-fascists sociologist and novelist. The following is less of a tribute than a well-deserved acknowledgment…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Critical Theory, Current Events, History, International, Art, Books, Europe, Science, Americas Comments (0) » |
27
October
2009
Asian states have united to officially oppose the Euro-American formula for global dominance emphasizing “peace and security” with one based on “peace and prosperity” instead, and which has a much better track record historically. The two focal points of their meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand, was on reducing China-India tensions over a dispute about commercial projects in Kashmir and capitalizing on Asia’s relative and growing economic strength worldwide compared to others, like the U.S. and U.K., who continue to struggle with the financial crisis and downturn. This meeting marks a watershed moment in world power politics and world history that should not be underestimated…
oneworldmanypeaces Uncategorized, Culture, Current Events, Economics, History, Peace, Politics, Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas Comments (0) » |
21
October
2009
Halloween seems to be coming early to the largest and most powerful military alliance in existence anywhere today, if not ever. The former head of Canada’s armed forces, a longtime member of NATO command whose soldiers are still at the front line in Afghanistan, characterizes the organization as “a corpse decomposing and somebody’s going to have to perform a Frankenstein-like life-giving act by breathing some lifesaving air through those rotten lips into those putrescent lungs or the alliance will be done.” This is also a clear indication of more fundamental and yet unaddressed issues about NATO…
oneworldmanypeaces Current Events, History, International, Peace, Politics, War, Books, Europe, Americas Comments (0) » |
12
October
2009
President Obama has now reached a pinnacle of global popularity cults matched only by Che Guevara. Cults of personality are a constant throughout human history, but in recent times they have been primarily based on nationality, race and/or ideology, a powerful propaganda machine and a perception of merit (think Nelson Mandela, Adolf Hitler, George Washington and Mao Zedong). Obama has now earned himself a place among them and others, and has bettered them in certain respects…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Critical Theory, Current Events, History, International, Obama, Peace, Politics, Asia, Books, Europe, Africa, Religion, U.S., Americas Comments (0) » |
6
October
2009
Sweden is known for a lot of great things: it’s massages, its Nobel prizes, its filmmakers, its fair dames, and let us not forget smörgåsbord with a variety of herring. Generally, however, spanking and bans on it do not come to mind…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Critical Theory, Current Events, International, Peace, Europe Comments (0) » |
1
October
2009
There is also an unacknowledged impetus bringing Chicago ahead of Rio rooted in the origins of the games themselves…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Current Events, History, Obama, Peace, Europe, Immigration, Religion, Americas Comments (0) » |
29
September
2009
Warning: the following is not for the weak at heart or those easily excitable by all things military. Chinese annual military expenditures have increased 230% since 1998 (guess how this compares to the U.S.), among other freaky facts about national military expenditures around the world…
oneworldmanypeaces Culture, Business, Current Events, Economics, International, Peace, War, Asia, Europe, Africa, Science, U.S., Web/Tech, Americas Comments (0) » |
22
September
2009
The benevolent boulder that was President Obama’s momentous announcement last week that the U.S. will abandon George W. Bush’s planned missile shield in Eastern Europe has already begun a massive series of ripples across all the globe’s oceans…
oneworldmanypeaces Current Events, History, International, Middle East, Obama, Peace, War, Asia, Europe, U.S., Americas Comments (0) » |
Email it
