Iraq War Redux: Goodbye “Iraqi Freedom”, Hello “New Dawn”

Earlier this week, President Obama declared, in his oval office address to the nation, that the US combat operations in Iraq were officially over. This is obviously an effort from the President to convince Americans, right before the November elections, that he has fulfilled one of his key 2008 campaign promises: To end the Iraq...

Can Interfaith Dialogue Help The Middle-East Peace Process?

By Anthony Zeitouni Recently, I read a short piece of news in Arabic that the Emir of Qatar has officially approved the establishment of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) as a “private institution for public benefit”, known in America as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This pushed me to ask: can interfaith...

US Military: The Uninvited Guest Who Just Never Leaves

Today, President Obama will address the nation from the oval office, and will praise the sacrifice made by the US military in Iraq. The President will also claim that the “US combat operations in Iraq are over”. However, this upcoming statement is part truth part political spin for US domestic consumption. The reality of Iraq...

Mad Men, Modern Family, Grandin, Jack Score Emmy Gold

It’s official: The Emmys have finally figured out how to put on a great TV show! For the second year, the Awards telecast honoring the small screen’s best has actually turned out an entertaining evening. This year’s spectacle hosted by the comically agile and energetic Jimmy Fallon tops last year’s stellar performance by host Neil...

Climate Change: The Question Of Bread

I despair when I hear people talk about climate change in terms of failing ski resorts and longer growing seasons. The disconnect between the common perception of what climate change really is and what people think it means is truly terrifying. One of the unfortunate things about Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” is it led to...