IN THE NEWS
…jingoism, racism, fear, religious fundamentalism: these are the ways of appealing to people if you’re trying to organize a mass base of support for policies that are really intended to crush them.
The American Mythology of “Liberal Democracy”
October 1, 2026
There is no greater myth regarding American exceptionalism than the view that only the United States has always seen the promotion of “liberal democracy” as part of its national identity. In actual fact, the United States pledges itself to “liberal democracy” the world over only when its military designs are compromised or stymied. The model was President Woodrow Wilson’s “war to end all wars” during World War I. When Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany in 1917, he famously stated that the “world must be made safe for democracy.”
Wilson understood that the American people were not interested in a conflict as part of a larger geopolitical battle, but would rally around the idea of a moral crusade to permanently eliminate militarism and establish a lasting global peace. President Franklin Roosevelt had the same challenge in trying to bring the United States into World War II, when the nation was reluctant to do so.
... full articleIs the Iranian record of intervention and terror worse than that of the U.S.?
New Google Maps images reveal massive scale of devastation in Gaza
October 1, 2026
An update to Google Maps has revealed the extent of devastation during the three-year Gaza war and the severity of the continuing humanitarian crisis faced by the territory’s 2.3 million inhabitants.
The images were taken in June this year and show further destruction of homes, businesses, places of worship and infrastructure since a fragile ceasefire came into effect almost 12 months ago.
... full articleRepression by brute force is always a confession of the inability to make use of the better weapons of the intellect—better because they alone give promise of final success.
WATCH: Sen. Booker questions Jack Smith on Trump investigations
Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves.
Las nuevas imágenes de Google Maps muestran una Gaza en ruinas: los mapas antes y después
September 28, 2026
Más de un año después, Google Maps ha renovado las imágenes de satélite de la franja de Gaza, que permiten ver a cualquiera que disponga de la aplicación cómo ha cambiado un territorio devastado por el ejército israelí. Al actualizar las imágenes en 2024, 2025, y ahora en 2026, Google ha dado un paso que otras aplicaciones como Apple Maps no han hecho.
Simplemente abriendo el navegador de la aplicación se puede recorrer la destrucción tal como estaba a principios de este año: barrios enteros totalmente allanados por las bombas y las excavadoras, caminos de tierra que atraviesan lo que antes eran zonas residenciales y áreas completamente en ruinas, como Tel al-Sultán, en el sur de la Franja, donde apenas quedan diez edificios en pie.
... full article