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If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies. The sealed world in which he lives would be broken, and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate. It is therefore realized on all sides that however ofter Persia, or Egypt, or Java, or Ceylon may change hands, the main frontiers must never be crossed by anything except bombs.
Life Under Blockade: an Interview with Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez
September 7, 2026
In Havana in August 2026, Helen Yaffe and Nina Blodau interviewed Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, for Cuba Analysis Podcast. Produced in collaboration with Belly of the Beast Cuba, the full episode is available via their channels and website. Below we publish a transcript of the interview.
Helen Yaffe (HY): Welcome to the Cuba Analysis Podcast. We are pleased to be here with Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez. Minister, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today. Nina will start with the questions.
... full articleThere is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.
25 years after 9/11, is Islamophobia in the US at an all-time high? — Stateside with Kai and Carter
September 11, 2026
In the hours after the 9/11 attacks, the journalist Rozina Ali remembers her parents telling her that as Muslims, they would now be under suspicion. It took years for Ali to understand what they meant. She talks to Carter Sherman about this journey and how it led her to write about the history of Islamophobia in the US. Ali explores how attacks on Muslims by successive administrations since 9/11 cemented Islamophobia in all areas of American life, and she explains why she believes these prejudices are more pervasive now than ever.
... full articleSomeone has said that it requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.
Voting Rights Groups Are Preparing to Confront ICE at the Polls
September 4, 2026
After dozens of violent raids and untimely deaths in squalid jails, as well as several high-profile killings at the hands of President Donald Trump’s immigration police, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters on Tuesday that he “can’t guarantee” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents won’t be present at the polls when voters arrive to cast ballots in upcoming elections.
... full articleAll superstition is much the same whether it be that of astrology, dreams, omen, retributive judgment, or the like, in all of which the deluded believers observe events which are fulfilled, but neglect and pass over their failure, though it be much more common.
Israeli ministers keep telling everyone their brutal plans – so why doesn’t the world take them seriously?
September 7, 2026
The gap between what is being inflicted on Palestinians and the appropriate reaction on the part of the international community has always been vast. But now it yawns so wide that it swallows reality itself. As arms export licences for Israel from states such as Germany surge, talk of harsher measures and sanctions on the part of other European countries remains talk. People continue to be killed in Gaza, Palestinian families remain besieged in the West Bank, and the Israeli political right has been removing all doubt that these violations are intentional, by telling the world of its hopes and plans.
... full article