As megacities (urban areas with more than 10 million people) mushroom across the globe, we need to start thinking about how to make cities better, not simply bigger. When our urban pundit class speaks of the future of cities, we are offered glittering images of London, New York, Singapore, or Shanghai. In reality,…
Foley Abduction Linked to British Jihadi Kidnapping Ring Weeks before he was abducted, alleged members of a kidnapping network tied to ISIS were busted in London. Syrian extremists saw it as a reason to accelerate abductions. American journalist James Foley was captured in Syria in November 2012, just weeks after the British government arrested and…
DeAgostini/Getty Justin M IS leader al-Baghdadi has established a caliphate and seeks to undo the 13th-century destruction of Islam’s premier city, but they’ve got it completely backward. Baghdadis have long memories. Talk to them about the extraordinarily turbulent history of the Iraqi capital as they contemplate their city falling to Islamic State…
On The Path To War The US is clearly now pushing Russia towards war. But if you read the signs correctly, Russia has been preparing for exactly this outcome for many years. The US is clearly now pushing Russia towards war. But if you read the signs correctly, Russia has been preparing for exactly…
Why Don’t Palestinians Just Leave Gaza? They Can’t. Hamas was voted into power in Gaza in 2006, Israel only grants Gaza residents permission to cross incertain circumstances, usually for humanitarian reasons such as medical treatment. At the start of the current round of fighting, Israeli authorities did permit hundreds ofGazans holding foreign passports to leave the…