A magic moment was missed 87 years ago in Kurdistan. Because it was missed, there is no Kurdistan. And, you could say, because there is no Kurdistan, Turkish troops are threatening to create what would be the latest of the long list of crises imperiling the misbegotten U.S. project in Iraq.
In the past month, […]

Good Monday morning Fellow Seekers,
(Don’t be confused by the jocular tone just below, this post poses a serious question.) 
If you don’t know what day this is, you’ve already missed the first question of the quiz I plan to post after lunch. But I’m not going to count it off your score, since this is just the warm-up.
Answer: Today […]

Good Labor Day morning Fellow Seekers,
Juan Cole, the University of Michigan historian of the Mideast and prolific blogger at Informed Comment, recently dug up what Winston Churchill, a hero of today’s neocons, thought about the British mission in Iraq at what you could call a moment comparable to today’s U.S. situation.
In case you lost track of […]

Good Wednesday morning Fellow Seekers of Wisdom and Truth,
On an August day 149 years ago (the actual anniversary, Aug. 21, slipped by last week while I was away), Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held the first of their famous  series of seven debates.  Although they would both run for president in 1860, it is sometimes forgotten […]