Monthly Archives: September 2014

Thinking Aloud: Making the Rich Less Invisible

Posted on September 30, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

Sept. 30,  2014 by Darius  Yesterday’s New York Times featured an op-ed by Princeton University economist Paul Krugman entitled “Our Invisible Rich.”  It makes the argument that most Americans have no idea how rich the rich have really become in the … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “South Sudan Hangs on Rebel’s Next Move”

Posted on September 30, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

“South Sudan Hangs on Rebel’s Next Move” The Wall Street Journal, September 27-28, 2014, p.A9 http://online.wsj.com/articles/south-sudan-hangs-on-rebel-chiefs-next-move-1411774229 “Riek Machar earned a doctorate from a British university and in 2011 became vice president in South Sudan’s first democratic election.  He now commands 100,000 … Continue reading →

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Thinking Aloud: “Landslide”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

Sept. 29,  2014 by Darius  Today, I attended talk by US political reporter Jonathan Darman about his new book Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson won one of the most … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Hong Kong Protesters: Students See a ‘Chance to Set People Free'”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Hong Kong Protesters: Students See a ‘Chance to Set People Free’” The Christian Science Monitor, September 29, 2014 http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2014/0929/Hong-Kong-protesters-Students-see-a-chance-to-set-people-free-video “But the fourth straight day of unrest – the bluntest challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party since the Tiananmen protests in 1989 … Continue reading →

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Thinking Aloud: Poised For the Future, Mauritius

Posted on September 28, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

Sept. 28,  2014 by Darius  [A month ago, I introduced my Poised for the Future Index, a metric which combines improvements in a country’s levels of educational attainment, its corruption levels, and its political stability to identify countries that seem positioned … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Trapped in Violence and Forgotten”

Posted on September 28, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Trapped in Violence and Forgotten” The Washington Post, September 28, 2014, p.A1 http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/world/2014/09/27/in-congo-trapped-in-violence-and-forgotten/ “It is a war that has claimed an estimated 5 million lives, many from starvation, disease and other conflict-related causes, since 1998 — more casualties than the wars in … Continue reading →

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Thinking Aloud: “Jihad 3.0”

Posted on September 27, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

Sept. 27,  2014 by Darius  A few days ago, I saw a panel discussion entitled “Jihad 3.0” detailing the current situation with ISIS.  Overall, the panel didn’t break any new ground, but there were a few interesting comments. Jon Alterman of … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Russia at U.N. Accuses U.S., Allies of Bossing World Around”

Posted on September 27, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Russia at U.N. Accuses U.S., Allies of Bossing World Around” Reuters, September 27, 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/27/us-un-assembly-russia-idUSKCN0HM0N020140927 “Russia used its annual appearance at the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday to accuse the United States and its Western allies of bossing the world around, … Continue reading →

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Thinking Aloud: “The Tyranny of Experts”

Posted on September 26, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

Sept. 26,  2014 by Darius  I just read The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor by William Easterly.  The book is a serious critique of the standard approach to development of poor nations. The crux … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Afghan Leaders Fear a Covert Invasion”

Posted on September 26, 2014 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Afghan Leaders Fear a Covert Invasion” The Washington Post, September 26, 2014, p.A6 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/mistrust-between-afghanistan-and-pakistan-soars-as-us-forces-depart/2014/09/25/c5cd678c-3f30-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html “As Taliban fighters kill a growing number of Afghan soldiers, the country’s leaders are blaming Pakistan, an accusation that has sent the neighbors’ relations to one of … Continue reading →

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