I'm probably going to be taking a bit of a break from this blog. Over the last few weeks I've been posting some of my backlog of old writings I did, and I haven't had the time to write as much recently, plus I&
I read Pity the Nation by Robert Fisk some time back in 2015-2017. A few months after I finished reading it, I wrote the following brief review, which I will re-post here now, 10 years later. This book was about the Lebanese Civil War. The only other book
I read A History of the Cuban Revolution by Aviva Chomsky some time in 2015-2017. Shortly after I finished reading it, I wrote the following brief review, which I will re-post here now, 10 years later. The review: A book I finished recently was A History of the
I read Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson some time back in 2015-2017. A few days after I finished reading it, I wrote the following brief review, which I will re-post here now, 10 years later. The review: This week I finished Che Guevara: A
I originally wrote this in 6/2025 in response to the first “No Kings” protest. This is a very short post where I make a few obvious observations on why protests in the US are largely ineffectual. There is a lot more to say about this topic and I could
This is less of a review, and more of a collection of notes I’ve written down as I was reading this book for the second time. Robert Fisk was an English journalist who spent most of his professional life reporting on conflict in the Middle East. The Great War
This is less of a review, and more of a collection of notes I’ve written down as I was reading this book for the second time. Robert Fisk was an English journalist who spent most of his professional life reporting on conflict in the Middle East. The Great War
This is less of a review, and more of a collection of notes I’ve written down as I was reading this book for the second time. Robert Fisk was an English journalist who spent most of his professional life reporting on conflict in the Middle East. The Great War
Introduction Healthcare is a topic I feel somewhat qualified to comment on, as it’s the field that I work in. While the US is not the only country with a combination of public and private health insurance, it is perhaps uniquely dysfunctional in the way that, compared to other
Around April 2026 I started listening to an excellent podcast called The Caliphs: The Rise and Fall of Arab Power by Zayd (himself a Lebanese from a mixed Sunni/Shia family) and I finished it over the course of about 4 months. It tells the political narrative of the history
I finished reading Osman’s Dream: A History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel in early 2026. It primarily covered the political history of the Ottoman Empire, but did so in a very comprehensive, if somewhat dry, manner. It wasn’t the most enjoyable read in the world, but
I have just started a new job this week and so have had a lot less time to write as I adjust. As a result, last week and likely for the next few weeks I'll be posting some old essays. I have a few new writings coming up
Book/Podcast Reviews
I read Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard Wolff some time back in 2015-2017. Shortly after I finished reading it, I wrote the following brief review (really just some of my thoughts on the book), which I will re-post here now, 10 years later. It
Current Events
After a 2-month break on current events to discuss Israel and Palestine, we’re back with a short current events post. I originally wrote this on 7/5, and in the interim the MoU between the US and Iran has been “officially" abandoned, but otherwise the remainder of
Essays
Introduction: This is a compilation of Parts 1-8 of my essay series on Israel and Palestine. (because of its length, your e-mail previewer is likely to cut this post off, and I recommend reading it on the website) The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction: The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Essays
Introduction The creation of the state of Israel almost 80 years ago and the conflict between its citizens and the displaced Palestinians and surrounding countries has become one of the most polarizing geopolitical topics in popular discourse. Those with any “skin in the game,” so to speak, (eg. Israelis, Palestinians,
Current Events
This is going to be a shorter, more “ramble-y”, post, but in the last few weeks, I’ve written about why the American attack on Iran was so shortsighted, haphazard, and fundamentally poorly thought out. That does not, however, mean that I support the Iranian government. So how should