Category World Affairs
A Matter of Responsibility
The Dutch defence minister resigned Friday after being censured by her country’s parliament over her handling of the evacuation of those who had helped Dutch forces in Afghanistan. The foreign minister had already resigned over the same issue. For this Caandian it was shocking to see a cabinet minister accept blame and resign over anything. […]
Musings on Afghan Democracy
The last Canadian evacuation flight left Kabul earlier today. Twenty years of foreign policy initiatives have vanished almost overnight. That the Taliban so swiftly conquered Afghanistan came as no surprise to me. If we learn nothing from the history of Afghanistan ,it is that foreign interventions are not successful in the long run. So now we […]
Trump Free
After more than a hundred days of the Biden presidency, Donald Trump seems like a faded memory. Or perhaps a nightmare we have all woken up from. It is amazing how quiet he has been since his banning back in January by the social media platforms he was using. Maybe traditional media is finding things […]
Spy Games
Germany’s security agency has had its knuckles rapped. And rightly so. I can only hope that those in charge are held to account. The agency announced a week or so ago that it was investigating the country’s primary right-wing party, AFD (Alliance fur Deutschland) , because of concerns about some elements in the party. Which you […]
Buying Bitcoin
Have you got yours? People are making millions! Some are losing millions, but we don’t hear as much about that in the daily financial news. Cyrptocurrencies are the rage and everyone wants to invest. But do they understand what they are doing? A few years ago one Bitcoin would buy you a pizza. Now it […]
Walking Past History
How many times did I walk past without realizing what I was seeing? Twenty at least, maybe more, though these concrete slabs aren’t part of my usual daily walk. Yesterday my wife asked: “Do you know what those are?” I had to admit I didn’t. There probably isn’t a German alive who would have said that. […]
Speak – or Remain Silent?
What do you do when you see an injustice? Do you publicize it? Attempt to correct it? Confront those responsible? What if in doing so you make the situation worse? What if innocent people are harmed by your corrective measures? For Canadian Parliamentarians this isn’t an academic question. On Monday they voted in favor of […]
Religious Freedom – But Only For Some
In Algeria on Sunday the government, deciding the pandemic risks are somewhat lessened, issued an order allowing mosques to re-open. Conspicuously absent was any mention of other religions. Churches must remain closed. But restaurants can re-open. Algeria has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, guaranteeing the right to freedom of religion, including […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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