The Current Discussion: Seymour Hersh reports a $400 million U.S. covert action program against Iran. On a scale of 1 to 10, what's the likelihood of an American or Israeli military attack on Iran before Jan. 20 (Inauguration Day), and why? For extra points, name the date.

I cannot measure it on a scale of one to ten. Scales are a logical system of measure, be it logically metric or traditionally imperial. The scale of measure needed for the way of thinking in Washington can best be described as neo-Batman pseudo-Imperialist – essentially a comic, cartoonish substance mixed with a silly phantasm of hallucinated bursts and a juvenile vigor in a mutinous breakdown of the legal system.

Continue »

The Current Discussion: France has rejected a citizenship application from a burqa-wearing Moroccan woman on the grounds that she has "insufficiently assimilated" to French culture. Should cultural assimilation be a requirement for citizenship?

This is indeed an eye-opener, but not a shock. For the last eight years, we have seen cropped versions of human rights laced with knee-jerk reactions of governments. It is an intriguing contrast of human rights stacked against predisposition of governments to cast aside constitutions, cool-headed interpretations of constitutions and rule by imperial decrees. This particular case is a leap beyond the logic that separates the church from the state, especially in one of the EU melting pot countries.

Continue »

The Current Discussion: The Olympics open in two weeks, and offer a perfect platform for anti-government protests by ethnic minorities and dissident groups. Who's likely to protest and how should Beijing respond?

China has come a long way since Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. It is fair to say that over the last 19 years, China has transformed beyond recognition as both sides in that episode have learned to soften their rigid stance. The generation of 1989 students are now enjoying unprecedented economic benefits and a relative comfort that was a distant dream for their parents. Concurrently the older, first generation revolutionaries are now replaced by a class of younger “revolution babies,” technocrats with a softer, more confident approach to management and governance of a giant. As such, I think this question is an unnecessary speculation, and perhaps a typical ill-conceived perception from a distance.

Continue »