Marshall Plan vs Iraq War: Costs

With all apologies for the weak punditry, but with reference to Mathew’s fine book review in our reviews section , an interesting article of tangential or no t so tangential relevance regarding American squabbling over whether Al Qaeda is dead or lone live Al Qaeda as a threat . One nexus point in the two discussions, radicalisation - and perhaps a certain purist ideological approach in the US as to ’real’ sources. ... more

Through Pantom , Jane Jacobs on cities : ... City development is a natural process, and oftentimes the problem is not to get it going but to remove obstacles to it. In many ways we would simply waste less time and money on what doesn’t work: • Cities and countries wouldn’t bother trying to attract transplanted factories (the focus of most current international development). At best this would be seen as a stopgap measure, one step short of charity. This quote sum... more

From our newsroom, discussion of a news clip (and I do mean clip) on FGM support in Egypt. I think the foreign intelligence hinted at by inside "sources" in latest stories is the other I-word ( see other stories from a few years back ), and not Iran, as is being assumed. Humankind’s vital war on disliked headgear and neckwear continues as Ataturkville’s high court tells girls to take it off , take it all off, since a girl or woman has a right to the integ... more

At the National Review , I haven’t the gumption to actually go further myself. However the National Review’s summary would seem to indicate he’s losing the veneer on his pure bigotry to descend into batty land: Daniel Pipes talks the odds. The chance that immigrant Muslims and indigenous Europeans find a way to live in harmony? Five percent, says Pipes. The chance that Europe becomes Eurabian, part of the Muslim world? Forty-seven-and-a-half percent. The chance that Europea... more