Edward N. Luttwak ( Read more... )

In the recent edition of Foreign Affairs magazine, there are several essays covering the current events in Mexico and South America. Two of the essays focused on Hugo Chavez, the populous leader of Venezuela. He is described by the present administration of being another leftist dictator in the mold of Fidel Castro. He is also the democratically ( Read more... )

Rome, Inc - The Rise and Fall of the First Multinational Corporation ( Read more... )

I’ve listed several charities in my link list. These are organizations that I support monetarily, not always philosophically. Sounds kinda hypocritical; I give money to organizations without having a real good idea as to what they’re doing with money. And yet I’m willing to pass judgment on those that dare put forth a conservative opinion and ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

On Bullshit ( Read more... )

I stand by my previous conclusions about this book. In the latter part of the book, the author provide more detail than earlier but he never explores the mechanics of the forces that destroyed the calaphate. This was a deeply religious society and it was “The Commander of the Faithful” that ruled and protected Islam. In the end, the caliph couldn’t ( Read more... )

I just watched another interview with Thomas Friedman. This must be the sixth time I've seen him promoting his latest Middle Eastern Treatise "The World is Flat". It's still listed on the Foreign Affairs bestseller list at the numero uno position and recently, I heard that it's being listed as required reading in some history classes. it's been on ( Read more... )

I've got about fifty pages left in Hugh Kennedy's "When Baghdad Ruled The Muslim World" and I'll try to take the time to finish it up tonight. I'll finish the book on principle though. A pride thing, you can't truly judge a book until you've completed the last page. Scholars might point out that it's important to read the bibliography to understand ( Read more... )

What supported the Abbasid caliphs? How did they generate the income necessary to fund the lavish lifestyle described in the Tales of the Arabian Nights? According to our author, referencing a period document, the caliph could count on an income of 500 metric tons of silver per year. Five hundred metric tons. That's 500,000 kilos, 1.1 million ( Read more... )