Genocide denied is genocide repeated

Russia continues to deny the Holodomor; Turkey continues to deny the Armenian genocide

Genocide denied is genocide repeatedThe world is facing trying times. How did we get here? Did we not learn anything from the death and destruction of the 20th century? Jewish philosopher Martin Buber told us, “One gains power over the nightmare by calling it by its real name.” Another Jewish writer, Raphael Lemkin, coined the name for the nightmare:…

The return of the Armenian Genocide must be stopped

Putting the health of the people in the South Caucasus at risk puts us all at risk. Diseases spread and mutate rapidly in refugee camps

The return of the Armenian Genocide must be stoppedWhen teaching history, it’s rare that an issue more than 100 years old becomes a current events lesson, but that’s what happened as I began teaching about the Armenian Genocide. The Ottoman Empire is responsible for the death of 1.5 million Armenians, primarily under the cover of the First World War. The empire collapsed after…

Three generations of courage and commitment

When you search the name Henry Morgenthau, you find remarkable legacies left by three men of one extraordinary family

Three generations of courage and commitmentAs I examined the history of human rights in America, one name kept coming up: Henry Morgenthau. It turns out I was actually learning about three men: Henry Morgenthau Sr., Henry Morgenthau Jr. and Henry Morgenthau III, father, son and grandson. All of them spoke with courage and together advanced the cause of human rights…

Kate Harris’ Lands of Lost Borders a masterpiece

In Lands of Lost Borders, Kate Harris ruminates on 10 months aboard a bicycle along the Silk Road once conquered by Marco Polo

Kate Harris’ Lands of Lost Borders a masterpieceLands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road By Kate Harris Knopf Canada, 2018 Kate Harris is a Canadian Rhodes Scholar who studied the history of science at Oxford, dropped out of her microbiology PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and instead has found her métier as a modern-day explorer. Channeling…

Democratic angst and independence turmoil

In Hillary Clinton’s mind, it’s everyone else’s fault. So she’ll continue to hog centre stage and suck up the political oxygen

Democratic angst and independence turmoilTwo topics jump out from the current news. One is the continuing Democratic Party angst over the 2016 U.S. election. The other is the recurrent propensity for independence movements to stir things up. On the Democratic front, Hillary Clinton’s promotion of her new book What Happened is Exhibit A. There’s nothing wrong with authors promoting…

Turkey is the Middle East’s newest rogue actor

Erdogan asserts that his government has a right to a sphere of influence over the region that once made up the Ottoman Empire

Turkey is the Middle East’s newest rogue actorTurkey's rogue role in the battle for Mosul suggests it wants to permanently upset the balance of power in the region. Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan has been insisting the Turkish military should take part in the liberation of Mosul. Turkish troops are already in northern Iraq. The Turkish force in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa,…

Mosul’s fate can only be devastatingly tragic

The liberation of Mosul is going to be the bloodiest, most bitterly-fought urban campaign since Stalingrad

Mosul’s fate can only be devastatingly tragicThe battle for Mosul will end in tragedy for hundreds of thousands of the city's inhabitants. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi recently told the UN that the campaign to liberate Mosul would begin within weeks. He predicted victory by year’s end. U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has confirmed an imminent campaign. The…