The Middle East Now, and Its Not Pretty Near Future

The Middle East Now, and its Not Pretty Near Future For this post, I’m breaking a rule never to post anyone else’s thoughts without commenting on them myself. So I’ve got to hand it to Hussein Agha and Robert Malley, who co-authored an article on the Middle East in the current New York Review of […]

Smart Power or Wise Power?

Time magazine’s recent cover story on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and “smart power” joins a growing consensus, at home and abroad, that U.S. foreign policy has softened considerably in recent years, therefore the world really ought to once again accept American leadership. But is this shift directed toward increased cooperation for the international common […]

American Evangelicals

Many prominent Evangelicals have begun to decry publicly the rigid, sectarian fundamentalism of the religious right and to call for profoundly increased interfaith dialogue and wiser approaches to U.S.-Mideast relations.

First published in the Turkish Daily News, July 7, 2008.

Christian Zionism & Foreign Policy: Irony & Tragedy

A news article by Michele Chabin in the December 14, 2010, Christian Century has reinforced my view about the irony & tragedy of the Christian Zionist movement – now well over 100 years old, yet stronger and more influential than ever.

Wisdom Tradition – See with New Eyes

To help those who may be new to this way of thinking, I am pleased to say that there is now a fairly comprehensive introduction to the historic wisdom tradition up on the site as a new page, and you may start some discussion about it here. Even if you are not new to this, I think you may find some surprises.

The wisdom tradition offers us an alternative way of reasoning about life, and that is what I have tried to show how in this introductory article, which is titled “The Historic Wisdom Tradition and Its Literature: A Summary Review in Two Parts.”

Ten Years After 9/11

What Are We Remembering? by Charles Strohmer The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. But what will we be remembering? Will it be humble remembering of our days of personal and collective grief, suffering, tears, and loss? Or will it be faux remembering? Read this short opinion piece here

Is a UN Imposed Palestinian State Wise?

Is a UN Imposed Palestinian State Wise? by Charles Strohmer In September, the United Nations will vote on whether to grant statehood to Palestine. Unless something profoundly changes in Israel or Palestine before that day, almost certainly the vote in the General Assembly will be overwhelmingly “Yes.” This will seem like imposing a bridge too […]

Images of Wisdom in Cairo

One of the prominent features of wisdom is that, to use an image from the book of Proverbs, she cries to be heard in the streets. In other words, Lady Wisdom is not some disinterested spectator. You will find her in the public square, resolutely engaged. And her aim? It is to be a reasonable […]