Iran
It is just a stupid war. “Although Iran is exposed to all these external threats given its location, it’s huge. With 1.7M km2 and a population of 90M people, it is 70% larger and has more population than Afghanistan and… Read More »Iran
War
The Struggle for the Soul of Israel
Or what’s left of it. “When you take apart each step of their thinking, you can understand the logic. But when you put them all together, that’s when it breaks. Indeed, the Nationalist Bloc in Israel does not want Palestine… Read More »The Struggle for the Soul of Israel
The Gaza Trap
Tough situation if there ever was one. “So Gazans are trapped.They are trapped by the religious goals of Hamas.They are trapped by their bitterness against Israel and the losses of the last century.They are trapped by a public opinion at… Read More »The Gaza Trap
Do Arab States Support Palestine?
No. “there was not a single Arab nation-state in the world before the 20th century. We have a hard time understanding this now, but nationalism didn’t really exist until the 1700s, it spread around the world in the 1800s, and… Read More »Do Arab States Support Palestine?
Who Can Claim the Palestine Region?
This is why simple solutions don’t work. “Who Deserves the Land of Palestine?It depends. Who do you want?We can’t answer this question before acknowledging here the massive biases. People don’t have hard moral rules that they apply consistently across situations.… Read More »Who Can Claim the Palestine Region?
How Transportation Technologies Shaped Empires
Travel times matter. “Levant was closer to Mesopotamia (mostly present-day Iraq) and Anatolia (mostly present-day Turkey) so Egypt could not hold that territory for long after empires emerged there. For example, the Achaemenid Empire (Persia) emerged close to Mesopotamia, conquered… Read More »How Transportation Technologies Shaped Empires
History’s Network Effects
Is it all inevitable? “Social complexity and government also appeared in other ways. For example, through trade. When pirates and marauders disrupted trade, they reduced wealth. Traders and local governments then organized to eliminate the threats. Romans expanded into the… Read More »History’s Network Effects
A Brief History of the UK
Freedom matters. “The Industrial Revolution didn’t suddenly happen in England. For centuries, all of Europe had been increasing its pace of innovation. The printing press eventually led to the Enlightenment, which catalyzed the scientific revolution. The greater freedom in regions… Read More »A Brief History of the UK
A Brief History of Portugal
When you are bored… “Imagine you’re Portugal. It’s 1249. You’ve been fighting Muslims for 500 years (and a few Christian neighbors too), and this year you finally reach the southern coast after conquering the Algarve region. You’re done with your… Read More »A Brief History of Portugal
A Brief History of the Caribbean
It is simple. “If you’re a pirate—or a competing European power—and you want to get your hands on that wealth, you’re going to attack the weakest points between Veracruz and Spain. If you’re Spain, you want to protect the loot… Read More »A Brief History of the Caribbean