Mark Juergensmeyer
This is an excerpt from my review of Richard Beck s Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life, published in Religious Studies Review. The full review is in a previous post on this webblog. Every American over the age of thirty knows where he or she was on 9/11. In my case, I was on Continue reading Enduring Impact of 9/11
This is an excerpt from an essay requested from me for a special issue of Oxford University s St. Anthony s International Review. The recent political shifts on a global scale have led many observers to conclude that we are on the verge of a new Cold War. But it is not clear what the opposing sides Continue reading A New Cold War?
When we first moved to Maui about ten years ago to set up our retirement residency for half of each year, I looked for places to get good food. I wanted locally sourced, if possible, fresh stuff for a pesco-vegetarian like myself. I thought I found the ideal place. It was a grocery store, part Continue reading Tulsi s Cult
When I read about Trump’s surrender terms to Iran billions in reparations, end of sanctions, unfreezing assets, and allowing it to control the Hormuz Strait in the future I laughed. Here we go again, I thought. It immediately reminded me of Gaza, where Trump helped to negotiate a deal that would provide for Continue reading The Bad, Bad Iran Deal
Now that a tentative cease fire has been announced bringing the US bombs into Iran to a halt, it is time to ask the logical question. Who won? Certainly not the US. Trump basically capitulated to Iran in order to release its stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz. It had effectively countered US bombs by Continue reading The War No One Won
Now that there is a shaky ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran, it is time to tally up the scorecard and assess who won and who lost. As I see it, now that the dust is beginning to settle it’s becoming clear what the outcome has been. BIG WINNER Russia. Curiously the biggest single Continue reading Who Won the Iran War?
The war in Iran – America and Israel’s assault on the country and its barrage of missile and drone responses – have produced a variety of impacts. They might not be exactly what Donald Trump and his buddies had planned on, but clear winners and losers have emerged. Winners Iran. Though the missile Continue reading Winners and Losers in Iran
The massive Israel-US attacks on Iran are aimed, according to President Trump, at regime change. The death of the Ayatollah of Iran will be unlikely to cause that to happen. Most likely a new Ayatollah will be proclaimed and life will go on as it was before. Yet there is massive unrest in the country, Continue reading After Iran What Next?
I have written a bunch of books relating to incidents of religion-related terrorism around the world, but the one word I have seldom used is “terrorist.” The reason for that is that it is not an analytic term. Terrorism is a subjective one. It describes persons whose presence or actions have aroused states of terror Continue reading Domestic Terrorists
The only time I’ve been to Greenland was on an arctic expedition boat surveying the effects of global warming. Ok, it was a kind of cruise, since my wife and I were paying passengers, but it was not the kind of cruise with casinos and free booze. There were scientists on board who gave lectures, Continue reading ICE in Greenland