What's Inside This Mental Breakdown of Writing? Here, you'll find my wandering thoughts on economics, geopolitics, culture, technology, and daily ideas. Plus, I'll be dropping little peeks behind the curtain on my novel and nonfiction projects.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." ~ Plato
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~ Bertrand Russell
"War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." ~ William Tecumseh Sherman
"Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die." ~ Herbert Hoover
In war, everything shifts and distorts our expectations.
War seems clear at a distance, but it becomes complex and confusing up close.
Even with all the spy satellites and autonomous artificial intelligence drone technology, generals and commanders…
In a multipolar world, there must be more powers capable of taking responsibility, the US and Europe must be able to unite to achieve peace in the Middle East. ~ Dominique de Villepin
I don't like this vision that Turkey is successful because it is as successful as the western powers in economic terms. But I do think they are trying to find a new space in the multi-polar world, and this is what I am advocating. I don't think that Muslims have an alternative model. ~ Tariq Ramadan
In a polyphonic, multipolar distribution of power among nation-states, fragmentation could arise, with…
Imagine a world where every country, big or small, has a say.
This is what people mean when they talk about a “polyphonic world.” Instead of a world run by a few powerful nations, like the United States, China, Russia, NATO, and the UN Security Council, it’s a world where many voices and ideas shape global decisions. In this world, different countries, cultures, and perspectives work together, each adding a unique perspective.
Some countries, like Russia and China, like this idea.
They often challenge systems led by Western nations. With so many different national interests, getting…
"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place." ~ Margaret Mead
"My wartime experiences developing a code that utilized the Navajo language taught how important our Navajo culture is to our country. For me that is the central lesson: that diverse cultures can make a country richer and stronger." ~ Chester Nez
In a collection of identities of a diverse nation, threads of different cultures weave to form…
"Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep You have to go looking for them; they're not just lying around on the surface You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves." ~ Ken Robinson
"Human resources are the most valuable assets the world has. They are all needed desperately." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
"Our greatest resource is the human resource." ~ Mal Fletcher
It's not gold, not diamonds, not oil, and not drugs; the most important resource to a nation is its people.
Human capital, or human resources, refers to the skills, knowledge,…
"Political power intoxicates the best hearts. No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with much political power." ~ Hans F. Sennholz
"The combination of economic and political power in the same hands is a sure recipe for tyranny." ~ Milton Friedman
"Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?" ~ Khalil Gibran
Political power is the ability to influence or control the behavior of people, institutions, or policies.
Political power…
"Another longstanding foreign policy flaw is the degree to which special interests dictate the way in which the "national interest" as a whole is defined and pursued.... America's important historic relationship with Israel has often led foreign policy decision-makers to defer reflexively to Israeli security assessments, and to replicate Israeli tactics, which, as the war in Lebanon last summer demonstrated, can turn out to be counter-productive." ~ Samantha Power
The erosion of globalism, once hailed as a light of peace and prosperity, is clearly seen as a fractured globe with one…
HEADLINES
The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked medical workers and healthcare facilities in Lebanon.
Gaza: Israel’s Northern Offensive Endangering Hundreds of Thousands of Civilians.
International Court Rulings Require EU Action on Israel and Palestine; Sanctions, Trade Measures, Support for ICC Crucial to Comply with International Law.
Lebanon: Israeli Strikes on Financial Group are War Crimes; Hezbollah-Affiliated Civilian Institutions Not Lawful Military Targets.
Lebanon: Israeli Attacks on Medics Apparent War Crimes; Israel’s Allies Should Suspend Arms Sales
“They Destroyed…
Clausewitz said "war is merely the continuation of politics by other means." In other words, political objectives always drive war, and that strategy should coordinate military actions with political goals.
In Ukraine, Russia's actions are shaped by long-term political goals of influence, while Ukraine aligns with Western powers and willing and open to being part of Western Europe and North American sphere of influence.
In the Middle East, conflicts reflect deep political, economic resources, sectarian, ideological, and an apartheid rules and treatment of the Palestinians.
Clausewitz…
In the cold shadow of recent crises, Europe stands exposed, confronted by an undeniable truth: it is tragically unprepared.
A European war lurks at the borders, pandemics arise like unwelcome spectres, and the earth itself shudders beneath us—yet we linger in a dangerous slumber of complacency.
Why did NATO countries keep pushing Ukraine to join as a junior member of NATO on the doorstep of its historic, interlinked big brother, Russia?
NATO viewed Ukraine’s potential membership as a means to enhance regional security against perceived Russian sphere of influence.
NATO countries…
Moscow’s warning to the United States is a dire one, cloaked in a tone that forewarns the gravity of history’s darkest days.
Dmitry Medvedev, once Russia’s president, suggests that America’s leaders are dangerously underestimating Russia's resolve.
He invokes Henry Kissinger’s wisdom as a shadow of what is lost, pointing to the West’s lack of insight, and the hubris that blinds them to the true stakes.
Medvedev’s words are not mere rhetoric but a declaration of survival—a grim vow that Russia, faced with existential threats, will act without hesitation.
Thus, as the West tiptoes on…
"The predominant yardstick of your government is not human rights but national interests." ~ Breyten Breytenbach
"The reputation of those countries which cater to the foreign policy interests of other states at the expense of their own national interests will go down regardless of how they explain their actions." ~ Vladimir Putin
"In some cases, in order to protect global issues some sacrifice for national interest is worth it in the long run. Global warming, these things, they suffer everybody." ~ Dalai Lama
"Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national…
Intuition is like a gut feeling that tells us what might be true. We rely on intuition when we sense something isn’t right in a certain place, such as the Gaza Strip. It’s a valuable ability that we, as human beings, have, but it’s not always easy to explain or fully understand.
The mass starvation happening in Gaza, imposed by the Israeli government and supported by the United States and the European Union, is leading to illness and death among Palestinians of all ages.
Yes, war causes starvation; however, this is not a war. It is a lopsided, massive military attack, supported by the…
Being called "smart" is usually higher than average intelligence. The individual understands complex ideas and grasps information quickly.
"Hard-working" people often achieve long-term goals, even in challenging fields, because of their perseverance and resiliency.
"Clever" individuals are often quick problem-solvers and adapt well to new dynamic, unpredictable life situations or creative fields, where adaptability is needed.
"Street-smart" people can read people, understand social dynamics, and make quick, informed decisions in unpredictable formal and informal settings.
The key is to…
"Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own." ~ Pope Francis
"We need to realize that poverty doesn't only consist of being hungry for bread, but rather it is a tremendous hunger for human dignity. We need to love and to be someone for someone else" ~ St. Teresa of Calcutta
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than…