Author Archives: Carl Coon

Bradley Manning’s Incarceration

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Carl Coon

Bradley Manning, the Wikileaks source, is in solitary confinement. Is this a pre-judicial harrassment designed to set an example to other GI’s? Continue reading →

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Observations about our current dilemmas in the Middle East

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Carl Coon

Everyone else is proposing solutions, so I shall restrain myself to a few tips about the Arab World based on personal experience. Continue reading →

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Libya: Evaluating Obama’s Role

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Carl Coon

The great debate over our intervention in Libya largely misses a key element, the future power of the UNSC as peacemaker. President Obama deserves credit for sensitivity to this issue. Continue reading →

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The Sweet Spot

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Carl Coon

Are we really stuck with only two choices, world cop versus fortress America? Is there no middle way? Of course there’s a middle way, in fact there are quite a lot of them… Continue reading →

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Qaddafi, a Wild Card in the Arab Deck

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Carl Coon

There are important differences between the current revolt in Libya and the revolutions that have shaken Tunisia and Egypt. Continue reading →

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Our veto in the Security Council

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Carl Coon

The figleaf we used to cover our veto of the UNSC resolution on Israeli settlements was transparent. The consequences of our dishonorable act will be profound. Continue reading →

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After Cairo> (update)

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Carl Coon

I was smart twelve days ago (“After Cairo”) to hedge my bets. This update is pretty modest too. I repeat, the Middle East is the graveyard of prophets. Continue reading →

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American Exceptionalism and the Crisis in Cairo

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Carl Coon

In Egypt we find ourselves conflicted between our ideals and our interests. It is a recurrent problem, which we’ll never find answers to until and unless we renounce ambitions to run the world. Continue reading →

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After Cairo?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Carl Coon

Recognizing that the Middle East has buried many prophets, here are a coupole of very tentative thoughts about where the revolution in Egypt is headed, its impact on the region, and how our govenrment may be responding. Continue reading →

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Exit Keith Olbermann

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Carl Coon

Is Keith Olbermann’s removal a sign that the radical right is aiming for a monopoly in TV’s talk show industry? And if so, what does that signify? Continue reading →

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Who Owns Human Rights?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Carl Coon

Who has the right to define human rights? The prevailing view in the USA is that the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights is the gold standard. But others, like the Chinese, disagree. I offer one humanist’s view… Continue reading →

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Entropy and Life

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Carl Coon

Regard life as a principle whose prime agent is evolution, that creates complexity out of simplicity. Think of it as the polar opposite of entropy. Doesn’t this duality between entropy and life provide a sounder basis for a modern world view than the older religions? Continue reading →

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American Exceptionalism

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Carl Coon

Most Americans consider our country exceptional but too many of them do so for the wrong reasons. Continue reading →

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Leveraging and Language

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Carl Coon

Leveraging is a term that morphed into popular usage when enough people realized the banks had mulcted them. Continue reading →

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The Second American Revolution

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Carl Coon

The real sources of American strength and greatness Continue reading →

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Reflections on the Nature of Human Evolution

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Carl Coon

Personal thoughts on the nature of evolution in general and human cultural evolution in particular. Continue reading →

Posted in Progressive Humanism | 2 Comments

What Makes People Become Suicide Bombers?

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Carl Coon

Whatever it is, it is not religion. Continue reading →

Posted in Topical Issues | 5 Comments

No-Fly Zone over Libya?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Carl Coon

We need a decison by the Security Council before we participate in a no-fly-zone regime over Libya. Continue reading →

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So You Want to Be an Emperor?

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Carl Coon

Advice for the exceptionally ambitious young American who aspires to become the dictator of the formerly democratic United States of America Continue reading →

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Are we running out of gas in Afghanistan?

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Carl Coon

It’s not too late to quit now, before our war there runs completely out of gas. Continue reading →

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