The FAQs: The Jerusalem Synagogue Attack

What just happened in Jerusalem? Two Palestinian men armed with axes, meat cleavers, and a pistol, entered a synagogue complex in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of West Jerusalem on Tuesday morning and killed four rabbis, one from the UK and three from United States (all had dual-citizenship in Israel). Continue Reading...

Iraqi Religious Minority Faces Extinction

The Yazidis are a tiny religious minority, Kurdish by ethnicity, who are facing extinction by the Islamic State in Iraq. While there are about 700,000 Yazidis worldwide, more than half a million were living in Iraq, although many have fled the violence in the nation. Continue Reading...

Explainer: What’s Going on in Iraq?

What just happened in Iraq? Conflicts in Syria and Iraq have converged into one widening regional insurgency and Iraq risks a full-scale civil war after an al-Qaeda-linked militant group called ISIS quickly seized a large section of the country’s northern region. Continue Reading...

Explainer: What is Going on in Vietnam?

What is going on in Vietnam? For decades, China and Vietnam have clashed over control of parts of South China Sea, which is rich in oil and fish. Earlier this month, China moved an oil drilling rig into waters claimed by Vietnam. Continue Reading...

A Turkey in Every Pot

In this week’s Acton Commentary, “Tyranny Is the True Enemy,” I explore the latest film installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, “Catching Fire.” I pick up on the theme that animates Alissa Wilkinson’s review at Christianity Today, but diverge a bit from her reading. Continue Reading...

Columbus Day: Why Does It Matter?

The second Monday of October is designated as “Columbus Day” in the United States, ostensibly to give honor and tribute to the man, Christopher Columbus, who “discovered” America. Every American school kid learns to sing-song, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Continue Reading...

10 Perils of Prosperity

Sustained prosperity is new and sustained prosperity for masses of people is completely unprecedented. What is sustained prosperity? It’s three or more generations of people who do not need to focus on survival or live in economic depression, but who can live comfortably even if they live paycheck to paycheck. Continue Reading...