Andrew J. Bacevich, “America’s War for the Greater Middle East”

Now a retired colonel after nearly a quarter century in the U.S. Army, as well as professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University, Bacevich brings a valuable dual perspective to this study of American foreign policy over the last forty years. Taking as his point of departure the fact that few, if any, American soldiers were killed in the Middle East from the end of World War II to 1983, the author of Breach of Trust and The Limits of Power investigates why the region has been the scene of constant conflict and high American casualty rates in recent years. http://www.politics-prose.com/book/97…

U.N. Peacekeepers Commit Less Sexual Abuse With 5% Women Peacekeepers

U.N. peacekeepers are hugely needed in trouble spots around the world, but they’re also often badly behaved: Too often they sexually abuse the people they’re supposed to be protecting. A new study finds a simple solution: Add female troops to the peacekeeper forces. The Center for Global Development finds that increasing the share of female peacekeepers from 0 percent to 5 percent is associated with a 50 percent reduction in sexual abuse allegations.

At 150, Canada Is ‘Cool’ but Can Aspire to Something More

If only we could establish the proper break between progressive values and progressive politics.

 .. Canadians firmly believed in liberty and freedom, and still do, but never wanted a republic. Rather, we usually view our former colonial status as New France, and later British North America, in a respectful manner as a stage in our development.
.. it started using the Westminster model of representative democracy only in 1931.
.. What can Canadians do differently to ensure that this century, or any century, belongs to us, too? A fine start would be to establish a proper break between progressive values and progressive politics.
.. Canada has leaned left for most of its existence.
.. He has returned Canada to its traditional role abroad as a peacekeeper, renewed his supporters’ faith in social liberalism,
.. my hope is that Canada will reflect on its longstanding core principles, question them, and make the necessary improvements. That would mean reducing our state-centric approach to government, increasing the influence of free markets, and ensuring that individual rights and freedoms are properly defended and upheld by the constitution.