A Medieval Age of Disruption: On Nicholas Morton’s “The Mongol Storm”

Reviewed by Nile Green THEIR ARRIVAL WAS described in the deceptively mellifluous Persian of medieval historian Juvaini: “Amadand o kandand o sokhtand o koshtand o bardand o raftand”—“They came, they uprooted, they burned, they killed, they looted, and they left.” It is one of the tersest lines in world history-writing, summarizing in a single sentence the… Read More A Medieval Age of Disruption: On Nicholas Morton’s “The Mongol Storm”

The atomic age was born 78 years ago — ‘cover-ups’ have held sway ever since

Scientists warned of dangers to those living downwind from the Trinity site but, in a pattern-setting decision, the director of the bomb project, General Leslie R. Groves, ruled that residents should not be evacuated and kept completely in the dark (even after they were sure to spot a blast brighter than any sun before dawn… Read More The atomic age was born 78 years ago — ‘cover-ups’ have held sway ever since

Uki Goñi – A grandmother’s 36-year hunt for the child stolen by the Argentinian junta

Practically all of Argentina cried on this one… First posted June 08, 2015 NB: The generals who performed these barbarities were Catholics and received support from sections of the Church. But it must be said that their leftist opponents also received support from radical priests. A brief history of Argentina’s ‘dirty war’, in which 30,000 people… Read More Uki Goñi – A grandmother’s 36-year hunt for the child stolen by the Argentinian junta

Chris Hedges: They Lied About Afghanistan. They Lied About Iraq. And They Are Lying About Ukraine.

The U.S. public has been conned, once again, into pouring billions into another endless war The playbook the pimps of war use to lure us into one military fiasco after another, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Ukraine, does not change. Freedom and democracy are threatened. Evil must be vanquished. Human rights must… Read More Chris Hedges: They Lied About Afghanistan. They Lied About Iraq. And They Are Lying About Ukraine.

Mushroom cloud over Fangataufa atoll, French Polynesia, 1968

Adam Tooze ‘Vautour II’ flying in the cloud of the ‘Canopus’ nuclear explosion, the first explosion of a French thermonuclear bomb, over the lagoon of the Fangataufa atoll in French Polynesia in 1968. The Vautour II was taking samples of material from the cloud. Source: Marlène Aviation https://adamtooze.substack.com/p/russia-under-sanctions-the-foreign?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands: A… Read More Mushroom cloud over Fangataufa atoll, French Polynesia, 1968

UN condemns Israel’s use of excessive force in attack on Palestine

In a rare condemnation of Israel, the UN has denounced the country’s excessive use of force in its largest military operation in two decades targeting a refugee camp in the West Bank. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, clearly angered by the impact of the Israeli attack on the Jenin refugee camp, said it had left… Read More UN condemns Israel’s use of excessive force in attack on Palestine

Manipur Conflict: Echoes of History & Perils of False Narratives

In a revealing interview with The Wire, Meitei MLA Nishikant Singh Sapam, Chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Ethics in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, stated that the conflict primarily revolves around land. It becomes evident that labelling Kukis as ‘terrorists,’ ‘narco-terrorists,’ ‘illegal immigrants,’ or ‘foreigners’ serves no purpose other than undermining their legitimacy, subjecting… Read More Manipur Conflict: Echoes of History & Perils of False Narratives

‘Deep political changes are only a matter of time’

Correspondence with Vladimir Kara-Murza In April 2023 the Russian opposition politician and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for speaking out against the war on Ukraine. He was found guilty of ‘running an ‘undesirable organization’, of ‘spreading falsehoods about the Russian army’ and of high treason – likely in connection with… Read More ‘Deep political changes are only a matter of time’