The Revolutionary Beethoven
In the year of the great composer’s 250th birthday, we can retune our ears to pick up the subversive and passionately democratic nature of his music.
When Men Legally Controlled Women
100 years after the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, when women got the right to vote in all 50 states, the gains made by women in the USA are under siege. Let us continue the fight, we have so much more to achieve, says Jill.
Palestinians Are Not Numbers: On the Future of the Palestinian Discourse
Numbers are not meant to tell the story of the human condition, nor should they ever serve as a substitute for emotions.
Charlie Chaplin and Karl Marx in Conversation
Marx called his version of human nature species being. Modern Times is really about species being—our fundamental needs, our drive not to be dehumanized, the survival of our spirits as well as our bodies, the full expression of this limited creature.
This Vanishing Moment and Our Vanishing Future
Reading about John Hersey’s Hiroshima experience in a world that somehow refuses to grasp, even on an increasingly apocalyptic planet, what nuclear war truly means.
Triple Crisis in the Anthropocene Ocean. Part Two: Running Low on Oxygen
The ocean is losing its breath, with deadly effects on marine life and the biogeochemical cycles that shape the entire biosphere.
Thirty Years of Unified Germany
On October 3, many Germans will celebrate the re-unification of Germany. But few can ignore the facts: neither Germany nor the world have lived up to all past expectations, while many worry about what lies ahead.
China 2020
All signs are that the 21st century will see a struggle for hegemony over the world economy between the US and China. This may be different from similar struggles in the past, due to the uniqueness of China, which is neither entirely capitalist nor entirely socialist.
The Sino-Russian Alliance Comes of Age: Part 1
The visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Moscow on September 10-11, 2020 and the joint statement issued at the end of the visit stands out as a turning point in the evolution of the Sino-Russian entente.
Profits First, Safety Last: Boeing’s Greed Killed 346 Passengers
Boeing’s rush to sell its 737 Max aircraft ignored design flaws and other safety concerns, resulting in the death of 346 people in crashes of the plane in Ethiopia and Indonesia.