Revolution Number Nile

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has pledged not to seek reelection this September. On January 24, this would have been shocking, too-good-to-be-true news for most Egyptians. The fact that many Egyptians view this as too little change, happening too slowly, is proof of how dramatically the political climate in Egypt has been changed by this week of protests. 

All the same, Mubarak has given the Egyptian public something to think about. I'm curious to see how many protesters continue to come out into the streets in the days ahead. These protests have essentially shut down the country. Are Egyptians prepared to risk food shortages and a continued frozen economy to try and get Mubarak out on their terms rather than his? 

Auxiliaries, Citizens, and Mexicans

Political discourse on immigration reform remains remarkably limited and short-sighted. Opponents of the act tend to characterize it as a gross injustice. Bending our nations laws to accommodate illegal aliens cannot, in their view, be justified. Uneducated and illiterate Mexicans have little to contribute to modern American; they will burden our public schools, hospitals, and welfare system while paying minimal taxes. Ultimately, these economic and social arguments veil either racist attitudes towards Hispanics or an acute lack of foresight and political understanding. Laws are meant to be adapted to respond to changing circumstances. With sluggish population growth, a faltering recovery, and massive budget deficits, America could benefit greatly by an influx of new citizens, even if they are generally unskilled and uneducated. It is ironic that many of the same Republicans who so vehemently espouse free trade (e.g. NAFTA) oppose looser immigration policy.

Realism Not Racism

I believe I may be the only NSTOnian who openly describes himself as a Realist, and one of my favorite bloggers over at Foreign Policy is Stephen Walt. He may not be as BRO as T. Ricks, but intellectually his arguments are very much in line with my views. Here is a good post from him the other day responding to a post by the neo-con Michael Gerson. I think people often hurry to place all conservatives under the same foreign policy camp, but the difference between these two writers clearly shows this is not the case.

Divided Government 2.0

This winter's edition of The Economist's annual predictions issue, The World in 2011, is on the shelves. Arianna Huffington's contribution is "The Year of Hope 2.0," an article that appears to be too short for the size of its ideas, whatever they may in fact be. Here, I will only address the supposition that "Hope 1.0," and its accompanying President have failed irredeemably.

Sources on Sacrifice

For those of you interested in ancient history or archaeology, the following may be relevant to your interests:

New research has tendency to be over-hyped. A recent study of a Carthaginian infant burial site (a Tophet) has refuted the proposition by some scholars that all the infants buried at Tophets were sacrificed (here is the article). Osteological analysis of the remains of infants has shown that 20 percent of those found died before birth, and thus could not have been sacrificed. It seems more likely that Tophets were used as more general burial sites.

However, this does little to refute the general historical evidence for child sacrifice at Carthage. Kleitarchos, Diodorus, the Old Testament, and some inscriptions all support child sacrifice at Carthage. Schwartz, the author of the article, rightly limits his conclusions: "Skeletal Remains from Punic Carthage Do Not Support Systematic Sacrifice of Infants." However, as so often happens, studies limited in scope are taken too far. One article has gone so far as to declare that Schwarts' research refutes "millennia-long claims of mass infant sacrifice in ancient Carthage." This just isn't the case. Nothing says that all of those children buried died of natural causes. Moreover, some sacrifices could have been buried elsewhere. Writers in the media and university have a responsibility to remain skeptical of new claims and opinions. Unfortunately, there is a tendency to blow new research out of proportion and make sweeping claims about the past. Orthodox perspectives should not be quickly dismissed, and new research should not be overstated.

OH Berlusconi!

This is one of my first posts for a while, so why not post something to make us all smile?

It, honestly, gives me pride to see my second prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, being so candid and not politically correct! (OK so his hilarious quips may not be the most strategic political tactic, but they certainly provide for excellent entertainment!)

His most recent comment was a complement on President Barak Obama's tan.

On another note, it may seem incredible that Berlusconi has remained in power so long with his very controversial commentary on other politicians, the left wing and not to mention his liaisons with teenage girls but, from recent events, his power appears to be tenuous - He will be facing a confidence vote in the upper and the lower house. Although it is thought that he will still retain his majority in the senate, he may not be so lucky in the lower hues with the abandonment of many of his old supporters. Will this mean an early election for Italy? (well it wouldn't be the first time!)

Evangelicals and Academics

Here's an interesting article on Evangelicalism in modern America. I believe that it is indicative of an underlying lack of diversity within the academic community. Conservative Christian academics are a dying breed. As the author acknowledges, most professors, even of religion, are completely unfamiliar with the religious identity of millions of modern Americans. Even the author of the article (Timothy Beal) ascribes to the liberal dogma of academe (notice his description of the Bible as "an accidental book"). Contrary to this article's suggestion, no mere article or book will bridge the fundamental gap between academia and conservative Christianity. If Evangelicals truly want to be understood, they themselves must penetrate the ivory tower of academia. Until underrepresented groups finally gain their own voices in the liberal world of the American university, they will remain strangers and foes of academics.