Often the arguments in support of the state are grounded on the state’s ability to restrict “the bad” in society, or to defend from other states in a defensive war. While it is true that individuals harmful to the health and property of others are the main problem that a society faces, arguments for a centralized power to have any positive effect on this issue are slim at best.

The issue of secession has been present in American history since the Declaration of Independence—itself an act of secession followed by a war for independence! The debate continued, involving discussions of National versus Compact Theory, the nature of the Union, the true vision of the Founders, under what circumstances secession might be legitimate, how a territory could theoretically secede, etc. All these things were discussed before, during, after the Civil War.

As President Bashar al-Assad flees Syria, neocons and Zionists celebrate throughout the world, while those who will truly suffer—the people of Syria—will be left to clean up the mess of American and Israeli ambitions. Despite the accusations against Bashar al-Assad, those who have replaced him are much worse—the Hay’at Tahir al Sham.

The recent seizure of Syrian land on the Golan Heights by Israel is an ominous example of expansionism at its worst, in complete violation of property rights, if not a total human rights violation as well. The claim of Benjamin Netanyahu that the Golan will “forever be an inseparable part” of Israel shows utter disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

I first came across the idea of fads within the education system upon reading Reginald Damerall’s book Education Smoking Gun. In it, Damerall details the total lack of scholarship in the education colleges, which leads to a vulnerability to faddishness in teaching. Teachers are led away from time tested teaching methods to methods that seem more exciting, more progressive, and less intellectual, in an effort to be more inclusive and make learning more fun.

Damascus has fallen. After thirteen years of brutal civil war, Bashar al-Assad—who once vowed to die in Syria—has fled to Moscow, leaving behind a nation in tatters. But Syria’s next chapter may be even darker than its last.

The 2024-25 basketball season is underway with the National Basketball Association and college men’s and women’s ball nearly a month into the Road to March Madness. One season, however, finished nearly three months ago: the Women’s National Basketball Association.

My first reaction to news earlier this month that the Syrian government had been overthrown was, how much did we have to do with it; how involved was the CIA; and how much is it going to cost.

As with Saddam and Gaddafi before him, we know that Assad was no libertarian hero. But unleashing an army dedicated to establishing an Islamic state in once-secular Syria hardly seems like a good idea to me.

[The Sources of Russian Aggression: Is Russia a Realist Power?, by Sumantra Maitra, Lexington Books, 2024; 205 pages]

One of the unfortunate realities of the foreign policy debate in America is that few Americans are paying much attention. This general level of public ignorance makes it much easier for the American foreign-policy elites to then feed the American public whatever lies suit the regime’s agenda.