PinnedMemories, Family, and the Smell of Cordite.A few years ago, I visited a gun shop and shooting range. I’m a liberal opposed to the proliferation of guns in America, but I did spend…Jan 7Jan 7
Why Is Public Support for Elite Universities so Weak?A few years ago, I worked with a colleague doing fieldwork in Ethiopia.Just nowJust now
Who is dying and disappearing in Mexico? Data on the Burden of Violence, Visualized in 10 GraphsThe recent discovery of an isolated ranch in the Mexican state of Jalisco where criminals appear to have cremated dozens, if not hundreds…Mar 20Mar 20
Trump, Foreign Aid, and the “NGO Scramble”Trump and Elon Musk’s recent attacks on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will have an immediate and…Feb 24Feb 24
Inside the Slab, a Hidden ApertureI’m taking a creative writing class, and one of our exercises was to write about a beloved possession. To describe it in detail, and to…Jan 14Jan 14
On Death and DivorceTwo people close to me are approaching the end of their lives, and I’m watching them suffer from pain and anxiety.Jan 7Jan 7
Why is Turkey in Libya?This week, a brief clash between rival armed factions in Libya’s capital city, Tripoli, again emphasized the country’s unresolved civil…Aug 18, 2023Aug 18, 2023
The Nakbah and The Holocaust: Pillars of Jewish and Palestinian IdentityI just returned from an eight-day trip to Israel and Palestine (specifically, the West Bank) with my 16-year-old son.Aug 18, 2023Aug 18, 2023
Why did Israeli soldiers use both restraint and brutality during the first Palestinian uprising?In 1988, Israeli security forces engaged in a wide variety of repressive tactics aimed at putting down the Palestinian uprising in the West…Aug 2, 2023Aug 2, 2023
If human rights are universal, why is the funding for rights advocacy groups so one-sided?Human rights are universal, and everyone, in theory, should be supportive. However, when raising funds for human rights, the money tends to…Aug 1, 2023Aug 1, 2023