Unpuzzling
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by Anne Applebaum(2024). Haiti is widely regarded as a failed state. With 200 to 300 active criminal gangs, the nation’s economy, governance, political systems, and public services have all collapsed. In addition to instilling fear in the public, these gangs have also been engaged in conflicts with each other. By 2023, a total of 4,789 murders were recorded that year, the majority resulting from inter-gang violence. These deadly tribal wars inspired one gang leader, Jimmy ...

Dispatches from America, Inc. Issue 2: A 12-step guide to a corporate-style autocracy (Image: DALL-E) Are you driving yourself crazy by trying to make sense of the mind-bending chaos that has infected the politics of the United States? If yes, you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the apparent insanity. Thomas Friedman⁠, opinion writer for the New York Times, recently rendered his view: If you are confused by President Trump’s zigzagging strategies on Ukraine, tariffs, ...

The Ultimate Plan To Make America A Business-State (Image: DALL-E) America’s newly elected president, Donald Trump, is the figurehead of a warship plying new ocean waters. We’ll call it the HMS Trump Troupe—a band of zealots and bad actors who favor shotguns over pistols. In ancient times, sculpted figureheads symbolized a ship’s spirit. The Egyptians adopted figures of sacred birds to ensure protection and vision. The Romans and Greeks showcased carved wolf or boar heads ...

Unpuzzling the Forces of Democratic Backsliding (DALL-E Image) If you see a wild man yelling “I can save you!” and he’s running naked down New York City’s Fifth Avenue, worry for the man. If you see a crowd of people who have shed their clothes and are running after the man, shouting “Save me!”, worry for the followers. Across the globe, many decent people are chasing after ruthless leaders who have long since abandoned all ...

(by Timothy Synder, 2018) Unpuzzling Democracy's Retreat The Book In Brief In The Road to Unfreedom, Snyder examines the ideological currents, historical precedents, and political manipulations that have weakened democratic institutions and norms in Europe and the United States. He examines the influence of Russian ideology, with its authoritarian worldview and Christian nationalist fervor, as a blueprint for Putin’s autocratic regime.  Armed with this ideology, Putin and his supporters have engaged in influence campaigns in ...

Image: DALL-E by author Unpuzzling Astrology as a Match Maker and Futurist "What's your sign?" It's a question you've probably heard at parties, on dates, or even during job interviews. Humans have looked to astrology for centuries to understand themselves and others. We've all had that moment of nodding along as someone describes how being a Scorpio explains their intensity or how Mercury being in retrograde affects their decision-making. By nature, humans are prediction machines. ...

On March 25, 1775, at a church in Richmond, Virginia, an American patriot gave an impassioned speech to his fellow townsmen, urging them to approve of a resolution for Virginian troops to join in the Revolutionary War against British colonialism. Toward the end of his brief speech, Patrick Henry implored the delegates: Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know ...

Who among us doesn’t ponder the future? How often do you think about your life unfolding over short and long timeframes? Do you wonder about your future health and lifespan, your children’s success, or the outcome of working hard at your job? These deeply personal questions reflect our innate curiosity about what lies ahead. Prediction is the cornerstone of human existence. A coherent life means anticipating what comes next. You cannot plan for the future ...

Around the world, our involvement with religion is changing. Participation in religious activities is declining in well-resourced countries where citizens feel relatively secure about a stable future. In countries that are less resourced and where citizens’ futures are more uncertain, participation in religious activities is increasing. What impact does declining participation in religious activities have on morality? Does distancing ourselves from religious congregations inevitably lead to a decline in our moral standards? The Christian Bible contains narratives that ...

The history of human civilization is the story of increasing exposure to information. Access has multiplied through evolving technologies: stone tablets, Gutenberg printing press, telegraph, radio/TV, internet, and, today, social media apps. Given the exponential increase in information available to everyone, you might think that electing representatives in modern democracies has become a rational process of gathering facts about candidates’ priorites and then matching these facts to voter’s policy preferences. If you think the politics ...