Russia and China both vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution today that would have laid out consequences for Syrian President Assad if civilians continue to be killed. The veto comes after close Assad advisers were killed in an attack that clearly indicated that a person or persons in Assad’s inner circle were conspiring against him. Russian and Chinese support for the clearly weakened Assad suggest that the game now has less to do with the Syrian regime than it relates to the larger balance of power in the Middle East, most likely support for Iran. Given the attack on Israeli citizens in Bulgaria yesterday and the high likelihood of Israeli retaliation against Iran, we have climbed another notch on the escalation ladder.
Violence against immigrants in Greece has risen sharply as the Greek economy has continued its deep recession. The cause and effect are easy to discern and it is a common phenomenon in sharply contracting economies. Anti-immigrant violence is increasing all over the world, and will likely worsen until the global economy begins to recover.
Many American colleges and universities have expanded abroad in attempting to establish a global presence. Such expansion is fraught with danger for traditional liberal arts institutions since many countries do not share the values of free expression. Yale University was slammed by Human Rights Watch for its campus in Singapore and its decision to not allow students on that campus to form political groups. We are far from sharing universal values.
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