Akber on Law

Erosion of Civilian Control of the Military

Erosion of Civilian Control of the Military

Much has been recently written about the erosion of civilian control of militaries. A recent paper sheds light on how this phenomenon has developed in the United States over the past decades. As the US exports military expertise throughout the world, this attitude is increasingly seen in other countries. The

Asad Shah, his Community, and his Murderer

After I raised the issues of Asad Shah’s mental issues and how his family and community should have stepped in much earlier [https://medium.com/@akber/tragic-asad-shah-the-striker-in-millennium-ffea1ccdbe98] , the usual Qadiani Ahmadiyya suspects started commenting on it as ‘baseless’ and ‘rubbish’. Like any other cult followers, they did not venture

Tragic Asad Shah — “The Striker in Millennium”

Tragic Asad Shah — “The Striker in Millennium”

(Picture: Asad Shah’s Facebook profile) A well-liked and kind shopkeeper was viciously murdered on Thursday night in Glasgow, Scotland. Newspapers picked up the story quickly and the police thankfully stopped unwarranted speculation by immediately declaring the culprit to be Muslim. Asad Shah belonged to the Ahmadiyya Community and the

Three Types of Muslims wrt Jihad

There is a picture with text circulating on social media that implies that the vast majority of Muslims are the same as the few terrorists. Without honouring it by reproducing it here, I attempt to re-define the three classes mentioned in it: Jihadists/Islamists/Terrorists : Those who take the theology

Conspiracies vs Conspiracy Theories

Yes, there are conspiracies in this world, but let us look at the three signs of a conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theories are usually nurtured by those who don’t understand how the world works or how it is changing. Here are three criteria I came up with: 1. The theorist’

Reluctantly Using 'Decimated'

The word 'decimated' is now being used in place of 'devastated' or 'crushed'. The etymology of the word points to the 1-in-10 killings in mutinous Roman legions and to 10% taxes. This blog entry [http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/09/does-decimate-mean-destroy-one-tenth/] makes a strong case for just getting on with

ISIS . . . the monster they created

The End of the Arab Spring, the Rise of ISIS and the Future of Political Islam, by Khaled Abou El Fadl [http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2015/04/23/4221874.htm] A good summary of the Middle Eastern problems. An excerpt: > It is no accident that Abu Bakr

Academic Realism, but for the Crusaders

It is refreshing to see academics finally start to tackle the thorny issues of our times with renewed realism. . A few recent examples: * From Calvin to the Caliphate [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/143326/john-m-owen-iv/from-calvin-to-the-caliphate] * The New Enemy Within [http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/05/the-new-enemy-within/389573/

Persian Perseverance

In a lesson for many other countries around the world, it takes about a generation (35 years in the case of Iran) with a steady hand at the helm to be considered stable enough to be taken seriously. Regardless of whether the nuclear deal with world powers pans out or

Iran's Nuclear Programme

From Enver Masud (disclaimer: I do not subscribe to his 9/11 conspiracy theories), without fact-checking: * Iran probably stopped pursuing a nuclear bomb in 2003, according to the most recently published U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, the consensus of 16 intelligence agencies including the CIA. * Binyamin Netanyahu's dramatic declaration to

Was Jim Clancy on to Something?

Jim Clancy, a seasoned CNN reporter for 34 years may have been on to something when he decided to resign after denouncing what he deemed to be 'hasbara', a word associated with apologists for Israel and Zionism. Else, why would he just resign? Here is the scoop: http://www.independent.

Hard to Wage War on Ideologies

Excellent analysis from Peter Beinart at the Atlantic ( http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/02/is-america-at-war-with-radical-islam/385200/ ) He writes: > As so often happens in today’s GOP, the Republicans demanding a war against “radical Islam” are working off a false analogy with the Cold War. Since Ronald Reagan’s

Defining Stupidity

Just came up in conversation while driving on Speers and 4th Line with M. Which one is better? Stupidity is ignorance trying to assert itself. Stupidity is ignorance that doesn't know itself.