Haaretz: Why Saudi Arabia and ‘Little Sparta’ Still Can’t Defeat Iran in Yemen

The Saudi and UAE militaries are two of the best funded and equipped in the world. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia even surpassed Russia in 2017 with the world’s third-largest military expenditure, totalling $69.4 billion. The think tank also ranked Saudi Arabia as the second-largest importer of weapons in both 2015 and 2016, noting that such imports have increased by over 200 percent in the past six years. [...]

The coalition claims its goal is to cut off the Houthis’ main supply line and force the group to the negotiating table. However, little progress has been made since the campaign was launched on June 12, as the Red Sea city is heavily defended by land and sea mines. The United Nations fears the campaign could trigger even more widespread famine, since the port is a lifeline for an impoverished state where 8.4 million are believed to be on the verge of starvation.

Guzansky notes that in Yemen it is actually the UAE, and not the Saudis, doing the heavy lifting. The Saudis are primarily providing aerial support, he says, while the UAE has actual troops on the ground – albeit many of them mercenaries from countries like Sudan – constituting a fighting force to be reckoned with. The UAE has even “earned itself the nickname ‘Little Sparta,’” in the U.S. military, says Guzansky, citing current U.S. Defense Secretary and former U.S. Marines Gen. James Mattis as having “an admiration for what they’ve done – and what they can do.” [...]

In the 1970s, Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede created the Power Distance Index, which ranks how hierarchical a country is. Hofstede found that countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among some of the most hierarchical in the world, and as a result their flexibility in solving problems both large and small is limited, as is their ability to innovate.

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BBC4 Analysis: British Politics: A Russian View

Peter Pomerantsev asks why new techniques in political campaigning have succeeded and what the consequences are for society. He has a different view to most from his past career working inside the TV industry in Moscow.

The future arrived first in Russia. The defeat of communism gave rise to political technologists who flourished in the vacuum left by the Cold War, developing a supple approach to ideology that made them the new masters of politics. Something of this post-ideological spirit is visible in Britain. Centrism no longer seems viable. Globalisation is increasingly resented. Ours is an uncertain political landscape in which commentators and polls habitually fail to predict what is to come. There was a time when if you lived in a certain place, in a certain type of home, then you were likely to vote a certain way. But that is no longer the case. Instead, political strategists imagine you through your data. The campaigns that succeed are the ones that hook in as many groups as possible, using advances in political technology to send different messages to different groups.

Pomerantsev, one of the most compelling voices on modern Russia, is a senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and is the author of "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia".

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The Atlantic: The Problem With Happy Endings

“Good news is rare these days,” Hunter Thompson wrote of a truth that manages to keep being true, “and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.” It’s a vintage insight that has only gained relevance in the age of Twitter and memes and jokes like “today was a long week”: The American media may have a reputation for reveling in tragedy—the familiar indictments of disaster porn—but they also have a bias toward the very thing CNN was offering when it shared the story of Jimena Madrid while emphasizing cookies and coloring books: We denizens of the current news cycle are in constant need of happy things. We will look for them even in—especially in—the stories that are, manifestly, tragic.  [...]

The reporter, in this, might also be describing the feelings of the viewer. In a time of hard news, in every sense, the stories of family separations have been, after all, particularly challenging: kids in cages. A baby torn away by government agents from her mother’s breast. A father who killed himself when faced with the possibility that he would never see his family again. The wailing of small children. And so: When CNN tells its audience that one of those sobbing children has been reunited with her mother, it is not just providing a happy ending; it is also offering reassurance to a flagging public that the story overall is, indeed, coming to its conclusion. It is offering tacit permission to look away, to stop paying attention, to stop investing and feeling and caring. The arc has ended, after all; the reunion has happened; they are hoping the sadness and separation are behind them. [...]

In 2009, Barbara Ehrenreich published her book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. In it, the journalist detailed how biased Americans are toward optimism—in the best ways as well as the worst. She documented how unwilling and unable we can be, as a culture, to grapple with things that are difficult and scary and manifestly sad. She documented our great ability to look away. “We need to brace ourselves for a struggle against terrifying obstacles,” Ehrenreich wrote, in summary, “both of our own making and imposed by the natural world. And the first step is to recover from the mass delusion that is positive thinking.”

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Cuck Philosophy: Jordan Peterson doesn't understand postmodernism

In this video I use the terms "postmodernism" and "postmodern philosophy" to refer to late 20th century philosophies that reject the presuppositions of modern philosophy, universal meta-narratives, universal values, essentialism and the like, which includes philosophers such as Foucault, Derrida and Deleuze.

Social Europe: Illegality And Italy’s New Government

The part of the coalition’s programme devoted to fighting white-collar crime elicited sceptical reactions not just in centrist and centre-right circles, those traditionally most closely associated with bribery and tax evasion, but also among centre-left ones. In part, the criticism is persuasive. In particular, the coalition’s overall approach suggests an excessive reliance on prison sentences, which ignores the deplorable conditions of some of Italy’s prisons and neglects the questions that anyway exist on the effectiveness of imprisonment as a means of preventing crime and re-educating criminals. Stiffer financial penalties and tougher rules on the confiscation of ill-gotten or unexplained assets would seem a better policy. [...]

Little data is needed to set this criticism within its proper context. The total amount of taxes that are evaded each year is now estimated at between 7 and 8 per cent of GDP. This is equivalent to about one sixth of actual government revenue, a level considerably higher than in Italy’s peers. Within that larger aggregate, VAT, which has a uniform EU-wide regime, allows a narrower but fairly reliable cross-country comparison: according to the latest estimate, in Italy unpaid VAT is 28 per cent of theoretical revenue, a level twice the EU average and between two and three times higher than in Britain (10), France (14), Germany (10), and Spain (9). [...]

One important reason why white-collar crime is so widespread is that it is rarely punished. A comparison with one of the world’s least corrupt countries, Finland, will suffice. Council of Europe data show that in 2015 the number of people serving a prison sentence for white collar crimes was about six times greater in Finland than in Italy, in per capita terms, and that, inversely, the share of the total population serving a prison sentence (for any crime) was 20 per cent greater in Italy than in Finland. This suggests that Italy’s law-enforcement system is not comparatively lenient, but is particularly tolerant with white-collar crime: about seven times more tolerant than Finland’s. [...]

Should the Five Star Movement open that battle, those who desire Italy to shift toward a fairer and more efficient balance of forces might consider supporting it. For all this party’s shortcomings, in fact, if its apparent determination to fight white-collar crime overcame the four obstacles I just mentioned two important consequences could follow: a potentially serious attempt to strengthen the rule of law would begin, which the country has needed for at least three decades, and this priority could also gradually impose itself on the rest of the political spectrum.

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Jacobin Magazine: Flowers at the Tomb of a Fascist

The dictator chose the site during a hike in the Sierra with General Juan Moscardó. Its proximity to El Escorial monastery, the historic resting place of Spanish kings, was no accident. Franco had hoped that work on the project would be finished by April 1, 1941, the anniversary of his victory in the civil war, but the paid labor provided by construction companies San Román, Huarte (now OHL), and Banús could not complete it in time. As a solution, the “Redemption through Labour” scheme deployed republican prisoners as slaves on the construction project. With their involvement the complex was finally finished in 1958, after a more than seventeen-year delay.

Now Spain’s new Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is seeking to end the basilica being used as an apologia for the Spanish genocide. His Socialist Party (PSOE) government has promised to remove both the remains of Franco and those of the 1930s Falangist leader José Antonio Primo de Rivera before the end of the summer. The idea is turn the complex into a site of historical memory and reconciliation. Since the transition to democracy in the late 1970s, the PSOE has spent more than twenty years in power without daring to pull down this symbol of the fascist triumph. The speed of their announcement has surprised many, coming less than a month after taking office, but it seems designed to take advantage of the current weakness of the right-wing Popular Party (PP) after the fall of Mariano Rajoy. Founded by seven Francoist ministers, the PP are the political heirs to the dictatorial regime and have repeatedly obstructed attempts to gain justice for victims of his regime. [...]

As I approach Franco’s tomb an assemblage of fresh flowers lies on top. Those nostalgic for the days of fascism crowd around the grave, mixing with the tourists. A Japanese group visiting the abbey concentrate on the frescos in the cupula, ignoring the vigil at the grave of a dictator. But then an older man beside Franco’s marble tablet breaks the mirage, giving a military heel followed by a fascist salute. It encourages another man, who kneels and begins to pray beside the grave, then stands up and raises his hand to the sky. He remains standing for a few seconds, then bends to kiss Franco’s name carved in stone. Throughout this scene, the volunteer responsible simply repeats to the visitors that no photographs are allowed. I sit down on the ground in a corner, trying to gather my thoughts and write a few lines. The volunteer rebukes me, “Have some respect,” and tells me I can’t write here. Everything in this aberration is a metaphor for Spain.

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IFLScience: Huge Review Concludes That This Common Dietary Supplement Is Essentially Useless

Now, a new massive review headed by the nonprofit group Cochrane has concluded that they don’t have any benefits to heart health. There are some caveats, but this study nevertheless pairs nicely with a host of pre-existing and brand-new research that suggests the best way to improve your heart health is to have a diet rich in oily fish instead of taking those massive capsules.

The respected research group conducted a review of 79 randomized trials of omega-3 of varying quality. In total, these trials involved 112,059 people from all backgrounds, with various sexes, health statuses, and geographical placements, from North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. [...]

The only benefit came from those taking alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in nuts, seeds, and plant oils. Those taking ALA – part of the family of fatty acids under the omega-3 umbrella – had only a very, very small benefit, however. [...]

It’s worth noting that, with very few exceptions, most supplements are already known to be pointless. If a clinical practitioner says you need supplements for a medical condition, then that’s different, but don’t waste your money buying tablets that scientific research constantly suggests are pointless.

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The Guardian: Republicans have decided to follow Trump off a cliff of treachery

Former CIA director John Brennan was the bluntest of all: “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors’. It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”

Brennan’s question has no good answers. The Republican party’s cravenness appears to be bottomless. Republicans have decided to follow Trump off a cliff of treachery. Aside from the tepid protestations of a few GOP lawmakers – none of which will be backed up with actual votes or actions – Trump has been given free rein to trash the FBI and US intelligence agencies while staunchly defending a dictator who ordered a brazen assault on America’s free elections. [...]

This is a watershed moment, a chilling one. A Republican president and his sycophantic congressional enablers are selling out their nation to a hostile foreign power and convincing GOP voters to slander those who put their lives on the line to defend it. “America First” has morphed into “Russia First”. Putin’s approval rating is rising among Republicans, Robert Mueller’s is falling. The Russian dictator is favored over the heroic marine. People who have the nerve to call themselves patriots, to wrap themselves in the flag and claim that liberals hate America, are embracing the foe that launched a cyber-assault on American democracy.

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The Guardian: How can the Brexit stalemate be broken?

Discussions in Brussels will continue over the summer, key leavers including Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom are still onside, and some analysts believe it would do no harm for May to have to abandon aspects of the Chequers deal that the EU27 would always be likely to reject – including the complex “facilitated customs arrangement”.

According to Anand Menon, the director of the thinktank UK in a Changing Europe, the ERG has “scuppered a plan that could never have worked: calm down everyone”. [...]

Paradoxically, the article 50 deadline of March next year could also strengthen May’s hand. A good proportion of MPs in her party – though not many of the ERG – and Labour are convinced that leaving the EU with no deal would be a disaster. So as time runs out, it will become less and less practical for MPs to try to send May back to the drawing board.

The deadline also makes it less tempting for the hardliners to throw May overboard, by firing off 48 letters to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, and trigger a vote of no confidence in an attempt to replace her.  [...]

Cowley says: “Labour has a four- or five-point lead in some polls. That’s as nothing compared to what I think you’d see if we had a general election fought with the Conservative party in the state they’re in at the moment, because they would just fall in on themselves.”

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