Arthur I. Cyr's blog

“The military-industrial complex,” was the theme of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address as he completed two terms in the White House, sustaining remarkably strong public support throughout that tenure. At the time, the speech was largely ignored by reporters and professors, who generally underestimated Ike.

Elections in Europe, from one end to the other, predictably have generated anxiety, especially given tensions within the European Union (EU) between the austerity preaching Germans and others, notably the Greeks. However, that is a misreading of both the fundamental purposes of cooperation on the Continent and the election dynamics involved.

“Without justice, courage is weak,” Ben Franklin wrote, and around the world today dangerous disciples of war are being brought to justice.

“The government … is no longer sufficiently assured of the necessary parliamentary support” stated Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in his formal letter of resignation to Queen Beatrix.

The Taliban has carried out a stunning raid and successful mass prison break in the town of Bannu Pakistan, near North Waziristan, a tribal area where sympathy for Islamic radicalism is strong. Highly visible Taliban attacks in Afghanistan have distracted attention from this event. A lengthy gun battle was climaxed by freeing approximately four hundred prisoners,

The spectacular failure of the latest missile test by North Korea is cause for puzzlement more than alarm. For nearly two decades, Pyongyang has shifted back-and-forth between apparent accommodation and bombastic hard line.

The renowned National Palace Museum in Taiwan has just announced a partnership with Google to display art works and galleries online, providing comprehensive public access to one of the world’s great collections of masterpieces. One hundred fifty museums around the world are participating in this effort to create and display digitized images of their holdings.

“Big Brother Is Watching You” was the pervasive punch-line in British writer George Orwell's novel ‘1984'. Recent developments regarding business and government in Britain give fresh currency to the classic.

Nuclear threats and rocket rattling by North Korea make news as well as noise, but peaceful positive developments associated with South Korea are more significant for the Korean peninsula, Asia and the world at large. Korean high-tech prowess gives the subject special urgency for the Pacific Northwest.

The killing of seventeen unarmed civilians in Afghanistan is a brutal reminder of the true nature of war. The U.S Army soldier alleged to have committed the crime is under intense media scrutiny. Our court systems, military and civilian, reinforce this individual focus.