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from The Heritage Foundation
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
One of Africa’s longest-serving presidents, Idriss Déby of Chad, who had ruled for 30 years, was killed Monday in a battle with rebels advancing towards the capital His shocking death has thrown the country’s frequently tempestuous politics into further turmoil, even as the rebels remain in the field. Chad is a vitally important country in what may be Africa’s—and arguably the world’s—most volatile region. Despite its own many problems its forces are among the most capable fighters in the area, and have played an important part battling Islamist terrorism.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
Kabul, Vietnam
A British military jibe maintains that “Experience is the ability to recognize a mistake the second time you make it.” Can we recognize that, in Afghanistan, we made the identical two grand mistakes we made in Vietnam—then added a third to guarantee our failure?
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from Newsweek
LEFT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, American weekly news magazineI was raised in a religious Muslim home and practiced the faith for a long time. Eventually, I realized I was not a religious man, after spending a long time educating myself, immersed in our texts. Certain things bothered me after I investigated them deeply. I felt the hijab was misogynistic, and I opposed the strain of violence that had emerged from our holy books. Then there were the blasphemy laws outlined in the Quran, which seemed like the opposite of the liberal values I believe in. As a secular man, I went about my life, working as a contractor for the Canadian military for over a decade in Kosovo, Sudan, Bosnia, Haiti, and then Afghanistan. I encountered other Muslims, and others like me, who were not longer Muslim. But when I came back to Canada in 2014, I returned to a different country than the one I had left. I had left a country that was proud of being the opposite of what bothered me about Islam, that was proud of a tradition of free inquiry and free speech, open debate and civil discourse. The Canada I returned to resembled the religion of my youth more than it did its opposite. I left a culture that was steeped in a sentiment that could be summed up as, "I may disagree with what you say, but I respect your right to say it." I returned to a culture summarized by, "I disagree with what you say, so shut up."
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from The North American Anglican
Media/News Company: "A journal of orthodox theology in the Anglican tradition"
The much-vaunted author of both fiction and Christian apologetics, C.S. Lewis utilized his skill with the pen in order to paint a sweeping picture of Christian theology. In many instances, this was done so plainly, as in the case of his book Mere Christianity. But on other occasions, Lewis sought to inject Christian theology into places, settings, and characters that, on the surface, appeared to be anything but a typical exposition on theology. Lewis was and still is famed for his ability to speak to the spirit and identity of many differing Christians, bridging the divide between generations and denominations, all while incorporating some fairly unorthodox beliefs regarding salvation and inclusivism. Whether in the form of fiction, apologetics, speeches, or correspondence, Lewis’ discussion of salvation provides some clues to his unusually broad interpretation of God’s forgiveness and mercy.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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