Category Archives: World Politics

View from Yerevan in The Tablet

It’s good to be in print in this week’s The Tablet (11 August 2022 edition) with a “View from Yerevan” – a piece about beautiful town planning, the revival and the absence of churches, losing a war, refugees from far … Continue reading

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War and the Devil: Sermon Preached at St John’s, Devizes, Sunday 6th March 2022 (The First Sunday in Lent)

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist: what has this to do with Kevin Spacey and Ukraine? Continue reading

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Crumbling Empires and Eternal Bliss: Sermon Preached at St John’s, Devizes, Sunday 21st November 2021 (Christ the King)

I grew up when mighty empires crumbled in a matter of years; what does that tell us about the current crisis in the West, and following Christ as our King? Continue reading

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Afghanistan Exposes the West’s Crisis as it did the Soviets’

This post originally appeared on Slugger O’Toole The Soviet Empire was undone by three things – firstly, overstretching itself, especially through the acquisition of a series of Global South satrapies from Nicaragua through Ethiopia to Vietnam in the 1970s and … Continue reading

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Mozambique – resource rich, conflict riven

This article appeared in the 17 September 2020 edition of The Tablet. Islamist insurgents are causing mayhem in Mozambique’s northernmost province. Christian leaders insist the cause is not religion but incompetent government On 12 August, after an infiltration campaign planned … Continue reading

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Orbán, Trianon, and the Rebirth of Nationalism

It is well worth reading Viktor Orbán’s speech on the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon, which was last Thursday and I didn’t even notice until it passed. Let’s start with this passage towards the end, which needs little … Continue reading

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The Opioids of the People

Crossposted at Slugger O’Toole… The United States government has launched a new anti-opioid campaign featuring true stories of people so desperate that they inflicted gruesome injuries on themselves to get another prescription. Such stories have already been more effectively told in … Continue reading

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South Africa: The last days of the Zuma presidency

My latest blog for Prospect Magazine on Zuma’s departure and the prospects for Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency of South Africa… Cyril Ramaphosa, leader since December of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which has governed the country since its transition to … Continue reading

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Dark clouds over the rainbow nation

This article appeared in The Tablet on 13 April 2017. The crisis long bubbling inside the African National Congress now threatens to boil over into widespread violence throughout the country. Faith leaders have a vital part to play in finding … Continue reading

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