James Bascom 
The Cold War earned its name because the superpowers, apart from a few proxy wars around the world, never began a direct conflict with each other. But at the time, the ideological confrontation between communism and anti-communism seemed certain to lead to war in Europe, as it did in Korea, Vietnam, and … Read more
Over the past few months, thousands of Dutch farmers have blocked highways and staged protests. Hundreds have been arrested, and one was even shot at by a police officer. Dutch farmers have been protesting in the streets on and off since 2019. Why are the farmers so outraged? They are fighting for … Read more
Ever since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia twenty-two years ago, Western observers have tried to discern his ideology. Is he a Russian nationalist bent on reconstituting the Russian Empire or a neo-Communist, angry over the collapse of the Soviet Union? Perhaps he’s simply a “patriot” without any actual ideology but … Read more
Not since the Civil War has the United States been so divided. This is most apparent in politics but also in our culture, religion, economics, morality, mentality and ways of life. It erupts in school board meetings in the Midwest no less than in Congress. It sometimes leads to violence, as it … Read more
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, most of the focus attention has been on the military and humanitarian aspects of the conflict. The war is, after all, a geopolitical earthquake, the worst fighting and refugee crisis on European soil since World War II. It is possible that the war … Read more
Hospitality is as old as humanity itself. Ever since man began traveling the Earth he has needed a place to stay. Innkeeping can be found in all cultures around the globe, and it is mentioned several times in the Bible. Convents and monasteries all over Christian countries considered hospitality as a sacred … Read more
If there were a single image that summarizes the whole of 2021, it is the big American C-17 airplane taking off from the Kabul Airport runway surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians. In a pathetic attempt to escape the Taliban with their lives, some managed to grab hold of the airplane and … Read more
The dramatic images of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban cannot help but evoke the strikingly similar scenes from the defeat of South Vietnam 46 years ago. Thousands of people physically clinging to airplanes, triumphant Taliban fighters posing in the Afghan presidential palace and helicopters snatching up the last embassy officials … Read more
On June 18, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted 168 to 55 to draft a document outlining conditions for the proper reception of Holy Communion for Catholics. The Doctrine Committee of the Bishops Conference will write and submit it for approval at the bishops’ November gathering. Although his name … Read more
A few days after his inauguration, Joe Biden made a radical yet largely unnoticed declaration on Twitter: “Let’s be clear: Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time. There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights.” We are living in what CNN called our “transgender … Read more