The Middle East’s Endless Wars Part 1

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

The rise of Islamic State (IS) and its seizure of large parts of Iraq and Syria have caused alarm in the West and across the Middle East. Harrowing images of mass killings and beheadings of soldiers and journalists have sparked calls for renewed U.S. intervention in the region. Alarming as it is, Islamic State has not risen in a vacuum. In fact IS can be seen as an outcome of thirty five years of continual warfare across the Middle East. This post, the first of three, looks at those thirty five years of conflict and the seven steps that have led to the emergence of ISIS. Continue reading →

American Narcissism, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

During the 1960s three of the most narcissistic Presidents in US history came to power – John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. During this period the myth of American exceptionalism became a dominant theme in U.S. politics. America now viewed itself as the world’s policeman and as the defender of global freedom. As a consequence, the U.S. became embroiled in a series of catastrophes including the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, and the bombing and invasion of Cambodia. In a world full of psychopaths, the US increasingly acted like them. Continue reading →

Psychology of Evil – The Role of Religion

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

After watching the evening news, it’s hard to make the argument that religion makes us kinder to one another.

ISIS in Iraq is murdering Christians and Shia Muslims alike under the guise of a Holy War. Israel’s merciless bombardment of Gaza has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of women and children- the youngest to be killed was ten days old, the oldest was 100. In Uganda, evangelical Christians are vowing to campaign to reinstate the death penalty for gay men. And in Burma, Buddhist monks preach hate against that country’s persecuted Muslim minority.

Amidst this whirlwind of sectarian hatred, it is time to finally recognise that not only is morality possible without god, morality is infinitely better without god. Continue reading →

Freud and the Evening News – The Madness Within

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

A cursory glance at the evening news reveals a picture of humanity violently at odds with itself – the violence of ISIS, the unending war in Syria, and the erosion of democracy in the U.S. typified by the hated filled campaign of Donald Trump. But the everyday reporting of the major news channels hides a deeper division still – the division of humanity based on disorders of personality. Continue reading →

DR Congo – Understanding Africa’s Largest War 3

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

The story of the Congo wars is one of state weakness and failure – the weakness and failure of Congo to defend its borders, impose law and order in its eastern provinces, and build the institutions of state necessary to improve the impoverished conditions in which the Congolese population live.

The weakness of the Congolese state explains why the Congo wars have no simple narrative. In the absence of a strong power in Kinshasa, rival factions have been able to proliferate, adding a layer of confusion to an already complex picture. At various times in the conflict, there have been up to forty different armed groups in Eastern Congo alone. Continue reading →

DR Congo – Understanding Africa’s Largest War 2

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

This is the second post in a series of three. Read the first post here.

The Second Congo War

President Laurent Kabila would only preside over the Congo for fifteen months before war began again. The trigger this time was Kabila’s decision to turn on the Rwandans who had put him in power.

In early 1998, Kabila began to recruit Rwanda Hutu – many of whom had been responsible for the Rwandan genocide – into the Congolese army. He sacked the Rwandan officer who had been the commander of the Congolese military and asked all Rwandan troops to leave the country. Continue reading →

DR Congo – Understanding Africa’s Largest War 1

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Ian | disorderedworld

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast country with a population of sixty million people. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. The wars that have ravaged the country since 1996 have so far cost the lives of over five million people. Almost three million of the victims have been children. This and subsequent posts aim to explain the tragedy of Africa’s largest war. Continue reading →