History, when they do it, is ancient history, and they sensationalize even that. Contemporary history is virtually ignored on television.

In the West, since the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union, the one discipline both the official and unofficial cultures have united in casting aside has been history.

History, when they do it, is ancient history, and they sensationalize even that. Contemporary history is virtually ignored on television.

I think another crisis, which is being predicted now and which will be worse than what we saw in 2008, could bring the European Union down unless there are huge reforms from within to democratize, to give more power to the regions, etc. If this doesn't happen, the European Union will fall.

There was a good moment in Islam when people were actually challenging authority at every level. Very different from the world we live in.

After flirting with neoisolationism, the U.S. is now deciding it wants to run the world.

Tayyip Erdogan wants to go beyond George W. Bush by making critical journalism and critics in the academy illegal. What will be the difference between him and a military government? Very little. I read his remarks on the effectiveness of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Well, yes. But then the AKP would have to ban all other political parties, close down all critical newspapers, burn the books critical of the regime and gas the Kurds to death...the final solution of the Kurdish 'problem.' Somehow I don't think he is about to do that.