My mornings started earlier than most who were my age when I was young. During school days in high school, I woke up at 4 am to read the Bible and dissect Christian literature.

I meditated on Bible verses and passages for hours in those early still mornings and rarely told anyone that I was praying on their behalf to God. I cherished those quiet moments in communion with Him.

NOTE: This is an excerpt from my book, Up in the Air: Christianity, Atheism & the Global Problems of the 21st Century. In it, I try to write about our…

Doubt is an unpleasant condition but certainty is absurd. — Voltaire

I didn’t always like to read.

Deep down I prefer being lazy, honestly. Or at least I think I do. Watching Netflix rather than reading Chomsky, is much more enjoyable for most people — believe it or not.

For some reason, however, I find the feeling of not knowing unbearable. Eventually, I became so curious that I started researching my own book topic on Christianity, Atheism, and the global problems of the 21st century, or at least what I think they are.

It took me 2 years to research…

For most of us, the end of the year is a time to reflect on what we did throughout the year and where we can improve for the next year. Here, I want to share how I managed to write a book in 2020 and what key strategies you can enact in 2021 to finish your book or achieve any other goal!

Here’s to a fulfilling year!

This year was a difficult one for most. We encountered severe change at unprecedented levels. No one could have imagined what early reports of a virus might look like for the world.

It…

Widely described as the ‘last dictatorship in Europe,’ Belarus masquerades under the title of a democracy with free elections, whilst being an autocracy.

The Political System in Belarus

Belarus has a House of Representatives, who appoint the Prime Minister, opposing party members, and a constitution. Initially, the constitution stated that the president was only allowed to serve two terms. In 2004, this was changed in line with Lukashenko’s aspirations to remain in power.

International observers have called the elections rigged and unfair; and opposing politicians are often fined or imprisoned. Observers also point out that Belarus is among the worst states in Europe for free…

In early August of 2008, half of the Georgian military, some 13,000 troops, marched to Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, to take over from South Ossetian separatists who were shelling villages in Georgia. Then Russia intervened. … Why?

This is a part of my brief blog series on Russian politics I am doing this week because it is the holidays and I have a little bit more time. Enjoy!

The plan of the Georgian military was to move most of its forces to Tskhinvali and to later occupy the Roki tunnel in order to cut off any potential for reinforcements…

Before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, any serious threat to undermine post-Soviet territory from Russi awas thought of as unlikely.

Political analysts, world leaders, and strategists alike, therefore, found the developments in Crimea surprising. Since then, we do not know how far Putin will go to expand his empire … and for how long.

In order to understand where Crimea is today, we should briefly look at why Putin and pro-Russian separatists legitimize Crimea’s separation from Ukraine. Politically, Crimea has had a history of separatism. …

The Great Patriotic War in Vladimir Putin’s Russia signifies the staple of perseverance and victory for the Russian people. Any careful reading of history testifies to why Putin would use The Great Patriotic War to his advantage.

I will do precisely that in this blog post.

Clearly, the Russian war effort against Nazi forces diverted their attention from Western forces. The Battle for Stalingrad, for example, held between 1942 and 1943 claimed more than 1 million Red Army lives. Other infamous Russian battles tell a similar story.

Indeed, Russia suffered heavier losses than every other Allied nation during World War…

I wanted to start a brief (4–6 posts) about Russian politics for people who are interested as I believe that our focus on Russia and the developments in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere are among the most important international developments of the century thus far. Make no mistake, Putin is one of the greatest threats to democracy today. Let’s not turn a blind eye.

Here is my first post about “The Unexpected Rise of Putin.” I have written more about Putin in the past and I briefly mention him and why Russia should be among our “global priorities” in my book…