Over the last month, while working insane hours averaging probably close to 3 hours a night, traveling to NYC, London, Rome and Tokyo it seems like the world has further erupted with the goings on in Iraq, Korea and in Lebanon.

Not being one to be afraid of dealing with controversial topics and feeling a certain amount of frustration at both the left and the right for dealings and perspectives on the topic I have decided that we should do some of our own research on the topic over the next few weeks…

I suspect my position will change over time but here is a quick summary of it:

1. It is insanely complicated; any time one mixes culture, and religious beliefs, politics and weapons together there are no simple answers.
2. This administration is culpable of gross errors in judgment.
3. The democrats have no alternative strategy and just as culpable in gross errors of judgment in their positioning on the issues at hand.
4. The roots of these conflicts are as broad as they are deep.
5. There are many lessons from history we can learn from to help us in the situation we find ourselves in, however there are no wise old men on the mountain tops (either dead or alive) whom have all the answers, there is just all of us here today that have to figure this out.
6. While the breadth of the concerns immediately facing us could be argued to be disassociated (and in some cases are) there are some very concerning global trends that will affect us all over the coming decades. Not in the least of these is sometimes opposing forces of globalization and tribalism, cultural identity and religious ideals.

The one good thing about my travels is I have had had plenty of time sitting on planes reading; listening to the audio book (ironically) “The World is Flat” and at least being able to read and watch media reports from non-US based polarized media.

I most sincerely believe Socrates when he says he feels he is a citizen of the world more than a citizen of any country (or words to that effect). Hopefully if nothing else I will encourage some of my friends from around the world to join this discussion. J

Best,

David Cook