Articles by Zachary

It is important to distinguish between humanitarian catastrophes and national security threats, as the boogeyman of WMDs has killed far more Americans than WMDs ever have. Read More

In a surprising twist to the recent narrative of the U.S. and other powers’ deal with Iran to limit the latter’s nuclear weapons program, the head of a major anti-deal lobbying group, Americans United Against Nuclear Iran, resigned after reading the controversial deal and deciding that it was, in fact, worth honoring. Indeed, if more […]

Arguably, the most underreported story in the media these days is the ongoing negotiations over the proposed United States-European Union Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This massive free trade deal would increase U.S. and EU gross domestic product (GDP) by about 0.4% and 0.5% a year—a $100 billion annual windfall for the United States, […]

The student government elections are upon us. Presumably, if you’re reading about this, you care about such things. If not, you should — the  Students’ Association is the voice of the student body, and if the administration seems unresponsive to our student needs, it is in part because we have neglected to fully use this […]

Last November, the West watched in disappointment as the President of Ukraine, Victor Yanukovych, suspended EU negotiations. Disappointment turned to hope as this became the catalyst for mass protests against the president’s corrupt regime. Hope turned to disgust when Yanukovych’s party in Parliament illegally gave him dictatorial powers, which was used to suppress dissent. Disgust […]

Last week’s op-ed, “Science and Faith” by Evan Keegan, rehashed a series of popular myths and unfortunate misconceptions about the nature of science, faith, and knowledge. These myths do believers and unbelievers alike a disservice, but persist because they legitimize religion by tying it to science (curiously, one never observes scientists trying to legitimize science […]

In our personal lives, and in most of the business world, deals are about trust and amiability. Pundits and politicians would like us to believe that deals between nation states work the same way. Nothing can be further from the truth. Reagan used to say “trust but verify;” the truth is that verification generates trust. […]

The current federal shutdown is but the latest antic of a dysfunctional Congress. Enough House Republicans are in favor of the Senate’s proposed compromise to pass it, but as of Tuesday night, Speaker John Boehner won’t let the House vote on it, fearing retaliation from extremists within the GOP. Over the last several years, extremists […]

If there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it’s this: Syria is a mess. Yet most of Syria’s possible futures are even scarier than the present, and the highest chance of avoiding them comes from encouraging the swiftest rebel victory possible. The costs of inaction far outweigh the costs of action. Critics of an intervention often […]

Spring time in Rochester: Visiting students flood the halls, sophomores run miles with major declaration forms, the weather plays sadistic games, and Professor Landsburg has infuriated students with yet another blog post. Last year he called Sandra Fluke an “extortionist.” This year, he questioned the moral justification for condemning rape in a hypothetical circumstance in […]