Recently in the American Empire…
Henry Kissinger: Hero or Villain?
Henry Kissinger died aged 100 on 29 November 2023, and was revered and reviled in equal measure. Tributes this week described him as a Nobel Peace Prize winner and great statesman, in part for his role in securing peace between Israel and Egypt via his “shuttle diplomacy” in 1974-75. Denunciations labelled him a war criminal for his role in the bombing campaign of Cambodia, and enabling fascist regimes on multiple continents. He was in some regards the pivotal and enduring figure of the cold war, steering American foreign policy through many of its most controversial moments. Sam Altman and AI: Chaos at ChatGBT
In the course of a turbulent few days, ChatGBT creator, Open AI, fired and rehired CEO Sam Altman. Theories still abound as the true motive behind the chaos, with many suggesting that Altman had withheld information from the board. The importance of the breakthroughs made by the secretive “Project Q” are still debated, with some speculating that an important (and potentially dangerous) step toward true Artificial General Intelligence had been reached. Whatever the truth, it serves as a reminder of the precipice humanity finds itself upon with this era defining, and currently unregulated technology. Trump sets the Tone for 2024
At a speech in New Hampshire for Veterans Day, Donald Trump attacked his many enemies as “vermin”; a politically charged term due to its use by Adolf Hitler and other right-wing fascists throughout history to dehumanise members of society based on ethnicity or political beliefs. Trump shows once again how he intends to campaign in 2024, sewing distrust and hatred rather than any pretense at unifying a deeply divided country.
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