Broken Bangles: Life, Stories, Thoughts

  Lebanon: A Reminder Israel has begun to send missiles, bombs, and foot soldiers to Lebanon in the name of destroying Hezbollah. The US is also expected to step in if the conflict worsens. One would wonder why America has been obsessed with the Middle East. The answers are complex and related to how economically powerful countries thrive for world dominance. Lebanon has a unique place in history as the first country in the Middle East to experience a US military action.  This is the story of how the Middle East became a battleground for America. The first step was taken in Lebanon. The year was 1958. The Beginning of the US Military Action in Lebanon and the Eisenhower Doctrine A summer in Lebanon half a century back, the beachgoers of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, saw a curious sight. Boats after boats of US Marines began to arrive on the shores of Beirut. Bruce Riedel, the author of the book, ‘Beirut 1958: How America’s Wars in the Middle East Began’ (2019), writes that t...

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons) Ancient Egypt had the undisputed and exclusive legacy of the entire Africa till it fell under the colossus of Empire, and became colonies. Not only did the power tilt, but a culture was almost erased. A ton of sand upon a magnificent bust in marble.  From it, emerged the nation states- Egypt, a weak shadow of its ancient counterpart, and Ethiopia and Sudan- like impoverished cousins from the lineage of mighty patriarchs.  Iran went through a similar fate. The formidable Persia, one of the largest Empires in human history, transformed into economically weak Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Greece, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and even Egypt. Persia had surpassed Egypt in empire-building by swallowing Egypt too. Yet, the colony era humbled them and rid them of many parts of a proud heritage. Stripped and paraded before an alien tribe. Looted and ground to earth beneath its crusading feet.    Persia, though non-existent, survives ...