Charles G. Cogan
Associate, International Security Program
Contact:
Telephone: 617-864-3959
Email: chuck_cogan@harvard.edu
Website: http://www.drcharlesgcogan.net
April 4, 2013
"The Palestinian Occupation: Even (Or Especially) the 'Gatekeepers' Say It Isn't Working"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"...[U]nlike the French in Algeria, the Israelis, back in history, had a leading presence in the land they much, much later moved in on; nevertheless, there are similarities. What struck me most about The Gatekeepers was reminiscent of The Battle of Algiers: thousands and thousands of indigenous faces shouting or silently expressing their unhappiness at living under the thumb of foreign occupying forces. Looking at this sea of frustration, in frames that must have come largely from official Israeli footage, I said to myself, how can the Israelis, in continuing an occupation that has lasted over 45 years, hope to contain this movement?"
March 21, 2013
"Triste Anniversaire"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"...[T]his was a useless war, conceived under the mistaken pretext that Saddam was in possession of weapons of mass destruction and resulting in untold sacrifices of dead and wounded on all sides."
March 7, 2013
"A Modest Proposal: Furloughing the Furloughers"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"Those who have legislated pain on so many people would by this proposed action demonstrate that they are willing to absorb some of the pain themselves. In addition, it would be another contribution toward lowering the national debt, which all sides can agree on. The fact that the legislators were elected, as they are so proud of declaiming, is beside the point. They draw from the same federal cash box as the civilian employees of the government."
February 28, 2013
"No Taxation With Representation"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"How can members of Congress vote to reduce expenditures, via the sequester, and thereby lower the debt, while at the same time refusing to levy taxes, which is another method of reducing the debt. Why go at half of the problem and refuse to consider the other half? The inconsistency is patent, at least to some, and the result is likely to be that many ordinary Americans are soon going to face lesser paychecks under the sequester."
AP Photo
February 15, 2013
"Marry in Haste, Repent at Leisure: the Problem With the Egyptian Constitution"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"The above issues appear to be the principal points of contention between the text of the Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Constitution and the aspirations of the non-Islamists, many of whom are among the youth. Though this matter is not at the heart of the country's current crisis, marked by rampant insecurity and economic stasis, the ambiguities contained in the Constitution may cause serious problems in the future."
February 5, 2013
"Drones: What's the Fuss About?"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"...[I]n Pakistan, in Yemen, in Somalia, and now seemingly in West Africa, the drones have been a reliable source of intelligence and, equipped with missiles, a lethal and potentially accurate weapon....Unquestionably, there have been a number of innocent people killed in drone attacks, either by proximity and/or mistake. But what is this in comparison to the land invasions and mass aerial bombings of the pre-drone era?"
January 24, 2013
"Algeria: The Land of No Quarter"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"Algeria's operation at its gas field at In Amenas, which terrorists threatened to blow up, ran into four days, and was ended at an extremely heavy cost: 37 expatriates killed, plus one Algerian; and 29 terrorists killed plus three taken captive. Algeria's policy has long been is one of no quarter with terrorists; that plus the legacy of a brutal independence struggle would have made it unlikely that Algeria would have accepted any counter-terrorism assistance from outside powers that in any way would have been seen as an infringement of the country's sovereignty."
January 15, 2013
"The Once and Present Ally: France"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"When the new, and pro-American, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, returned France to the NATO integrated command in the spring of 2009, a number of prominent French figures stated their reservations, the most articulate of whom was the former French foreign minister under François Mitterrand, Hubert Védrine. Much later, and more recently, in a report submitted to President François Hollande on Nov. 12, 2012, Védrine stated that although de Gaulle had been right in 1966, the world had changed since. And the United States, especially with the reelection of Barack Obama, had changed. The Americans now want an increased military role for the Europeans."
January 11, 2013
"Mainstream Support of Hagel: Is This a Crack in the Wall of Intimidation?"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"Does all this represent a crack in the wall of intimidation, to use the word of Mr. Hagel to Mr. Miller? Will the message get through to Benjamin Netanyahu, Avigdor Lieberman, et al to stop interfering in the American political process?"
January 8, 2013
"The End Game: Taking the Bet of Pascal"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"The reasoning of Pascal is the following: in the absence of any proof of the existence of God, reason does not indicate to us whether to believe in Him or not. Since the choice is free, it is reasonable to lean, by calculation, against agnosticism: in effect, to decide to believe in God and live in consequence of that decision. If one leads a life in conformity with a belief in God, this guarantees inestimable benefits if it is revealed, after death, that God exists — and costs nothing if he does not exist. Whereas agnosticism, in the latter case, does not bring any benefits, and on the other hand it is met with infernal punishment if God indeed does exist. Thus, it is rational to put faith in a belief in God and to lead a life that conforms to it."
