The Age of Terror columns

Are the terrorists winning? Donald Trump thinks they are – “totally.”

Suddenly we’re back in a Cold War world in which, depending on your taste in metaphors, the Russian bear is on the prowl or the Russian chess master is several moves ahead of his floundering western opponent.

Burning Monk Syndrome (BMS) has always been with us but is becoming more prevalent due to advances in communications technology. The condition takes its name from the periodic spectacle of monks setting themselves on fire to draw the world’s attention to the suffering being inflicted on their country, often but not always Myanmar.

Writer Salman Rushdie calls them the “But Brigade”: those who deplored the Charlie Hebdo massacre, but then watered down their condemnation with context, caveats, extrapolations and warnings against “over-reacting.”