Since late summer and now into the fall of 2014, a series of tragedies involving young black men and the police have fueled tensions in several urban centers in the United States. In each, emotions and pent-up anger have caused significant strain and, in some cases, rioting within the black community. And the manner in which the national media has covered each one of these events has usually exacerbated the mistrust and tension. For the various constituencies involved, past assumptions and current perceptions have shaped the respective responses to these tragedies. There are also significant differences between each case, making generalizations impossible or at least not very helpful.

As of this writing, the United States, other Western powers and Iran have agreed to extend negotiations on a nuclear deal for seven more months. The ?red line? date of 24 November never seemed very sacrosanct; this ?deal? to extend the deal negotiations shows that. It is quite easy to be cynical about all this, but it does point to a deeper reality about Iran, the Middle East and the US.

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem, including Temple Mount and the Western ?Wailing? Wall. Israel likewise took the entire West Bank of the Jordan River, the Golan Heights from Syria and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. It was the most humiliating defeat the Arab world had experienced?and a triumph for the young Jewish state. Israel had tripled its size and had reunited Jerusalem, making it the capital of the nation. Since 1967, the results of this important war have framed the developments, politics and foreign policy decisions of the Middle East and much of the world. In 1967, one of the more difficult issues for Israel was what to do with Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The 2014 election is now history and a few observations about this momentous election are now possible. Without question, it was a ?wave? election for the Republican Party. Although the results are stunning, the election?s long-term potential impact is now coming into focus.

On Monday, 6 October 2014, the US Supreme Court let stand appeals court rulings permitting same-sex marriage in five states?Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Such decisions by the Court are done without explanation, as was this decision. But the silence of the Court here is deafening, for it sends a decisive signal that the accommodation to same-sex marriage is virtually complete within American culture and law. This action by the Court increased the number of states permitting same-sex marriage to 24. This will expand quickly to others.

Because this summer is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, I have read several books this summer on the beginnings of this horrific war, a war that dismantled four great empires, remade the Middle East and laid the groundwork for World War II, an even more catastrophic war.

ISIS or ISIL (The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [or in the Levant]) is arguably the most dangerous and ruthless expression of the doctrine of Islamic jihad in modern times. ISIS (or what is now more commonly referred to as simply the Islamic State) is a breakaway from al Qaeda and can only be understood in contrast to al Qaeda. Understanding ISIS is the main thrust of this edition of Issues in Perspective.

The Middle East is in chaos right now. The political/military nature of this chaos also has a religious dimension to it. There is an intense persecution of Christians that accompanies this chaos and this persecution is causing a massive displacement of populations in areas associated with the early church. Further, this chaos is spilling over into Europe where there is a growing anti-Semitism. There are several interconnected developments that resemble Europe before World War II or the Middle East before World War I.

The war of attrition being waged by Hamas against Israel grinds on. There is every evidence that Israel is clearly winning this war, but it grinds on nonetheless. In this conflict, the world?s response to this war of attrition is interesting. In fact, the world?s response is a study in hypocrisy, for it holds Israel to a standard to which it holds no other nation.

One of my favorite columnists is New York Times columnist David Brooks. In one of his columns in May he wrote: ?In 1966, 86% of college freshmen said that developing a meaningful philosophy of life was essential or very important. Today, less than half say a meaningful philosophy of life is that important. University of Michigan studies suggest that today?s students score about 40% lower in measures of empathy than students did 30 years ago.?