The first year of World War III?

The past year in the Middle East has been more devastating than the sum of its parts

Most Americans either ignore news from other countries entirely, or else relate to it as if it resembles something akin to a cinematic drama: objects of potential interest divorced from meaningful impacts on our lives, to be debated as fodder for polite conversation at social gatherings.

Those who do dare to open their eyes tend to do so through a lens s…